Ds's first reading book has no words...

[Bagina]

Should I be worried? I'm not really a pushy parent, but this seems a bit crap. He's in reception. He's a bright child but more with numbers. Reading and writing hasn't clicked yet, but he uses his sounds and blending, and can read some words. It is like pulling teeth though. Do I just chill and up the "encouragement" slightly? What the hell do I do with a book with no words? I know we discuss the pictures, but that's going back 3 years surely???

[Tomorrowillbeachicken]

In the end DS had a book today but there had been words attached in it so a little confused.

[Bagina]

Yes, we're doing lots more at home now. He's already been doing phonics for a year as he attended the school's nursery where he met, but didn't exceed, all his targets. I'll see what happens after half term. I'm not worried anymore, as long as we do some practise at home.

[mrz]

All words are phonetically decodable ...don't confuse alternative pronunciation with non phonetic ...if they were non phonetic they would be unpronounceable which they aren't.

[Tomorrowillbeachicken]

To be fair English is a PITA compared to some others to learn as it is such a mishmash of other languages as we have changed invaders.

[sirfredfredgeorge]

I would say:
eatherstone = ans
adg = aud
jori = sh

are not decodable.

ough = up is pushing it, and that isn't even a noun unlike the others.

I don't forget that all words are is a written representation, but so is 100, and that is not phonetically decodable, whilst English is almost universally decodable, it is not completely.

Certainly the "tricky words" some schools have are phonetically decodable, but that doesn't mean all words are, some you genuinely do need to know close to whole eatherstone sounding the same as ans is one.

[mrz]

Absolutely positive ...People who say some words can't be decoded seem to forget that all words are written representation of spoken words.

[sirfredfredgeorge]

Tricky is not a synonym for not decodable ...they can all be decoded using phonics

Are you sure? Maybe the kids were getting Featherstonehaugh, Magdalen and Marjoribanks which I don't think can be decoded using phonics can they?

[mrz]

The National Literacy Strategy was never statutory so although many schools believed they had to follow it ... they didn't!

[kesstrel]

That advice was part of the National Literacy Strategy, and teachers were obliged to follow it at that time, but it was changed in I believe 2007 with the move to phonics (mainly because there was never any proper evidence for it). Shall it would be interesting to know when you received that training?

[mrz]

"they can all be decided using phonics" should be decoded using phonics

[Feenie]

Agree with mrz - poor, discredited advice.

[mrz]

"He was still given the tricky words list (which can not sound by phonics rule) "

Tricky is not a synonym for not decodable ...they can all be decided using phonics

[mrz]

For hundreds of years people successfully learnt to read using texts without illustrations but with the advent of whole language and Look and Say beginner readers were encouraged to use illustrations to aid guessing unknown words. It's an extremely poor strategy in terms of accuracy. Wordless books support this ineffective strategy.

[mrz]

Very poor instruction I'm afraid

[shallichangemyname]

Irvine I'm not a teacher, but was given parent reader training and this is what we were told. I defer to the qualified teachers who would disagree, but what I was told in the training did make some sense - until then I was focused on decoding the letters/sounds and nothing else, the training simply opened my eyes to other ways of learning reading skills.

[user789653241]

Lilyuq, I agree, it's a very important skill, but why can't you do the same with books with words?
Don't get me wrong. I love books without words. My ds loved them too.
But what I don't understand is, you can do the same exercise with one with words.
Or you can just ask the child to look at "the picture" and explain to get same practice done.
Homework reading is "reading" homework. Why they need to practice oral expression? It's great if it's done with reading practice, but practice alone for oral expression, shouldn't they be called something different?

[Lilyuq]

My son is in reception this year. He is a sight reader, already can read books, and his vocabulary is over 1000 words. He was still given the tricky words list (which can not sound by phonics rule) altough he already knew all 220 highly frequency used words one year ago. Wanna say if you feel not comfortable with your child's learning pace, just speak to the teacher.

In public school setting, only 2 teachers look after more than 30 students, they really don't have much time to know each student's exact level.

[Lilyuq]

"Often the children with the best reading skills in reception struggle the most with talking about the story, predicting what might happen next and how the characters might be feeling. It's a different skill, not a lesser one"

I agreed with above. books without word is focusing on story telling skills rather than reading skills. For parents, guiding them to read a book without words are much difficult than with words. but it really helps them improve ability in oral expression.

[user789653241]

I think if you are happy about school's approach that's fine, but I thought a lot of MN teacher says no to "visual cues" , shallichangemyname?

[shallichangemyname]

It used to drive me mad that DD brought home book after book without words in Reception. They had free choice and this is what she kept choosing and I did feel that she could be encouraged at least sometimes to choose ones with words. However, I subsequently became a parent reader and finally understood the importance of wordless picture books after they gave the parent readers brief training in the various ways in which you could encourage children when learning to read - we were told that the purpose of the picture books is for the children to learn to use the visual cues alongside learning to recognise and blend the letter sounds in the words and developing comprehension skills. I had until then often taken to hiding the pictures from my DD (when she did eventually pick books with words) - as well as from some of the children I was reading with - if I thought they were over-relying on the pictures and being distracted from reading the actual words. In training we were told that the pictures are an important part of learning to read and go hand in hand with the actual words: eg the story involves a cat, the child can't recognise and read the word "cat", but there's a cat in the picture - one way of dealing with this is to encourage the child to sound out each letter of c, a, t - but another method if child is struggling is to get/help them to sound out the first letter and then look at the picture to see what there is in it that begins with c. I'm not explaining it very well, but hopefully you'll get the gist of what I mean. In the early months of learning to read the picture books are therefore (supposedly) of value.

[user789653241]

All the school seems to have different approach when comes to homework reading.
My ds's school/teacher asked me what kind of books he reads at home at the beginning. He was given orange book to start with, than purple book before half term. He was asked to change book daily by himself, and allowed to bring extra 2 books home if he wanted(from leveled books or classroom library). He also got 1 book from school library every 2 weeks if he wanted to.(They didn't have to if they didn't want to.)
They also have bug club subscription for KS1, so they can read as many books they like, and answer comprehension question, if they wanted to. (since teacher was meant to add books if they finished all the questions assigned to them.)

I just think some school are great, some aren't. You just have to do something about it yourself, if talking to school doesn't work.

[Naty1]

Also a bit frustrated here too. Not wordless, but first book home this week and there are like 10 woods in whole book, all satpin i think. She is only 4.4 but has been sounding out since about 3.8. What we need to work on it quicker recognition of the word without sounding every one out and concentration. So the value of such short 'book' is very limited.
There is also no story at all to discuss really.
Irritating that the teacher doesnt even assess them, despite only just giving books now. Im sure over time they end up with a range of levels the children are on.
I think there may be 6 of these ones so 3w of this at least plus half term.
im glad she could already read a bit as it gives time to focus on the 'tricky words' actions, and writing.

[Tomorrowillbeachicken]

Saw teacher at parents evening and she said we get one then they assess after half term. I assume some will still get some but if he continues too I'll just read what we have at home as one thing we aren't short of is books.

[Bagina]

Yes, our second now. Surely they're not expected to look at it for more than one day? Boooooring! for me at least