What reading should I do with DS to keep progress going (starting reception Sept)

[Dreamingofcakeallnight]

Hello, wondered if anyone can advise. My DS started bringing books home from his Pre school in march and he's made amazing progress. He's currently on ORT level 2 and we read every night together. He genuinely looks forward to it. The Pre school indicated to me he was ready, and the teacher read with him every day (very lucky, I know!). So, he starts reception at a different primary in September, and I'm wondering what to do re reading between now and then.

I think if he were attending the primary school attached to the nursery, we could maybe ask the school to borrow some books. The Pre school uses some Jelly and Bean books and I think they are fab, but to buy them seems really expensive and I just can't stretch to that! Our local library has a very limited selection, just a few random biff and chips, and some old Peter and Jane.....

Any ideas what I can do to keep his reading going over the summer? Or indeed where you would look for cheap reading books? (in fact suggestions of what we should be reading would also be great).. Thanks :)

we bought songbirds phonics from www.thebookpeople.co.uk - they don't do the set we got a couple of years ago any longer but they do sell them by level.
there are a lot of words he can practice sounding out in normal story books, you read the ones he can't possibly do but when there is one he could do then you let him do it. keeps more variety in the books too.

Hi, my daughter is similar. Songbirds are very good. She has enjoyed some jelly and beans, but prefers songbirds or these now www.thebookpeople.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/qs_product_tbp?storeId=10001&catalogId=10051&langId=100&productId=373916&cm_mmc=PPCgoogleBase-------_-Read%20Write%20Inc.%20Phonics%20Collection%20-%2018%20Books&utm_source=google&utm_medium=basefeed&utm_campaign=ppc+basefeed&gclid=CIn055fIkLgCFYXMtAodmkgALA. We have some that I bought from DS but I notice you can get them from the bookpeople for quite cheap.

You can get these in our library www.amazon.co.uk/Run-Rat-Reading-Corner-Phonics/dp/0749673060. They are ok.

It's best to stick to the phonics ones. You can pick up reading books sometimes from charity shops, but tbh we have bought quite a few. You can make up quite a lot yourself re sentences for him to read and read bits from "normal" books too.

Enjoy!

DS3 (also starting reception in September) is only on 1+ books, and part way through level 3 letters and sounds.

He likes the floppy's phonics books. There is a pack of 48books on Amazon which at £50 isn't cheap overall, but is only a £1 a book. We get them out the library, but the phonic ones we have had, have for example a picture and 2 decodable sentences. Choose the right sentence for the picture. Then the story books are stories (obviously). These could be good, especially if the school he goes to uses ORT, as it introduces the characters, but in a phonics scheme, rather than traditional look and say ORT.

He also quite likes the Ladybird "Read it yourself" books at level 1 e.g little red hen. He does need help with some of the words, but can read lots of them.

Sometimes he just reads odd words out of his bedtime books and I read everything else to keep the flow going.

I don't like floppy's phonics. Just an opinion. We've bought one or two and they are boring.

I would contact the new school and find out what reading scheme they use - schools can vary though I believe the majority use non phonic scheme books for children to take home as their home reading books. For example do they just use ORT, a variety of schemes, do they use a mixture of phonic and non-phonic schemes or are the first levels phonics only? I just think this is very useful to know as depending on how you want to do things you may want to supplement their scheme or simply follow it.

If your library have very few scheme books then you can consider Reading Chest - you'll find them via google.

We've gathered a large home library because we have an Oxfam book shop near us - charity shops often have many early reader type books at £1 or less.

However going back to your library, do they have an on-line ordering resource? Our library has a much larger choice if I order in books as many other libraries become accessable via their shared resources.

You can use the following links to be able to add levelled real and scheme books into the mix, either via the library or perhaps ebay / Amazon who often have these books being sold second hand:

www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=library%20book%20bands&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CEMQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.essex.gov.uk%2FLibraries-Archives%2Flibraries%2Fchildrens-library%2FDocuments%2FBooks_for_children_beginning_to_read.pdf&ei=gazSUdTDD8u_PJqQgZgB&usg=AFQjCNHNHXksfZyLngDvvFdUVqgyfpC1JA&bvm=bv.48572450,d.d2k

www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dyslexia-inst.org.uk%2Fpdffiles&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CDsQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dyslexia-inst.org.uk%2Fpdffiles%2Fchecklist.pdf&ei=Gq7SUZnoBcnCO_-9gZgN&usg=AFQjCNFEQ0yJZJS8Nd2S41wLh2sVe4Rj6A&bvm=bv.48572450,d.d2k

Hope the links work!!

