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Primary education

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Original poster

School sending reading books with words that DS can't decode yet - is this OK?

83 replies

choceyes · 26/11/2013 12:43

DS is in Reception year. He keeps getting books that have words that are too hard for him to decode, using decoding methods (which even I don't know much about) that he hasn't learnt yet.
For example last weeks book had the words "headache", "guitar" among a couple of others I can't remember. He could decode the simple CVC words.
Is this totally normal?
I have other reading books from different phonis systems that are at a very basic level and they only have words that can be decoded at that level, like the Songbirds books.

It is a bit confusing as to whether he's expect to decode these words or not. I guess I will have to ask the teacher, but I thought I'd get some advice on here first. I wrote in the reading book comments section today that there were lots of words he couldn't decode as he hasn't learnt how to put he did read the simple words.

Thanks

OP posts:
Original poster
choceyes · 26/11/2013 12:45

yeah he gets those Chip, Biff and Kipper books.

OP posts:
LittleMissGreen · 26/11/2013 13:20

It's rubbish - in my opinion- to teach children phonics and then use look and say reading books.
There are loads of phonic readers now on the market that schools can purchase so that children can have a decent attempt at putting into practice what they have learnt at school.

It is however, presumed from other posts, totally normal Sad

Periwinkle007 · 26/11/2013 13:35

quite normal - doesn't mean it is right but so many schools can't afford to replace their book stock that I think it will be the case for quite some time.

What level are they? are they ORT ones? I would work on the principle that the simple decodable words are read by the child and the other ones by the adult, treat it as sharing the book together rather than the child reading it completely alone and then do the phonics ones you have yourself.

Hulababy · 26/11/2013 13:42

We have this issue where I work.

We have lots of new decodeable phonics guided reading books, some linked to the phonics scheme we intriduced, some other phonics schemes. However they are very expensive. We still have some non-phonics based guided rading books too as a result, and most of the take home books are non-phonics schemes, though some may be esp in the loweer colour bands.

It is purely down to money.

mrz · 26/11/2013 13:46

but what's the point of sending home books children can't possibly read at this stage ...

AMumInScotland · 26/11/2013 14:00

When DS was that age, the school called those ones "shared reading books" - the idea was that the child would gradually start being able to read some of the words, but to start with it was mostly for the parents to read to them. It meant they got a wider range of books than those on the reading scheme. Maybe it's more important for families where parents wouldn't read to them much anyway, ort give them a range of stuff from the library.

What bothers me is more that schools seem to be so useless at explaining to parents what the books are meant to be for, how they can be used, etc, leaving people confused and uncertain!

mrz · 26/11/2013 14:03
Hmm
columngollum · 26/11/2013 14:23

We've got a book that the children can read some of and the adults the rest. We call ours the dictionary.

ninaprettyballerina · 26/11/2013 14:26

I'm finding the same choceyes
I help DS with his phonics (as best I can) using the instructions he brings home...all fine.
But then his book yesterday has the word 'tongue' am I'm clueless as to how I should be guiding him to decode that word. I'm sure someone will come along and explain that, which is fine, but I don't understand how I should know this stuff without someone guiding me

mrz · 26/11/2013 14:27

The plot's a bit hard to follow

TravelinColour · 26/11/2013 14:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

HumphreyCobbler · 26/11/2013 14:33

This happened to my ds and is now happening to dd. It drives me MAD. Why bother teaching phonics if you send home a look, say book?

DD is really bothered by it. She decodes words in a list very confidently but when reading a book looks to me rather than attempting to decode. I tell her that in a particular word those letters make x sound and she then will have a go, but it is unnecessary! I know they have decodable books, why won't they give them to her?

mrz · 26/11/2013 14:36

You shouldn't need to know the school should NOT be sending home books your child can't read! ands shared reading books should NOT be old reading scheme books!

mrz · 26/11/2013 14:38

The school could send home a short decodable text if they haven't got suitable reading scheme books

maizieD · 26/11/2013 17:56

It meant they got a wider range of books than those on the reading scheme.

