need advice primary/key s 1 reading books?

[mam29]

Do schools read different reading schemes/books?

As trying to do extra reading over hols as daughter struggles with it.

she seems fixated on levels.

we gave all school books back -cant remember who published them,

from what the ta says theres 10levels and shes going onto level 4
but then she mentiones boxes to im assuming they the boxes that certain level books are kept in as she says classmates on box 20 but ta says 10levels.

unsure how many books each level.

someone mentioned the biff books shes not had them yet.
but people in other class have.

do schools use a variety of different books or keep to same scheme.

we went to libary and got some books large print by leapfrog-says specially designed to fit the requirements of national literacy strategy -real books for beginning readers.

But shes finding them very easy.

ideally need something at similar level to shes on at school.

Dont want it too easy as wont progress.
but dont want it too difficult as might demotivate her.

We also joining website her teacher suggested called phonics play.

shes going into year and got 1b writing, reading and maths so working bit extra over summer as its bothering her.

As shes so fixated with levels and what levels everyone else is on in her class i been saying to her lets just enjoy the story and forget about the levels.

we joined the libary reading challenge called story lab she has to read 2books a week she took out 10last sat.

want to make it fun and not pushy.

Each school is different some use one reading scheme exclusively, others use a mix and match. However that irrelevant.

Our library has a section of books for newly developing learners (again various different publishers, some phonics based some not so much.

With DD2 (nearly yr1) I took her, showed her the books some I thought she would find easy (for confidence) and others harder (on the spine they were banded so it was easy to see) and let her choose wht interested her (making sure she had a mix)

I think your dd's fixation with levels isn't helping, go let her choose a variety of books some will be easier some more difficult. Ultimately you don't want her to have the same as the reading scheme or she will end up rereading (potentially) in school.

www.readingchest.co.uk may be the answer

Hi - exTA (male) here -

My last KS1 school had a range of reading schemes, all phonics based at the introductory levels. Previously the school (in common with many all over the country for the past twenty-plus years) had considered the ORT Oxford Reading Tree (Biff Chip Kipper) scheme THE scheme to use, but the original books are now thought unsuitable as they were not phonics based. Oxford publishing responded with several new series, which are much better.

There are, however, several other schemes from different publishers that are entertaining and educationally sound; I will try and come back tomorrow with more specific details when I have looked some up.

You say DD struggles with reading: do you know if she enjoys trying to read, or is she a bit afraid of it? If she feels she's not much good at it, that may discourage her from trying her hardest, which could be why she is 'fixated' on the levels. Also, are there some aspects she does not understand, and may be has been reluctant to ask the teacher or TA to explain?

Does she know all her letters and sounds, and are YOU familiar with the way phonics and reading are taught in her class?

The most important thing is to not scare her, or try to teach her against her will. Reading for most children does become enjoyable, but of course, some take longer to get there than others!

If you can reply to my queries, and also, if you can type me a couple of samples of words she finds Easy, and a few she finds Difficult, either on this Thread, or preferably as a Personal Message, I will understand more about what she does, and does not, know.

Cheers

Aim for a book where she can read 90% of the words, so she needs help with one in ten ish. Let her read what she enjoys, and help her read the words she struggles with, that should keep her on top! 1b is fine if sh is in yr one, going intoyr two... You could help her with key words too, ie words you can't 'sound out' like what, you, why etc. pm me tomorrow if you like and I will send you some website links.

Ps good post ferg

You could help her with key words too, ie words you can't 'sound out' like what, you, why etc.

that you are perpetrating this myth about words you 'can't sound out'.

I suggest that the OP has a look at the Phonics International website for an overview of how the reading process works and how 'phonics' works. Unless you know how something works you cannot put right errors or support in the most effective way.

www.phonicsinternational.com

I strongly suspect that this child's struggle with reading stems from inadequate phonic knowledge; that is the most common cause in the KS3 children I work with.

Thanks everyone for advice.

I was worried in reception as she went from child who enjoyed books to detesting reading.

in reception we had a sounds book
a fast words books
a fast word books without pics
word boxes.

year 1 we moved onto sliding sounds and blending.
they did split the strugglers into small grops for 8weeks to focus on blending sounds which has helped.

we looked at explore learning but wasent convinced thats the answer plus the expense.

Is there not a list of words that dont work phonetically? vaugualy remember explore mentioning a special list.

during year 1 shes been given 2reading books a week.
she usually gets 9-10 in spelling tests.
her writing needs practice she sometimes gets b and d muddled.
but on the whole her readings mssivly improved.

I think we finished the last book of level 3 end of summer term.
possibly could have been oxford reading tree.

I would say the school uses a mix as looks different from the reception books.

