DS is in Year 3, should I stop Toe by toe and start on Fast Track Book AB from Dancing Bear reading book?.

[jayyamela]

Hello every one.

My son is in Year 3 just move onto white book band in November. He is at Expected level at the end of year 2 so I assume he is an average reader 2b. The fact is I don?t know if he is average or not? I know that some kids in his class are already free reader by the end of Year 2

In the recent parent evening his teacher say he should be a free reader or nearly become one and be at the Expected level at the end of Year 3. I am relief in the way knowing that one day he will be a free reader.

Recently, I start doing Toe by Toe with him because I really want to have something more structure for us to do on a daily basis and to make sure he become Free reader by the end of year 3. Then I read many post about Dancing Bear reading programmed on mumsnet.

I am thinking of stop Toe by Toe and starting on Fast Track Book AB and Also considering Apple and Pear. Or should I just carry on with Toe by Toe? If the end result is the same.. and just getting the Apple and pear to work on his spelling.

Ideally doing both reading and spelling program at the same time.

I really like to hear if anyone have done the Fast Track and advice Please.

(I have been reading for my son since he start year R and really did a lot of reading with him over the year as well to get him going..

Many thank you in Advance.

White band is exactly where a child in Y3 would be expected to be at this point. So your son is doing just fine, and judging by the teacher's comments is making good progress.

Unless your child has specific issues with decoding words (and by White level children normally will be good decoders) I'm not sure that using either Toe by Toe or Dancing Bears is particularly beneficial. I think you would be better getting him to read regularly to you, encouraging him to read a variety of things and also encouraging him to read on his own.

In terms of spelling - how is his spelling ability? Apples and Pears is great for teaching spelling rules, but it is quite time intensive - I'm not sure I would want to do it if my child's spelling was otherwise progressing ok.

Wow!

Threads like this make me think that I must live on another planet.
I have absolutely no idea what all these things are.

Have you asked his teacher whether there are particular things that he'she would like you to be working on?

Both Toe by Toe and Dancing Bears are fairly similar in that they're both structured phonics programs to do at home.

If you're both happy with Toe by Toe I wouldn't swap it for Dancing Bears.

I've done both and I like Dancing Bears better. If he's not happy with Toe by Toe then I'd switch to Dancing Bears. But if he's happy enough I wouldn't switch.

Apples & Pears is the best thing for teaching spelling. Again it takes 10 mins every day. If you have time and want to then do it. It's likely to be better than whatever method they're using at school.

Thank you all for comments.

At this point I just want to make sure his reading is progress in the right direction. I am bit nervous I guess and try hard not to compare (very hard) just that many in his class are moving on to become free reader.

His spelling is very much like what I have seen on other post here. Good result for spelling test but not great when it come to writing in Sentences.

Like ? lick
Carrot ? carot
Bread- bred
When ? wean

You can still make sense of what he is writing but I really feel that we should be working on spelling too.

I know he is only in year 3 now, but before I know it he will be in year 6 and we definitely don?t have the money for tuition so I want to do what I can do now to make sure everything in the right direction.

Hi IndigoBelle I just wondering as you seem to be the right person to ask.
what do you think of the Word Wasp. purely because Word wasp is only 1 book at cost £25 but the Apple and Pears is about £ 30 per set. Many thanks in Advance.

Word wasp is very like toe by toe.

Again I think apples & pears is better than word wasp. And it will certainly help you with the spellings you mentioned.

It is 4 books, and quite expensive for all of them but it will take you several years to cover all 4 books. If you just did book 1 in Y3 he'd be fine.

Word wasp requires far more memory skills than apples & pears.