reading book choices in Year 4 - fed up with Dickens

[CocktailQueen]

DS has a very limited choice of books in Year 4. The non-fiction ones are OK but the fiction books are very dry - he took home a 100-page kids' version of Oliver Twist last week, and he's not enjoying it at all. It's turning him off reading!

Obviously we read a lot with him at home, and he enjoys reading when he likes what he's reading!! He always says there's very little choice of books and he has to take what's there. Would I be U to have a word with the teacher, or give it a little while?? He's on diamond/pearl level, I think.

I would just get him to read through it quicker. 100 pages is fairly short so he could easily read 25-50 pages a day, then move into new book

Could you ask teacher why the choice is so limited? Maybe you could help arrange a book donation amongst other parents for the school? If everyone could donate one second hand book that would be a lot more reading material

can you source your own - charity shops, library?

YR4 dd1 is a great reader, but utterly unenthused by the school books. We agreed with her teacher in YR3 that she'd read stuff from home. Far better than than reading becoming a chore.

But they're text heavy 100 pages and the language and concepts involved are old-fashioned so harder to whizz through.

I'm trying to get him to slow down and read more slowly so he understands everything he's reading.

Good idea re asking for books to be donated. I'd be happy to do that.

Hi

My kids love books and read non stop.. I reckon if you added it together they read around two hours of day.

At start of year three the school introduced a policy of staying on reading scheme until y5 irrespective of ability.

I asked teacher if kids could come off reading scheme because it was putting them off books and I have a principled objection to bowdlerised classics

They just being in their own now.

I am surprised more parents don't do it as their class has loads of fluent Harry Potter/ narnia type readers

Nuts

Talk to teacher and bring in some books you think might do as an alternative

I was a primary TA and often suggest what I call "Value Added" books, that is they have a useful aspect in addition to just reading a story.

The best one is Arthur Ransome's "Coot Club" set on the Norfolk Broads in 1930. All the places in the book are actual locations, and can be found on the Ordnance Survey 2-1/2inch map of the Broads. All the villages, rivers, lakes, pubs and windmill pumping stations can be seen on the map. Apart from some railways being closed, and there now being more main roads, little has changed. It also gives interesting insights to the social history of the '30s: the children want to contact friends in a nearby village, and say if they post a letter in the morning, it will get there by the second post in the afternoon! When they buy provisions at a riverside shop, the shop-boy carries the goods down to their boat for them.

Another book in a 'real' place, is "Watership Down". The rabbits' home threatened by development is actually on the outskirts of Newbury, in Berkshire. There are several web sites about the locations, and even guided tours sometimes to places featured in the book.

Does DS have access to a library at school. where he can borrow something more to his taste?

If he's not enjoying the book send it back with a note. As adults we don't always finish every book we start so why expect children to!

If he doesn't enjoy it, send it back. Presumably he's a free reader? If so, why can't he take his own book in from home as his school reading book? Get him to ask his teacher if that's OK.

Thanks all. Had a chat with his teacher and he's been moved up a. Level and given access to more books. No such thing as free reader in our lower school! Have been reading Esio Trot with him at home so he took it into school.