Quick Poll: your experiences of reading books and reading records please

[Overmydeadbody]

I have concerns with regard to this with DS, but I don't know what is the norm, so:

1. How often does your DC's reading book get changed/how often do they bring home a reading book from school?

1. Do they have a reading record that you fill out and does the teacher look at it and/or leave comments in it too?

That's good Lizzy

1. Ds (in reception) about 2-3 times a week

DD Y(Year 2) Maybe once every week - 2 weeks. However she brings home large chapter books and often doesn't read them at home as she usuallu has an Enid Blyton etc book on the go instead.

1. I fill in ds's reading record but don't bother with dd as she reads on her own. They read to a teacher or TA about 2-3 times a week for ds and at least once a week for dd and they write down comments, what they should work on, their understanding etc and how many pages they read.

greeneggs- thats very interesting! No way would our parents leave us to it! (unfortunately in some case...)

ds1 is year 1 and can read.
He no longer bothers bringing school books home - his choice as he isn't interested in any of the ones in the classroom.
We go to the library and h writes what he has read in his reading reacord - actually we haven't bothered with that for a while, I just let him get on with reading what he wants.
I also read to him (and he reads some of it) at bedtime.
I ouldn't be suprised if his reading record hasn't got any comments in it this year (since Jan, I know it had in the first term).

OMDB - that is not good! dd is in reception and get 4 books a week and her reading is not particularly good. Ds is in yr 1 and get 3 books a week.

I would:

(a) write in his reading diary that you want a new book

(b) ask the teacher how often they should get new books and then make a point of asking for one at the appropriate intervals.

I have found in our school at least that the more you ask, the more you get as long as it is done nicely and politely.

I'm not quite sure what you want from school reading books once they can read though. The majority of school reading books are scheme based to get them reading, not for them to read once they are.
Obviously it would be different if they were doing a class bokk, and if something like that came home I would make sure my ds read it. But when it is a free choice book I would prefer him tohave a free choice from a greater range which catches his imagination more than the free non-scheme books in his classroom (which he has now read anyway).

DS is in reception and he gets one reading book and one library book a week[although he doesnt actually have a choice on what it is]
Ds gets his books on a friday and they go back on a wednesday. He has a reading record that teacher writes name of the book in and we write how he did with reading but the teacher never writes in it but occasionally leaves a smiley face
Ds will read more at home so am not that bothered at the minute.

OMDB, it is good, it helped to be shown how to get the best of reading with DS1.
He does get a library book which he chooses once a week and a story sack once a week as well.
I am not sure how it changes in Yr1/once he is a fluent reader tbh.

Have seen you other thread, you are right to be angry about this.

oh and to add DS will read once a week to the teacher and once to the TA but he reads a completely different reading scheme within school and they also do reading in groupwork via the whiteboard

goosey I asked for a new book in the record, I guess no one read it. I will be monitoring it better in future.

chasingsquirels I guess I would judt like better communication, so if they feel he no longer needs books, to let me know that. I do think that children should still be bringing books home to read once they can rad though, to help foster an interst in reading and get pleasure from reading, and to keep ha ing new material to read. Surly they're being tought to read so that they can borrow books from school/library etc and read them and enjoy fiction?

Communication - yes!
I know what is happening with my ds because his teacher and I (and ds and I) have discussed it.

Not sure I completely agree on the reading point, a child who enjoys reading will find their own material. Not all children do enjoy it - should they be forced to?
The school should teach them how to read and should have a range of material there to facilitate this. imho the parents should ensure access is provided to a wide range of material, now it may be that this is partly via the school.

sorry - parents should provide access to a wide range of material ONCE the child can read and expresses a desire to do so.
The school may assist in this, but it isn't it's job. That it what libraries are for.

We change books three times a week, with two books sent home over holidays. Parents write in the records to say how their child has gotten on with their reading. If there is anything pertinent, my TA passes the record on to me to respond to, otherwise she reads them and I do not. I write in them when I read with their child (guided reading twice a week-once with me and once with my TA, and individual reading, as much as we get the time!)

sorry, meant to add, if parent has not signed record that their child has read the previous night, then we do not change the books

DD in YR. books get changed twice a week, sometimes three times, and she sometimes gets two at a time.

DS in YR2, books get changed every day if they have been signed and noted in the planner.

When DD was in reception (state school) they were read to twice a week. A reading record existed but was useless - normally just filled with 'read well'. They insisted on her reading every single book in the scheme, however she found them very easy so I just asked for more books.

She is now in year 1 at an independant school. When she arrived there they immediately recognised how good her reading was and moved her to a higher stage. She reads 3 times a week at school however books are changed if they are finished in between. The reading record is very much a shared communication book. It is full of useful stuff such as what they are working on with her e.g. fluency, punctuation etc. She has come on leaps and bounds.

What I would say is that a reading record, imo, is useless unless the school and parents are using it as a proper communication tool. The school should use it to show you where they are focusing so that you can help your child.

We have always encouraged DD to pick books at the library and at home to read. However I do think that when they are so young actually if they are learning to read they don't want to do it all the time and will often be content with sticking to what is coming home from school.

DS is in reception. He gets 2 new books a day (he is more advanced than the rest of the class so he gets their book plus one more challenging). I sign off on the reading record and leave comments for the teacher (any hesitations, difficulty). The teacher is trying to have him read sentences with more expression and I'm supposed to comment about how he is doing. Additionally, she will leave comments if DS is to do any additional work (sometimes write a summary of the book).

DS is is a private school.

DD1 is in Yr 1

1. Usually once a week, but several books at once so there's usually something to read as long as you're not super-keen and super-fast. They are supposed to ask if they've finished all their books but most Yr 1s are not sufficiently on the ball to do this.

1. Yes, although these days I usually just write down what page we've got up to so whoever hears her read in school knows where to start from. The teacher hears them read and writes in the book about once a month, and parent volunteers (of which I am one) hear reading at least once a week in school and write in the book too.

1. How often does your DC's reading book get changed/how often do they bring home a reading book from school?

Reception & Year 1 - reads every day to teacher or TA and book sent home every night to read with parent. Book changes once finished. In early reception same book sent home that was read during day.

Year 2 - read every day with teacher; book sent home once a week to read with parent (6-8 pages)

Year 3 - read to teacher a couple of times a week although sometimes just once; expected to read either to parent or self every night. Pupil changes book when finished.

All reading is individual reading, not guided reading.

No idea about higher up the school.

1. Do they have a reading record that you fill out and does the teacher look at it and/or leave comments in it too?

Yes, from reception to Y2 - Teacher or TA writes in it after each school reading, parents write in it after reading at home. Teacher always puts page read to and a comment. Parents need to write page read to and can add comments if they wish.

Y3 - they record in their homework diary what book they are reading, and where they got to each day. Teacher also makes comment after listening to them read.