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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

DD finding Year 1 phonics boring

65 replies

miffmufferedmoof · 21/02/2019 09:05

DD is in year 1 and quite likes some things about school but she is getting bored with all the repetition in phonics.
She passed a practice Y1 phonics screening test at the end of reception and has recently started reading chapter books.
From what she says, it seems like they do phonics every day and it’s all too easy for her.
Would it be reasonable to ask the teacher whether she could do something else instead? I don’t want to be demanding but I just can’t see that it’s a good use of her time and it’s putting her off school.
Any thoughts/advice?

OP posts:

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Norestformrz · 22/02/2019 14:37

She should be work8 g on spelling accurately in every phonics lesson.

thirdfiddle · 22/02/2019 14:43

You know what I mean

AriadneCrete · 22/02/2019 14:44

Actually depending on what phonics scheme the school uses, her phonics lessons might be much longer than 10-20 minutes. Letters and Sounds is usually 20 minutes, but some schools use Jolly Phonics and that can be around 45 minutes.

I think booking a meeting and discussing it sensibly with her teacher is probably the best bet.

Norestformrz · 22/02/2019 15:09

"mrz, they don't teach all those spellings in year 1 at our school, maybe 2-3 for each sound. They won't teach ahead" that isn't teaching ahead its Y1 content

Norestformrz · 22/02/2019 15:14

No third I'm afraid I don't ...every phonics lesson should include reading and spelling words accurately. The longer "phonetically plausible" is accepted the harder it is to learn to spell correctly. Phonetic attempts should be praise. " well done you heard all the sounds in that word. Can you think of another way to spell the /ae/ sound? Yes in this word the sound /ae/ is spelt ...can you put it right?"

thirdfiddle · 22/02/2019 16:15

Never mind, all I was saying was that spelling may be the aspect this student needs to concentrate on. Not that no other students need to learn to spell, that would be daft.

Don't know what they're about in DD's school then - or rather I suspect I do, teaching to the phonics screening check. Either way DD was reading and spelling reliably well beyond y1 content actual or what it should have been, and doing something different was the best thing for her.

Norestformrz · 22/02/2019 16:28

It's a very long time since I left Y1 and I still need phonics how about you?

thirdfiddle · 22/02/2019 16:33

I'm not sure why but it seems like you're having a go at me mrz? DD is using phonics every time she reads and writes. She doesn't need year 1 level lessons in it any more than I do (or year 2 now).

Norestformrz · 22/02/2019 16:42

I'm not having a go at you or anyone.
I'm simply pointing out that phonics is a skill for life regardless of whether you're six or sixty

crimsonlake · 22/02/2019 16:44

Phonics sessions are 20 mins max and are meant to be short , sharp and quick. I work as a supply teacher and most schools do split them in to different groups according to where they are at. So your dd should be at the correct level or at least in the group where your dd teacher thinks she should be. Find out what level she is at and then you will find lots of worksheets online to support her, or go on the schools website as I imagine they have links on there. There are also lots of online phonics games, she will now be working towards the phonics test they get in year 1 and they will be revisiting the different phases.

HollySwift · 22/02/2019 16:47

My son had this problem and, despite his ASD and the behavioural problems their insistence on his ‘learning’ phonics he already knew caused, its only since he started year 2 that they’ve finally left him alone. The boy was reading the chronicles of Narnia when he’d just turned 6 ffs, and can spell just about anything - he surpasses his 12 year old brother at spelling. How is it logical to force children to do lessons they already know? Baffles me.

sirfredfredgeorge · 22/02/2019 16:47

One of the key things in learning a skill to be automatic is repetition, repetition is often boring.

Those kids who become great footballers often spend hours alone knocking a ball against a wall, the repetition is what makes them great, the kids who don't do it because they find knocking a ball against a wall boring don't become great footballers.

