Primary reading - just a quickie

[Hennifer]

I didn't used to sign the reading journal for DS because the school book was so mind numbingly boring and easy for him that I was worried it would put him off - so I let him read to himself at home, instead, with books he enjoys. He's a good reader IMO.
School said this did not count and so there was no point noting it in the journal.
Then I found out about the way they record it at school and other children being told who wasn't reading at home every night. I complained - basically this was stopped.
Then they said I could sign the reading journal for whatever books ds was reading and it would now count.

So a couple of months ago I began filling in the journal, book title, page he's got to etc.

It's gone from him reading at school most days with an adult or a Y6, to zero reading at school. No one's signed it since I started doing it at home.

So basically, it's gone from him reading to someone every day, as well as his home reading, to him reading to no one at school, ever.

Is this because

a) they only read at school with children they don't think read at home

b) they have abandoned him?

Thank you!

Yes, you might be right! I just wondered if it was a 'thing' that they try to read with children if they think they aren't reading at home. I think it probably is. I didn't realise that as soon as I started signing the book, though, all reading intervention during school would stop. If that makes sense.

He's in Y4 btw

I would say a). It's pretty unusual to get that level of reading input at a state school, my kids have been read with less than once a month since September.

Ah, Ok. I thought so. We were lucky to have all the input before, I think (though it wasn't necessary - he's just read a Wimpy Kid book in two days so he's managing)

Thank you for answering.

At our school more one to one reading is done with readers who are finding it more of a challenge. This can often be, but is not restricted to, children who aren't read with much at home. If a child doesn't have their record signed, but is not struggling, they don't get extra sessions.

IME it's very unusual for good readers in Y4 to be heard 1-1 everyday.
Many schools do guided reading and a child will read once a week as part of a group and others do whole class reading and limit 1-1 to those children who need extra support.

He does have a stammer. I wonder if this was interpreted as him struggling to read the words. Anyway it doesn't matter, as long as he's doing Ok I don't really mind. It was just a bit of a surprise to go from so much reading there to none.

Thanks for all the replies.

I wouldn't be too complacent, Reading Dairy of Wimpy Kid in 2 days is not a good level of reading for Year 4. You need to keep him practising at home.

I asked my Y4 son how often he read with someone at school and he said never. He said only people who are not free readers read to someone at school. We read with him every night and he is an excellent reader. He writes in his book himself and has done for at least a year. He writes what and when he reads then a couple of sentences about the book when he finishes it.

What is a good level of reading in Y4 then? My first child is dyslexic so to me, his standard seems totally adequate. I never said he was a genius.

And he does read every night. 140 pages the other night. I thought that was quite good?

My ds is a good reader, but I still ask him to read to me every night. Reading to themselves in their head and reading aloud is a different skill.

Thanks Sootica, I was a bit worried for a moment. I realise other kids are probably on Dickens and Rowling and all sorts by now, but to me, he seems like he's doing well (he can read - and he wants to, which I never did! Those are my benchmarks)

It's true that reading aloud is a different skill and he does need more practise with that. He comes and shows me bits in the book and reads them to me, so he's getting a bit of that in too.

Having to dredge through the reaing scheme books was what put me off reading for ever, and I'd hate that to happen to him so as long as he's enjoying his books I don't really mind how fast he is, or anything. It'll all come good in time I suppose.

I'm confused by all these posters saying their children are never heard reading in school. Not disbelieving, but I've not come across any primary - aged classes where reading is not heard regularly. That's all the way through the school, generally 2-3 times/week when younger, at least once a week when older.

It's unreasonable to not do school reading at home though, even if you do think books are beneath him. It means your child is arriving at reading lessons unprepared, when at that stage I would expect there to be comprehension/language work being done in class linked to reading books. It's about much more than the mechanical reading of books.

He enjoys reading and he wants to read. That is all that matters.

Keep, I get what you're saying, though there are various reading levels within his class anyway, and I think he's encountered most of the words that they use in class, in the books he reads himself.

It's not exactly that the books are beneath him - not in the snobby way that might imply, at least. What happened was he came from a different school in Y3, and the new school assessed his reading and he was put onto stage 15 ORT. This was fine for about a week, when suddenly he was put back down to stage 12.

According to the TA this was because otherwise they would run out of books to give him.

So they were very easy for him, and he didn't enjoy them, and neither did I. I hope that makes more sense and explains why we didn't want to do the set home reading, but instead I let him read whatever interested him, and it gave him a wider exposure to words in any case.

btw I think the comprehensions etc they do are in no way linked to the reading books themselves. So he wouldn't be tested on a story from a reading book, for example. It's a separate thing.

My worst fear was putting him off reading for life, which is pretty much what happened to me - well, for about 30-40 years anyway. I can only just enjoy reading now, and I'm still suspicious of books because of being made to read awful, boring ones when I was at school.