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Primary education

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Interesting reads for a 'less-able' reader

22 replies

LaBelleDameSansPatience · 10/04/2012 21:36

Hi. I am asking on behalf of a new child in school - very bright and articulate, has been home educated up to now and her reading is not yet 'up to' her chronological age (y3). Reading scheme books at her reading level are not inspiring her - any ideas?

OP posts:
crazygracieuk · 10/04/2012 21:48

Depends on definition of less able but would annuals, comics like The Beano, or joke books fit the bill?

crazygracieuk · 10/04/2012 21:49

Out of the joke books we have, the Horrid Henry ones seem to be the ones that my kids like best.

simpson · 10/04/2012 21:50

Flat Stanley

frankie4 · 10/04/2012 21:52

Daisy and the trouble with.......books are great

LaBelleDameSansPatience · 10/04/2012 21:53

Definition of less able - able child who is behind with her reading as she simply hasn't learnt all the skills yet. Forgot about Flat Stanley. Off to think about joke books.

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BertieBotts · 10/04/2012 21:55

What about the XXX the YYY fairy series? Or Animal Ark type things? The language isn't complicated but they are aimed at her age group, perhaps a little bit younger. They are pretty formulaic drivel, but I loved Animal Ark at her age and children seem to devour the fairy ones.

What about The Worst Witch?

Trying to think of more which I first read at a young age but kept re-reading throughout my childhood...

Whatevertheweather · 10/04/2012 21:55

Is there anything on this website that might help? Although may be aimed at older struggling readers.

HandMadeTail · 10/04/2012 21:56

Usborne Beginners?

Some children are more interested in fact than fiction.

KTk9 · 10/04/2012 22:19

My dd is 7 (yr2) and gone through the usual range of readers and I have been looking around for books to get her going so to speak. I have looked a tons of books and the range for new readers, than need something more like a normal book can be lacking - she isn't into the Horrid Henrys and some of the other 'chapter' books, although she could read them, are just too daunting.

However, I have found a few now and would suggest they may be worth looking at.

'Little' Animal Ark series are easier than the Animal Ark Books, slightly larger print and wider too with more line drawings, so much more appealing and good confidence builders.

www.hodderchildrens.co.uk/BOOKS-FOR-5_7-YEARS__LITTLE-ANIMAL-ARK.htm

Also try the Magic Tree House books, they are a series by Mary Pope Osborne and are not the normal 'readers', but my dd couldn't put them down and she was what I would call a reluctant reader for some time (Yr2). I got the set on ebay.

www.magictreehouse.com/#

There are also a range of books in the 'Banana' range, they go through various colours and are proper stories by various authors.

www.egmont.co.uk/bananas/about.asp

I would be interested to know of any others too.

BertieBotts · 10/04/2012 22:24

Some of the Enid Blyton books for younger children or Roald Dahl? The Magic Finger and Fantastic Mr Fox are shorter.

simpson · 10/04/2012 23:26

The happy Family books are fab and a short read for kids.

My DS loved these when he read them and he would still re-read them now (he is in yr2).

AllotmentLottie · 10/04/2012 23:38

Can you give us an example of the kind of thing she can currently read?

mrz · 11/04/2012 08:15

Have you looked at the free e books in MN learning and at Oxford Owl?

Leeds2 · 11/04/2012 13:40

Judy Moody books by Megan McDonald, or the Mr Majeika series by Humphrey Carpenter?

A new series to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Battersea Dogs & Cats Home came out last year I think. Great if she likes dogs! They are by Sarah Hawkins, and the title of each is the name of the dog in the story eg Misty, Coco etc. Ellen Miles also has a series called Puppy Place with dog names as titles, eg Goldie, Pugsly. Sue Bentley does a similar series called Magic Kitten, but can't remember the names of the title cats!

Another new series is Sophie and the Shadow Woods by Linda Chapman, might suit if she is a bit of a tomboy!

mrz · 11/04/2012 13:47

Again we need to establish what you mean by a poor reader and what she is capable of reading lots of good suggestions for books but my definition of a poor Y3 reader wouldn't be able to read them

AllotmentLottie · 11/04/2012 13:52

Agree with mrz. I help poor Year 3 readers and many of the suggestesd titles would be beyond them. It is a hard age as what they probably could manage they don't necessarily want to read (especially in front of others) but something too hard for them is quite disheartening.

