Swearing in year 3 reading book

[babyin2020]

My 7 year old in year 3 came home today with a new book for reading at home he opened the book and handed it to me. The first line of the book opens with swearing. Do you think this is appropriate?

It's not hard to get boys or girls reading- if you get them hooked on stories and narrative early, they'll always want to read.

And I'm not someone that decries audiobooks either- stories are oral tradition, humans have told stories to one another since we could communicate, and having an audiobook on whilst doing something else is still exposing children to stories.
Let's face it- being able to listen to a story and take it in while doing something else is a pretty valuable skill in itself.

@randomer

Blimey, top and free eh? Amazing. And wrestling....its all going on.

Free reader is one of the normal level in primary school why is that touching some weird nerve with you?

The top readers and first to reach the "free reader" level are all boys. Only on Mn would someone struggle with that....

My 7 year old has started saying 'freaking' - I've told him not to, as even though it's not swearing, I don't think that way of speaking is appropriate for a 7 year old (and I may as well try and stop it while he's young enough to listen to mum, even though the chances are it won't work ultimately). I'm also disapproving of 'oh my God' (religious grandparents, even though we're not church-goers ourselves) although bizarrely, I don't have the same reaction if he were to yell 'damn it' in frustration!

Mind you, I don't swear in real life, only typed on MN!

That book though, nothing to do with the language, just generally it's clearly not a book for a 7 year old - I agree more like 12 or 13 at a minimum with concepts like those.

I don't struggle with Free reader, I know exactly what it means. Its an intriguing term really which supposes that those who are not free readers are trapped in some demi world full of Biff and Chip or Level 5 brown books.

Does it happen overnight? You wake up and you are a free reader?

A free reader just means they've gone through all the levels, it doesn't mean they're ready for War and Peace.
Fairly common at Year 3, I'd have thought?

No such thing as ‘free reader’ at our school, they go from the reading levels to the ‘accelerated reader’ programme. They never get to read freely .
The majority of year 2 have finished the levels and are on accelerated reader.

@randomer

I don't struggle with Free reader, I know exactly what it means. Its an intriguing term really which supposes that those who are not free readers are trapped in some demi world full of Biff and Chip or Level 5 brown books.

Does it happen overnight? You wake up and you are a free reader?

you do know I was replying to the poster who stated that you can't make boys read, do you?

A free reader just means they've gone through all the levels, it doesn't mean they're ready for War and Peace.
Fairly common at Year 3, I'd have thought?
I would have thought that too, but apparently it's stricking a nerve with some posters Probably someone miffed that they can't boast about their little darling, as if anyone would care.

trapped in some demi world full of Biff and Chip

I think it definitely feels like that to some of their parents.

Well if they start calling eachother shitheads on the school yard, the teachers can't really complain.

CandyLeBonBon

Wel @RightOnTheEdge way my children are thickos because they weren't reading at tjat level at 7.

Hats off to you though.

That is totally not what I said. Don't be so dramatic.
I was commenting about posters saying the most normal of things and someone always having to jump on and accuse them of "stealth boast." it's a strange chippy attitude.

Why is your 7 year old reading young adult books? Totally inappropriate.

None of them are swear words but that book is definitely not aimed at that age group. Let the teacher know

I'm a primary school teacher and I also read that series as a teenager. The book is definitely not suitable for primary school but others by the same author are. I would let the teacher know and they will be able to remove it from the library.

My son also had a reading book with a swear word (bastard) he was in year 6 but I thought inappropriate for primary school reading, sent book back explaining , shame cos it had been a good book up to the point well known children's author too, this was 11 years ago as well

@RightOnTheEdge

CandyLeBonBon

Wel @RightOnTheEdge way my children are thickos because they weren't reading at tjat level at 7.

Hats off to you though.

That is totally not what I said. Don't be so dramatic.
I was commenting about posters saying the most normal of things and someone always having to jump on and accuse them of "stealth boast." it's a strange chippy attitude.

Righto. I consider myself firmly put in my place then!

@Ifbutandmaybe

My son also had a reading book with a swear word (bastard) he was in year 6 but I thought inappropriate for primary school reading, sent book back explaining , shame cos it had been a good book up to the point well known children's author too, this was 11 years ago as well

But was it used as a swear word? Or in its appropriate context - i.e. to describe an illegitimate child?

This is why lots of schools have gone down the accelerated reader scheme as you can divide books into reading levels.

Nought forever would be an Upper Years book so 14+ on the book finder for accelerated reader. Anything Middle Years Plus is for 12 and over so neither of those books would be in the library and instead if donated to the school would be sold at the book table at the summer fair.

Middle years 9-13 would be decided on by a teacher and potentially would have a note in the front of the book (which they have to check) saying you need to ask a teacher to read this book. It motivates children to move through the book levels to be able to get to one of these books . A child's maturity level is taken into consideration but we also run it past the parent too as there can be complaints.

Nought forever is not suitable for primary.

I've really enjoyed the comments on here Mumsnetters you are the funniest bunch and give me hope for humanity. However, now I've seen the extracts, I am astonished that any teacher thinks this suitable for a seven year old. The level of violence, both physical and in language choice makes it completely wrong for that age group. A strongly worded letter to the school is called for OP.

Nobody with half a brain thinks this book is suitable for a 7 year old. It has clearly made its way into the zone referred to as Free Reading, whereupon it took on a life of its own.

Love a bit of acceleration in the reading department.

My DC1 was reading anything and everything by the time he was about 4 (so shoot me, MN - he's now reading English at Oxford). However, I just quietly removed all the books which weren't suitable for a young child (Nick Hornby, I'm looking at you, after a memorable evening with DC1). He could read the words, obviously, but wasn't old enough to put them into context. No big deal. The words meant nothing to him, but I still didn't like him reading them. I just had a swift cull of the bookshelves, and a quick reorganise so that "unsuitable" (i.e. adult) stuff was on the very high shelves. There were several thousand other books on the lower shelves.

School were happy for him to read whatever he brought in from home (all the more reason for it not to be Nick Hornby). They were fantastic.

@PhilODox

It's not hard to get boys or girls reading- if you get them hooked on stories and narrative early, they'll always want to read.

Sadly not true.....

My DH never liked school or reading, and is very un-academic. I always thought our DCs would be different as I am totally the opposite, and have loved books all my life. I could read at three and never had my nose out since. I love words, and everything to do with literacy.

However, neither DC is remotely interested. They are surrounded by books and always have been - and I have always read to them. They love being read to - but have never translated that into enjoying reading. DS has some learning difficulties but can read OK-ish. But it's in one ear and out of the other. DD has always struggled - she says she just can't hear the story in her head, or picture what is happening - she just reads one word after the other. She reads David Walliams for her school books (Year 8) but I know even those go mostly over her head, although of course she gets the gist.

It breaks my heart - but not every child is a reader. Before having DCs I would have agreed with you - but I've learned the hard way .

I would not want my child reading a book with misspelled words and down market slang such as “Wot”.

It is inappropriate content wise but I would also ask him why he chose it. Choosing a book should mean reading the blurb to see if it is interesting, then trying the first page. If he is appalled at the first line I would be questioning whether he chose something that interested him rather than just picked up the first book and revisiting basics. Having an advanced reading level does not mean there is greater comprehension or desire to read, learning to chose a book is part of the skill of reading.