help me stop blowing my top - reading YR

[shattereddreams]

DD is a good reader so in the scheme of things, I am not worried. But I need help to assimilate my thoughts/feelings and an action plan to approach teacher.

Fri is ORT book day, Tues has always been one level down.
She is secure Red level 4 ORT. Has been on this level since March.
The last fortnight on Tues she's had Green level 2 ORT Floppy phonic books. This weeks is focused on sh and th. She knew these before Christmas and teacher documented she knew them.

I had a conversation with teacher before Easter. I was told sounding out isn't allowed and they don't progress levels if they sound out. (MN experts I know they should be sounding out - phonic awareness). It wasn't a great conversation. Defensive young teacher.

I'm on groundhog day. It's too easy for DD and I feel they are holding her back. She needs to learn ough augh etc to progress. Not repeat Sh th.
They do 45 HFW in YR (yep, MN taught me this is also out of date) she is apparently on year 1 and 2 words. This weeks include laugh half could and she has put so much effort into learning them. Then gets a book she could have done with at Christmas to augment her learning.

I want to yell. I won't but I don't know how to improve this.

you have my sympathy and I'll yell too if it helps

Ditch the school books and read your own?
Not long left til summer - will you get a different teacher then?

my sympathy too

my ds's grade one school do this too - and they progress through the books a week at a time, from the beginning, regardless of their actual ability.

I just give the school books a look once or twice and then read other stuff with him.

Ditch the school reading books - use your library if it's decent (my sil's has banded phonic books ) or subscribe to Reading Chest.

Yes new teacher next year, though not convinced it will improve, head is staid, awaiting retirement, sadly not for about 5 years.
We are reading other books. Hence I know she can do more. I used an excellent link on here to Essex libraries which give you lots of other reading options at same level as ORT.

I don't want to be labelled 'that type of parent'.
Do I even bother discussing this?

Could you look at other books with her instead, perhaps go to the library?

Don't think they are on the same scheme but dd1 is also in ye R and on orange, which I think is level 6. She is having great fun sounding out all he old picture books at the moment, there are some tricky words but it helps that she knows the story well.

If none if this works perhaps you could try something like readingchest?

www.oxfordowl.co.uk/Library/Index/?Series=Series&AgeGroup=3&BookType=Phonics

www.mumsnet.com/learning/ebooks

I'd only make a fuss if you feel it is putting her off reading, otherwise I'd do other books with her, if the school books are that easy one quick read through would be more than enough so spend the saved time on more interesting stuff.

who cares what you are labelled as?

your choices are

• do your own thing without complaining
• complain about their crapness
• find another school

Trouble is, I work 3 days a week, I want to teach her more myself, but sadly I don't have the time I need.

Mrz, I had jolly phonics CD etc because I knew they learnt JP at school. She has learnt it all.

Where can I go next for resources on learning the next set of phonics (Y1 phonics) because I don't actually know what she needs to know next.
I'm guessing at the ough etc.
words like through bought are just the ones she can't read yet in her library books.

Eldon - would love another school. No chance in Greater London where you need to live under half a mile to even get a school.
SO I would be labelling myself in the staff room. That would follow DD through school

You really shouldn't have to be teaching her yourself just supporting what the school does, even if you don't think you will get anywhere you should try, I feel quite cross for you!!

I am not sure I understand why they read down a level? At DS1's school they read their 'established' level for their individual reading at school and at home then read up a level for guided reading to help improve their comprehension and stretch them.

In DS's Year R class they ranged from pink level (1st bookband level) to white level (level 2a if I remember rightly) and they taught the phonics in ability groups so never held children back.

I'd second reading chest. I used it after seeing it recommended on here over the holiday between R and yr 1. DD loved the books coming in the post and the fact they were books she could read.

Could you ask if there will be an opportunity to meet the yr 1 teacher before end of yr? DD's school had a meeting where the teacher set out how they would be working, expectations etc. I found it helpful.

On maternity leave. Apparently coming back for Sept.

It would be acceptable to ask the teacher why books two levels lower are coming home though wouldn't it?

How long should it take to progress through an ORT level or is that the proverbial piece of string?

I would ask if there was a particular reason that she had been given an easier book ad you thought she was reading the stage 4 books really well.

Most likely it is a fuck up. And it's less likely to happen again if you point it out to them.

"I am not sure I understand why they read down a level? At DS1's school they read their 'established' level for their individual reading at school and at home then read up a level for guided reading to help improve their comprehension and stretch them."

Interesting. At DS3's primary it is the opposite. Children's' reading is stretched in class by qualified teachers and then the books they bring home are at a level
they can confidently read fluently (eg not sounding out every word) to consolidate and hopefully enjoy reading. Infant age children particularly are tired after school. When I am tired after a long day at work I reach for a relaxing novel to enjoy, not "War and Peace" or a textbook!

Suffolkgirl - I thought thats what I said (obviously not worded very well, ha,ha). Harder books in class then ones they are confident with at home? is how they do it as DS1's school.

The way the OP wrote I assumed they gave them much easier books in class and at home - I may have misunderstood sorry.

I think what I meant was that they don't give them 'easy' books to take home just the level they are well established at rather than the level they are working towards if that makes sense, usually only 1 level below guided reading.

Would it help to 'make an appointment' with the teacher re:reading? If the teacher is young and defensive, knowing that there is a forum might be easier for her than a 'quick word' at the end of the day.

With any luck, the teacher will get someone else to check the most suitable level for your dd and present it at the meeting.

If the last time you spoke to her was before Easter, I really don't think you'd come over as pushy or not trusting the teacher is you mentioned it again now.

I mentioned a couple of times that my dd's books were too easy and they got the reading recovery teacher to assess her and she's been moving up steadily since then.

Try this site Letters and Sounds synthetic phonics in the order they should be taught.

It's quite important to do them in the right order- have a look through and decide where your DD is- I would imagine she will be on around phase three.

Are your Ort books new or old?
If you are reading old copies then you should know that the order is different to new ORT. Under old ORT, yellow band for instance includes books that are level 2,3 and 4. On the back of the new books, they say what the book band is.

In our school, children change their books and my son come back with the wrong one sometimes as books get mixed up or he picks one that he likes the look of.

Many schools send home easy books because for confidence and because children may be tired so want to read something easier. They aren't supposed to be challenging.

I have been looking for the 'next step' on from jolly phonics & have just got some of the jolly grammar stuff. My DD is in YR & doing well, got the info for me really so I can help enhance her learning at school. It is really interesting & helpful! The hand book is a bit 'teachy' but great for out of touch parents like me!!!

I was thinking about your thread and wanted to add is it possible that the teacher is running low on your dd's level reading books? As a parent helper I know that some children swap books a lot while others hog one for ages which means that for some levels there are lots of books that are unavailable for others to read.

Schools don't have to use Letters & Sounds ... i don't, so the order of teaching can vary.

I gave up on the Reception reading a while ago. Apparently DS is an 'independent reader' now.

We are working our way through Reading Chest which he loves and also using the reading schemes on offer at the local library; the only books he gets home from school are picture books that we are supposed to read together.