Reading in Reception. Advice required please.

[DiscoDizzy]

DD1 is one of the top in her class at reading at the mo. When she started in reception someone would listen to her read and comment on how she did, this year so far she is listened to every 3 or 4 books which isn't always every week and when she is listened to its always be a teaching assistant and not the teacher which obviously isn't a problem but her teacher hasn't heard her read since beginning of December so hasn't seen her progress or can decide if she is to go up a level. Is this the norm? Dependent upon responses I was planning to have a chat with him next week to see what was what (in a nice way).

How in the hell do you know what reading levels different children are on? I just know that my son is making progress.

I have no idea how many children are on the same reading level as him? According to my son every child in his class can read well. It would be nice if he is right, but I am sceptical its true.

If you don't think your child is getting enough reading books then go to the library or buy some.

cazzybabs and mummyoffrankie, thanks for the explanation re. guided reading. Whatever ds's teacher is doing is clearly working, anyway. Bless him, he's so carried away with excitement at being able to decode words!

Guided reading is really the most effective way of using the teacher's time when they are learning to read. Just think, if the teacher personally heard everyone reading for 15 minutes a week in a class of 24 that would be 6 hours that the other 23 wouldn't have a teacher in charge!

That's why it's so important to hear them read at home every day. Guided reading and the literacy hour work are like driving lessons. Then the reading they do at home or with a ta or parent helper is like the practice you do between lessons with your dad sitting looking terrified in the passenger seat!

Reallytired, the reading level is usually written on the book somewhere. It's obvious on ORT books as it's on the top left hand corner, i.e. Stage 5 or whatever. With other reading schemes it's usually written or marked somewhere on the book. I know what reading level dd's on because of the books she brings home and because of the books at home that she can read. I wouldn't know what reading level other children are on unless I hear them read (parent helper) or their mum tells me.

I think teachers seem to move at different levels. Dd gets 2 reading books home a week whereas the Reception class next door (the younger kids who started in january) get just 1 book home a week. However dd's teacher has moved them up the reading levels much more slowly than the teacher next door. Dd's in the 'top' group, is an October birthday and can read up to ORT stage 5 at home is only given level 3 books from school. The teacher next door started her kids on level 2 books and they're on level 3 already. Dd's friend is in the 'top' group in that class and isn't reading anywhere nearly as good as dd. When I asked dd's teacher about reading levels she said that she pushes them more in guided reading but that home readers are just for practise and that studies show there are children reaching Y2 and Y3 with big gaps in their knowledge of reading so she prefers to go slowly.

But it goes to show what a big difference there is even in two Reception classes at the same school!

Dd has 2 reading books a week, reads with the teacher once a week and a parent helper once a week. Only the teacher is allowed to change her reading level.

Sorry me again. Well no-one heard her read today when I thought they might, so she won't be listened to until sometime next week. I asked her about any other reading and she mentioned guided reading. She said 5 of them are at a table and they take turns in reading sentences. She says that a teaching assistant takes them for this. When asked if her teacher took her she said no, he's never taken her. So from what she says and the remarks in her reading diary, he has listened to her read twice since September. Does anyone think this is normal? because I don't. Maybe i'm overreacting in which case someone should just tell me

can only speak from personal experience in our reception class, but no, i dont think thats normal.
its only ever the teacher who takes the guided reading session.

i'd casually ask at the school how they organise the reading programme. the teacher should surely be the one teaching and assessing the childrens reading, with the assistant assisting (as per job description)

still wouldn't worry unduly though disco, your dd is top of the class after all

p.s
how reliable is the information you are getting from your dd ? cos if shes anything like mine they make it up as they go along

Hi Discodizzy,

Good luck with seeing the teacher and getting the reading sorted. Hopefully he will be very informative and supportive in explaing about your dds reading.

I'm a parent helper in our class (30 kids) and i along with the teacher and TA can move kids up the reading scheme. The school has set procedures in place for the kids reading, and if i am unsure then i always asks for advice. The teacher usually only hears them with the guided reading, and the TA or parent helper hears them 2 or 3 times a week. It is a hell of a time commitment though. Until i started in the school i wondered how hard it could be to hear little kids read how dumb was i????

Hi, I have been a reception TA and cover supervisor for about 9 years now. Either me or the teacher try to hear the children read at least once a week. We tend to swap over so that if I have heard a child read one day, the next time it is their turn to read she will do it. We have big book on the carpet every day and we also have guided reading which either the teacher or I will do. The children all have reading records and the childs book will not be changed unless the parent has made a comment or signed the book.
Some children never read at home whereas others read every night. There is a box where the parent puts the childs reading book in in the mornings if they want it changing but we do check on the childs progress regularly. Some children are way way ahead of the others but they don't really know they are. We also do letters and sounds every afternoon, which involves using flashcards. They will learn a new sound each week, for example this week it is the 'ow' sound, such as in howl, last week it was the 'ur' sound such as in turn.
We got an outstanding ofsted report 6 months ago so we must be doing ok!

good post paula

I suppose that my son is lucky that the policy of my son's school is to move them up an ORT level when the teacher feels that they are ready. He is in year 1 now and reading stage 8 books. I have no idea if that is below or above average for his age.

I certainly have no idea what his classmates are on. Parents at my son's school are not allowed to listen to children in thier child's class read. If they want to volenteer then they have to work with a different year group to their child.

same here