Reading

[mumroo8]

My daughter (age 6) recently started primary 2 (Scotland). She struggled learning phonics & blending in primary 1 and didn't receive a reading book until last few weeks of term. It was an Oxford tree level 1 or 1+.

Today she came home with first reading book of P2. Instructions say I've to read the story & she's to read the speech bubbles (which is the same basic words over & over again). I can't quite get my head around the benefit of this? Am I supposed to practice this every night? My older child never had any issues learning to read so not sure if this is normal? I just feel it's a backwards step.

I have a daughter of the same age and in p1 (haven't had reading homework yet in p2!) the books were like this. I think the idea is they learn to sound out some words and other words they memorise by sight only (words like my, you, play etc) So yes, read it with her daily and just chip away at it in this way. School will be doing loads and you are just supplementing by doing a bit of practice at home. It will get harder so this is just getting them in the routine and cementing what has been taught at school.

How long do you keep the books for? We change ours daily.

Thank you both. We get new book weekly. I don't mind practising daily (I did with older child) but only words she's to read in this particular book are 'not I' & 'I will' (so not even practising common words - we do have a separate sheet for this)

I think she'll get fed up quickly. The book at end of P1 had a variety of words she could read.

Personally, I'd get lots of different books and head to bed early, snuggle up, and for an hour (if you can) every night. My son still loves us snuggling up and we do 15 minutes he reads and 15 minutes I read (a story a few levels harder) (or half an hour page each), then he reads quietly for 15 minutes and then he talks about his life at school or we make stories up.
I would recommend, any of the Bear and Mouse stories by Bonny Becker , Frog and Toad (so funny), Percy the Park Keeper, sir scallywag, anything by bob graham, Korky Paul or Tony Ross, Stuck by oliver jeffers - the stories are funny and great to talk about the characters. Second hand shops are great. Read them over and over. And take books everywhere, she needs to love them to improve, and so tap in to the closeness she enjoys with you.

Children, love that time together cuddling, listening, sandwich her reading between yours and get her to say the phrases in silly voices, different moods and with different facial expressions. Xxx