How often does your rec child read at school?

[haagendazs]

My ds only gets to read once a week or even less with the teacher/ assistant but brings home a book each day. I dont think its enough imput from the teachers, what do you think?
I feel as if its down to me to teach him to read........

That's completely normal in my experience (I'm a former Reception teacher). He will be heard once by the teacher during "guided reading" which is where specific reading skills are taught. However, reading is also taught every day as part of phonics and literacy. Learning to read is not just done with books at this stage - it comes into all parts of the curriculum. He may also be heard individually by a teaching assistant of class volunteer.

Do you think he's making progress?

Sadly, I work on the principle that they'd never learn to read at school, so I need to do the reading with them myself. It's not difficult, 5-10 minutes everyday seems to get them up to speed.

My ds does group reading with a teacher or Ta once a week, and then is heard individually each half term to assess his progress.

This is fine by me. Listening to a child read isn't usually teaching them, it's either assessing them, or letting them practise the readings skills they have been taught (which is why reading at home each day for 5-10 minutes is great). I know that he's actually taught how to read in the 20 minutes phonic slot they do every day (he's learning how to blend and segment words, recognise tricky words by sight etc) and in the ongoing whole class shared reading and writing that they do every day.

I do wish the school would be a bit more forthcoming over what exactly he's covered when (eg. which sounds they have learnt and which tricky words) so that I could support that in a more focussed way at home, but hey, you can't have everything (I'm a former teacher as well...).

DD is in year 1 and gets read with daily
And it was the same in REC

Where as DS in year 3 and way behind has been read with 4 times since SEPTby the teacher .

DS has small group or individual reading once a week. But they do have phonics as a group or class every day.
He can change his home reading book as frequently as he wants.

I think it's fine and he is certainly learning at school (he was telling me about speech marks the other day, which isn't something I've ever mentioned to him).

Ds in private school - individual reading every day. His friend in our local state school - never and doesn't get reading books to take home. Both in reception.

Should add that ds's friend is in the academic year above him.

dd in state school, gets read with at least twice most weeks, individually. Phonics lessons every day. I read with her for a few minutes every other day, on average, at home (other LO just out of hospital, might get more frequent!). Her reading is pretty good, and tbh I think that has a lot to do with the fact that she just likes books/stories/words and always has done.

One of her best friends, very bright and far better than dd at numbers, is not reading yet (she's at private school, if that makes any difference).

DD read daily in reception, from day one. Still does now, in Y2. In R and Y1 she brought her reading book home nightly too. In Y2 this is once a week, but she is supposed to read every night but her own choice.

At the school I work at, in Y1, the children are heard read no more than once a week, as part of a guided reading session, in a group of about 5 or 6. The children chose how often they change their own home readers, and they chose their own books froma colour coded box.

DS is in reception in a state school. He reads individually about twice a week and has phonics lessons every day. I read to him every day and he reads to me most days. He seems to be doing fine.

Ds is in reception and reads once a week to his teacher and brings home one book a week[on fri to return on wed] which I find slightly disappointing especially as he is currently being given books too easy for him.

Gladbag's post is a good one, and she explains the difference between teaching reading and practising reading skills really well.
If a class teacher 'heard' each child practice for 10 minutes each day, this would add up to 5 hours - and then it would be time to go home!

DS is heard reading his books twice a week, changes them as often as he likes and does phonics and Letters and Sounds each day.

He reads all the time in the classroom, environmental reading is equally important IMO.

He definitely learns from school (state) as he tells me loads I know I haven't told him.

My Y2 dd reads to her teacher every day, and to us at night.

I recently challenged dd2's teacher on this very topic.

Her reading record hadn't been written for a month by an adult at school.
Teacher said she is heard daily within a group and whenever she can individually(hardly ever then).
I personally think that stinks. She has a new book everyday to read, plus all the phonic stuff, key words etc.

She's getting on ok, but imo, nothing beats sitting down with a child reading 1:1 ans it SHOULD be done at least weekly.

As Feenie said "If a class teacher 'heard' each child practice for 10 minutes each day, this would add up to 5 hours - and then it would be time to go home!"

So Kitty, would you be happy for the class teacher to spend a whole day, every week hearing each child read? What would the rest of the children do while this is going on? When would the rest of the teaching happen? Should it all be squashed into 4 days? If the classteacher asks the TA to do it, is that ok? Does it matter that the teacher and children are unsupported one day a week?

I taught in a private school with a class of 16. I heard them all read, every day. However, this meant that I did no teaching in the afternoons. I simply set up low level holding activities which I knew they could do without disturbing me. This is what we were required to do, but it's extremely poor teaching in my opinion. All those poor children were ever taught was literacy and numeracy.

Funnily enough, I left the school to go to a school which offered children far more rounded opportunities

But kitty - what are the other 29 children (if a state school) doing while a teacher is doing 1-to-1? It's not necessary. As has been stated teaching the children to read is done at other times and is more effective than spending 2 - 3 hours a day listening to children read on an individual basis. In our class (R) the children have guided reading twice a week with the teacher or TA. If a parent comes in they may listen to readers or go over phonic sounds with them but that's a bonus.

Late as usual...

DS2 (reception) reads with the teacher once a week but brings a book home every day. He's doing really well and is already on the fourth level of books. He does daily phonics and group word learning and the teacher gives us a weekly list of the sounds/words they're doing that week.
He's at state school btw.

I would be furious if the teacher spent all the school day hearing and teaching children to read, as if that were the only thing children need to learn. I have no idea how often mine got listened to, tbh, but I know they both learned to read, with relatively little input from me. I also know they learnt a host of other equally valuable things at school. Those other things supported their learning in this area. No point learning your letters if you don't understand the world about you: there'll be nothing to read and write about.

We were expected to take books home two or three times a week, which I think is ample. So many other things that reception children also need to learn in the afternoons: I didn't want all that valuable playtime spent on the ORT, much as I actually enjoyed Biff and Chip.

Yes, it's not enough.

Listening to children read isn't teaching them? I think that's completely wrong. How come children who are listened to every day learn to read more quickly? Do the books contain only words they already know? Are new letter combinations not explained and mistakes pointed out?

Of course listening to children read every day improves their reading. And once they can read their learning ability improves in every area. Even if not in formal teaching then they can simply absorb from new books.

"How come children who are listened to every day learn to read more quickly?"
Because they have frequent opportunities to practise the skills they are acquiring.

and learn new skills of course

so it's improving their reading

is this not desirable? have i missed something?

you must know it's not just practising
all reading books should have some new words
or we would all still be reading Janet and John

sorry but it's a bit pappy to suggest otherwise