Filling in Reading Record Book

[NewSchoolNewName]

If your child reads an extra reading book at home - not a reading book provided by school - would you make a note of it in the school’s Reading Record Book?

[NewSchoolNewName]

it would appear that children like my DS might fail this test, as they would struggle with the made up words.

So how does a child know the difference between a made up word, and a real word that he’s simply never seen before?

There’s hundreds of thousands of words in the English language. It must be extremely unusual for a KS1 child to have come across all or most of them.

I think if a child fails the test because of the made up words, it’s highlighting a genuine problem.

[HarveySchlumpfenburger]

This did not exist when DS was in KS1 but whilst discussing it with the teachers it would appear that children like my DS might fail this test, as they would struggle with the made up words.

This myth gets peddled a lot and I’d be wary if that’s what the teachers are telling you. Not only is it not true (able readers who fail the test are very rare), but the few able readers who fail are exactly the children the test is designed to be picking up.

[drspouse]

Indeed, even my 4yo DD who is on pink band books in Reception can read out CVC words that she's never seen before and get the sound right. Then, I can tell her what the word means. She knows she won't understand every word we say and if we pick up that she doesn't know a word we say/she reads, we tell her what it means.

[Norestformrz]

Ineedaholidaynow good readers don't have a problem with pseudowords ( if you think about it at age six there are lots of real words that children don't know and they need to be able to read these and not substitute for words they know already). Children who are confused by pseudowords are the same children who misread real words.

[Norestformrz]

Who said? You said "I didn't 'teach' him to use picture clues, it's what he does and how he memorises words. It's a skill he has due to his autism. I'm not going to tell him he can't do that" so you're reinforcing the strategies of weak readers and allowing him to believe that we read using pictures.
If you're actually teaching him to read the words accurately and correcting his use of ineffective strategies I apologise for misunderstanding you.

[user789653241]

I would suggest you follow the advice from Mrz, who is a fantastic teacher for any child, but also has an experience of having a child with autism. You can listen to any advice from good teachers/posters, but I if your child is special, like mine, her advice is something that can make a huge difference.

[ineedaholidaynow]

DS was an early reader, was given his free reader badge at end of YR, so sometimes had to use other methods to read words as had not been taught all the phonics rules by then. Obviously he still had the phonics lessons to learn the appropriate skills. I used to worry about his spelling when he was in YR as he didn’t seem to sound out the words like most of the other children did. I did try to encourage him (I assume a lot of the time he must have been doing it automatically in his head).

At a recent Governors’ meeting we were talking about the phonics screening test. This did not exist when DS was in KS1 but whilst discussing it with the teachers it would appear that children like my DS might fail this test, as they would struggle with the made up words.

[greenpop21]

Who said he\s not being taught the knowledge and skills he needs? You have decided to assume that.I merely commented that using picture clues and word recognition is 'part' of learning to read and something that some children find easier. The child is taught phonics every day and has daily interventions. He just decides to use his own way at the moment.

[Norestformrz]

As the mother of an autistic child (whose teacher thought the same as you) I'm appalled that teachers are still spouting such nonsense and failing to teach our children the knowledge and skills they actually need to be successful readers and writers

[greenpop21]

I think autistic people have many skills like this, what a shame there are still teachers out there that try to fit them into 'normal' boxes.

[HarveySchlumpfenburger]

I didn't 'teach' him to use picture clues, it's what he does and how he memorises words. It's a skill he has due to his autism.

But presumably you aren’t encouraging it, recognise it as a reading problem and are providing appropriate intervention in order to develop the phonics skills he needs to be a competent reader and speller. He might get away with it in year 1 but it’s likely to be a bigger problem further down the line.

[Norestformrz]

It has nothing to do with Gove but lots to do with what we know about how the brain works in skilled and weak readers.

[Norestformrz]

It's not a skill it's a handicap if it continues I'm afraid

[greenpop21]

Not I didn't 'teach' him to use picture clues, it's what he does and how he memorises words. It's a skill he has due to his autism.
I'm not going to tell him he can't do that because Gove doesn't want him to am I??

[Norestformrz]

Book bands is a common way of levelling text

[NewSchoolNewName]

What does levelled texts mean?

[Norestformrz]

I'm afraid levelled texts are a nonsense.

[ineedaholidaynow]

Many schools don't have the budget to update their reading scheme.

Also reading isn't just about being able to read the words, it is also about comprehension. They can only move up a reading band when they have the necessary comprehension skills.

[SusieSusieSoo]

How lovely it would be if school actually had a reading scheme---- for books that are sent home instead of random boring as anything books that are as old as the school (over 20 yrs).

This year I've bought a full set of biff & chip from the book people & currently working our way through an ant & Max set again from the book people.

The way ds behaves when a school book comes home you'd think he was the most reluctant reader ever. In fact if he's reading something he likes he's great. He loves biff & chip. At the side of the crap school sends home biff & chip are utterly brilliant even the one where mum was reading a Danielle Steele book in the garden

At our school (read write inc) his phonics are led by the teacher but the reading books near no resemblance to the phonics & are dealt with exclusively by the TA. Not joined up at all. So utterly utterly fed up with them.

Don't even know where to start with school or just keep on as we are at home & not worry about the utterly ridiculous school reading books and reading arrangements.

Have spoken to the teacher 2x already & she just passes on a comment to the TA and that's the end of it. Wish I'd sent him to a different school & not believed the village hype about this brilliant massively oversubscribed ofsted outstanding (a million years ago) school.

I will write more in the reading record tho thanks for all the tips. So far this week all I've written is "dc is not reading this book it is too easy" - it's all cvc words & he's a good reader & it's soul destroying reading utter nonsense. Apparently he's been told he's moved up a band but no new book until next term. I need to calm down before I speak to school he has been reading much more difficult text than this it's not just me imagining I have a child genius

[Norestformrz]

"Should I not have helped him because of what the twonks at Westminster deem appropriate on their latest whim? "you most certainly should have helped him instead of reinforcing the strategies of weak readers.

[Norestformrz]

"You don't abandon techniques that help" I assume from that comment you're not familiar with the evidence or you wouldn't be teaching techniques that ensure children are weak readers without an effective strategy for reading accurately.

[greenpop21]

It's still not part of the NC.
Oh we don't all jump to Mr Gove's tune do we? You don't abandon techniques that help. The child in question has SEN so yes , is high risk. It worked for him. Should I not have helped him because of what the twonks at Westminster deem appropriate on their latest whim?

[NewSchoolNewName]

My 7 yr old is terrible at spelling too. It puzzles me a bit because his reading is fine, and he can easily read all the spelling words he gets sent home.

But he can’t seem to hold the correct spelling in his head when he has to write spellings down without looking. What he writes down is almost always a phonetically plausible version of the word, but it’s usually the wrong spelling.

[SushiGo]

Just to be clear, 10yo that needs help with spelling reads very, very well - I don't think that they would be reading at anything like this level now if they had learnt to read with a whole word system when they were small as their processing ability would have maxed out early on.

Thankfully, they learnt with phonics which means they don't have to remember/process as many different things in order to read well.

[SushiGo]

I have a 10yo doing phonics revision because they hugely struggle with spelling and memory. They'd be stuffed under a whole word system, at least this way they've got a chance!

I don't know why people knock phonics so much, it's not new. It's certainly how I remember learning to read a very long time ago.