Reception levels for maths and reading - am I being paranoid?

[mumrocks2]

I need your help. My DD just starting reception and whilst keen to learn doesn't have the confidence with reading - she's switched on and v aware of what is going on around her. She sees others better than her and it knocks her confidence. I read to her a lot and we read the 2 (very dull) reading books she brings home every day but she won't do them herself. Teacher says to not sit down and read with her but to bring it into every day life - but I only have an hour by time we get home with DS (2.5) to contend with too. Am feeling paranoid that she's being left behind when I know she's bright and can do it. She knows all the phonics, can sound words out but doesn't seem to be clicking with it. That and she hates numbers. I don't know what to do to help the situation apart from making hte weekend like being at school. Help!!!!

learnandsay there is no reason that a child being taught phonics should read every book in the school reading scheme or indeed every level in the reading scheme.

No I asked what you thought she meant ... but your answer makes me think you misunderstand how phonics is taught.

That's clearly how she's teaching it. It's her classroom.

alternatively she thinks there are gaps that need covering

I would have thought it would make sense for a teacher to go through the reading books with a child and once they get to a level that the child starts to make mistakes then this is the right level for them...

DD has her parents eve tomorrow and I am going to ask about her god awful reading books as they are jolly phonics ones and tend to have a different font on silent letters ie feTch and I don't think this works in her favour as it tends to throw her and besides no other books she reads does this so I think it's not helping iyswim...

And also I am not convinced that some of the "silent" letters actually are silent...

Well, yes. The gap clearly starts with books with no words in at all and goes from ORT 1/ORT 1+ and now 2 through the scheme. The gap is everything on the scheme. Which kindof seems a little odd to me since we both agree that the child's reading is advanced. But she's the teacher and it's her classroom. So, as long as it's legal and not harmful, if she wants to cover herself in tar and teach the children how to walk on the ceiling I'd guess that's just the way she does her teaching.

Can she not assess what sounds your DD already knows??

DD had to do this with words on the computer (so she had no words in the context of a sentence or pictures to help her)

She proudly told me her sound today was a/e

It may be different at my DDs school from others but the school assessed each child and set their levels individually. DD started on orange level and I was told this is a few levels below her actual reading level but helps with confidence and comprehension

simpson, I think she already has, sort of. She began parents evening telling me my daughter already knows all her letter sounds and quite a few digraphs. Then she said my daughter "gets" reading and then she said she's quite advanced.

"I would have thought it would make sense for a teacher to go through the reading books with a child and once they get to a level that the child starts to make mistakes then this is the right level for them.."

That's what I did for a child who arrived in my class last week with no records so that we could keep reading going until we had assessed phonics knowledge and reading age simpson.

The teacher also said that she reads books which are not on the scheme with my daughter. But I didn't know which books she was referring to and I didn't know what she meant by reads them with my daughter. So that bit of the conversation just went past.

learnsay, it sounds like your dd is doing just fine for second half term of reception. Probably more 'advanced' than some of the class, but perfectly within 'to be expected range' for this point of YR.

It really sounds like you're over-thinking this, and seem to regard the teacher's desire to ensure that the children in her class have a really solid phonic foundation as some sort of hindrance to your great scheme, which is so isn't.

You both want the same for your dd in terms of reading - to learn how to and enjoy it, so I do struggle a bit to understand why you're making such heavy weather of it all.

Maybe the school has a policy that each child has to read all the reading scheme books??

Which is a bit bonkers imo...

Perhaps las didn't ask the right question as she seems to have given up. "Could you find a more suitable level of reading book for my child". It doesn't help to dismiss the "phonics readers" though as those at the right level for your DD would probably help her reading the most at the moment IMHO.

yellow, my daughter's education is important to me. My own view is that the teacher could/should take what I've done with may daughter, which is a lot, and build on it, rather than have a standard practice which starts at stage 0, goes to stage1 and then stage2 and then stage3 regardless of what stage the children are at when they arrive. OK, yes. That's the easiest design plan. But is the easiest one the best one?

Tgger, I think the teacher wants to do it like this. And I don't really mind that much. I don't like it, sure. But since my daughter loves it I'm not tearing my hair out. I just think it's a bit of a wasted opportunity. But if my daughter was coming home saying mummy why do I have to learn my letter sounds all over again? I'm bored and I hate these baby books! Then I'd have to kick some butt. But she's not. So, I guess in the grand scheme of things it's a bit disappointing, but no big deal.

Children will not go at the same rate though, she will need to and it would be expected of her to differentiate at some point. Why not already? Apart from it being the first term of Reception...but if she's handed books out at all, surely they should be gearing towards the right level for the children.

But that's exactly what the teacher is trying to do, learnsay.

The teacher has identified what your dd is able to do and that she wants to ensure that her phonics knowledge is solid and thorough. From what you've said, you've got a bit of a haphazard grasp of phonics yourself, so tbh I'm not sure that you're the best placed to 'level' your dd's reading.

Knowing single letter sounds and a few diagraphs isn't all that far from level 1. Maybe yellow books? Can't remember now.

I'm not sure that gearing is their philosophy. (It's a good school by the way.) On day one we got a letter in the book bag explaining that even if you think that your child is ready for words please read the books with no words in with your children. (OK, so they must know by now that the oldest Reception children are 5+ and a few of them can already read. But on day one everybody gets the same letter.) And sure enough we all start getting books with no words in. They also sent a letter saying children's reading wouldn't be assessed until after the first half term.

And now the teacher says that she doesn't want to rush an "advanced" reader through the scheme.

I genuinely believe that the teacher believes in grinding all the children through the same sausage machine regardless of the point at which each child starts. (And it's a good school.) So clearly the school believes that there are more advantages to behaving like this than disadvantages. (And it's probably right.)

Consonant digraphs are introduced in red book band

If my DD was reading books way below her level (6 levels below) and me and the school both knew it but the school were unwilling to teach at her level, I would be reassessing if the school was the best one for her

Your DD is doing very well with her reading, but she is not fluent yet is she, so she could definitely benefit from being on the reading scheme at the right level. I think there is a middle way if you fight for it. Not the beginner books with no words, but not the chapter books either . You can share those at home. I would get her on the harder phonics books if I were you, where she can practise some of the trickier combinations and get those fluent.

Well, yellow, that kind of depends on what the teacher meant by "advanced." The books that she's being sent home with do not reflect her reading ability at all. My daughter can read words like precisely, yesterday, decided, frightened and she's being sent home with

Dot got a pot and Dan can ban a pan.

Now if that's an assessment of my daughter's reading ability then I'm a Chinaman. And there's certainly nothing advanced about that.

Here you are oxfordowl.co.uk/Library/Index/?AgeGroup=4&BookType=Phonics

Try her on these. See if they are helpful. Are there words she struggles with/doesn't know the sounds? If they are then suggest to her teacher she gets one of these home from school. Job done.

there are