Reading in reception

[acebaby]

DS2 is in reception (may birthday, age 4.6). He is doing well with his phonics - secure with individual letters and getting the hang of diagraphs (sh, ch etc). So I am not worried in general about his progress or ability. However, he still can't recognize any words by sight (eg 'the', 'he').

My concern is that his teacher has rapidly moved him onto level 3 ort songbirds books. Ds2 can sound out most of the words individually, but he needs support to make sense of the stories. He doesnt enjoy reading them with me. I should say that he can tell the story from the pictures and also he can easily understand chapter books that I read aloud to him.

I think he finds these books too hard and he would be better sticking with much shorter and simpler books that he can both decode and understand. his teacher thinks that I underestimate his ability and that he is being a bit lazy. He rarely reads his books at school, although they do literacy everyday (eg reading sentences off the board).

Before I go back to the teacher, again, and ask for the third time for easier books and more support for him at school with his reading books, please can I have a second opinion about whether I am being unreasonable to question the teacher. Genuinely not sure

Thanks in advance!

[mrz]

I agree schools should be providing books that match teaching methods

[SavoirFaire]

mrz, which books/schemes should schools be using these days? Local primary where DS will be going is Letters and Sounds. Good or no good? Should I be lobbying for an update? thanks.

[mrz]

Lots of schools use Letters & Sounds because it's free
My problem with it is the contrived phases which get some schools/teachers so hung up children don't move on and can be left floundering in the early phases for far too long. I would suspect many schools that use L&S haven't invested in phonic reading schemes either and are using Look & Say books like ORT.

[mumchat]

Thanks Mrz and Tgger,

Mrz - what you say makes total sense. The sounds for those letters aren't immediately obvious to me. It is once I read your post but it doesn't whizz to front of mind when I see the word (if that makes sense!). I see "there" and know the first bit is "th" but then would have to really think whether the "ere" should be broken up into two more sounds or what! I do get it once I think about it! I have taken the link from another of your posts on a different thread with the spellings for the sounds and will print it tomorrow to try to grasp it all. I will then try that approach with the books from school.

Tgger - If I am honest I resent the books. We have enough iPads, mac books, kindles and laptops to take on PC world but not reading books to match our reading scheme - hmmmm! BUT because the books come from school (chosen by my child each day from "the box") she wants to do them. I've bought WRI set one books on Amazon to try and supplement school books. Issue I have is - school books have colourful pictures & mine don't & she's a bit tired to manage both. I am finding a way somehow & if she shows interest in "reading" anything I drop whatever I am doing!

[Tgger]

Awwww, can you do the oxfordowl ones? Here is the link www.oxfordowl.co.uk/Library/Index/?AgeGroup=3&BookType=Phonics

Also, if you feel like spending any more money get either the Songbirds or these www.amazon.co.uk/Read-Write-Inc-Home-Phonics/dp/0198386761/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1353968222&sr=8-6&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21
that's just the first one I found of that series, more colourful!

Hope you find some good ones, and why haven't the school got them. Grrrr!

[SavoirFaire]

Thanks mrz (sorry for hijack). Very interesting. I have the ear of the head and deputy at the moment, via another community group locally. Is there anything you would suggest I could say that might influence their choices on how to spend some additional money coming their way? I know they are trying very hard to improve the school at the moment and this might help? What scheme would you recommend?

[mrz]

We previously used Jolly Phonics in reception but have been looking for a scheme that would take us right through reception & KS1 (KS2 if needed) for quite some time. In September we changed to Sounds-Write, www.sounds-write.co.uk/ which we believe can improve standards. So far all staff involved are very positive and the children love the structure and success.

[coldcupoftea]

Mumchat- we have exactly the same problem. DD is really keen to read, but is being sent home with books that aren't really decodeable - eg today's book had the words 'painting', 'painted' and 'some' in. She gets frustrated that she can't sound the words out with the knowledge she has. But also they are so repetitive, and the pictures are so obvious that after the first 2 pages she can 'read' it through guessing/looking at the pictures 'Sam painted a house, Sam painted a spider, Sam painted a mouse...' you get the picture!

I am a KS2 TA and I know that a lot of those sounds are not taught until phase 3, while DD is clearly still on phase 1 or 2.

I have bought her the Songbirds set, and we have had much more success with them, DD loves the fact she can read the entire book herself, and the words are not immediately obvious from the pictures.

[mumchat]

Well I'm on here as soon as I have my little one in bed as I had to say yipeee!! We have received a Julia Donaldson Songbird book home from school today!!! ..... Is our reception teacher reading this thread :-0

It says stage 3 so no idea how it equates with RWInc but it looks Fab! Full of decodable words, good pictures (not pictures that mean they don't read the repetitive words!) Birthday party after school today so will read in morning :-)

[Tgger]

Hooray! Enjoy .