Well, it's not as if the awful ORT has any more literary merit or interest than decodables so why bother Grin

What really upsets me is the way that parents are reporting that this practice is demoralising or frustrating their children. On another very similar thread a week or so ago the OP said that it was actually discouraging her child from reading as it made her feel 'stupid' because she couldn't read some of the words. I really don't understand how EY/infant teachers can be so insensitive.

And then they have the nerve to blame 'phonics' for putting children off reading AARRGGHH! (maizieD wanders off chuntering into the night looking for a brick wall...)

RiversideMum · 26/11/2013 18:03

It's awful really, because the match funding was really quite generous and no schools have the excuse not to have binned S&L the old "look and guess" books.

RiversideMum · 26/11/2013 18:04

Sorry, no idea where that S&L came from in the middle of my sentence!!!!!

Hulababy · 26/11/2013 18:09

Well quite mrz - but until a school has more money then what else do they do? Not send any home? We have invested £1000s over the ast couple of years pn new phonics stuff and guided reading books. The others are gradually being updated too. It just takes time. We need so many books at each level. We are not a cash rich school; are any?

Some of the books are phonics based, just not all. They all have some and/or lots of words in the children can read and decode, and obviously plenty of key words.

Its not ideal but tbh we are doing okay. We are in no way a bad school.

Hulababy · 26/11/2013 18:10

Or older books are not generally reading scheme books. They are the books from when it was the done thing to send home non-scheme books, al colour coded ones, etc.

Hulababy · 26/11/2013 18:12

The Match Funding was nowhere near sufficient to allow us to do that at all. It helped with getting in all the new phonics scheme stuff - the programme, the resoruces, the guided reading books, te classroom stuff, etc. It did not allow us enough finds to change every book from the school book boxes at every colour/level in every classroom - no where near!

mrz · 26/11/2013 18:13

Can you not photocopy a decodable text to send home in the place of books Hulababy?

Hulababy · 26/11/2013 18:14

mrz Tue 26-Nov-13 14:38:48
The school could send home a short decodable text if they haven't got suitable reading scheme books

I can tell you for sure that that would not be acceptable to the vast majority of our parents. From experience.

Hulababy · 26/11/2013 18:16

Even if we ignored the parents - it would take a fair bit of time to sort out all the photocopying, which also takes money too.

90 children per year, 3 year groups. All at varying levels and abilities. Taking home something to read daily.

I have tried this btw - with a selected group of readers who were struggling. It didn't go down well with parents and wasn't effective.

mrz · 26/11/2013 18:26

"I can tell you for sure that that would not be acceptable to the vast majority of our parents. From experience."
Yes I do understand that some schools send home books to keep parents happy rather than because it is for the benefit of the children. It doesn't make it right IMHO.

You could base the text on what the child is learning in phonics which would reduce the number of texts and have the added benefit of supporting what the child is being taught in school.

louby44 · 26/11/2013 18:36

I teach reception. We teach Jolly Phonics and very carefully try and choose books that children can read (based on their phonic skills) but we too have a large bank of ORT books which we have no choice in giving out. We have a few phonics books that we give to children who we feel need that extra support.

Don't forget that using the pictures to aid reading is also a major skill used in reading so if the text says "Dad had a guitar" with a picture of dad with a guitar, the child will be able to read the WHOLE sentence by a combination of blending and using the picture clues.

Some of my children are now realising that there is a whole host of words that cannot be 'sounded out' i.e. tricky words said, was etc and there is no way around that! This can be a major stumbling block.

In a class of 30 children I have a wide ability, some children sound out everything, some seem to have a photographic memory and remember words by sight after seeing them 2 or 3 times. The majority do a combination of everything including using the pictures to aid reading.

I do find it quite insulting to be told that teacher's are insensitive. I lie awake many a night worrying/thinking/planning about my class. Most teacher's are very, very dedicated and work in difficult circumstances, managing with limited resources and funding.

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