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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Reading/phonics Tutor wanted nr Gosport, Hants

15 replies

SnailWhaleTail · 04/06/2011 20:24

Any recomendation wanted really.

DS1 is a bright child and not dyslexic I don't think, but rather he is (like me) a visual learner and the method they are using as his school to teach reading isn't working out for him.

I'm looking for someone for a couple of hours per week to support his 'learning to read' and get him moving on from yr R books (he is currently in yr1).

Thanks

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mrz · 04/06/2011 20:46

What methods are they using?
Reading is a very visual activity so I'm unsure what you mean ...

IndigoBell · 05/06/2011 08:37

Everyone always gives me grief for not getting a tutor for my DD.

But I think you're far better working with him every day, rather than a tutor once a week. And there are sooooooooo many programs designed to be delivered once a day by a parent.

My current favourite (for a Y1 child) is Dancing Bears. It's designed to be used for 10 mins a day by parents, and is very easy to follow.

Or you could use a computer program like ClickNKids or HeadSprout

Do you think something like that might help?

mrz · 05/06/2011 09:13

I agree Indigo 10 or 15 mins a day is far more effective than 1hour once or twice a week.

lionheart · 05/06/2011 10:33

Have you asked the school about this? Maybe you could talk to them about changing their approach?

wordsmithsforever · 05/06/2011 10:50

I did go the tutor route with my DD and it did help to some extent. However, if I had my time again (and in fact I am in a sense having my time again as currently teaching DS to read as we are now home edding), I would go for the 10 mins a day.

I guess your DS is probably beyond sites like www.starfall.com and www.rubyandmax.net but might be worth making sure the phonics are solid, and that he's getting an opportunity to practise his skills, depending on the method the school is using.

At my DD's old school they seemed to use the Ginn readers a lot (without tonic - to steal noid's witticism) and I think this slowed the learning process down. They were getting excellent phonics tuition but the books all seemed be based on whole word recognition.

mrz · 05/06/2011 11:15

www.oxfordowl.co.uk/Library/Index/?AgeGroup=2&BookType=Phonics

mrz · 05/06/2011 11:15

www.phonicsplay.co.uk/InteractiveResources.htm

CarrieR · 06/06/2011 14:33

Just got a book from Amazon for my daughter called Toe by Toe.
We have only just started it but you work though it in short bursts each day.
She is pleased with herself when she has finished a page and seems keen to work on through more.

www.amazon.co.uk/Toe-Structured-Multi-sensory-Reading-Teachers/dp/0952256401/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1307367135&sr=8-1

sarahfreck · 06/06/2011 14:39

Just to add (as a tutor) that a good one won't just do an hours work but will leave reading tasks or guide you through phonics etc to do on the other days for 5 to 10 minutes. I'm always talking to parents about the importance of doing a little every day ( and sometimes getting frustrated when they don't ) ! I'd recommend using lots of multi-sensory methods to support his learning. Unfortunately I'm in Greater Manchester so unable to help!

Original poster

SnailWhaleTail · 06/06/2011 17:47

Thanks, so great ideas.

The problem is I think that he doesn't really 'get' the idea of sounding out and blending to make words, the yr1 teacher says yes he is having problems (he still currently struggles with Oxford RT 1c for example) but as he has no specific problem that they can identify they just keep waiting for it to click.

I just think that the later we leave it and the more anxious he gets the bigger issue it will be for him. He is very pessimistic about the whole school experience which is sad as he loved year R.

Sarahfreck: I'd be thrilled with someone outside to give both he and I a bit of direction as atm we're reading the Reading Tree books and he just goes hysterical when he makes a mistake no matter how relaxed I try to be about it. It makes me really sad to see him calling himself 'stupid' and 'an idiot' because he loves books and being read to and I think a lot of his frustration with school would disappear if he were to feel he was catching up with his peers.

We also do lots of freestyle activities such as homemade word snap and the memory game, making sentences with the cards and writing lists but tbh his little brother at 4 joins in sometimes and is not far off the same level.

OP posts:

mrz · 06/06/2011 17:56

The reason he is struggling with ORT is that the books rely on whole word recognition not phonics so contain words he hasn't yet got the knowledge or skill to read (because he hasn't been taught yet) No wonder he gets upset!

IndigoBell · 06/06/2011 20:41

Have a proper look at dancing bears. If you use it you will use phonics to teach your son how to read......

sarahfreck · 08/06/2011 11:52

I'd ditch ORT over the summer especially as it is causing him so much stress. I'd second IB's suggestion of Dancing Bears - 10 mins per day over the holiday would really help.

Look on line to see if you can find cheap sets of Read Write inc, Songbirds Phonics or Floppy's phonics. Start with the first ones, even if they seem a bit easy. They will give him confidence. I like Read Write inc in particular as they give structured practice in phonics and "speed words" as well as stories (and a lot of the stories are funny). I'll PM you too.

wordsmithsforever · 08/06/2011 14:29

You can download and print out the Starfall phonic readers for free at www.starfall.com/n/N-info/onlinebooks.htm?n=downloadcenter. Also free phonic books at www.rubyandmax.net/register.php.

Maybe just try him with some phonic readers and see if he is happier.

Blending is a skill that needs lots of practice and I think it is such a pity that some schools have no phonics-based readers at all, when there are sites like these and www.oxfordowl.co.uk/Library/Index/?AgeGroup=2&BookType=Phonics about.

I know the latter is computer based and maybe doesn't work in a classroom situation when a teacher needs to send actual books home (and you can't assume that every parent has a PC) but it's a shame when the same old books, based on pure look and say, are used year after year when children so clearly need to practise blending.

threadfairy · 08/06/2011 14:49

Another couple of things worth looking at might be books by Ruth Miskin.
She wrote the superphonics books and there's lots of articles about her online.

Also wrote the Read Write Inc. Workbooks and stories which I've also found to be good.

A set of the magnetic letters and board from Early learning centre are good as he can move the letters around on the board and make up words.
I was told by my daughters teacher to help her sound out the words she made up even though they weren't real words. She found this fun and eventually moved onto proper words when it all started to click.

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