I hope you will find that tiredbutweary is wrong in that most schools give PHONIC books out to take home if they are for the child to read. As schools are required to teach using synthetic phonics not mixed methods (at least this is what they are SUPPOSED to do!). If they are for children to share with adults (ie adults reading to child) then of course they will be all sorts of lovely picture books.

Subscribe to reading chest, it's an online library that sends you books of the level you choose.

If I'm under the mistaken impression that most schools are still labouring under lots of ancient look and say books (like my DDs school), and that most schools are sending home phonics scheme books instead, I'd be very happy indeed.

It's definitely not the impression I have though!

Ds is starting school this year too and is also on red band, but his nursery haven't fine any reading with him so I've had to source all books myself :( we have the songbirds ones and some ORT traditional tales , but I don't think the book people are doing either anymore. Try www.oxfordowl.co.uk for free, levelled reading books.

I second the reading chest suggestion. It is great for this stage of reading as you get both fiction and non fiction books from lots of different reading schemes. Both of my children loved them, especially as the books arrive addressed to the child. The process of sending them back and getting more was very slick too.

It is quite expensive though (reading chest) and you can't keep the books. Dear me, I sound so negative. Tired, we must be lucky, our school gives out phonic books, and if they gave out old look and say books for reading when they are starting I wouldn't do them and would complain to the Head.

Freetrait, oh yes, I did that after my polite request in DDs reading record for phonics only books (they have a few but a tiny minority) was responded to in writing by the head explaining that children needed to be able to use a range of skills to read ... you know picture clues, context blah blah.

That's when I discovered the awful results for the year 1 phonics check, but of course it was their best readers who did worst while those lower down the book bands did better So I provided the scientific evidence, government guidance etc, (try not to laugh at my earnest idealism) but, of course, what's that in the face of many years of experience?!?

DD wanted to bring books home from school (well why wouldn't she, it's such a big part of reception) so I just accelerated her phonics teaching at home so that she could decode the damn look and say books! The unexpected consequence (from my perspective) was that she then rocketed through the book bands.

And breathe and also apologies to OP for my tangent.

I would second the reading chest...

DD is near the end of reception and finished nursery on stage 3. We did not get any books from nursery so had to do it all ourselves.

Also check out the Oxford owl website for free ebooks.

I would also check out your local library as they had loads of basic phonics books (reading corner phonics - is very good). "Run Rat Run" was the first book DD ever read. You can look at the back of each book to see the next one on each stage and get the library to order it.

As others have said the songbirds books are very good.

Thanks for all the suggestions. Have ordered the songbird books - second hand from amazon for £3 each! Also going to subscribe to the reading chest. Looks fantastic!!

Some schools are stuck in the dark ages eh. At least your DD had you to help tired , feel sorry for those that were expected to read those books without a clue of how to decode the words (other than look at pictures etc). Hope your son enjoys OP .

Pleased I read this. Ds2 only has kipper books sent home. No sounding out at all. Loves books, but no interest in reading words himself.
I am worried that when he starts reception, he will be quite behind.

Oblomov your child will not be behind, many children arrive in reception not even knowing the phonemes let alone blending them into words. They will go back to the beginning in sept because of this. If a child is ready to read it is brilliant for the nursery to encourage this, but it isn't necessary.

Reading Chest worked brilliantly for my DCs (one going into Reception and the other into Nursery who didn't want to be left out!)

Although older child is an October birthday it still gave him a great Headstart and they both loved receiving their books in the post. Money well spent.

Mine must be the only one who starts reception without being able to read. I really am totally fine with it and am confident he will learn from september. Nursery teachers say he has plenty of time to learn and I agree.

I started to learn at 6 and turned out rather well in the reading department.