Can you tell us her reading scheme level or give some non-reading scheme examples of what she can read?

LaBelleDameSansPatience · 11/04/2012 20:55

I know that the most recent book she had from school is 'The Ice Palace' from ORT. I have googled trying to find which level this is, but can't find it.

OP posts:
simpson · 11/04/2012 22:08

Do you mean Ice City which is stage 6??

simpson · 12/04/2012 09:14

Just asked DS (yr2) and he thinks The Ice Palace is level 5.

PastSellByDate · 12/04/2012 10:13

Greetings LaBelleDamesansPatience:

I thought this link to ORT reading levels/ age levels might help: www.oup.com/oxed/primary/oxfordreadingtree/chart/

If you were reading Kipper & Chip - The Ice City - it's level 5 (which is top level reading equivalent ages 5-6 - so year 1).

If that's correct - first don't panic. My DD1 was at this level in Y2 and not much past it at start of Y3 and she's made brilliant progress since then (with a lot of help both at home & at school). For us it was a case of establishing a firm habit of reading, and not letting DD1 come up with some clever excuse about why she didn't want to read.

I think those posting already are right to be asking what precisely do you mean by 'struggling reader'? Is that that your DD doesn't like reading so it's a struggle for you and her to do? Is it that your DD is slow to develop phonetic skills or is there some underlying learning difficulty? You need to arrange to discuss this more with the teacher before the end of the school year, if you are not clear what the problem is. Often dyslexic children can get very adept at memorizing quickly and using picture clues to work out what is on the page rather than actual reading, but when the transition is made to more complicated reading these strategies no longer work as well. Your DD may be mentioning things like the words 'dance on the page', 'the letters move about' or she may be mixing up letters/ words as she reads. Again, I think you should be talking to the teacher/ school about what you can do to support reading at home and help work on this over the summer.

You said she was home-schooled. Did you teach 'look and say' type reading or did you teach sounding out letters and combined letters (blended sounds)? She may be missing some of those early phonetic skills - so perhaps a review with something like Jolly phonics workbooks might also help.

A useful thing to do would be to look at book lists for ages 4 - 7 (sometimes 5-7). You must be aware that some books in this bracket will be a stretch, but you can avoid difficult bits by reading those out loud yourself - or by working through them together slowly.

The guardian lists books for ages 4 - 7 here: www.guardian.co.uk/books/2000/apr/08/childrens.library.47

The Book trust lists books for ages 5- 8 here: www.booktrust.org.uk/books-and-reading/children/booklists/ - click book finder on menu list at left - you'll then get icons for age groups and select 5 - 8. You can then select type of book and then individual books can be clicked. It gives you the reading age under the picture of the cover = which is a useful guide.

Finally I will say this - in many countries children do not start school until the year they turn 7. In many cases children are not reading much at all before they start school - yet they turn out perfectly fine. So don't be too hard on yourself - you haven't 'missed the boat' and there is still plenty of time. So GOOD FOR YOU for realizing something needs to be done and asking for help - that's a great start!

HTH

IndigoBell · 13/04/2012 11:09

Not sure if you'll be able to get them, but Rapid Phonics are the kind of thing she needs.

LaBelleDameSansPatience · 16/04/2012 21:04

Thank you so much, everyone. The child in question is not actually my DD (who is struggling with reading in reception, mainly, I think, because at 5 she is really not that ready), but my DD's best friend.

I have no idea how her mother taught her to read - randomly, I suspect - but now that they have decided at 8 that she would benefit from school, she is in the position of being a very bright articulate child who simply hasn't really learnt to read yet.

She is loving many aspects of school, but ORT level 5 - now I know that's what it is - is obviously not inspiring her; she adores story tapes of Harry Potter and Philip Pulman. However, she might just have to put up with the boring books and learn to read as fast as possible.

Going to pass on the links and save them for my DD too.

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