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Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

Primary education

Can anyone decipher what dd1's teacher is telling me, note in reading book thing yesterday?

20 replies

Oliveoil · 07/05/2008 10:19

"dd1 is trying too hard with "meaning" rather than sounding out, very UNUSUAL!"

is this good or bad or what?

she is not a v good reader, I don't think, is on level 2 songbird ORT

she tries hard but gets VERY cross when she doesn't get something straight away (I wonder who she gets that from...)

I am not at school until Friday so would like some idea of what she is on about, thanks

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Oliveoil · 07/05/2008 10:20

oh, forgot to put age, she is reception, aged 5 (6 in October) so one of the oldest

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bundle · 07/05/2008 10:20

is she just "guessing" at words from pics instead of sounding out the letters? I wouldn't say that is v unusual...dd2 does it all the time

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BoysAreLikeDogs · 07/05/2008 10:22

Perhaps teacher is expecting the class to 'read' without bothering with context?

Am picturing dd1 asking 'why are there always a random pair of glasses on the floor in one of the pictures in every farking book, Miss?'

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Oliveoil · 07/05/2008 10:26

I have no idea! SHe does sound words out, I can hear her muttering under her breath when she reads with me

and I thought the whole point of having pics in the books was to give them a visual clue?

what on earth is she on about re "meaning"?

and why put UNUSUAL in caps?

rant

dd1 is quite particular Boys, so I can quite imagine her saying that

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bozza · 07/05/2008 10:28

It is very very unusual bit that is puzzling. Because as bundle says guessing is not unusual. I would put in a comment saying you haven't a clue what she is talking about although not worded quite like that.

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Oliveoil · 07/05/2008 10:29

I will put a line of ??????????????????? in angry red pen

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BoysAreLikeDogs · 07/05/2008 10:29

Good one Bozza.

Try that, OO if you can't wait til Friday to ask teacher.

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DumbledoresGirl · 07/05/2008 10:30

My reception child is on level 2 ORT and is the best in his class and far exceeds 2 of his siblings (when they were the same age)in reading ability. What do you mean she is not a very good reader?

As for what the teacher means, I have no idea. My son was told to try and put expression into his reading the other day which I thought was ludicrous!

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cornsilk · 07/05/2008 10:32

Could she be adding or substituting words when she comes across a word she needs to decode?

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Oliveoil · 07/05/2008 10:38

DG - well I thought she was ok until I read some threads on here and everyone was on level 4, 5 or 6

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bundle · 07/05/2008 10:44

olive

click hide on annoying threads

ask teacher (smiling!) what she meant..

xx

ps sold the house yet?

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DumbledoresGirl · 07/05/2008 10:45

Well maybe others think my children are below average

But take it from me, all my children are bright and top of their classes, and I also know as a teacher that they are above average. Some Mners must have geniuses (but we all know that anyway, dond't we? )

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Oliveoil · 07/05/2008 10:45

no, had more viewings yesterday and am sick of plumping cushions

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Oliveoil · 07/05/2008 10:47

oh I am not bothered what level she is on tbh, as long as she is happy that is good enough for me

but sometimes you read threads and think ooooh should I be practicing more

if she is tired we don't do her reading so sometimes she goes all week without doing any

but she is 5!!!!!!

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DumbledoresGirl · 07/05/2008 10:51

Oh yes, I am the same (re not hearing my children read for days/weeks).

At the moment, ds3 is desperately keen and as he has special dispensation to change his book every day because he is so able I am hearing him read every day. But this keenness will wear off I am sure.

I am a great believer in letting children play when they get home from school. If the school is good enough, I think 6 hours work a day is enough for any primary school child.

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sitdownpleasegeorge · 07/05/2008 11:17

I think the class teacher is referring to olive's dd1 trying to decode the words from the picture rather than sounding them out and all kids do this so I hardly think it is unusual let alone "UNUSUAL".

Don't worry about class room top and average levels.

Highest reception class reading level will vary from year to year and also from school to school.

ds is described as bright/ very bright depending on who is describing him. He's not the top reader in his class but compared to some MN posters thread details he would be on the G&T register in their child's school. The main thing is that he can read and enjoys it that's the most important bit surely ?

Some reception class teachers seem to labour over the basics a lot more heavily than others and insist on each and every book being read from the different stages (ORT seem to have about 18 books in most stages) so presumably the children will be confident and fluent at each level before they move up.

Ds skipped 2 stages altogether at one point when they overheard him read a non scheme book by himself one day plus he has only read a maximum of 6 books at the higher levels so naturally he has jumped up the levels quite quickly but we do read a lot of other books outside of the ORT scheme so he gets lots of practice and expands his vocabulary this way.

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mumto2andnomore · 07/05/2008 11:33

Maybe she means that its unusual for her, she normally sounds out but this time has just been guessing ? I would just put a note in along the lines of sorry can you please explain that !

I agree with not worrying about levels, Im a teacher and they all develop at their own rates, its like walking, can the early walkers walk any better than the later ones by the time they get to 5 ?

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singersgirl · 07/05/2008 11:35

See my comment on this thread about differences between schools and why YOU SHOULD NOT WORRY!

Perhaps your DD's teacher means that she is trying to make sense of the story rather than randomly guessing based on the first letter or on other words she knows she has read before. She sounds as if she is doing well and enjoying it!

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Boco · 07/05/2008 11:39

Put a not back saying

Your message was a little short on MEANING which in a note home is rather UNUSUAL.

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sarahbearhall · 07/05/2008 20:46

I am a teacher and I would read the comment as a positive one (although I agree that the meaning of the message isn't clear!)I agree with singersgirl, in that the teacher meant that she is focusing on the meaning in the story and understanding what is happening. Although obviously not unheard of it is quite unusual (but good) for a child to be focused on the meaning - some children focus solely in the decoding and sometimes have no understanding of what they have just read!