Learning to read in Y1 & Y2

[learnandsay]

How unusual is it for a primary school to focus its attention in YR on teaching the letter sounds, maybe some digraphs, perhaps one or two trigraphs (or maybe not even) and learning (whatever that means) lists of HFW, but not to any great extent turn attention to reading actual books (of any kind)?

And the school thereby, presumably, places the emphasis of learning to read books (of whatever kind) onto Y1 and beyond? And, if one's school has such a system how does one approach it if one's child already reads books quite well and has done throughout Reception? Getting the Reception teacher up to speed with the child's reading has taken a while, but it's getting there. Does one expect to have to introduce every teacher at every early years level to the child's ability to read?

simpson we don't have free readers in the whole school but that doesn't mean children are stagnating

I loved The Magic Key books (more than the earlier ones which I didn't hate, but didn't love either...)

If you can get hold of The Magic Key episodes DVD, it's fantastic for teaching punctuation almost by osmosis.

No mrz -I do know what you mean,but to have a child on one level all year (when he was blatantly finding it too easy meant he was stagnating IMO at school anyway - although he wasn't because I do the usual (went to the library, 2nd hand shops,bought him books etc - that weren't school reading scheme ones as by then he was totally turned off them)

And then smiled sweetly when he made "exceptional progress"

I have no problem with a child reading books that are too easy for them (unless alarmingly so as it can boost up their fluency,comprehension, writing skills even if they write alternative endings etc, but he was getting so turned off them it was unreal).....

I guess you hope that by lime level your child has a passion for reading, can get books from other sources, home/library etc so there will not be a worry of "languishing" on lime as the school books are just a small part of what is on offer. The problem comes though I imagine if the child is quite a good reader but not particularly passionate and so needs the passion and stimulation to come from the school to light their flame so to speak.

We are lucky we now have a KS1 library. Am very pleased with this. DS's class seem to have been given pretty free reign on it too. We almost had a problem that DS was bringing too many school library books home (some really interesting good stuff he'd chosen) as well as reading books and then we had our own library books and home books too. We were almost drowning in books. It seems to have all evened out now, and the school reading books we hang onto longer generally and he reads them in his own time (to us) alongside lots of other stuff.

Oh did not realise there was a magic key DVD

I wish my DS hadn't become a free reader in year 1. He was NOT ready. I wish my DS was listened to at school now he's in KS2 but he isn't. I try and listen to him but he's just not keen on reading and his comprehension is pretty shocking and he gets as frustrated as I do when I ask him a simple question about what he's just read and he has no idea how to answer.

There's a parent who has pushed and pushed and got her year 1 child on free readers by pressuring the teacher this year, that parents WILL regret it as much as I do. Their DD isn't ready to be free reading!

Also wanted to say Mrz you always sound passionate about reading and I think this is so important!

sorry cross posted simpson

We have a Hitler school librarian who wont let DD (who is a much better reader than DS was at that age) have certain books. She tried to take a god awful Rainbow Fairy book out of the school library last week and was told she wasn't ready to read them, even though she's read most of them at home already! She brought home a Percy Parker though and enjoyed that too

Tgger - that is exactly the situation we were in, DS does not have a love of reading (he could take lessons from his sister!!)

I think I am a pretty good judge of what my kids can handle in terms of books I hope!! (was told my DS's yr2 teacher she thought he could handle HP - I had my doubts but gave it a go and got one chapter in and he hated it,did not have a clue what was going on, so binned it and we are re-starting it now a year later).

I would hate to put my kids off reading by going too fast (it's not a race -and as I have said several times,on this thread and others that whilst my DD is a very good reader for her age,it's her love (almost obsession) of wanting to do it that I find amazing tbh).

My daughter was white/lime level by the end of reception (despite being a non reader when she started and having a bad mummy who never heard her read except weekends) but she didn't read for pleasure until she was in her teens

Oops, probably shouldn't have mentioned the DVD...it's very good...and now costs £45 on the big A as it's 'out of print'!!! (Wish I still had our copy to sell!! - Passed onto nephew). I paid £2.99 in Wilko's 7 years ago. I do recommend it though.

Will not process that magic key DVD info........some things are not necessary . Luckily DS is passed that stage and DD hasn't started reading yet and hopefully I will have forgotten by the time she's reading those.......

But you can rent it on Blockbusters and I guess elsewhere...

Oh, but the song's great, tygger. Honestly, it's really good (no, not just because I'm a punctuation geek!)

Numbum - that would drive me insane re librarian!!

DS since the age of 5 has refused bedtimes stories (saying they were babyish) and I tried everything, us reading together, a whole variety of books etc to be met with eye rolling/yawning etc etc...

DD on the other hand, loves bedtime stories and I swear her expression when reading is better than DS's (although his is not dreadful,just could be better and has been highlighted as an area to work on and am am 100% sure it's due to him not listening to me as much as DD has (even though she is younger and reading simpler books).

Sorry about the errant 'y' in your nn.

Mrz - my DC school does have low KS1 results but good KS2 results (not sure if this is due to kids being kept on low book levels in yr2 - cynical).

£45 for magic key DVD

So mrz do you think "go with the child" is the best policy? Ie if child not that passionate just go with the flow and see if they come to it in their own time? I guess some of us parents would like to think our child will be offered good quality stuff to read from school when they are ready for it in the hope of lighting the passion as well as progressing in reading. Passion and progress often go hand in hand? Hmmmmm.

Oh no! You've got me interested now......I'm not spending £45 though. Will file in brain somewhere and probably get hold of when DD starts reading the stories- she used to pick them as her bedtime stories before I hid them ..

Tgger - me too!! DD would sooooo love them,but not for £45 though!!!

Looks like you can rent it from Blockbusters though. And I've just found some of them on Youtube (broken in half - there may be full length ones now too, now that you can have any length stuff on there). Anyway, they weren't as good quality as I remember the DVD.

FWIW, you also need the subtitles on to get the whole 'learn punctuation by osmosis' thing!

Glad to have been of help/annoyance!

Is everyone talking about this? www.amazon.co.uk/Magic-Key-Complete-Collection-DVD/dp/B000GQML0U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354054053&sr=8-1

What's so great about it?

simpson I've told her to just grab any book and I take her to the proper library the same day so she isn't too disheartened! although I may drown myself if I have to listen to her telling me what happened in her latest rainbow fairy book

Oh God, DD is desperate to read Rainbow Fairy books but not there yet have ordered her some Tiara ones to keep her going...

LandS - yes those!!! Don't have a clue what is so good about them except DD is obsessed with the magic key books (ORT 5 onwards)....She would love a DVD!!!