Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Primary education

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

Flip

1 2

Original poster

Reception reading levels

42 replies

forehead · 21/05/2009 15:25

My dd2 is 5 and in reception. She has just finished stage 4 ( blue band) of the Floppy phonics books and is going to start stage 5 this week. I just wanted to know whether this is a good reading level for her age as i don't really understand the reading levels.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

cazzybabs · 21/05/2009 21:37

It is amazing isn't it...my mum teaches in a deprived area and her reading scores (same test) where better than where I work. Maybe we focus on different skills..

but what ever you are doing clearly works.

What scheme do you use out of interest? Do you do JPs? DO you use letters and sounds?

mumtoone · 21/05/2009 21:43

Cazzybabs - Would most children have finished the red level by the end of reception? From what you say ds is probably doing fairly well in that he's finished the yellow level and started on the green books but I'm not too sure as he's my eldest

mumtoone · 21/05/2009 21:43

mrz · 21/05/2009 21:45

I "dip" (I'm afraid no fidelity here Sir Jim) I use JP actions to introduce the first 44 phonemes with some Letters & Sounds activities and daily Big Cat Phonics on the IWB (twice a day initially). I'm trialling some of the Phonics International materials and working very closely with a JP consultant.
I'm not working to phases just daily reinforcement of previously taught phonemes and introducing a new sound daily until all 44 are taught then moving onto alternative ways of writing them.
I'm using Action Words to introduce the "Tricky Words" only.

cazzybabs · 21/05/2009 21:46

Well...I yes I think he is doing well. Most of my year 1s are just starting the green level now but as I say we have alot of other stuff for them to read as well. And we would expect them to read pretty much all of it without the need for word building (which I am not sure I wholly agree with)

cazzybabs · 21/05/2009 21:48

WOW - I have never heard of big cat phonics...

I don't teach reception anyway, but I am not a fan of "one" scheme anyway. And it sounds like you are clearly doing the right things...

mrz · 22/05/2009 07:57

You can download a demo of Big Cat Phonics

hellywobs · 22/05/2009 09:06

My ds goes to a (state) school with a lot of academically able children and very few of them were above stage 2 or 3 when they left YR last year. That was because the teachers concentrate on comprehension, rather than decoding ability. They were also very keen that the children should like reading, find it easy and fun and so didn't push them through the levels - other schools definitely do it more quickly. My ds ended YR on stage 3 and started Y1 on stage 5, missing out stage 4. He now reads a mix of books from stage 8 to 11 as well as various other books like Fantastic Mr Fox but his teacher says the main thing for him now is to concentrate on comprehension (and I also think on stamina, as he's not keen on reading chapter books by himself "too many words!").

And it's true of course that most other countries teach reading later (although in Finland, although the kids don't go to school until they are 7, all their TV is in English with subtitles, so I suspect they learn to read earlier so they can tell what's going on!) so we really shouldn't worry. As I have posted on here before, nobody will care when your child is 19, what ORT level they were on when they finished reception!

mimsum · 22/05/2009 10:45

neither of my boys (both on G&T register) could read when they went into y1 - yes, they could decode CVC words but it was a pretty hideous experience all round - however half-way through y1 it clicked and they ended y1 as free readers.

They certainly had no problems accessing the curriculum!

LovelyRitaMeterMaid · 22/05/2009 10:52

DS is in his last term of reception and is on Stage 3 in ORT (Biff and Chip and Kipper). He seems to have just really started to "read" - before it was more decoding and not having much comprehension.

TBCoalman · 22/05/2009 10:57

Like mimsum, neither of my boys could read when they went into year1, both free readers and on the top table by the end of year one.

I was very disappointed that we never got to find the Magic Key that everyone talks about.

katiestar · 22/05/2009 11:29

hellywobs is right.Different teachers have different views on how quickly children should be moved up through the levels, so it isn't really meaningful to compare.

katiestar · 22/05/2009 11:32

According to the govt.Children are expected to show some signs of reading by the end of reception

MollieO · 22/05/2009 11:34

hellywobs, ds is at an independent school and they do the same - focus on comprehension. I think it is so important that they actually understand what they read rather than just pronouncing the words correctly.

Feenie · 22/05/2009 12:23

at the notion that a Reception teacher who wouldn't focus on comprehension aswell - it's part of the curriculum!

mrz · 22/05/2009 17:25

MollieO I think both skills are equally important children need to be able to decode the words and understand the meaning of the text they are reading.

Hulababy · 22/05/2009 17:50

Some schools do try and rush childen through levels from what I can gather. Definitely IMO need to pay more attention to comprehension than many schools do. No point IMO in being able to read words if you have no idea what you are reading about.

Flip

1 2