With football, it's okay to opt-out 'cos it's boring, with a skill as important as reading and writing - I'm not so sure. Being bored does not mean you're not learning something you still need to learn.

thirdfiddle · 22/02/2019 16:50

If they opt out of phonics lessons to do a reading and writing exercise independently they're getting more practice not less though?

Onatreebyariver · 22/02/2019 16:52

Why on earth are they not set by ability? My reception daughter does phonics with year 2 every day.

There is a HUGE range of ability in infant school age children with phonics there is no way they should be doing this as a whole class activity.

Norestformrz · 22/02/2019 17:02

"If they opt out of phonics lessons to do a reading and writing exercise independently they're getting more practice not less though?" I'm afraid not.. the whole point of good phonics instruction is that it's explicit and systematic.

CountFosco · 22/02/2019 17:11

Autumn, sort, saw, board, more, water, caught, thought, court, wart, dinosaur, walk, broad, awe, door

Are these all suppose to contain 'or'??? There is no 'r' in 6 of them and no 'o' before the 'r' in most of the rest which means they have different vowel sounds. And in my accent sort has a different 'or' sound to door/more. Phonics is cultural imperialism and only makes sense in a something approaching a modern RP.

Norestformrz · 22/02/2019 17:14

Say the words and listen

Stuckforthefourthtime · 22/02/2019 17:16

Why on earth are they not set by ability?
Certainly no schools in our area do this. If she's only just reading chapter books then while she's doing well, and that's great, it's unlikely that she is the only one or the most far ahead - so she may just have to learn to sit tight for this 10 minute session of the day. So long as they are providing graded challenges for the rest of the day, then it's not so bad, especially if there is likely one teacher managing 30 children with very different needs.

If you do go and talk to the school I'd do it in a constructive and gentle kind of way, I've learnt the hard way that what children reports happens at school can reflect their feelings vs the timetable!

Norestformrz · 22/02/2019 17:18

The sound /or/ spelt au in autumn, or in sort, as in saw, oar in board, Sure in more, a in water, augh in caught, ough in thought, our in court, ar in wart, aur in dinosaur, al in walk, awe in awe, or in door

OhDearGodLookAtThisMess · 22/02/2019 17:26

Yeah, sure, OP. Pop into school and give the teacher some tips as to how she could be running her phonics lessons better to entertain your dd.
I'm sure she'd welcome it.

thirdfiddle · 22/02/2019 18:23

Funny cos DC teachers always have welcomed discussion about any concerns DC have. And often made changes in response. They don't want to put engaged kids off school, they manage well enough to find ways to make repetition engaging for those that need it. DD just didn't, or had created enough for herself at a much younger age. Anyway I'm going to duck out now as I didn't mean to make this into a brag and if you won't believe me you won't, it doesn't sound like our experiences are as relevant to OP as I thought they might be. Still OP, do talk to the teacher, it's the answer to so many MN education posts!

CountFosco · 22/02/2019 19:41

In your accent, not in mine. I've recorded myself. The vowel sounds are quite different in several of these words, never mind the rhotic 'r'. For example, you presumably say wota, I say wahterrrr (northern short 'a', rolled r) for water. Wart rhymes with fart. Thought the 'ou' is ow like in vow. I can hear a big difference between the 'au' in caught and dinosaur and the 'ou' in court where the 'ou' in my accent becomes 'oo' but even in a more standard accent sounds different. The brain adapts to hear the local differences and for me 'a' and 'o' are always different. I have no idea how to say autumn in my accent though because we'd always say back end .

Norestformrz · 22/02/2019 19:44

" I have no idea how to say autumn in my accent though because we'd always say back end " I suspect someone is being disingenuous

CountFosco · 22/02/2019 19:48

I suspect someone is being disingenuous

Not really. My Dad always said he could tell where someone's parents came from by their accent. I didn't understand why until I had children of my own. There are certain words they only hear when they visit my family (farming words and dialect words) and so those words are said in my accent.

Norestformrz · 22/02/2019 19:48

Do you also pronounce quart to rhyme with fart count?

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