Is this normal re reading in reception?

[zifermama]

My DC2 is in reception, she's almost 5.5yrs. She's always loved reading / books so I was never overly worried about her learning to read. She has picked it up easily (unlike some other things)!

Anyway in her class she brings home 1 x oxford reading tree book per week to read at home with us, she's on the last book of level 4 now so I assume will go to level 5 next week. We normally read the 'school book' once or twice in the week but it's not very hard for her so that only takes 5 mins or so each time. Then she will read maybe 2-3 other short books of similar level I have bought myself level. These books are longer and a bit more challenging so not sure exactly same level but she enjoys them.

Anyway my question is this, today DD tells me she reads once a week to her teacher (I knew this) but that it's normally just half a book. Is this normal? I think that's approx 3mins 'reading time' with the teacher ah the rate she reads. Obviously we are doing more but I feel that because she's already met the 'expected level' they're not bothering to push her forward much. She could easily read a book a day from these levels (and would like to) but I asked and was told she just gets the one a week plus she can take some others from the 'free shelves' but that's not 'recorded' if you see what I mean.

I just wondered if this is the norm and we should expect a similar set up in Yr1?

3 minutes x 30 children is still a lot of time. Depending on staffing (especially as TAs are being cut to the bone), next year she will quite likely read to the teacher less often.

My DS in reception has phonics 5 times a week, usually with year one. He brings home a new book each Tuesday and Friday, and reads to teacher/TA on those days too - he does a whole book each time. He also does guided reading twice a week. We have e-books also set by school through BugClub, which also check comprehension.

We are advised to read with them every night, which DS does - we supplement with Project X books mainly.

3 minutes reading with a teacher is probably about 10 minutes when you've added in loads of questions and dialogue to actually check and move on the reading skill. Reading is about far more than just being able to say what the words on the page are.

30 children x 3 minutes is 90 minutes a week.
Plus guided reading and phonics and English and topic work etc

She is reading all the time.

Why on earth do you think even reading to the teachers would be particularly beneficial anyway? Just to sign the reading record?

Just keep doing what you are doing and she will fly anyway.

At my daughters school they read every other day with the teacher in all years, they read the full book in reception (my DD2 is 4 and on level 2- I suspect she will end the year on level 2) and up to about page 15 in Y1 (DD1 is on level 9). We also read with them every night, they read their school book to us and then we read a book of their choice at bed time, either them reading the book or my husband or I reading the book depending on their mood. I'd say your DD is doing very well being L4 in reception and you should be so proud of her. That said, I would hope the school was reading a bit more with her, but it could be because she is exceeding and other children need a bit more support?

They won't concentrate on the words - it's all about understanding what's happening in the story, what they think will happen next and so on, not just fluency of reading.
They'll spent about 10 mins with each child (but in a group of 2 or 3)
In reception the emphasis is on play and learning to follow the rules.

Dd is one of the older ones in reception (december born) and we don't even read her school book with her at home - we read to her loads and loads of different books and encourage her to sound out the bits she can, but more important is the sharing of the story and her understanding of it (and "guessing" the next bit)

Yes that she true of course there will be questions, but I do that with her too and it is still quite quick.

Sounds like some schools do a lot more! We do read most days, if not a book she will read part of the 'grown up book' I'm reading to her but I just thought they would get more from school.

Guardup - I think that might be it. I only mentioned it because DD seemed disappointed she doesn't read for long as she likes to read to her teacher but yes they need to focus on others, I think she was reading the full book at earlier levels which has maybe confused her. I am really proud of her, she really taught herself but we have always done lots of reading and questions around stories / what's next etc so maybe that's why she's picked it up well.

I'd put money on it not being 3 mins. By the time you've discussed what's happening in the pictures, and asked questions about what's happening it will take a lot longer.

And as others have said there will be reading going on at other points in the day that aren't the home reading book.

I don't think I'd be happy with only 1 Book a week though.

Ours can change books as often as they want to. Every day if they wish.

We've not pressured offspring to read each day though only when they want to to keep it fun and interesting at this stage. It's probably 3 books on average. Sometimes 4, sometimes just 1.

I always wonder- when do people think we hear individual readers?
During lessons?
The only times I can do it is PPA (but can't as it's PE), break or lunchtime - unless I leave them to it diring a lesson and hear a couple then (constant interruptions from those who can't work independently).
No TA. Ideally I'd hear every child every week but I can't. They are all heard during guided reading though.

Our twins do about 10 mins once a week and usually with the TAs not the teacher (I've volunteered in class before and seen) but they do get 4-6 books a week, not just one, plus a comprehension worksheet.

Thank you, I asked her about guided reading and she says she doesn't do that, just once a week individually with the teacher, totally get the point about it being more than 3 mins though! I'll have a word with her teacher tomorrow and find out more, I'm not really concerned but would like a clearer idea of what they do so I can do it at home too. Basically whenever I have asked before I just get told she's doing well but I suppose I would like to know what to focus on with her but can probably find a lot of that out myself without asking school!

Home readers are just that.

