should my ds read the next ORT level during the holidays?

[4ever21]

My ds is startibng Y1 in september and we were given the ORT book for the stage he is to start in Y1as a gift from a relative. do you think i should get him to read it during the holiday or just wait till he's given in school. I'm not sure if the teacher'll just move on to the next stage, or make him read them all over again.

we get books from the library and all but i thought since we have the ORT as a gift we might as well use it.

I hope somebody replies soon as I am wondering the same for my daughter who is also leaving Reception.
The problem with all her other books and all the library books is that they are stories to be read TO her instead of BY her.
She does need to do some reading practice during the holidays as otherwise she will really struggle in September.
TBH I am looking at making sure she doesn't forget anything as it is all still very new to her. She only got her first book at half term!!! A January intake and the whole of her reception class are in the same boat. Whereas the other reception class (all Sept intake) have a good grounding in reading.

Why on earth wouldn't you? Even in schools where children are heard reading every day, I bet all children progress better with regular practise at home.

You can write in the reading record that they have done that level in the holidays, but no doubt they will have to wade through the More Stories A and More Stories B packs as well.

You can make it a cuddly special time, rather than like homework.

Why not? Read them and enjoy.

No! Read 'real' books with them as the stories are much better for developing their creative imaginations and love of reading. Structured reading schemes are in place to be used in conjunction with phonics teaching etc etc. I'm def not saying don't read, but there are far better books for your child to enjoy

Why not go to the library and read something different for fun and pleasure? Have a holiday from school.

i would say depends what5 your DC wants to do ! But surely it will be a bit of a waste of money if you don't read them before she gets them at school .

I would go to the library and find appropriate books there in their learning to reading section.

My son's school have coloured banded books - so read from a very wide variety of schemes that are approx the same level, moving up a level(s) when they are ready not when they have read all the books.

I definately wouldn't read ORT books with your child during the summer, unless part of a much wider reading range.

well, we have always had a few ORT books lying around the house (because we've got 3 kids and moved from the scottish system p1 to yr 1 when dc1 was that age - we were advised to get a few ORT books because she 'missed' some as her P1 class didn't use that scheme... over the years a few more have been given to us etc.)
so, they were around if dc2 and 3 wanted to read them, on the shelves with the other books. we didn't ever sit them down and work through them.
i wouldn't choose to do it personally - we've always got loads of books from the library when they were small - some mostly picture books, some other very simple early readers, letting them choose really. i'm not sure we even sat them down and read to/ with them tbh, they just got on and opened the books and got stuck in - a bit more difficult if you have a reluctant child who would would not choose to open a book ever. mine would be looking at them in the car on the way home from the library lol.
i'd say just go the library, let him choose what catches his fancy, have a quick peek inside to make sure that he will be able to manage one or two of them, and let him get on with it really. every now and again you could ask him about the book if he's having a look at it, and get him to read a bit to you if he wants to, but i wouldn't put too much pressure on him tbh. if he picks up the ort and reads that, so be it, but i wouldn't go to the bother of writing in his reading record or whatever.
i always let the teachers decide what level and how fast to progress unless there is a very obvious problem (ie war and peace at home and ort 2 at school )
just have fun and let him look at what he wants to.

now that dc3 has finished yr r i've just donated the ort books i found in the house to the school. i have to say it was a bit and made me look like i have been tutoring them to death in their spare time. even the school secretary looked at me like 'wtf?' as she peered into the bag, and i was forced to explain that dd1 didn't use ort until she transferred etc etc...

I'm not sure what the agonising is about.
They are just books like any other. If he wants to read them, why not let him. Just pu them with whatever other books he has and let him choose. It's not homework from school. They are just books for reading like any others. He might read them. He might look at the pictures. He might ask you to read them to him. He might ignore them and want something else. Just leave them about (as hatwoman does) and then it's his choice.

I suppose you could offer to read them to him if you think it might spark his interest. But I wouldn't get all hung up about them.

I might. but we don't use ORT in our current school and my children like the stories, so do I in fact, all the Magic Key stuff. very Enid Blyton-esque. So why not, I agree it can be hard to find books at this level which aren't reading schemes.

I have a 5yo too who is keen to keep reading out loud to me and would benefit from the practice over the holidays - she's not ready for Proper Books and tends to think they're too hard to even try, but she will happily plough through reading scheme books.

