Active discussions

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Primary education

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

Original poster

Reception Reading question?

26 replies

ihearttc · 19/09/2015 09:21

DS2 has just started reception...he has gone from knowing a few sounds to being able to blend in under 2 weeks so Im so proud of him. DS1 was reading fluently before starting school so my perception of whats 'normal' or not is a bit off hence me asking this question.

He has been given 3 reading books so far but they only have a few decodeable (thats not the correct word Im sure but you get what I mean in it) words in them such as am, it, on etc. The rest are words such as I (which he does know) plus walking, talking, little etc. He is getting really stuck and Im not sure how to help him apart from telling him the word.

DS1 never got phonics at all-he just looked at a word and knew what it was whereas I think DS2 will do it all phonetically. Ive just ordered some Songbirds books from Amazon (Stage 1 and stage 2) so was going to give them a go as assume they will be more phonics based.

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
Princerocks · 19/09/2015 09:26

Are you asking how you can help him?

Original poster
ihearttc · 19/09/2015 09:28

Lol...yes sorry I missed that out of the OP.

Im not sure if me just telling him those words is the best way to do when he has only just started to blend words. I asked teacher and she just said those are the books we use and to tell him the words he doesn't know.

OP posts:
Princerocks · 19/09/2015 09:34

My DD started off with much more simple books. I wouldn't have liked to have started her with ones with words she couldn't read as it makes reading seem difficult right at the start. I would try teaching him the words before getting the book out so he sees them in the book and thinks he can read rather than panics.

mrz · 19/09/2015 09:38

Are you asking why they are sending home books containing words beyond his current level of knowledge? Really poor practice against DfE directives.

Nectarines · 19/09/2015 09:47

www.thebookpeople.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/qs_product_tbp?productId=218821&catalogId=47002

These books are great! Fully decodeable and the stories aren't too boring! might help support what he's learning at school.

Original poster
ihearttc · 19/09/2015 09:49

Yes basically Mrz...My older son had similar books sent home but he could read them so it wasn't a problem. But DS2 has literally just started to blend (although he knows most of the Jolly Phonics from nursery) so can do simple CVC words but hasn't got a clue about some of the words in the books.

I just wondered how is the best way for me to do this or should I just let him read the words he can read and I fill in the gaps so to speak. I suppose the school can't win...some of the other mums are complaining their child has books with no words and Im complaining that the words are too hard. I just assumed they'd have books with simple decodeable words in to get them used to blending.

OP posts:
Original poster
ihearttc · 19/09/2015 09:51

nectarines thats what Ive just purchased...but I just got 2 books (which have got 6 stories in each)

OP posts:
Snossidge · 19/09/2015 10:05

I would tell him the words he can't read, or get him to point out any sounds he knows (eg. he can sound "t" and you tell him it's "talking").

mrz · 19/09/2015 10:24

Agree support him to read the words by supplying the missing information so explain that in walking and talking is the spelling for /or/ sound that way he can use his current knowledge and skills to read the words. If you find you are having to supply too much info sound out the whole word and see if he can blend aurally.

Original poster
ihearttc · 19/09/2015 10:43

He can definitely blend aurally as thats what I did last night night...he can hear the sounds in the words but as yet doesn't have the knowledge to decode them by sight. Good to know I was doing the right thing.

Will have another go today and see how we get on. Thank you so much.

OP posts:
louisejxxx · 19/09/2015 11:26

I would maybe have a word with the teacher and ask what you're expected to do - whether you should be trying to explain the words that are phonetically too complex at this stage, or whether you should read the word on his behalf.
Out of interest, which books is it you've been sent home?
I would've expected wordless ones to be sent home initially until enough phonics have been covered in class.

mrz · 19/09/2015 13:30

Wordless scheme books are pointless except to please parents who demand a book from the start. Much better to send home a high quality story for the parent to read to the child.

louisejxxx · 19/09/2015 15:00

Well that's me told! Grin

catkind · 19/09/2015 17:13

Oh, I thought wordless books were to irritate parents. At least that generally seems to be the effect! That said, they worked quite well for DS in helping make the transition between books are for mum and dad to read and books are for me to read, and getting him to talk about stories.

DS current school (we moved since R) apparently send home books for parent to read to child in the first term, I don't suppose it could be that OP? Whatever the intention, I'd read them to him and get him to read the songbirds first if I were you. When they run out, Oxford Owls online gives you a few more.

mrz · 19/09/2015 17:31

But he could talk about any book why did it have to be a scheme book that really only serves to make the publisher richer?
Wordless scheme books send the message that we read pictures not words. There are so many amazing high quality picture books out there for children to explore and fall in love with. Wordless BC&K aren't needed.

catkind · 19/09/2015 18:10

For us it worked as a way to transition from books with lots of words and complex stories that he wouldn't have a hope of reading to ones that he could own. Yes not necessary at all, we could have just read to him for a few more weeks and then given him decodable books, but it was helpful to get over the "you do it mummy" before the added complication of words.

catkind · 19/09/2015 18:11

Unlike DD who was much more a "me do it mummy" sort of toddler and will be highly disgruntled if they give her books without words.

mrz · 19/09/2015 18:45

But there are plenty of high quality picture books with no or very few words without the need for scheme books.

I love David Weisner books like Flotsam, FreeFall, Tuesday and Jan Ormerod Sunshine and best of all no Floppy!

catkind · 19/09/2015 19:08

Not come across those mrz, the only wordless books I've seen in our library are baby board books. And the snowman. I guess from the school perspective when you're ordering a reading scheme it's easier to say levels 0-9 please rather than levels 1-9 oh and this random selection of books I happen to know that don't have words in. [random numbers for illustration purpose not to be taken literally, I can't remember the levelling.] And maybe easier to sell to a 5 yr old if it's the same scheme when all their friends have moved on to books with words in and they're not ready yet?

But we digress.

From OP's point of view, songbirds sound ideal, only a shame there aren't more of them.

mrz · 19/09/2015 19:12

Yes and hundreds of pounds that could buy useful resources wasted.
You might notice that it's the big publishers who produce these as they were an essential component of the Look and Say method not found in phonic schemes.

Original poster
ihearttc · 19/09/2015 19:23

He can definitely talk about books...he obviously can't read yet so he looks at every single book we have got and makes up stories about the pictures (not necessarily the right ones either!).

The books he has been given are PM readers if that means anything?

OP posts:
mrz · 19/09/2015 19:25

Yes they are linked to Reading Recovery and mixed method instruction

mrz · 19/09/2015 19:26

Tuesday

mrz · 19/09/2015 19:32

Free Fall

catkind · 19/09/2015 20:09

They look cute :) Are non scheme books cheaper then?