Reading is taught all the time, every day in phonics, twice weekly guided reading sessions, through shared reading, topic work, in ICT etc etc. Reading to the teacher ('barking at text' an old headteacher used to call it) is not a particularly good nor productive use of time. 3 mins/ half a book is enough for the teacher to check that the children are reading at their appropriate level. You're aiming for around 90% accuracy with home readers, allowing children to work on fluency, comprehension and expression.

Sounds like what you are doing is great. I'd want to know how much other reading went on, and I think changing the book more than once a week would be better, but if that's school policy then there it is. Far better to supplement with more interesting and exciting books outside of the rather dull ORT, different types of texts, looking for high frequency words in mummy's newspaper or the take away menu etc etc.

I told the teachers that I would much prefer that they spent the time with struggling readers than ds. I have been in both positions and it is better for all the children that those who struggle are helped to learn to read asap as otherwise they will be needing teacher intervention for years to come. A child who struggles to read will be asking for more clarification on their maths questions, more help with history projects, more help reading instructions on the board etc. That has a knock on effect for the rest of the class.

Cross post - if guided reading isn't happening then that's more worrying, though it could be that the teacher calls it something different to the children. Best thing is to ask the teacher if you're concerned. You should also be able to find the school's reading policy on the website for your info.

My son hasn't read to teacher assistant and his teacher for quite a while.
They do read write inc though so he mostly reads every day in a group anyhow so not too worrying.
Plus they are now concentrating on those struggling now anyhow anyway and ds' is heard every day at home anyhow so not worried tbh.

Guided reading not happening isn't worrying. It was part of the old strategies and many schools are getting rid of it for more effective practices.

Lots of schools never did it in reception anyway.

My Reception age DS gets 10 mins a week which is usually 1/2 book, sonetimes more. He could read more in 10 mins at home but I guess with chatting, getting settled etc it's hard to get the full 10 mins! The TA mentioned that some of them don't even get started if they're in a faffing mood! I'm not worried, we do 2 bedtime stories together with both of us reading bits. I think the interest and fun is the most important at this age. They do lots of teacher read stories, choosing stories, rhymes etc in class which really gets their enthusiasm going.

My daughter read to her teacher only about three times in Reception, and also to parent/grandparent helpers a handful of times (I know this as I asked her every single day, and on the rare occasions she said ‘yes’ there was a note in her diary). She came to school already reading though, and to be honest apart from occasional checks I don’t see it as good use of a teacher’s time to listen to the good readers read (and your daughter sounds like she’s flying with her reading, with excellent support from home!)

I pick my battles, and reading to a teacher is not one of them. To my mind it makes more sense dedicating more time to the weaker readers that may not get the chance to read at home so much or are just struggling for whatever reason. Also, most of this 1:1 reading can be done with the TA if there is one, or parent helpers, with the teacher doing occasional checks. The teacher would be picking up on reading skills through general classroom activities anyway. I’d prefer the teacher to be teaching the whole class rather than listening to 1 person with 29 others doing some ‘filler’ activity.

Oh, and my experience is that the teachers aren’t entirely truthful with parents about what actually happens (as opposed to what they might ideally wish to happen). My DD is in Y1 and when I spoke to the Y1 teacher back in September about reading levels (as she’d dropped 10 levels after the summer – a mistake obviously) she called the Reception teacher in (as she’s the literacy co-ordinator) and they both said that all children read 1:1 with an adult every week, often twice, in Reception and Y1. Vehement nods and proud expressions, the lot! It’s simply not true. Far from it. Not a problem for my DD though, luckily. I’d suggest it’s also not a problem for yours. Pick your battles!

At our school they could change their book whenever they wanted, parent helpers did this in the mornings it did take about half a an hour so if no parent helps i can see why they can't do it daily.
Reading once a week to teacher is normal, that's why it's important to hear them read at home.
Just take her to the library surely and choose a load of books to keep her going till school swap the books each week.

My DS is in reception and doesn't seem to read to his teacher on his own very often - once every 3/4 weeks if his account is accurate. He reads to parent volunteers maybe once a fortnight. They do lots of other phonics stuff daily in groups though. The kids are in reading groups/sets and he says the kids who need more help with reading do read to the teacher or TA a lot more often (difficult to get much info from a child who usually claims they have done 'nothing' or 'can't remember' what they did all day ).

He gets two school reading books each week and has just started on level 5 ORT books - he usually gets one ORT book and one other book which focuses on the same phonemes covered in the ORT book. He reads to me each night after school for 15 mins or so, so he'll read each book twice - after that he's just reciting it from memory so we'll read books we have at home instead . I discussed this at parents night and for the last couple of months they've sent home three books each week instead.

Not reading to his teacher often doesn't seem to have hindered DS - whatever they are doing instead seems to be working well for him. He started reception aged 4 years and 3 weeks, he knew all the letters but other than that could only read his own name. He's reading at a higher level now than DS1 was at the end of reception (and he started school aged almost 5 and had done load of phonics stuff at nursery that DS2 didn't do). DS1 definitely read a lot more often to his reception teacher, but it didn't work as well as the techniques they use with DS2.

Yep mine's flown too knowing v little at the start. I do think it "works" doing phonics and small group reading. The teacher knows even without hours of 1-1 reading. That's where reading to a parent is so important.

And these days many children might only read with a teacher once a term, I think - if at all.