Worried about reading progress

[Stereolab]

Hi

I have read a lot of posts on this topic and gathered some really useful information but I would welcome any extra advice or thoughts.

My DS will be 6 at the end of May and has been at school for almost a year (they start at 5 here). I have been concerned on and off about his reading since he started school. His teachers have commented that he is a bright boy and the assumption seemed to be that reading would click into place for him. That doesn't seem to be happening.

His class teacher this year has said that he is progressing well and has put him in the top reading group (bearing in mind he is the eldest in his Y1 class). However, his reading was tested at school recently and the specialist reading recovery teacher put him forward for a 'pre-screening' for dyslexia. His results came back as 'not at risk'. He scored below average (just) on only one aspect of the test. This apparently tested the speed of naming pictures on a page from left to right.

He is bringing home books from school, which are one band below the band he should apparently have achieved after a full year at school (they are blue band and he should be on green by the end of May). However, my experience of listening to him read is that he is memorising the text at school when he reads in his small group and then parroting much of it at home. He has a good memory! Yesterday, left to his own devices, he was even muddling 'go' with 'get' and 'this' with "went". He knows all of his letter sounds (they use Letterland at school) and a few digraphs, however the book he brought home yesterday had words such as 'beautiful' in it and there is no way he would be able to decode that with the knowledge he currently has.

His comprehension and vocabulary are very good but I think he perhaps uses his ability in these areas to disguise his struggle with reading whilst he is at school (at home he gets very despondent about reading). I have spoken to the reading recovery teacher and he suggested that I keep badgering the class teacher with my concerns. He can't help directly as he is only employed to work with children reading at a lower level than my son. He did say that if both a parent and child feel there is a problem with reading, then there usually is.

What would you do? Do you think there is cause for concern or is he still too young for me to be worrying. I have tried Bear Necessities and thought it was good but my DS found it really uninspiring. We also have a set of the earlier Songbirds books at home. I am just worried that I will confuse him further if I veer too far from the school's approach. One last thing...he has glasses to correct long-sight in one eye and I have wondered if this is significant. He is often very fidgety and squirmy when reading but never when listening to stories.

Thanks for getting this far.

Thanks for the further comments. I have read them all and I'm very grateful for the time taken in your replies. Sorry if I have missed responding to you individually.

mrz- The document you attached makes slightly alarming reading and I found the quote at the end very apt. I do think the approach to reading at my sons' current school seems a bit loose (for want of a better word). DS2 said yesterday that the teachers tell him to look for clues in the picture if he doesn't know a word (though that may have been in response to a slightly leading question from me!). I try to guide him to look at the words and to use the sounds that he knows.

When we tried Bear Necessities it was for less than 10 minutes at a time (once per day). He got very upset and angry with himself when trying to say the sounds on the cards at the beginning of the sessions (as recommended in the book). Even though he actually knew quite a few of them. I tried to keep it lighthearted and fun but clearly didn't manage that! It was a while ago that we tried, so I might see if he would like another go. I don't want to to push it though as his confidence is very shaky as it is.

mummytime- I'll Google 'The Reading Reflex'. Thanks for the suggestion.

ICanSmellSummerComing- Thanks for the reassurance and book suggestion. My DS1 is a huge fan of Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell. I think he has read the lot! DS2 received Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse for Christmas and loved it. I will take out some Fergus Crane books from the library for him as I think he would love them too. Enjoying listening to stories (and understanding them) is not a problem for him but seeing himself as a potential reader is. He makes statements like "I'll never learn to read, I hate reading". He seems quite happy on the other hand to imagine me sitting at the end of his bed reading to him when he is 25.

Do you know how many sounds he actually knows Stereolab?

If you decide to go back to Bear Necessities - don't use all the cards - pick out the ones he knows plus one or two more and make a game of it. If he knows the sound it goes into his pile if he doesn't it goes into yours and then make a big thing of him winning "Look how many you know!"
Once he knows the new sound/s add another and take any he's secure with away so he isn't faced with a huge pile before he even starts to read the words.

If you have an ipad I would recommend itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id769196201?mt=8&affId=1736887

www.spelfabet.com.au/2013/01/toxic-teaching/

mrz- Thank you for the links. Very helpful. I have put the initial code app on the iPad and will see how he takes to that.

I followed the teachers' guide when we tried Bear Necessities. Only one or two new sounds introduced at a time (though I think we had to go through the whole lot at first to see which ones he knew). I also did the make a game of it with him winning approach (possibly got that idea from you on another thread!). He was/is very touchy about reading though so even that was too much for him. I might have another go over the holiday period (no school for the next two weeks) as I think he knows more sounds now and might surprise himself. Just thinking-might get his dad to do it with him as he rarely gets to hear DS read and he might like the chance to show his dad what he can do.

Even in UK not all schools are teaching Phonics as well as they could (should?) but it must be really frustrating to be in NZ and feel that your child is not being supported well enough in the vital skill of reading.

If you look in the MN Book Reviews, "Children's educational books and Courses" section, you will find a review of the Oxford Phonics Spelling Dictionary. This book should clarify Phonics for you all, and it will support reading and spelling right through primary school, and into secondary. It may make things more interesting and enjoyable, and it should be easily available via Amazon, or a local bookshop, if you have one.

Take it slowly with him, and don't 'push' too much; Yes, giving Dad a share is a good idea!

[As an elderly 'audiophile', (had my first hi-fi in 1960) I am intrigued by your 'nickname']

Thank you Ferguson. I will take it slowly. We have the Oxford Phonics Spelling Dictionary-thanks to previous lurking on here. Useful to be reminded of it though and I will use it to help DS2 (and me) with phonics.

He had a go at reading some of the Songbirds stories at the weekend. He did quite well with the level 2 (red) books but he needed a fair bit of help with sh, ch etc. I think he is more comfortable at the stage 1+ level Songbirds that we have. If these colour bands correspond with the reading scheme books he is bringing home from school (blue), (and they seem to), then I think my suspicion that he is memorising rather than reading his school books is correct. I have contacted his teacher asking for 10 minutes to discuss his progress but she has not got back to me. Looks like we might just have to do our own thing at home and see how that goes.

Thanks for your interest in Stereolab. That made me laugh. They are a favourite Anglo-French band of mine (90s). Worthy of a thread of their own (though I don't think I'd get many responses)!