Reading Year 1.

[ElliesMad]

Hi
DD said to the TA this morning could she change her book. TA laughed (nervously?!) and came to me and said they didn't really have anymore books to move her on to at that level. She said they didn't want to move her onto Blue Bananas (what are they anyway?) as she would end up bored next year. She said to get her to read anything and work on comprehension instead of reading, ask her questions etc about the book.
Now we do this anyway and she reads a really wide variety of books but...dd wants the school books, knows that she reads them for school etc.
I'm not sure where to go with this, if we leave it she'll be bored now, if we don't she'll be bored next year? Surely she shouldn't be held back?
Any experiences of this?
She's on ORT, stage 9. Last book today?
Thanks if you read all that!

Speak to the teacher rather than the TA, I can't believe they just leave her floating untill next year. Sometimes you have to be a little emphatic.

At my DSs school, as well as the reading scheme books they had a lot of non-scheme books at various levels. Maybe you could ask if she can bring those home for you to go through, work on comprehension, etc? That way she wont be doing what she'll move onto next year, but will have a "school reading book" to keep up the pattern.

oh gawd i can't believe this attitude still exists! i had exactly the same attitude thrown at me when i was reading- i was told i was too far in advance of what the others were reading. my mom told them what for. guess what? i had access to whatever i wanted to read and was never then bored with reading. i agree with MagNacarta, speak to the teacher and be emphatic.x

I was going to agree with the TA (ds doesn't read books from school anymore, we just go to the library and he writes those in his reading record).
BUT your dd wants to read school books and I think this makes it a big BUT.
TBH I wouldn't want to just have her reading ORT at school anyway so this is probably good.

Suggestions;

• Get the teacher to have a chat with her about how she is doing really well and she is allowed to read her own books
• as above, but library books - does the school have a library that she can choose from, or from which the teacher can get a suitable selection for the classroom from which she can choose?
• as above, but a project for her to find out about x weekly topic - so she would read fact rather than fiction.

If she doesn't read school books now I don't see why she would be bored - why would she, she can read something more interesting (proper books!) or do another activity instead.
FWIW I don't think not moving her up an ORT level would be holding her back - not letting her have any reading matter would be another thing altogether, but they aren't suggesting this.

Thanks guys.
Unfortuantely the class teacher isn't about on Fridays so that's why it was the TA.
I just remembered the TA said they want to slow her down so she doesn't run out of books.
I don't want to turn into pushy mum but if she's ready I can't see the point in holding her back.I also don't care what books she brings home. The world will not run out of books.
They'll know I'm not pushy mum when ds gets there, he'll need strapping down to get him to be still long enough to attempt to read!!

I do know what you are saying - but I REALLY REALLY can't see the point in racing through another level of ORT when, as you say, the world is full of books.
If she is already free-reading other stuff at home then I would just forget about school books for a while.

I see what you're saying and I completely agree but come September they'll give her Level 10 or Blue Bananas etc and she'll be past them by then.

You need to have a meeting with the teacher and come to some agreement on a strategy you are both happy with.

Personally if my ds was given reading material (for general reading practice rather than a specific purpose) which was clearly at a level below that which he was at, AND which did not interest him, then I certainly wouldn't be insisting, or suggesting, that he read it. I would (and am!) provide access to appropriate reading material, and have him write that in his reading record.

I guess I am fortunate in that our school does not use a scheme as such, and has been happy for ds to chose from appropriate books (ie in rec he chose from the yr 1 books, he is now in a mixed yr1/yr2 class and so has access to the higher level books, but having read everything that interests him from those we just don't bother now and go to the library).

I totally agree that reading beyond ORT is vital. Fortunately dd's school only occasionally uses ORT. She's in Y1 too and like the other kids at her table, they now get reading books from Y2 as they had finished all those available in the Y1 classroom. Can't your dd borrow some from Y2? Or does her class have different scheme books from the same level to make a change?

I don't understand this - in dd's Y1 class they have some on stage 1 all the way through to two children reading Yellow Bananas. All that happens in our school is that you get to become a free reader earlier and get to choose your own books.

There is no way that they will get fed up or bored with reading next year if they move up books if the school is doing their job right. How can they run out of books?! They just get them from the next year up instead surely?

However the TA is also correct in that comprehension is a skill to work on. Many early readers do struggle with comprehnsion, and sometimes fluency/expression too. They decode the words fast and accurately but not necedssarily taking in what they read and how they read it.

It is sometimes a good idea to go down a level (I don't mean book bands here IYSWIM) and get the child to read an easier book - so they don't concentrate on the reading, and focus on other things - expression, comprehension, being the two obvious.

Also encourage your child to read a range of books - poetry, plays, songs, fiction, non fiction, etc. Again - sopme children can struggle with this.

