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Original poster

5 year old reading level

55 replies

Whatatado · 19/01/2018 20:28

DS’s school seem happy with his reading, he is actually “reading” rather than spelling out and decoding books like the example attached. (Pretty basic but he’s only 5!)

MIL (retired teacher) is constantly on about it. Saying her class (and DH!) was much more advanced and reading more complex books at that age. She is convinced he should be reading chapter books.

She blames the fact we live in the countryside and believes expectations would be higher if we’d stayed in a city! She has offered to come over every Saturday morning to give him “intensive one-to-one catch up lessons”.

I feel a bit overwhelmed by her concern. Please tell me if this reading level is similar to that of your Reception child.

5 year old reading level
OP posts:
AnxiousElsa · 20/01/2018 09:13

I agree with catkind.

Anyone here doing read write inc? How do the Oxford range compare in terms of levels?

MsJuniper · 20/01/2018 10:03

I could read really early and my mum wanted DS to be the same. Even now she is sure he can do more than the level he is at. I think gparents get a bit like that sometimes.

We're on the outskirts of a city and DS is at approximately the same level as this, although the books we've had are more obviously decodable, focusing on different blends and digraphs in each book (I'm not 100% on the terminology but hopefully that makes sense).

Marv1nGay3 · 20/01/2018 10:17

I am sure he is doing fine. In any case ‘intensive one to one sessions’ once a week do not sound to me like a good idea for a five year old! Surely this could put him off reading? If you read with him for a few minutes each day and his teacher is happy with his progress then there is nothing to worry about. Let him enjoy his Saturday mornings! Could they play a board game/ do some other activity together instead?!

HarveySchlumpfenburger · 20/01/2018 11:24

I’m not sure that excuse from the school s entirely plausible, Roomba. It’s basically, we don’t think developing early reading is important enough to spend money on it.

For a start the government would have paid half the cost of buying new books. After 11 years, not having decodable readers in reception is possibly more of a deliberate choice to spend money elsewhere.

thepatchworkcat · 20/01/2018 11:39

How does everyone know if their DC is the best reader in a class or if any other child in the class is on chapter books? How/why do you have info on the other kids’ progress? I don’t have a clue about DS’ classmates’ reading level....Confused

Elscott07 · 20/01/2018 12:20

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Feenie · 20/01/2018 12:26

MN don 't allow surveys here.

earlylifecrisis · 20/01/2018 13:16

The patchwork because DD does phonics and guides reading with y1 and no one else from her class does. I don't actually know what reading level any other child is on.

catkind · 20/01/2018 13:39

How does everyone know if their DC is the best reader in a class or if any other child in the class is on chapter books?
I know the other kids in the top group. And teacher said that there wasn't anyone near DD's level for her to read with, to explain why she was sending my fluent chapter book reader home with level 4 books. Another school that hasn't properly invested in reading books, they're only allowed one a week and they've already read it several times in school in their groups.

Tomorrowillbeachicken · 20/01/2018 13:57

I know as ds and another boy are the only ones sent to year above and they limit book bands in yr1. Ds has had some short chapter books but nothing Ronald Dahl esquire. He’s on gold level.

Lowdoorinthewal1 · 20/01/2018 14:17

If he can sound out 'tired' and 'miserable' he could be reading much better, more interesting books.

If he can't sound out tired and miserable that book is a waste of time.

So it's rubbish one way or the other.

sirfredfredgeorge · 20/01/2018 14:23

thepatchworkcat have you asked your child? Generally the individual targets a child has is obviously available to that child, and normally it's quite obvious to other children in the class (maybe it's displayed somewhere, maybe it's when the books are being sorted, maybe it's where they're allowed to choose their books from etc. Maybe it's the book they choose to read when suggested to read.)

thepatchworkcat · 20/01/2018 14:37

No I haven’t asked him sirfred. I think he’ll be oblivious! He barely tells me what he’s done all day Grin

I don’t think I want him to start comparing himself to all the other children anyway. I don’t need to know anything about the other children.

VarifocalView · 20/01/2018 14:55

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Norestformrz · 20/01/2018 15:02

I never cease to be amazed (and shocked) that some five year olds are apparently so aware of their place in the classroom hierarchy based on reading books and groups.

sirfredfredgeorge · 20/01/2018 15:05

thepatchworkcat for me I think humans naturally compare themselves, and allowing comparison be non-competitive areas like early years education is a good thing, as it re-enforces the individual journey is what actually matters.

sirfredfredgeorge · 20/01/2018 15:06

I'm amazed that a teacher thinks there is a classroom hierarchy, as opposed to simply individuals learning stuff...

southeastlondonmum · 20/01/2018 15:07

I have two children. DD is 7 and year 2. She was on proper chapter books (like Roald Dahl) by the end of reception. She was an incredible reader and loves books. She was far and way the best in her Year of 90 by a country mile. She reads constantly and we got ten books from the library yesterday.. they will be finished by end of weekend. BUT even she was probably on orange at this stage in reception but went through levels v quickly. My DD2 is five next week and in reception and she is on pink level. Can decode and blend but not much more than CVC words. We are doing a bit of work with her - getting her to read a book twice a day and I bought her a phonics exercise book from the pound shop which she likes for the stickers but only because we have been lazy in comparison with her sister and did nothing over Xmas. I couldn't get her to do 'intensive one to one' for longer than ten minutes to be honest

Namechange16 · 20/01/2018 15:12

That's what my just turned 5 year old is reading. However if your mil wants to read with your child take her up on the offer!! I constantly feel guilty because I feel we don't read enough with mine.

MiaowTheCat · 20/01/2018 15:20

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

AnxiousElsa · 20/01/2018 17:39

Ds is in Y 1 now and the above would have been his level when he was 4 in YR.

simonisnotme · 20/01/2018 19:07

I listen to Yr1 children reading in school and our 'higher' children are reading green and orange level books and our lowers are on red/yellow with one still on pink. Your son is doing fine as everyone says its not a race and as long as he is reading school books so he can go up their levels and reading other stuff as well for variety/different styles or genres of writing or just for the fun of reading.Take your MIL interference with a pinch of salt.

Shimmershimmerandshine · 21/01/2018 08:41

This is quite a weird thread because usually you get a load of people piling in about Tarquin reading Harry Potter at the age of 4 and it hasn't happened. I think in terms of reading levels in year 1 anyway that they are now noticeably aligned to phonics stages in my dc. My dd's books atm are stage 5 phonics (so the level needed for the phonics test) - and despite being 'blue' are actually quite hard, far more so than the biff and chip 'blue' we had with dd1 which are just about repetition.

Luckymummy22 · 25/01/2018 18:23

Shimmer you have made me feel so much better! My daughter is blue in Yr 1 and one of the more advanced readers in her class. I was thinking she was being seriously held back as she is reading blue well and been on them for ages. But this makes sense!!

EggsonHeads · 25/01/2018 18:30

I knew a couple of children who were reading chapter books at that age. It didn't make any difference in the long run. I don't see what being in the country has to do with it at all. No harm in gavibggefheko though.