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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Quick guided reading question

29 replies

Iamnotminterested · 03/04/2013 16:19

Is the guided reading book one level higher or lower than a child's reading level? Can't remember. Thanks.

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Fuzzymum1 · 03/04/2013 16:49

At DS3's school the guided reading book is one or two levels below the book they have to bring home.

Periwinkle007 · 03/04/2013 16:56

my daughter's is 5 levels below what she brings home

juniper9 · 03/04/2013 17:35

There's conflicting thoughts on this. Some LAs recommend teachers set a level lower, and some a lever higher.

Personally, I set a level higher as I know I can help the children decode unknown words, and I know the type of questions to ask to move on their learning. Not that parents aren't capable of doing that, but lots who ask me about it don't seem to know what they need to ask (especially when children reach level 3).

itsnothingoriginal · 03/04/2013 17:55

My dd' s is a level higher than her book band for home.

Periwinkle007 · 03/04/2013 19:40

I have to say I would think it should really be a level higher because they are in a situation where they can be taught/helped to read at that slightly higher level whereas independent reading is very different in that they have no help with comprehension and ideally they should be doing all the decoding unaided if indeed there is any. Independent reading I think should be more about building their confidence, learning to enjoy reading etc. I am lucky that my mum used to be a teacher and I spent many a day as a teenager once my holidays had started helping out listening to kids read so I find it quite natural to ask questions about what they have read, what might happen next, what people are thinking etc but like Juniper has said I don't think many parents would know and many might feel that that is for the school to do not them.

my daughters is only so much lower I assume because she is in reception and a good reader so the class still does guided reading as one big group.

itsnothingoriginal · 03/04/2013 19:50

That does seem a bit crazy periwinkle - what can your dd be getting out of it when so much below her reading ability! Can she not read with yr 1?

Periwinkle007 · 03/04/2013 20:03

erm well quite

the class are on level 3, they have her on level 8 and in reality at home she is more than confident at level 10.

ho hum

littlemiss06 · 04/04/2013 08:05

Our school do guided reading one level above what they bring home

hels71 · 04/04/2013 09:18

My DD is also doing guided reading 5 levels below her independent reading! At parents evening they did agree it was not helping her reading at all, but for some reason can not change groups (Grrr) but they will do a 1:1 session with her each week to help. (They do no 1:1 at all....)
When I had a class (before I had DD) We were advised to go a level above independent for guided reading unless we were trying to teach a specific skill such as using non-fiction when we should go a level below so that there was no problem with the text.

Periwinkle007 · 04/04/2013 13:18

what year is your DD in Hels?

I am hoping that next term they will split them out a bit as they have implied they might do and there are a few others now on levels 6 and 7 which would at least be nearer her level 8 but I am hoping they will soon notice she is actually reading above that level and move her up in which case it will still be below her level.

hels71 · 04/04/2013 17:33

She is in reception in a mixed R/1 class...........................driving me mad really as there must be year 1 on a similar level as her surely......

Periwinkle007 · 04/04/2013 19:30

yes I would have expected someone else to be on a similar level. Is it a very small class? My daughter's is 30 children and they have at least 4 of them on book band 6/7/8 and I have a feeling a few others are as well but only really know her friends ones. I don't know how many from the other reception class are at that sort of level but I would have expected there to be 1 or 2 at 6+. Therefore it would follow that probability wise there should be some in the year above way above that and many more at that level. My daughter is good but I wouldn't have said she was exceptional.

simpson · 04/04/2013 20:30

DD does guided reading with a larger group using stage 4/5 (she is on 10) but then she does another session with just her and one other child and they use stage 7/8.

I have asked for her to do guided reading with yr1 and got a flat no.

hels71 · 04/04/2013 20:32

18 reception and 11 year 1. At parents eve they did mention she was way ahead of the other reception children....I know her reception friends are not at her level. She does phonics with year 1 (the only reception child to do so) but her guided reading group only has one other child from her phonics group in. She brings home stage 8 ORT but reads them easily. At home she has just finished My Naughty little Sister and is reading The Twits (manages about 90% on her own but gets stuck on long words. She can sound out the sounds but forgets the start when she reaches the end and does not believe me when I say you can break it into smaller sections.........hopefully she will believe her teacher!!!)

quip · 04/04/2013 20:43

Ours do a level ahead. Sometimes that means joining a different year group but that's not seen as a problem.

Periwinkle007 · 04/04/2013 21:08

thats quite a big class then Hels. I can understand her being the only reception on her level but it is a surprise with the Year 1 children that there isn't anyone closer.

hels71 · 04/04/2013 21:15

There probably is, I don't Know.....but for some reason she can't be in a different group.......

Periwinkle007 · 04/04/2013 21:24

madness

simpson · 04/04/2013 22:07

There is nobody in DD's school on her level in yr1 either afaik. I read with yr1 kids and there are a few on stage 8 but most of them are still blue level and below...

Periwinkle007 · 05/04/2013 08:45

gosh that does surprise me. I really didn't realise it was that unusual to be reading so well at this sort of age. I think I just assumed that about a fifth of children could based on the ones I know. I suppose some of the year 1 children though are only a matter of days older than my reception daughter so still very young.

She must be lucky with her class then if 3 of her friends are on 6 and 7. At least hopefully it means they will be able to make a group of them.

BooksandaCuppa · 05/04/2013 09:03

At ds's old primary, the children were mixed up for guided reading from years R-3 and 4-6 so would be able to be in a group totally relevant to their needs.

Friends' boys ( x 4) are all on at least stage 11 in yr 1 out of a year group of 14 so that is surprising, simpson, that there's no-one for dd to read with in yr 1.

MerryMessiahWhingesAgain · 05/04/2013 09:06

DD brings home a level lower than she reads for guided reading. Her class teacher said they do this so they aren't struggling with the home books. She reads well but gets put off by a lot of words on one page.

mrz · 05/04/2013 09:08

It is very unusual for there to be no child in her own class or the class above to be reading at a similar level IMHE.
In my last reception class there were children reading red to lime level books and every stage in between, at this point in the year but we don't use group guided reading in any year group

Periwinkle007 · 05/04/2013 09:58

mrz what actually HAPPENS in guided reading? I am curious because I only get random bits of info out of my daughter.

I THINK they use a book on the interactive white board (ORT book, stage 3 from what she has shown me) and then individual children can put their hand up to read if they get picked and then after they have read a word or sentence the other children say it too. does that sound right? I assume as they get older they sit in smaller groups with a copy of the text and then take it in turns and then as older they then read it to themselves and discuss it.

have I understood the idea of it correctly?

itsnothingoriginal · 05/04/2013 10:07

They only really start doing guided reading in groups at our school in yr 1 Periwinkle. Your dd would struggle to find a suitable group at our school as there are only a few yr 2 children reading at lime level - all of reception are on pink - yellow bands and yr 1/2 are mostly yellow - white. It's quite an affluent area too

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