Year One teachers, does this sound normal?

[Ishouldhavelistenedtomymum]

We are supposed to:

✔️ Listen to the child read
✔️ Learn twelve spellings a week
✔️ Practice phonics
✔️ Read to the child

It is feeling like a lot! And I am struggling a bit if I am honest, and feeling a bit rubbish. Is this normal?

12 spellings is too much for most children, at this stage in Year 1. In fact, I think it’s too much for all of Year 1 (you may have a few high ability children who can manage it - but I don’t think they should manage it).

Reading with your child. Yes. Reading to your child. Most definitely, yes.

What are they expecting you to do with phonics? Telling you this week’s sounds is useful - you can just get your child to notice them when you’re reading or out and about.

The reading is the priority, I agree.

With the phonics, we have tricky words to learn as well which I meant to mention.

Spellings are the bane of my life!

So it’s spellings, AND spellings under the heading of phonics? I would love to say don’t bother with it - but your child is likely to be upset when they do badly in the tests.

I’m an ex-teacher - and one of my biggest triumphs as a Year 1 teacher was getting rid of all homework for the year group, apart from reading.

As a year 1 ta, yes that is a lot! We're working on phonological accuracy at the moment (luv for love and things like that) actual spelling doesn't start til after Christmas at my school and even then we don't send it home

Honestly it was pretty similar to what mine had. Maybe it was 10 spellings but I can definitely walking to school and doing them at the start of year 1 as I can distinctly remember they put the books outside the classroom for us to check at pick up.

We didn’t really have home spellings in year 1. Just tricky words etc. But I think my nephew did. Think it varies.

In y1 we had maths/English homework (usualky took about 10 mins a week) and daily reading, plus things like.learning lines for nativity. We only started getting spellings in y2, along with the above.

I used to just do this sort of thing in the car - phonics, spellings

Reading to and with is something Id be doing every night before bed anyway.

Phonics Id consider to just be part of that.

So to me out of that list it seems like spellings is the extra. We didn’t start spellings until year 2. Maybe just pick 4/5 to concentrate on.

When I had to set homework, it was done by about half of the class. Of the half that did the homework, a significant amount was in handwriting that was rather different from the child’s. My nasty suspicious mind led me to surmise a parent did it! Absolutely pointless. And for the parents who tried to make sure their children did it properly, stressful.

Thanks. I’m starting to feel like all we do is school work, which isn’t true but it really is dominating life and it shouldn’t feel like this in year one! And we haven’t even started on times tables yet …

You just start to build it into your routine. For me it was the school run. We recited times tables and spellings as we walked but could be done in the car. We just made it into games. The reading should be done anyway and the parental reading is simply a bedtime story. My children even had worksheets and projects every weekend for a while until they stopped it as realised it wasn’t doing anything. Homework only started properly in year 5. Just try and work the things you have to do into your usual activities rather than seeing them as something you have to do as a task.

I do try to do bits and pieces in the car but it really isn’t easy. I know others do though. My child struggles which makes it harder to do it when there is a lot of distraction around.

Are there any apps that can help? Anything that can play songs in the car which cover the material? I seem to recall things like timetables we sang but then they did use apps to make sure they could answer questions. Spellings certainly can be done on apps

He hasn’t done times tables yet … dreading it to be honest.

What apps for spellings, as he has specific words he’s supposed to learn each week.

12 is a lot of spellings. But do they follow the phonic sound of the week. So Bead, leaf, meat? As others have said hearing them read, and reading to them, even if it’s a page of their book each is the priority.

Phonics, reading and reading to the child, absolutely.

Spellings are a bit OTT in my opinion but my kids’ school do send them.

Reading to a child at bedtime is just part of your normal routine though, surely?

Relating to four different sounds yes, so for instance we have bird and girl with the ‘ir’ sound.

It is @PurpleFlower1983 , maybe I should have left that off.

Oh gosh I hope spelling doesnt start for us, I definitely didnt have them as homework until KS2.

Its hard enough trying to fit in reading, homework projects (all nice things like baking, den building but is meant to be captured) plus keeping an eye on phonics/maths, practicing letter formation as mine struggles there, and music practice.

I have found now they can read a certain amount its easier to have them chip in with bits as you read, or on menus / road signs / food packs / clothing etc to practice

This is the thing … we do have to lead a normal life as well and I am feeling like it’s dominating a bit and really shouldn’t at this age (or should it?) and feels like it’s only going to get worse

How often are you asked to listen to your children read? Surely you’re reading to your child daily anyway. Phonic practice should only take 3 to 5 mins a day.

12 spellings is way too many at this age.

@Pocushocuspocus i listen to ds read every day, even when I feel like utter death, even when I have a thousand other things to do. As far as I can tell it’s making absolutely no difference 😂 but I do it.

But that PLUS spellings, tricky words and phonics mean that schoolwork is dominating somewhat. I wondered if this was normal.

Of course it’s normal. It really doesn’t sound like an exhaustive list, reading to your child and listening to your newly reading child should be standard every day without the school telling you.
Practising phonics and spelling can be part of every day chat and play. Spelling in the car, pointing to things out and about ‘how many sounds are in that word’ ‘can you spot a c on the menu?’ Etc

I have no idea how other people are doing spellings in the car. Perhaps this is the issue; what ‘should’ (according to others) be a five minute job actually isn’t and even when it is carving out those five minutes can be tricky when you’re juggling a lot of other balls.