Y1 & Reading books

[GiddyOnZackHunt]

How often does your Y1 change their school reading book? Does the teacher prompt them or tell them to do it? Are they given a free choice of book or are they guided to choose books that progress their reading?
DS is a reluctant reader. He often has the same 'red' book for weeks unless I send him back into school at the end of the day to change it. We have some ORT books at home that he reads but it's a struggle.
We have parents evening coming up and I don't know whether I should be raising this.

Oh I should add that he can read the 'red' book easily. He picks easy books. So it's not a comprehension problem.

My son is Yr 1. Their reading books are only changed once a week - he does get 3 books at a time though. His class is divided into small groups of 6 and they all change their books on a different day and are prompted to change them by the teacher or TA.

He does read his 3 (orange level books) within 24 hrs though so the rest of the week he reads his choice of books that he picks from the local library which are mostly non fiction information books (usually about animals - current favourite topics are reptiles and sharks !).

Once a week by the staff would be an improvement :) I ask them to change his book. I remind him. Just doesn't happen.
Availability of books at home isn't a problem. He's not interested though.

I wouldn't focus too much on the school book changing, but I'd bring up at parents evening about general reading reluctance, how you can work on improving his reading and his interest etc.

There's lots more things that can be read other than books!

DD gets 1 or 2 books a week, that is all, changed on particular days.

My DD is in Y1. They change books weekly – return them on a Tuesday and new books are issued on a Wednesday (yes, I do think it’s weird that they don’t have a school book to read on a Tuesday night!). I get the impression that the TA issues the new books, although DD gets hers from another classroom so chooses them herself. She gets two books, but I don’t know if everybody does. Occasionally she’s come home with a book of a different band, because it had been placed in the wrong box and she hasn’t noticed, but normally it is at the correct level.

I think you should raise it, but with the angle of asking for their help to encourage him to choose new books at the right level. Do you know whether school have decided that red is the right level for him? You say he finds them easy. Perhaps you can ask for them to check his reading level.

It seems that schools handle the changing and choosing of books in different ways, so I would definitely find out what is supposed to happen at his school. At the very least I would expect the school to know which band he is on and to make sure he changes his book (from the correct band) at whatever intervals the school specifies.

If he is a reluctant reader and is being allowed to ‘get away with it’ by the school, I think they need to be doing a bit more to help him and to work with you to help him. I think this should be a priority topic for discussion for parents’ evening.

Ah I tried that Fred. She said "Well he reads for me". And walked off.
I do do lots of non book reading with him - we played scrabble (sort of) last night but I feel very frustrated with the books from school.

My DS in Yr 1, state school, has his book changed 3-4 times a week, no prompting required.

Gin I don't know what's supposed to happen and I don't know what's normal hence asking what happens with other Y1. I get he should be taking some responsibility but he doesn't care :(
I didn't want to make a fuss of this was normal but I'm not happy.

GiddyOnZackHunt I would be more concerned about the teachers reaction, presumably it wasn't during an actual parents evening where you can get into more details.

Red in our Y1 classes is at the low range in our school, and those are the kids who are getting specific interventions and lots of attention and assistance of the parents on how to help.

How do you think he'd do in the phonics screening check right now?

So the average seems to be 2 books a week so far. I think he's had about 4 books this year that haven't been prompted by me making him change them.

Oh I'm feeling tearful about this now. No. No mention of intervention. No discussions. This was after school one day when I'd sent him back in to change his book. We have parents eve next week and I'm dreading it. I'm walking a fine line between angry and upset.
I don't really know how he'll do in the check. He seems to have the basics of sounding out words and reading some from sight. He can spell half the words he's supposed to know by the end of Y1.
We had terrible trouble with dd over reading at school because of undiagnosed SEN but that was them not coping with her very high ability and she stopped reading at one point :( Different school but I had to intervene then too.

I don't think a 5 year old should have to be take any responsibility for the reading book being changed. My children would never have learned to read if that were the case!

Should you raise it before parents evening then so the issue is out of the way before then?

I don't think ds has SEN btw. He's like DH & my DB who are practical chaps. Intelligent but not fond of sitting down.

mum I don't know how to raise it again. She really was dismissive. The TA from the other class witnessed it and she looked shocked.

DD is in year 1. She changes her book as soon as she's finished one which is sometimes daily but every second day at the least. They seem to be reading quite a lot this year with buddies from older years so some of the books get finished and changed again at school without coming home.

She is prompted to go and change when necessary and can pick whatever she wants from her book band box.

In your situation I would be raising it but also asking if he's ready to move up to the next band - if he's not finding them challenging then perhaps that explains the reluctance?

DS's books are changed every monday and thursday automatically and he can ask the TA if he wants to change in between those days. He doesn't have any choice about books though, they just arrive in his bag at some point before the end of the day.

I understand how you're feeling and what you really feel like saying but if you can manage it I would approach the teacher again after school with an enthusiastic smile and and say "Oh hi, I mentioned his reading books the other day - ideally I'd like him to have a new one maybe twice a week on top of what we do at home, would this be possible?". I know you shouldn't have to say this but it gives them a chance to respond and if not you can take it a step further.

In DD's Y1 class the children put their reading book and log book in to a box in the mornings and the TA changes them at some point during the day. They can get a new book whenever they have finished the old one.

I think the TA also gives the class a general reminder when she's about to go through the box (according to DD). The TA has a separate list of which books each child has had, so would probably notice if a child hadn't had a new book for a while.

I would definitely mention it at parents' evening.

Three books a week changed on Friday. If the reading log isn't signed for a particular hook it doesn't get changed. I hate the fucking reading log, it has to be signed with a comment for each day. I've started just signing to say it's been read as there's only so many comments you can make but am getting snotty notes back.

They also have big club which is an online reading portal dt1 has 20 on there and dt2 20 at the minute .

Thanks all. It does sound like we're not getting the book changed anywhere near the norm.
mum I do ask the TAs in the morning to remind him and put notes in the reading diary already to no avail. Will put on my big girl pants and have another crack today.
minty he probably could cope with a higher level but I don't think it will help his enthusiasm!

aldi I hate it too. We fill it in when we can get him to read but there are comments on gaps. I might just write "No new book" once he reads a book securely until it gets changed. I will read with him from our books though.

Hmph, I don't think it should be up to you (or your DS), I would be cross too!

We change every time we finish one, so 4 or 5 times and week, plus 1 phonics book for all week. DD chooses with the help of the TA who checks in our book that's she's finished it.

We also change as soon as we have read them, so she gets 2 at a time and in a good week she changes them 3 times (so 6 a week) and a slower week twice (4 a week). She always gets the right level but has occasionally come home with the same book twice. I put this down to them having some freedom about choosing books as long as they are from the right box.

DD's yr 1 teacher actively encourages them to have new books as often as they want, and then they do guided reading every day as well.

When you say he's reluctant, do you think he finds it hard, or is he just not interested?