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Primary education

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

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Original poster

What do you think is more important - that a 5 year old reads a whole school book every night or that she gets half an hour extra sleep every night?

73 replies

sandyballs · 31/01/2007 10:46

My DD's (year 1) are expected to read their whole school reading book every night and then change it the following morning and do the same again, EVERY NIGHT! This didn't seem a problem in reception as the books contained about 5 pages with approx 6 words on each. However, the books are getting longer and longer and last night it took my DD 40 minutes to finish it. I work 3 days a week and don't return home until nearly 7.00pm, which I feel is too late to read for that long. Both DDs are exhausted by then.

So I have only been reading with them at the weekends and the two week days that I don't work, leaving their school/home contact books blank for those days. This seemed to work ok but last night DD was in tears insisting that she had to read the whole book because her teacher had told her off for not reading every day.

Just seems excessive at 5 IMO.

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ArcticRoll · 31/01/2007 11:00

I agree Sandyballs -think that's far too much.
There was an interesting article in the Observer on Sunday (sorry can't do links)I can't recall the exact details but think it said that several academics believed that structured homework for primrary aged children was not necessary and could in fact be counter productive.
By forcing your child to do a lot of reading against her will could point her off the joy of reading for life IMO.

ArcticRoll · 31/01/2007 11:01

Oops 'put' not 'point'.

juuule · 31/01/2007 11:01

I vote for the extra half hour sleep or relaxation. I think you are doing ample with the weekends and two days a week. I would go into the teacher, say you think it's too much and ask her to speak to your dd to tell her that what you are saying is okay and she doesn't need to read a full book every night.

Saturn74 · 31/01/2007 11:07

Sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.
She's very young to have so much reading homework, IMO.
I would speak to the teacher - it seems unfair to tell a 5 year-old off for this, and it is certainly counter-productive for your DD to be so upset about the situation that she is in tears.

Steward · 31/01/2007 11:11

My son is in year 2. He reads all his book every night, but I only work at the weekend. Therefore I have time to sit with him. But he only takes about 20 minutes to do it. In the past, I got aliilte confused about how mush he should do. I was making him read the whole book. Then the teacher put a note in his book to say he could read just some of it but accuratly. So I started just to get him to read half the book. But then the classroom assistance did,t change his book because he hadn't read all of it. I have now got him to read all if it as I think the more they read, when willing to do so, the more they learn.

TenaLady · 31/01/2007 11:12

Sandy what books is she reading fgs? It shouldnt take 40mins!

coppertop · 31/01/2007 11:12

Sleep is more important IMHO. Ds1 is in Yr2 and has one reading book a week. Sometimes he will read it all in one go and sometimes he will read just a few pages. 40 minutes of reading every night is too much and the teacher telling dd off for not doing this will only put her off reading. She will see it as a chore rather than something to be enjoyed.

Lucycat · 31/01/2007 11:13

What has your dd's teacher said when you have asked about this?

Just say, we haven't had time to read it, can we keep the book for a few more days - what is she going to say?

Budababe · 31/01/2007 11:15

I would put a comment in her book to teh effect that as it takes 40 mins to read the books now you will not be reading every night or will read x amount of pages and keep the book till DD is finished.

DS is in Yr 1 and is currently reading a book a night but is only on Stage 2 ORT so it doesn't take long. But even his teacher says that if they are particularly tired to leave it for another time.

feetheart · 31/01/2007 11:16

I'd definitely go for the sleep option, my DD is 'orrible if she's tired.
Would also speak to the teacher as making your DD upset about reading is the worst thing she can do.

Sounds like you are doing fine to me, taking the time when you can.

WideWebWitch · 31/01/2007 11:16

Sleep. There's no way my son was expected to this when he was 5.

Blu · 31/01/2007 11:21

Strife! We'd never manage this...and I would definitley prioritise sleep, anyway!

Aloha · 31/01/2007 11:23

Very odd! How are you supposed to have time to read to them?

