Reading - Yr 1

[goldpendant]

Evening everyone,

I'm not sure whether I'm overreacting so would appreciate any input/thoughts on how kids school is coordinating reading.

When DS was in Yr 1 (now in Yr4), they came home with two books, twice per week (so four per week total). Parents used to come in and volunteer and manage all aspects of book changes.

Since covid, school has changed the way it does things. No parents are allowed to volunteer.

DD now in Yr 1 gets one book a week sent home, and one e book. School are saying they want to emphasise fluency, so each book should be read over and over until perfect (memorised)? This just seems to turn DD off and understandably it's boring.

DD is really struggling to make progress. She is more typically able than DS, yet DS was on a higher reading level at the same point.

She is bored with the one book that comes home. She reads them in a minute or two. I write comments in her reading record to this effect but the comments are ignored.

I'm a bit loathe to complain as we had numerous issues through lockdown that I was quite vocal about but I just feel like we are being fobbed off a bit and the children will suffer.

This is an 'outstanding' school.

Would really appreciate any insight into what your Yr1 gets?

They don't get any homework apart from sporadic crumpled sheets of paper in school bag requesting we 'practise' certain phonics. That's another thread though

DS in Y1 gets 2 books changed twice a week. Getting him to read them is a problem.

Thanks - Does the school (teachers/TA) do the changing?

Changed by TA I imagine. Don't think they read the comments in the reading diary though.

DD gets 3 books a week. She reads one, we read one together (a few stages higher), and the third I read to her. It seems to be working well.
If you want to challenge your child more could you not just read some additional books?

Very little (if any) evidence that homework at this age improves academic outcomes. Do interesting stuff with her like read other books etc if you want to.

We read plenty of other books together at home but I know, having volunteered previously, that school has a huge library of reading books. Not sure why we should have to shell out on reading scheme books that are hugely expensive for what they are! when school has them!

We use GoRead app and get lots of teacher feedback. He reads to teacher/staff 3 times a week and reads at home 4 times a week so changes book 2x a week. Emphasis has changed on reading in last few years so it will be different to ds. Push for new books or get to the library.

Reading now is much more focused on comprehension of the text rather than just being able to read the words. Most school scheme books will have questions you can ask your daughter when she reads the book.
Schools will also encourage a child to reread the same book as once they are fluent with the words they will then be able to focus on what is happening in the story rather than just focusing on decoding the words

2 books over a long weekend. But she also aim to get her to read books from home every evening too.

We get two books once a week. Reading is basically just memorising.

Once they understand phonics, fluency comes from memorising words (as in when you read this you just “know” the word and don’t decode it. You only need to decode words you haven’t memorised. I think that is where fluency comes into it. The more words they recognise instantly on sight, the better they will read.

So reading in school is for phonics and learning decoding and reading at home is to develop speed and fluency. At least that is what our school has told us.

It does work, as in the words she has memorised from last weeks book, she reads fluently in this weeks book with speed and slows down to decode the new unfamiliar words which she will read with ease in next weeks books etc

We were told they read to teachers once every half term....

Two books, changed once a week - the child chooses from a pile of the right book band.

This was nowhere near enough for DD, so we supplemented from the library - I found reading each book a couple of times in the very early stages was plenty - we certainly didn't need to read the same bloody book every day for a week.

All DCs then came on in leaps and bounds.

We’ve only ever had one a week. Now in Y2. We read it twice then read other stuff - sometimes together, sometimes he reads to me, sometimes I read to him.
In Y1 and the later hits of reception we did Reading Eggs as well as the school books to make sure his phonics were secure. His class teachers are happy with where he’s at with his reading despite his school reading book being several levels below the MNs standard. Reading scheme books are so boring I can’t be bothered to worry about only seeing 1 a week.

Exactly they are so boring - I understand the point about comprehension but these books are about foxes and bear cubs (this fox has a long tail). There's not much comprehension to be done!

Which books can I pick up on Amazon that would support her?

She is big cat Collins level red 2b(?!) which feel a bit easy.

DD is responsible for changing her own book in the morning. She is meant to read it twice so in theory can have 3 books a week. She reads with an adult at school once most weeks, sometimes it is skipped. Reading a book more than twice feels pointless. DD could pretty much recite it if rrad too much.

We are expected to read books twice (we get away with once to self and once aloud) and they are changed daily if finished.

Have you looked at the ORT website? They have free levelled books. Also local libraries do stock scheme books which is handy because, as you say, they are pricy and kids go through them fast.

Ds is in year 2 & dd is in year 1 and it’s mixed class. They get a reading book nightly, two if I ask. Ds in yr2 is below/behind, always struggled with reading Dd yr1 is way above. I got the Usborne set and Songbirds set in the last lockdown which are ok and library books or their non school books and they read bits, I read bits (Ds) which works better than school books. I have found I have to communicate (pester) with their teacher a lot about reading books and request more as he said some parents don’t like more than 1 or 2 books a week and read less often.

We get a book every school night. With our Friday book, I’ll do it again one weekend day but I can tell my daughter does it by memory for the second reading. We’d go mad having the same book every night and it would be a pointless exercise.

If she’s on red, have a look at songbirds as they would take you through quite a few bands.

DD in Year 1 gets 2 books each week - a single book changed twice a week by the TA. She reads them once or twice depending on how interesting they are (she has brought home some good non fiction ones recently). She also reads 3-4 library books a week that she chooses with my help. Our local library has a brilliant selection of Early Readers and we both love going there.

You could go to your local library and see what they have. My DD was bored with lots of the school books when in yr1, so we went together to find some that she was more interested in. At least this way you don't have to be out of pocket for a book that's only going to be read a handful of times, if that.

Of still on red shes a bit behind so dont jump up too quickly, try getting the tricky words for reception and year1 memorized if possible that will move her on alot. Year 1 should be around blue or green ort by now at least- do you know of any problems with her phonics or reading or is it purely bordem holding her back?
We use Reading Eggs too, lots of activities, games and e books to choose from.

Can I ask if these examples of one person might are state school?? I just don't understand the drastically different approaches across the board

And yes DS was on blue by now at least.

She's perfectly able/capable. No issues with anything, could do with securing a few phase 3 phonics but that's it.

I wish my DD got physical books home.
We’re in Scotland, she’s 6 & in P2. Her school use a website and they put their books on there. I don’t like it, so I bought all the Biff & Kipper books for her.

That makes me really sad @BingBongToTheMoon