Book several bands below reading level for table work?

[aegeansky]

Those of you who can't stand threads about reading levels, turn away. DS got 3 for reading in his end of ks1 report, and has just started in year 3.

I know the teacher is probably getting to know the children for herself, but I'm wondering why, if she has access to the levels, she has given his table a book that is several bands below what he can read for himself?

He was confidently reading books at about NC level 4 last term, and continued reading over the summer. The book the children have been given for their literacy work is about 5 bands below this. The top table has been given a book of the correct level for its ability (NC5) from what I can see.

I know some of you will say relax, it's early days, but what alarms me is the internal inconsistency - correct level for top table, not so obvious why below actual recent attainment for his table?

Well, can't comment on how many parents know, but my child does, and I'm sure many do. What do you propose should be done about it? There's a chart on the wall telling them what the stickers mean, and they read it. It's not a big secret.

I know one child on that top table extremely well, and she is an outstanding reader by any standards. I don't know the others as readers, but it's the teacher's call.

Rolla, it's futile arguing about it. DS got level 3 in his end of KS assessment. Great. And there are better readers in the class. There's a chart saying what the colour coded stickers mean in NC levels. It's all transparent. There's nothing sinister about it.

It's not a conundrum for me that there are children reading books at this level. Sure, if they read them again in a year, they'll get more out of them. Sure, if they read them again in 5 years, they'll get more out of them. But it doesn't mean they're not reading them now, with adequate comprehension.

It would be useful if you could specify the reading scheme that the school uses. This might help us understand the levels.

b

Could you name a couple of the books with level 5 or 6 stickers? What are the top table reading?

I'd like to know too, just out of interest, not because I think it's suspicious. I know at my children's school, which is very high achieving by any state primary standard, they don't teach children to level 5 in Y3. I'm also curious how they handle the children all reading the same long difficult book.

Hi Singersgirl,

Thanks for putting it that way.

I did ask my DS, very casually, if he could name the book on that table, but he couldn't. I didn't want to press him, as he is already wondering why he is not on the same table as nearly all his friends. If he introduces it into conversation, I'll let you know.

But just to make things a bit clearer: the overall literacy scheme is The Power of Reading. Everybody, from top to bottom, uses the same source text, with differentiated work-sheets, taking into account both reading and writing levels.

The colour-coded books I'm talking about are used for what used to be (KS1) guided reading, which is now, largely, silent reading, with support only given to the struggling lower sets. So essentially, the top 3 groups are left to read on their own.
As far as I can glean from DS, there is no interaction with these groups whatever during the session. I don't know the levels of these groups, except that DS was a 3 in his end of KS assessment and is what seems to be the middle group.

We have a similar problem - just gone into year three, got three in his SATS and was a free reader for most of year 2. DS has now been put pack on white level (apparently they go white, pink and then free reader), and is reading really easy books.

Someone said to me the teachers often put everyone back after the long holidays as reading ability decreases.

I am giving him a week or so to settle in and then I think I will have to comment.

Ages ago someone put a link on here to the colour scheme that goes all through the school system, and it shows what colours refer to what ages. I am not sure where it is thought.

Not sure if this helps, but I have a list of Power of Reading titles for specific year groups...

Ah! It does help...it's the common confusion of National Curriculum Levels and school years!

Phew! ~for some reason I've been puzzling over this - so glad there's a simple explanation!

Pixie, indeed. But in DS's class, there's the power of reading scheme (whole class) and then this separate colour coding scheme, which does follow the NC levels, for guided reading/silent reading and book bag.

I'd go in and ask the teacher if the level 6 books are NC level 6, as in those that are used in secondary for Y9. If the answer was yes, I'd be having words with the literacy co ordinator to clarify why.
I'd worry about the content and the concepts covered being inappropriate for Y3 unless they were mainly non-fiction. It seems a bizarre thing to do in a lower KS2 class.

I work in a middle school (9-13) and 90% of all the NC Level 5+ books we have are allowed to be borrowed by Year 7 & 8 only due to the more adult content/themes and the fact that the subject matter simply does not interest your average 9 year old (never mind a 7 year old).

These are Jane Austin, Bronte's, Shakespeare etc and we have simplified versions of these texts if any younger students are interested.

We have some excellent readers but not a single one reading at Level 5/6 when they join the school.

To have some at this level at age 7 must mean you've got an amazing school there ageansky.

Clam, how rude! I don't need to get a life.
My son is my son. He gives me information. I don't stand over him. I don't needle him.

I just listen to him. You could be less judgemental and ask yourself why you need to make a personal attack against someone you haven't the first clue about.

You don't stress? Really? Great. Do you have children? You have no idea of my personal circumstances, of the school, or its track record, or of the reasons why I might be concerned. Have you read my posts? Have you taken in that he is concerned that he's separated from the majority of his friends under certain circumstances? If you have children, are you at all concerned about emotional and social aspects of their development and wellbeing?

Great that you've had hundreds of playdates without seeing inside another child's bookbag. Snap.

As I've said several times over, most of this information comes direct from my son, not from me poking about. I can't get a word out of him when I want to, so I just have to listen carefully when he does open his mouth.

On a lighter note -

Mumnset would probably cease to exist if everyone was in chillax mode!

Who mentioned Skellig?

'Not sure if this helps, but I have a list of Power of Reading titles for specific year groups...'
Dweble posted this, Skellig and Goodnight Mr Tom are on it as Y6 readers. Both contain material that might be challenging concepts to handle as a Y3

Right, before there are any further postings based on a misunderstanding, there is NO evidence that even a single child is reading a book at level 6 in DC's class. I haven't said this.

I said there was a visible chart explaining the correspondence between book colour codes and levels. I also said that the top table, FOR ITS SILENT READING, had been given a book with an orange sticker, which is NC level 5.

Any parent looking round the classroom, as we were all invited to last term, would have seen the chart explaining the colour codes. It's for the children! Presumably, the chart is used school-wide and has just been copied and is therefore used in a year 3 classroom.

These are facts, so I'm not going to argue about them. Any speculation in this thread isn't mine - I've read back through my postings. So can we please focus on my original question, which is very clear, if there's anything more to be said?

But Goblinchild, please read my posts.

The NC level 5 book that SOME children have been given is NOT part of the Power of Reading scheme. It is for silent reading in ability groups. All the children have a year 3/4 appropriate book for the Power of Reading work in class.

Sorry to sound terse but I have explained this repeatedly.

You sound perfectly capable of going in and discussing your concerns with his current teacher. Perhaps you could suggest that she discusses what level your son should be reading at with his previous teacher, and come to an informed decision for him and his table.

Goblinchild, thank you.

That is a very good suggestion. Actually, I hate going in an imposing on teachers, hence this cowardly alternative of posting on MN. But let's see if I can muster up the necessary.

I'll leave it a week and then decide.

I'm so fascinated by this it's not true! (I am really really interested in how children learn to read, and what they read and the problem of finding age appropriate books for good readers). Please go and ask the teacher about it, ageansky, then come back and tell us. If there really are a table of children in a Year 3 class reading level NC 5/6 books I would love to know how the school did it. And what the books are.

For what it's worth, I have a very able reader, just starting year 5. Actually, I've stopped thinking of him as an able reader - he's just a reader. But I certainly wouldn't want him reading the same books as his sister was reading last year in Year 9. He could read the words, sure. I don;t think there is a word that he couldn't read, But the content would be mostly beyond him, or would bore him, or freak him out.