And I assume she i already reading way more that just ORT - so continue with a wide variety of book series in order to broaden vocabulary and also the way the book is written. It is very obvious when a child has only been using one or maybe two reading schemes to learn to read.

Elliesmad - just read further. Is your daughter reading more than just ORT books?

If she is not please do start introducing a much wider range of books. When I get home I will try and find the link to lots of books all at the same reading levels to give you some suggestions if you like.

It really is very obvious if a child is just reading one reading scheme. IMO ORT is very limited with its viocublary range and in they way the books are written. I have seen a child before who only read the ORT ones and the school claimed they were at level 8 or 9 very early on. However, give the child another type of book and they did really really struggle.

I do think broadening your daughter;s reading material would be agood thing to do here.

I can see your point of view in that you want the school to be providing books at an adequate level for your dd.

I would, however, use this opportunity to go and investigate the local library and read books outside the ORT or indeed any reading scheme.

Ds 1 is 5 next week and is reading above the level that he is on at school but I don't really bother too much as we read all sorts of books at home. He understands the reading scheme is a means to an end but reading about Star Wars and Dr Who is the things that really floats his boat. His reading log is full of 'read unaided' and I could push them for more difficult books but don't want to as they are quite dull books that he memorises from one reading and then takes about 10 secs to read to me at home.

He has a thirst for reading and for a young child, especially boys, this is far more important than constantly being challenged.

I would chat with the teacher (not the TA) and see what her thoughts are but enrichment rather than advancement is the thing really.

I agree Hulababy, in my experience some children can be pretty clueless as to what they've just read depsite being a very 'ab'e' reader. I find the ORT dull as ditch water as does ds. I have friends who complain that their child won't read anything else but really it's more they can't read anything else as there are far less picture clues, less repeptitive text for them to memorise. We like the read and write inc from Ruth Miskin as they are stories that are stand alone that ds can actully engage with. Ds loves the dk early reading books -Star Wars ones especially, he loves Percy the Park Keeper, books about dinosaurs, ships and all the usual boys things! He also loves the wonderful pop up books and likes to try to work out how they are made. We're just getting into Horrod Henry and he's having a go at reading some of the text whilst I/dh read some so we're sharing it and he's loving it.

As others have said I think you need to go and have a chat with the teacher and agree a way forward.

At our Parent's consultation last week, we were told that our kids were doing very well at reading and rather than push them through the scheme at a rate of knots (they've move through 8 stages this year), she wanted us to spend more time talking about the plot, characters etc at home. I'm quite happy to do that. My kids love reading, we get lots of books from the library (including the Blue Bananas which they loved), I always encourage them to choose books from a wide range of abilities. They read because they enjoy stories, not because it's a challenge and as long as the stories are engaging and funny, and the artwork is interesting & appealing, they'll happily read it.

Sounds to me like the school need to invest in a wider range of books.

In many cases a quick chat with a TA can and does get results. However, in your case it has not.

It is only March, so it is totally unreasonable for your dd to not get any more reading books until she goes up to year 2! I agree with other posters. Speak to the class teacher, and if you are still told that the school cannot provide her with a reading book, then take it higher. At our school, free readers in year 1 are given books from the year 2 classroom.

DD is 5, in year 1 and reading year 2 books and has been for a few weeks now.

HI
Yep dd reads loads. She has favourite authors, loves poems. We read loads of factual stuff too. London this week as we went for a visit at the weekend.
Last week it was a body book.
We go to the library every other week, we know everyone in there rather well!
She also reads to my ds (secretly to boss him about I think
I get the feeling even if she has gone past the 'year 2' level they'll give her those books anyway?
I'm going to have to speak to the teacher Monday.
Don't suppose you want to come too????
Just kidding!

Sorry Hulababy the levels information would be good thanks.
I don't tend to stress at all about levels at home, she just picks a book and if she gets stuck I'm there.

How can anyone say something so silly? Be bored because she can read better? Surely they have other books in the school that your Dd would be happy to read. She is more likely to get bored because there is nothing for her to read than the opposit. In this day in age when it is often a struggle to get a child to open a book it makes absolutely no sense to discourage reading. sacrilegious IMO!

ElliesMad: This has age ranges and levels listed

Hulababy, that's really useful thanks.

Update:
Went in this morning with no intention of saying anything, it's the TA who sees the kids in the door in the morning. Teacher in the afteroon, so was going to wait until later....
Anyway, TA comes over and says can you see Mrs T later as we have found some more books for M. They are simpler, not more advanced but have comprehension questions/ exercises in the back.
So I think I'm ok with that, at least they've done something. I also heard that another child in the same position had beeb made to read the ORT all over again so thank goodness that's not happening!

Sounds good, they are ensuring her reading is more rounded and you can continue to introduce her to other reading matter at home.

Try these: www.Lovereading.co.uk
Also 'Songbird' are a great reading scheme. I had to introduce more varied schemes to my son to allow him to progress and remain interested in reading.