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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

How to ask teacher for more advanced material

97 replies

Rorymum81 · 26/09/2017 21:19

Hi, I'm new here. I have a a query. My son who is 4 and a half has just started reception.

My son has always had a good vocabulary from a fairly young age. He has been bringing home books from school as homework - they are wordless. The purpose of these is apparently for them to make up their own dialogue and to tell you what's going on and to complete the activities at the back of the book. My son does this with ease and is quickly bored. He brought home words to learn, he knows them now- no; go; to; said; the; and I.

I don't want to sound like an arrogant parent, he can't read and he can't write anything but an 'o'. He's not a genius or anything, im sure the teachers know what theyre doing but i feel that he would much prefer to learn words.

How do I approach his teacher with this?

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MaisyPops · 26/09/2017 21:22

Honestly, read with him at home. Pick books with words and read them to him for enjoyment.

There is a benefit to them inventing stories and getting used to books as part of formal reading. Your son has been at school a matter of weeks. With the best will in the world, contacting school within a couple of weeks to essentially say 'you aren't challenging my child' when they're just settling into school, finding their feet would instantly seem a bit 'that parent'.

Wolfiefan · 26/09/2017 21:23

Don't. Just don't. He's 4. Enjoy the picture books and make up ever more inventive stories.

user789653241 · 26/09/2017 21:27

I would wait at the moment, I assume teachers are assessing each children's ability at the moment.
If he is advanced, I'm sure teacher would notice.
If parents' eve is coming up soon(Oct/Nov), then it's a good chance to discuss about it.
Ime, a lot things started happening after parents'eve/half term. If it doesn't, or nothing get mentioned, that's the time you need to be "that parent".

bumblebee77 · 26/09/2017 21:35

Honestly? Just leave it. Do all the lovely rich home life stuff like reading, chatting, board games, trips out etc if the homework's easy just be grateful it doesn't take longer. He'll progress at his own pace, there's really no need to push them at four years old.

user789653241 · 26/09/2017 21:44

No, I don't think so, bumble. To the child who can easily read a book and enthusiastic, reading wordless books for homework everyday could be a torture. You can do things you can do with wordless books with books with words as well.

Whynotnowbaby · 26/09/2017 21:44

As others have said, it sounds like he is coming into reception at exactly the level where the majority of children come in, the teacher and school will know what they are doing with this. Part of learning to read is understanding how books work and how stories work, these wordless books get him to engage with that without any barriers. There will be plenty of time to spend on reading books with words (and if he is anything like my Dd you will wish there were fewer of them as she claims not to be able to read the word she has already read 20 times before!)

catkind · 26/09/2017 21:48

Some schools don't like to send home books with words until they have covered a good chunk of phonics in class, I don't think they sent any till after half term in Dd's class (tho they didn't send books without words either, just books for parents to read). But sending home words to learn at this early stage is a bit worrying. Unless your DS is already proficient in phonics in which case that may be the more advanced work.

Honestly, I think the best thing you can do is read up about phonics and get your hands on some decodable books to use at home. I wouldn't want to rely on a school that sends home words to learn instead of phonics to send home sensible books. You don't even need books, just playing games like I spy (using letter sound not letter name), or spelling out simple words with fridge letters or aloud, is a good start to supporting his reading at this stage. Ask him about what letter sounds they have learned at school, mine had songs for them all!

sirfredfredgeorge · 26/09/2017 22:05

My son does this with ease and is quickly bored

He's supposed to be, there are so many other things to be getting on with learning, these books are just to get the habit of showing you what he can do and you in the habit of listening, it's a few minutes before you move on to other stuff, or just a conversation about something else.

YokoReturns · 26/09/2017 22:08

Oops, my DS has just started reception and I’ve been asking for ‘books with trickier words’ in his reading record as he’s racing through them. I should probably chill out

Gemz1806 · 26/09/2017 22:13

I see where your coming from but teachers have a structure for the whole class they need to stick to. Maybe you could buy these?

Read With Biff, Chip And Kipper Levels 1 2 3 BRAND NEW 2015 EDITION 33 BOOK Oxford Reading Tree Read at home https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00RW6QHE8/ref=cm swwr cppapi_0iSYzbA75A6J0q

C0untDucku1a · 26/09/2017 22:15

Dear lord dont ask for harder books! All that means is they get longer but absolutely NO MORE INTETESTING!