Original poster

sandyballs · 31/01/2007 11:24

Thanks for your replies. I haven't spoken to the teacher yet, or put any comment in the book. I will do both this evening. I would hate it to put her off reading as she does enjoy it usually. But I just don't see the point in sitting there with a knackered child, trying to get her to read. And surely this will get worse as she gets older and has even longer books and probably other homework, I'm dreading it. I don't remember getting any homework at all during the whole of primary school, or maybe I've just forgotten!

She's on ORT stage 6 and they seem a lot longer than previous stages. Her sister is on stage 2 so not such a problem with her as much shorter.

OP posts:

TenaLady · 31/01/2007 11:28

Sandy, if she is reading an age appropriate book, try to encourage her to read it daily even if it is the first 5 pages or so.

It really holds them back when they are at school and I know that the teachers get really irritated when they havent tried reading every day with their parents.

Introduce a routine if you can, in from school, change of clothes, snack and drink and a sit up the table with whoever to start on the book.

When you discuss with the teacher suggest just reading a few pages a day and getting the book back until you reach the end. That way its not such a mountain for her.

The other suggestion is to take it in turns to read. You read one page she reads the next. It makes it fun for them.

Wordsmith · 31/01/2007 11:28

Oh don't get me started on homework. Yes Arcticroll, The Observer article is very interesting and sums up how I feel. My DS (yr 2) aged 6 gets literacy h/w, numeracy h/w, 10 spellings and reading books every week and it's too much! We never get to read much of the books because of fitting everythinbg else in - and when we do it's just before bedtime and he's fractious.

TenaLady · 31/01/2007 11:37

We all complain about the education system but we all have to contribute.
When I was at school we had to read every day and do spelling and maths practice at home. That all changed in the 70's to this soft touch policy and look what we get!

The rate I saw banded around was that 80% of the population cant read and write to the standard of a 10 year old today!

Push on please, just try to find a more exciting way to encourage the kids else you will teach them the other disease eating the country GIVING UP.

LIZS · 31/01/2007 11:39

While I'd agree reading regularly is important, ours are heard for a few pages at school every day and if you can follow it up with some more then all well and good but there shouldn't be undue pressure to do so and finish a book each evening at the expense of rest.

dd is also Year 1 and insists on reading her whole book every night (ORT 8/Rigby Purple which takes about 20 minutes now) so she can change it next day but , having done reading in the classroom myself , that definitely doesn't happen in every home every night for all sorts of reasons and noone bats an eyelid, you just pick up where they left off. We've had days where she is too tired or have been out later for an event at school and it just hasn't happened. Also if she does take that long at Stage 6 (are they 16 or 24 pages long ?)I'd worry that the level is perhaps a bit too challenging for her which may be demotivating in itself or that she isn't focussing because she is too tired in so it would be counterproductive to force it.

Furball · 31/01/2007 11:45

I always write in the reading record - read upto page .... whatever. And I'd spend no more than 15 minutes.

KathG · 31/01/2007 13:25

We are rigby turquoise (ort ?) and had been employing the read every other page routine works well BUT I discovered to my horror last week, that she had assumed this meant she wasn't able to read the whole book on her own!

We also have the late home from after school problem - I have found that getting her to read in the bath works very well and we haven't drowned a book yet (I hold it ). We only get one book a week, so can choose books for the other nights.

bubblepop · 31/01/2007 14:22

sandyballs, this seems a bit excessive to me. what you are doing is fine, its too much to do otherwise on work days imo. in our house we aim to change ds reading book once a week (he's 7)

Jimjams2 · 31/01/2007 14:31

Ds2 (reception) teacher is keen to make sure that reading is fun. I've noticed the books getting longer recently - he's on level 5 I think. I don't read every night, and if we do we sometimes read the whole book (but would take about 10 minutes over it), sometimes if after we've started I realise he's too tired we just stop half way through and finish it the next time we read.

I'd talk to the teacher- ds2's is very keen that we stop if anything leads to tears etc.

expatinscotland · 31/01/2007 14:32

Sleep.

She's 5.

KathyMCMLXXII · 31/01/2007 14:36

Sleep, surely? I would have thought sleep was absolutely fundamental - sleep and eating would take precedence over practically everything else.
And surely if she doesn't get enough sleep it will affect her performance at school in everything?

JustUsTwo · 31/01/2007 14:39

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

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