Stalled reading in Y1

[PastSellByDate]

Hello out there - Perhaps there are parents or teachers who can advise me what to do for best.

DD in Y1 was moved down a reading group. Two issues - reading was generally too difficult and there were outbursts of temper during reading time. We understand that DD lost her temper when she couldn't read as well as the others or when there weren't enough books to go around so she didn't get a book. DD told us that if she struggled the others would tease her and the teacher did nothing.

The new group reading was effectively at the stage DD was on at the beginning of the school year so school just kept sending home books she had already had and could read with great ease. We asked for a meeting to clarify that we weren't happy with repeated material and to discuss the behaviour issue. We agreed that behaviour was attention seeking - because DD is competitive and will act out if not receiving praise. We persuaded the teachers to devise a star chart to ensure that DD understood when they noticed and appreciated her good behaviour.

DD has had the star chart for behaviour stopped because 'behaviour is no longer a problem'. Her reading diary is full of comments about her 'super' reading and good expression. Before half-term the teacher wrote that the group would be moving up to purple band. We took this to mean that the teachers would be moving her to more challenging reading and were pleased. For about four weeks the books were an improvement in difficulty level (although not a major challenge for DD), but recently books have dropped to red and light blue band and clearly are larger print & easier vocabulary. I am beginning to fear that DD is effectively treading water.

DD is obviously more than able to read her reading group's books with ease. She can predict the story, she can provide alternate endings. She can select words that rhyme. She can discuss characters feelings. She can identify parts of the story and author/ illustrator, etc... She's bored with these books and we're bored with these books as parents.

Can anyone out there explain why teachers would drop a child to an obviously easy reading level and leave them there for months?

with thanks for any advice and constructive suggestions

TBH whilst it is hard to offer advice (it all depends upon if you trust your teachers) I always tell parents there is no such thing as a too easy book - I would far rather a child was reading, than worrying about book bands and being put off because books are too hard. Reading is supposed to be fun - have you asked your child what she thinks about reading and those books.

cazzybabs

Thanks for comment. DD loves reading but doesn't usually like books sent from school. Frequently says she's bored and I'm basically having to forceably read with her to fill in the reading diary. She also seems to value chapter books above ORT/ Collins reading books. Books only changed 2x a week.

DD loves reading time with me - so I've resorted to bribery - we read school book and then read the really interesting stuff if she reads well. I've been buying in books at appropriate reading level (i.e. off Richard and Judy/ Book Trust list - because teachers refused to provide list of books DD could read additionally and refused to send additional books).

Look at the thread 'What is so difficult about this?'

Mashabell:

DD (and also father & I) all feel curent reading for her group is far too easy.

Do we just leave daughter treading water and not progressing with reading? Do we follow teachers advice and not read extra books with DD, even though DD is asking to and clearly enjoys it?

Unclear whether it is normal for schools to leave a child reading easy books for months on end? The top reading group will have moved onwards and upwards with reading so we know that option is closed to DD now, she'll never catch up with them. However, this reading group (which is 2nd highest) was a major step backwards and is going nowhere particularly fast.

Are you saying that this is how it should be? Am I wrong to think that teachers should be setting books appropriate to reading ability and that books should get progressively more challeninging? Is it that the new norm in teaching is to give children easy material so that they avoid expreriences of struggling?

I think our DD just falls between these 2 groups and her teachers are not able to happily pigeon hole her in either group for various reasons (see first posting).

Perhaps we are just too demanding? Perhaps this is normal in Y1 and we're just so long in the tooth that it doesn't resemble our own education as children.

I just see that my child wants to read and want to encourage and progress that. But perhaps this overemphasis on her reading is entirely wrong.

Why won't she catch up with the top group in reading?

Reading is a finite school. You learn it - and then you can do it.

Of course she will catch up with the top group. They'll all read 'Mice & Men' together in Y10......

they need to do more things than just read. perhaps the teacher is teaching them to do one of the other skills they need.

you need to talk to the teacher and ask her to explain the skills you need to work on to help dd improve...

yes and I know it is extremely frustraating when dc reads differently at home to school... (dd reads band 7 at home and only just gone onto red at school) However, this mornings performance from dd who was rushing and making simple mistakes whilst reading more difficult words would make anyone think that she couldn't read well... (sigh)

And do check out the thread mentioned, it is really helpful.

Hello IndigoBell:

You raise a good point. It is a marathon. I also suspect that our continuing to read at home and to incorporate classics like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Charlottes Web, which we read to our DD, will all come good in the end.

My gut instinct is that at least in the short or medium-term - if she continues to read this unchallenging stuff, she'll not have the opportunity to develop the skills/ experience to read at a higher level. Perhaps I'm wrong to see this as a progression though?

DD has moved back from ORT 6/7 Land of the Dinosaurs (read in Oct with difficult/ read again in Feb with ease) to Big Panda, Little Panda (read in April with ease, only slowing for untriumphantly/ untrumpeted). DD is concerned that Big Panda, Little Panda is a 'baby book' - she says kids in her old reading group are teasing her about reading books for babies still.

Possibly we're misunderstanding things, being so ancient ourselves. Is the idea in teaching now that a child should read a book perfectly first time through? Because we really can't understand why one or two mistakes in an entire book would indicate that a child can't read at that level. In all cases, by second reading she has learned the 'difficult' words - and school reading diary reports excellent reading in class.

Sorry I'm just deeply confused about what is meant to be being learned here.

Hi blackeyedsusan:

Agree it's more than just reading out words - but...