I must admit during last parents evening only a few months ago I wasent too worried about her reading I could see it had improved.
I just ensured we read the books and the books she brought home she can easily read, I dident get too bogged down by the levels although I know other parents do including my freind who says hers has 1 fiction, 1 non fiction and is reading genuis.
When parenst discuss it I just change subject .

wasent realy until the end of term that realised

shes upset that other kids on much higher levels than her.

A couple of kids made comments in class like shes on baby level and they way above her but shes very concious now of what shes on and what everyone else is on.

her nc scores of 1b everything surprised me as same for everything when i would say her readings much stronger than her numeracy.

she says she struggles with science and other topics ie humanities.
wondering if low confidence reading and writing is holding her back in other topics so this sumer been trying to go back to basics work out where the problem is.

sometimes she guesses. the phonics play website seems good.

as for reading want her to enjoy books and not just see it as educational so want to move up levels without her knowing.

Im guessing first few weeks year 2 the teacher will just reassess and check each childs levels.

there are free ebooks on MN www.mumsnet.com/learning/ebooks
and at OxfordOwl www.oxfordowl.co.uk/Library/Index/?AgeGroup=4

Maizie is right she doesn't need to learn lists of words by sight she needs to use her decoding skills.

Maisie I should think that the alternative spelling rules (phonics) that cover those trickier words will be covered in phase six, we still say there are some words that are hard to sound out, especially if they are words that they need to know sooner than KS3 for eg!! Some schools are not using phonics as well as others so she may not have been taught that a says o in certain words etc.

Look at Hairy Letters (Nessy) materials, they are great! Otherwise I would suggest you read anything she enjoys, comics etc?

Olympicpark phase six is suffixes and prefixes so children will (should) have been taught the alternatives in reception and Year 1. Learning represents the sound /o/ in was and what and want and watch is reception teaching/learning

Should also point out that not all schools use Letters & Sounds', which is where the (unnecessary) 'phases' originate. None of the other reputable phonic programmes has 'phases'.

I don't like the sound of the 'fast words' books. Fluent reading develops through rapid, automatic decoding and blending (eventually 'internalised') of familair and unfamiliar words, not through practising reading 'known' words as fast as possible... It makes me suspect that the OP's dd has not had well informed phonics teaching initially. She could well have lots of gaps in phonic knowledge.

Fair enough, our school doesn't teach those graphemes in year one, maybe a cohort or catchment difference.....we certainly don't cover phase five in reception!!!!

Those stupid phases get in the way of teaching!!!

How do you plan your trajectory mrz? Do you use a different phonics scheme? Am impressed with those trickier graphemes being tackled so early on?

Yes, bloomin' phases.....wish my son had been taught them all or most in YR as he needs them. He is reading them anyway, but it would have been better if they had covered them as it would make his phonics rock solid rather than a bit blurry round the edges. It will be useful for his spelling when they eventually cover them but it should be done for those ready for them at least when they are ready.

We have followed our own programme and have taught the initial 44 phonemes by Christmas in reception and begin teaching alternatives in the summer terms.

We don't teach "tricky" words by sight but introduce the "tricky" spelling and some of the words containing that representation of the sound.

Having said that next year we are going to change to the Sounds-Write programme to further raise standards

Wow, think we must have very different catchments! Although it is something to aspire to!! We seem to get our children to where they should be so I think our interpretation of Letters and Sounds does the job, but am interested in how you do it. Thanks for the info.
Sometimes we are frustrated by Letters and Sounds but I suppose it is something's that we have always done.... We are high in SEN so have lots of intervention groups for those who can't quite manage to keep up. Ta for sharing!

Wow, think we must have very different catchments!

I think you'd be surprised by mrz's catchment

We work in the same LA (though we've only ever met online) and it's generally an area of high deprivation with small pockets of 'leafy suburbs'!

And I'm not in a leafy suburb by any stretch of the imagination. Many of our children start nursery with very low level language skills

Hhhhhm you have got me guessing now!!! We also have very low entry levels in Reception, poor S & L etc, lots of language difficulties, deprivation etc. I suppose if we all do the very best we can, monitoring and assessing every day and every opportunity and ensure that children are happy, and make a sub level progress or more each term then we should go home happy.
Having read the posts again I think we must cover the first 44 too in reception but I don't think we start alternatives (phase ps 3 & 5?) till yr 1.
Had ten children reading at 2c this year so am happy!!!!!

Had ten children reading at 2c this year so am happy!!!!!

in reception?

God no, in year 1!! That would be brilliant!

thanks guys interesting to see theres diffrent approaches.
I thourght all phonica schemes be very similar.
year 1 eldest did blending sounds.

The books she brings home she reads with ease

just not sure how to progress her to higher reading level.

the fast words were thinks like into.

the sounds were single then went into double sounds so

oo ee ey

not sure where the gap is as never been explained.
well dome olympic park sounds like you done a good job.

mine got 1b so needs to be 2b by end of year 2.

going to libary again next week see if can get slightly harder books than i picked.