YokoReturns · 26/09/2017 22:19

Haha count ‘oh no’ said Biff. Mum looked cross. Etc etc

Blossomdeary · 26/09/2017 22:23

Chill out indeed - he's hardly got in the door! There is a method to what they are doing; primarily not to put them off!

YokoReturns · 26/09/2017 22:32

blossom he loves reading, and being read to! He had a break from school books over the weekend, I just read him stories from home. I think I’ll just keep him ticking over at home and not worry too much about school.

dragonwarrior · 26/09/2017 22:38

Don’t ask. My son started school reading so I just bought a collection of the same reading scheme from the internet and we read the one he bought home and one from our stash. I wrote words he didn’t know that we saw in the books up on a piece of paper and we looked at them every day when having breakfast. I bought Ks1 maths books and we done them together for fun. I didn’t dare interfere with what he teacher set so soon in the year

Tomorrowillbeachicken · 26/09/2017 22:39

lol, no, they dont get any better...

Oh, floppy,
no, floppy,
floppy, floppy.

Tomorrowillbeachicken · 26/09/2017 22:40

Personally I'd buy songbirds over biff and chip read at home as they aren't all decodable

user789653241 · 26/09/2017 22:46

AreFloppy books that bad? My ds didn't get to read them, but saw others reading it. One day we saw some in the charity shop, and he wanted to get them so we bought it. I didn't think it was that bad.

jamdonut · 26/09/2017 22:46

Give them a chance!
If the teacher is satisfied he has good understanding of the wordless books, she may move him on.
You need to give them a chance to teach some phonics sounds, and begin to decode words.

In the meantime, just read what you want at home, and make sure his understanding of the wordless books is spot on: what's going to happen next; why has the character done that?; etc, etc ?

cantkeepawayforever · 26/09/2017 22:46

DS got these in his first weeks at school.

He could already read fluently.

He was on the correct level after a month or so, and on selected chapter books by the end of reception. Don't fret - they will find his level.

the thing you should REALLY worry about is the sending home of words rather than phonic sounds. It sounds as if they aren't teaching phonics properluy, and as if the books he will have sent home aren't properly phonically decodeable, but will be old discredited Oxford Reading Tree 'look and say' books.

Do the school teach phonics as the only way to teach reading, without encouraging guessing, word learning by sight, or using the pictures? Do they have only phonically decodeable reading schemes? Do they get pretty much 100% (excepting very severe SEN) in the Year 1 phonics check? If the answer to any of these is 'no', then read up on phonics now and sign up to something like Reading Eggs or buy lots of Songbirds books from the Book People.

user1487372252 · 26/09/2017 22:47

If you want him to do trickier work why don't you just do it with him? You can get books from library or ask the teacher if they have a log on to oxford reading owl or similar.

user789653241 · 26/09/2017 22:48

user, you don't need to ask the teacher for oxford owl. You can do it yourself.

StrumpersPlunkett · 26/09/2017 22:54

Hi.
I was reminded by a maths lesson with our year 1 class today that they have been at school for 16 days. Assuming your son is in the English system much of his learning at the moment will be focussed on routines and people to trust in school breaktimes lunchtimes and making friends.
16 days is not long at all. Give your teacher time to get to know him and in the mean time read whatever you like to him at home 😀

Original poster

Rorymum81 · 26/09/2017 22:59

Thanks for the responses. We always read to him at home every night, mainly julia donaldson! So will probably continue with that, we also have one of the selection of learning to read books mentioned above that we can do with him. I will let the school carry on doing what they think is appropriate.

You guys are right, he has only just started school!

The words he brought home apparently don't work with phonics which is why he has to learn them. They do phonics in class.

Thanks 😊

OP posts:

catkind · 26/09/2017 23:06

My kids liked the biff chip floppy etc books. But the older versions (which book people etc collections usually are) aren't decodable for beginners so not good in the initial stages. DC enjoyed later ones once they were already competent readers, presumably the non phonics based beginner books will be dull too. DS's school had some Floppy Phonics books in reception, they are decodable biff chip and kipper and are fine.

And I'd say definitely don't get the same scheme they have at school. It's pointless them having school reading books they've already read at home. And a different scheme helps round things out so they don't get tied up in one style or format.

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