Reading and sounding out. can any teachers help me?

[sleepingbunny]

My four year old dd (July birthday) has been in Reception since Jan. School is doing a great job with her reading, I think. She's gone through Jelly & Bean and is now doing Dandelion Phonics. Which she likes. And she's on yellow band, if that makes any difference.

With regards to books coming home, I'm being advised by her teacher that she must reread the sentence if she has sounded out words in it (for comprehension). This makes total sense. Trouble is, it makes dd panic. She really doesn't want to be made to read it again (at a guess it makes her feel like a failure). She will go to any length to avoid this happening including wild guessing and putting her hand over her mouth in an attempt to 'sound' silently before reading the word. She also keeps saying "I don't want to read the sentence again". If she is allowed to sound she is 100pc correct on words, even harder ones such as "glint" and knows all the key words in the books.

I want her to enjoy books so I've just encouraged her to read what she can and sound the other words and not made her repeat them this week. She understands the books fine and can answer questions. I heard her reading one to her little sister this week and she was so much less nervous without the being made to repeat 'threat' hanging over her..

Sorry for essay. What I'm asking is basically is it ok for me to let her sound when she wants to and not make her repeat the words? Don't want to challenge her teacher's methods too much on this or obviously hold dd back. What should I do?

I wouldn't get her to repeat it if it causing your DD stress and putting her off reading, especially if she is reading accurately the first time. The theory is that the repetition will improve fluency, but most of these early reading books repeat new vocabulary anyway, so the teacher's approach is a bit belt and braces.

I suggest that if she sounds out words in the sentence then YOU read the sentence back to her, rather than her reading again to you. This gives her the benefit of hearing the sentence again for meaning if she has been concentrating on sounding out, but takes the stress out of reading it again for her. I do this for DS who is further on in his reading- older in year- but it's the same principle.

Exactly what tgger said- don't know if you're s teacher but I am, and the very worst thing would be for her to be put off reading. So, allow her to sound the words out and ensure she understands the meaning, then you read it and draw attention to your intonation etc before asking comprehension questions.

Will she read to her little sister after shes read to you? That would be another way of getting her to repeat.

Also- it's great that you feel confident in her teachers methods etc so have you asked her for any suggestions?

Thanks both. Tgger, I've been doing that - it's good to hear that others do too. Cecily at present it seems to more increase volume than improve fluency - if I make her repeat words she shouts them at the top of her voice

Is there any reason to think that she isn't understanding the sentence when she is sounding out words in it?

There is nothing that I know of, apart from 'teacher belief', which indicates that sounding out words hinders comprehension. None of the children I work with have any problem with sounding out and comprehending what they read.

Fluency will come with more practice in sounding out and blending; I think it is silly to get a child into the state the OP describes just to achieve 'fluency' a little earlier.

I know that there is good research evidence to back up the efficacy of 're-reading', but it won't have any benefit at all if the child is so resistant. And it could seriously impair her correct sounding out and blending strategy if she feels she is in some way (i.e being made to re-read) being punished for it!

Reading the sentence back is a nice idea, but would you enjoy reading anything with someone repeating each sentence that you read? It's a technique I would use very sparingly.

She's only flipping 4, FGS! She sounds as though she is doing brilliantly...

Don't stress her out with it. It's fine for the teacher to ask her to repeat but not you.
Perhaps getting her to re-read the book to her little sister is a great way to reinforce the book without worrying her.

Having re read your op; when you say "sounding out", is she blending too to read the word as a whole, or just saying the phonemes? Eg "g-l-i-n-t.... Glint" or just the "g-l-i-n-t" bit (if that makes sense?!) I have had children whizz through words and have to be told to go back and blend/read the word as a whole.

(ps I've been off on mat leave for a year so apologies if I sound a bit rusty!!)

Maizie - as far as I am aware she understands the books perfectly well- when they do indeed make sense. The last one was particularly senseless, since clearly all the author was interested in was use of the sound 'sh'.

Lots of cross posting! Like I said, I do think the most important thing is to keep her happy/enjoying reading, and at 4 she is doing so well!

Blackholes, thanks. She sounds then blends - and says the word correctly (is that the right terminology, I'm a bit lost with all this stuff?).
Squishy (if I may) the teacher asked me to do this, which is why I was trying to - but thanks to all of your advice I shall definitely stop since it's clearly not doing either of us any good.
And I have written in her reading record that she is trying to sound and blend with her hand over her mouth to avoid having to repeat things so hopefully the teacher will get what is going on from that.

Yes, I agree re not re reading too often and especially not if she's following the story anyway. I find with DS it is only necessary sometimes if he's reading something particularly challenging. Generally the school books are well within his grasp so not needed.