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Primary education

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Original poster

Sight Words and Reading

30 replies

IcelandicWarriors · 10/03/2017 17:40

DD is in reception. She brings books home from the Ginn 360 scheme and sight words. They do phonics in class. DD doesn't always have her book changed each week or appears to read to the teacher every week. In addition she has been on the same sight word cards for six weeks apart from the addition of two new words.

DD can read the few sight words at home within a few days of receiving them.

Other children in her class appear to be on a higher level while she seems to be making not very much progress at school but is fine at home. It's like she has almost been missed out, or I'm not understanding their scheme.

We do have parents evening in two weeks so I will bring it up. I have been using Songbirds at home too and I'm wondering whether I'm confusing her? But she isn't showing any confusion at home.

Would you be worried?

OP posts:
Original poster
IcelandicWarriors · 10/03/2017 17:43

The school advertises Oxford reading tree not Look and Say. Which I think this is?

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mrz · 10/03/2017 17:43

The school are using a very old Look and Say scheme and methods that are at odds with the EYFS curriculum

mrz · 10/03/2017 17:44

Older ORT are also Look and Say

Original poster
IcelandicWarriors · 10/03/2017 18:14

We received a letter home this week to say the school is coasting. One of the call out points was the year one phonics test. I believe at out first parents evening the teacher said they had just introduced Ginn 360. I read remember these books from my school days.

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Tomorrowillbeachicken · 10/03/2017 19:22

Our school uses a mix of floppys phonics, biff and chip look and say, songbirds and RWI and had no issues moving between them. WE also have sight word cards and they tend to be given out as we need them for level of books.

mrz · 10/03/2017 19:26

Really poor practice and demonstrates poor understanding of phonics method

Original poster
IcelandicWarriors · 10/03/2017 19:26

How many sight words do you get? We have had the same six for six weeks, but the book and words have been fine at home in addition to comprehension.

Should there be weekly reading to the teacher or is that more for year 1?

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Original poster
IcelandicWarriors · 10/03/2017 19:41

Mrz, I'm doing Songbirds at home and she understands that Songbirds books she reads she can sound out and the school books she might not yet know to sound out yet, but will I be confusing her?

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mrz · 10/03/2017 19:45

She can sound all books and the sight words that are sent home but she isn't being taught how. Instead she's being given the message that you can't decode these words. That's the issue.

Original poster
IcelandicWarriors · 10/03/2017 19:58

I've told her she hasn't learnt all of the school book sounds yet.

Honestly, I'm learning with her because I was never taught phonics so have the charts and apps ready to help. But I'm on Songbird wordd and don't want to also explain Ginn words too so we are sight reading them and I think it would put her hugely behind as defined by the school.

How can I make the best of the situation presented to us?

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mrz · 10/03/2017 20:01

I'd avoid sight reading any words if I was you

Original poster
IcelandicWarriors · 10/03/2017 20:50

Thank you this information.

Is a change of reading book each week not expected for reception?

For those whose schools (right or wrongly) use sight words, how often are they changed?

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mrz · 10/03/2017 21:01

In reception I would be changing books more frequently (if the child is able to read the book) but that relies on providing books matched to the child's ability

Original poster
IcelandicWarriors · 10/03/2017 21:05

I'll speak with the school and see what's going on. Home doesn't match school. But she is quiet and shy.

She does do better with Songbirds too, but am not sure how to push that with them.

I do appreciate the input. I had resident step children but wasn't involved till near GCSE (big age gap).

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Mistoffelees · 10/03/2017 21:11

We send words to practise although I've tried to organise them into ones that are easy for the children to sort out and don't 'market' them as sight words. To be honest I only send them as it's an expectation at my school so it's not high on my priorities to get them changed. With regards to books we change them every week if we can and I usually put at least 2 books in a week.

Mistoffelees · 10/03/2017 21:12

Easy to sound out not sort*

Bloggybollocks · 10/03/2017 21:17

My son is in reception, he gets 3 new reading books (ORT) and 20 words every Friday. It sounds like your daughters school is not very hot dishing out resources. I'd make an appointment with the teacher.

Original poster
IcelandicWarriors · 10/03/2017 21:25

Three new books and 20 new words? We most certainly don't get that. We started off with a new book each week and six new words then I don't know what happened but something obviously has. But nothing has at home as in she tackles what is sent home.

Parents evening two weeks away.

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Bloggybollocks · 10/03/2017 21:29

We have a reading diary sent home and we have to write in it every evening, what we've read, how our child did, what they struggled with etc. We have to do this 5 nights per week which is why I think we get so many words/books!

GplanAddict · 10/03/2017 21:29

My son gets 4 new books (mixture of biff and chip, songbirds) each wednesday and he reads to someone and practices his flashcards every day. As soon as he is reading his flashcards without hesitation, they are changed. He's currently got wirds from phase 4 like there, them, were, when etc. He takes about 2 weeks normally to get a new set, but his memory could be better!

Tomorrowillbeachicken · 10/03/2017 21:40

DS gets three books a week too and also had first 100 hfw (received lots over half term) as well as some of the next 250. He seems to know most of his phonics though though now and seems to pick them up very easily.

Naty1 · 10/03/2017 21:43

We dont get any HFW just the ones in the cover of the reading diary. About 10 of those left. Only get books changed twice a week. Would prefer more often as i see no need for her to keep rereading as she is saying the words quite fluently. (We are only on red).
I have subscribed to reading chest and we are reading blue quite easily (except ort as they are non phonic).

Original poster
IcelandicWarriors · 10/03/2017 22:50

We have a reading diary and are expected to read five times a week. I recorded four weeks ago she was fine with the words. Apparently they need to tick them off three times but DD was without their tick list for a while.

Her new word sheet are words she knows and can sound out such as cat, dog, with, am etc. But it will take several weeks to go through their system. But other children seem to have gone through that system faster, so I don't get it.

She did suddenly have her reading day swapped and her book is now signed by the TA and often DD says she doesn't read her book to them.

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Original poster
IcelandicWarriors · 10/03/2017 22:54

Her reading day is now Friday but no new book today so it will be two weeks of the same book and seven weeks of the same words.

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user789653241 · 11/03/2017 07:48

My ds got new books everyday from reception. But changing books was children's responsibility. I think they had time in the morning everyone was encouraged to change books if they wanted to.

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