The teacher has never asked for us to do more with the reading - books are just being sent home. So we're making it up as we go - but I'm pointing to a name on the cover and asking DD who illustrated this book? I'm talking about sections of the book. If the book has activities in the back, we'll go through those. DD is writing in her reading diary about the stories. We ask her to summarise the events in a story. Elder DD taught us to draw story mountains to help in the retelling of the book. I've reviewed 'tricky' words and hey just for fun, we've looked for words that have been on our spelling lists or words that rhyme. (Sub-text to all this is that I deeply resent that Teacher has never taken the time to actually tell us what we should be doing to improve DD's reading - and when directly asked has said that we're doing far too much at home).

DD is reading these books like a breeze. She is reading as well at school at reading mornnigs, so I would imaging she's doing so in class (at least class reading diary says she's reading well and expressively).

I guess I just don't get the point of setting overly easy reading work. Is it that teachers are so busy that they don't have the time to help sound out words any more? Is that the problem?

Is it that teachers teach to the reading group and if one child is ahead, they just have to wait until the rest catch up? In that case I could see why the slow child (my DD) had to be dropped from her original group and is now 'parked' in this new group. Are there any Y1 teachers out there who could let me know if this is what is going on?

Before having my daughter, I worked with children with literacy difficulties. To be honest, I find Year 1 to be a challenging for many pupils in reading. Many plateau for a few months and the parents panic when they are stuck on the same reading band for what seems forever. However, Iwhen reading is proving a source of much frustration to a child, the teacher must consider some kind of individual plan for her. At the rate this is going, she may be turned off reading permanently.
There are two strands in teaching reading: developing a sight vocabulary (being able to read common words automatically) and being able to decode unfamiliar words. Both routes must be developed in parallel as they reinforce each other. I'm telling you this because I want you to observe your daughter when she is reading and think about whether she is progressing in both areas. I think you should ask her teacher if she is at the expected level for her age in these skills. If she is, then take a deep breath.With such a child, I would suggest letting her take charge more. Give her a unique and special reading diary, bring back the star chart and ask the teacher to give her some special time in a special place to read together. If the school are resistant to such suggestions, you might want to think about whether you are in the right school. I'm troubled by what you're saying about the way reading groups are being used.
The school says you are doing too much at home. Really? They should be delighted you are willing to make the effort but could you be stressing a bit? Why don't you stop asking her to read with you at home for a while and make reading together a cosy time for you. Take the pressure off her for a while.Try reading your favourite childhood books with her. My older kids loved that. Show how much you enjoy reading. You sound like a great mum and I hope everything works out. I 'm sorry if I've been very general about the problem but to do the subject justice, I'd be writing pages and pages! My main message to you is: demand individual attention.

Thanks lem73

I think you raise a very good point about the two developmental skills - sight vocabulary & decoding. I'll try and look out for both. Starting our own diary is a brilliant idea (and provides much needed writing practice).

The teachers say they don't believe in assessing reading age in Y1. The book bands recently are clearly age 5/6 or 6/7 and DD is just turned 6. Possibly the fact that she's reading at or slightly above chronological age may be why school doesn't see any of this as a problem and is responding so negatively to us pushy parents.

Unfortunately, I just don't feel it's the kind of school where you can raise too many questions. The girls are happy there and we're trying to decide whether to stick with it and supplement things at home or to make a move. Very difficult decision because girls both have a great group of friends at the school.

I have to say that I've never paid too much attention to the reading books my kids get at school! I prefer to use the books we have at home. There is only so much Floppy and Biff I can take!

you will get a new teacher next year(i hope) and it would be a shame to break up friendships. i suggest you trawl through some of the reading posts on here to help you.

it is a shame that you feel that the teacher is not communicating with you. (ditto) and i am very surprised that they have not told you anything about hearing your child read and all the skills they need. though i shouldn't be surprised because all we get is "lovely reading" and not much else. I would like to think that that was part of their job to communicate and write suggestions in reading diaries.

Keep your own diary. it helps if you can see progress yourself. it is something to show to the next teacher/school if it should come to that. use your own books/library books to enjoy reading.

Thanks blackeyedsusan

I suspect we'll just opt to go our own way with the reading (which seems to be what a lot of people are doing from looking at similar threads) - and just do the bare minimum where school-work is concerned. Endlessly reading the same book over and over is turning DD off.

I wish the school was interested in what DD was doing - but I suspect it is about teaching to the whole group level. Maybe it's just niave of me to think that they have the time to notice how one child is doing.

if she was ok reading the book the first time, read it just the once, and join us in the queue in the library.

dd had 2 new school books last Monday, read them that night and has read library/home books ever since. i did wonder whether to ask for her books to be changed as she had already read them, but decided against it as then i would only have to read the damn things with her. although I still get extremely frustrated occasionally with the school books(about once a month funnily enough, hormonal too) i try and look on it as a game, jumping through hoops for the teacher, and wondering how far we will get up the book bands (without rushing through the bands as there is no point) before someone discovers that she can read. we got to turquoise 7 before she was swapped to red, 2 at school. I predict that she will be on those until the end of the year. we have 2 weeks of holiday to read,read,read so will have made some more progress by the time we get back to school.

i heard the teacher saying that another child was "reading" abook from the library in school because he had it at home and had memorised it.. wouldn't be surprised though if he was actually reading it...

I might be having a look around different schools anyway in your situation, it can't hurt. just reread some of your posts and it doesn't look like a positive atmosphere.

Dear all who have responded - thanks so much for your insights, advice and stories of your experiences. I've also looked at some of the other threads on the subject of KS1 reading - as advised.

Nice to know that I'm not alone in feeling school could do more and clearly many of you out there have to do more/ are doing more.

I was very pleased to have seen some great ideas on how to encourage reading and hope to put them into practice.

Thanks.