Worrying about use of ORT and HF words in reception

[Kerryblue]

Actually, I am feeling really tearful right now

I have dt's, just started reception. This morning their teacher told me she is going to send home some 'tricky' words for them to learn and start them on reading books. When I asked which ones, I got the answer I so didn't want - Biff and bloody Chip!!

Bit of background... my Year 4 dd is still on reading schemes, is having masses of extra help (for example a 'wheel' of sounds such as 'gr' 'st' 'cl' etc that she has to read every night), and has just really struggled with her reading. She learnt (or not as the case may be) with Biff and Chip. That scheme totally failed her. She is one of the 1:5 who needs synthetic phonics, it's just we didn't realise this at Key Stage 1. Long story.

My Year 7 ds, who although reads well now, was a late reader and also learnt with this scheme.

Both of them were very much 'I will only do what the teacher asks me to do, you mummy, know nothing!' type of children. The dt's are going the same way. If I want them to read to me at home with Songbird books for eg, I bet they will fuss about it because it's not what the teacher wants them to do.

I am probably being over emotional about this, but I really, really want them to learn with synthetic phonics. I have learnt so much about different types of learning to read - mainly from mumsnet actually - for me to believe that this is the best way. How do we know they are going to be OK with Biff and Chip until it's too late.

At the moment, they know all their letter sounds, some digraphs and long vowel sounds (using the Letters and Sounds DVD and poster) but are struggling with blending a bit. So they are at the very start of their learning to read journey and I so don't want it to go wrong for them.

What should I do next with them? How do I help them?

u have no idea how to spell

Did Caxton print Chaucer's handwritten letters?

That must be the quote of the century

Masha I have read literally hundreds of handwritten docs produced between 1750 and 1820 - I can honestly tell you that Dr Johnson's dictionary did not standardise real life spelling.

If u read handwritten letters from ordinary people now, u could easily end up thinking that English spelling has still not been standaridised, in view of the many mistakes most make.

Mrz Did Caxton print Chaucer's handwritten letters?

Before Caxton's printing press of 1476 everything in England was handwritten and copied by hand.

Exactly so in letters written by Chaucer (in his own hand) which contain various spellings of the same word suggests that there was no standardisation or are you going to suggest that Chaucer needed to read your word lists!

Before 1870 most people had very little education.

and how many sent letters?

or if they did ...how many wrote the letter themselves

erm am i missing something or isnt the new ORT books phonics based? the ones we get are?

Only some of them, nailak, like Floppy's Phonics and Sounds and Letters. But the new Decode and Develop isn't, and ORT still publish the Look and Say core books which still seem to sell.

DS who is 6 & Y2 is being taught with Biff & Chip and is struggling. I really want to try and support him so that he doesn't end up seeing reading as a chore.

Any idea where I can find more information on synthetic phonics? It might be that he just needs a different approach to the one being taught at school!

His school should be teaching synthetic phonics. The problem is some are paying lip service to phonics and then sending home Biff & Chip.
How did he do in his phonics check last year?

We are in Wales so didn't get one. He has now been put into STARS (accelerated reading skills). Not sure what it involves yet. Meeting SENCO Friday.

MaisieD might be able to help you with STARS as I think her school uses Renaissance Learning

I'm afraid that I know nothing about STARs. Yes, we use Renaisssance 'Accelerated Reader' but it isn't a remedial programme, just a programme to encourage children to read; it doesn't teach anything. As it is based on the Whole Language assumption that comprehension is paramount I wouldn't think that anything produced by the same company would be of much benefit to struggling readers, in that it won't contain the vital phonics teaching which underpins improvement in reading skills.

To find out about synthetic phonics I suggest that you look at:

www.rrf.co.uk

www.phonicsinternational.com (lots of good information on this site)

www.dyslexics.org.uk (lots of good information on this one, too)

STARS reading is part of the accelerated reading programme maizied the SEN version is STARS Early literacy (SEL) I think you are right about the comprehension focus but haven't actually seen it just the brochure

From what I just read on wikipedia it looks as though STARS is the 'diagnostic' software. Which, from what I've seen, just appears to be a reading comprehension test that decides what 'level' books the child should be reading. And the 'levels' appear to be based on the old WL measures such as word count, no. of polysyllabic words etc. There is no teaching elelment at all.

or even, no teaching element

www.renlearn.co.uk/reading/reading-to-learn/what-is-accelerated-reader-advantage/18-ar-how-does-it-work

I thought you'd spotted something that I hadn't, mrz, but it's what I said, really, isn't it? It's the 'you learn to read by reading' school of misplaced belief.