My dcs loved ORT, although it is not everyone's cup of tea.

I think people who knock ORT should be forced to endure some of teh reading schemes our eldest DC had to put up with1,2,3 and away -Roger red hat , billy blue hat , jennifer and johnny yellow hat.Now THAT was tedious.In one book where roger red hat fell in the river , I was about ready to jump in myself !
And peter and Jane from the 1970s.Don't even get me started !

I liked Roger Red Hat and co too, as a child.

katiestar - DD rd the Peter and jane books a couple of years ago, in Reception. She loved them; strange girl, lol!

They have some new versions now, although DD read the old versions.

If he wants to read the ORT books, let him. But do supplement with other books. You local library will have lots of scheme time books, plus normal books at the same level. Try to avoid sticking to just one reading scheme - it makes them very limited in the vocan they can read if you are not careful.

I was told by my Dt's teachers in yr1 that they like the children not to have read them before they do them in class, I guess to get a feel for what they really know and understand. I remember she was impressed with dt2's comprehension of a particular book at a level he had not done before at school but had at home. However this was not replicated when he did a similiar book that he had not done at home. I stopped buying them after that. However if you have got the books as a gift then I would use them as it would be a waste otherwise and I'm not really sure if I agree with my Dt's teacher anyway. I think it just made her job a bit tougher thats all. Any reading is good practise and if they are keen then why not.

My DS will be starting Y1 in Sep too.
I got him some ORT Read at home books instead of the exact same one they'll be reading in school, they were on offer in my local bargain bookstore. We are also going to go to the library so he can pick some books for himself and read. If I had them though I would not worry about letting him read them. Can't do any harm to read them again.

With some children, you can read the same book lots of times and they'll still approach it as if it were totally new each time. Goldfish brains.

Or is that just mine?

Not just yours. Mine have done this, too

Get your DS to read anything and everything during the holidays, the more practice they get at reading a wide variety of stuff, the better they get.

If your DS enjoys the ORT books, encourage him to read them. Also go to the library and borrow lots of different books that he can read and you can rtead with him.

DS can read a book over and over and over again, I really don't think it matters to children if they have read a book before.

what overmydeadbody said, but also- don't forget that there are other activities than reading that are equally educational and which you will have more time for in the holidays: exploring your local environment, helping you out at home, self-initiated play. I think ORT is great, but it is only a tiny part of my children's education.

I would hope that if a child had improved over the holidays it would be noticed at school, and they would be moved along the colours/scheme. Maybe i am being over optomistic

We will be reading ORT and anything else we can get our hands on as its a habit now and I dont see the need to stop.

Well, we are doing extra ORT during the holidays. DD1 has has just finished year 1 and has only just started stage 5. From looking at other threads and confiding in 2 other mums, she is way behind her peers. Her teachers are happy to give us next 2 stages so she doesn't start year 2 quite so behind. I hate comparing, but if you don't then how do you know if your child is average/above average/below average? I have found the school very reluctant to tell me where our daughter is in the class but in my opinion it's important. I have also found there is a marked difference in perception as to what is 'average'. DD's friend, born same day, currently ORT level 8 - her mum is paying for extra tuition (and she is privately eductated too) as she feels that level 8 is way behind. Me, I'd be delighted if my little one was up to this - in our class, the top readers are about that level, so the teacher informs me.

My ds had the Roger red hat and Jennifer ones in his first term at Reception last autumn. He stopped reading for a term and a half and I'm sure their dullness had a lot to do with it. He only started again when I got books recommended by MNetters - Jelly and Bean and Songbirds.

I loathe scheme books. Yes they have a place but I hate this 'my child can only read ORT' thing.I used to see it as a teacher,literacy co-ordinator and now as a parent, just don't get it.

ORT books have the same format in every single book,same old vocabulary story structure etc etc etc. They discourage children to be doing what they should be doing which is to read real books and print in real contexts.

If all a child reads is ORT it's all they think they can read-very sad. MY dc have always read real books through every stage of their reading,they were always more than capable from day 1. 'the' is the in whatever book they read not just ORT. Children need the confidence to know they can read anything which they can,keeping them on ORT just stifles that confidence.

My twins are starting y1 in Sep and the one still on ORT(thankfully coming to the end of it) will only be reading books from the library which is fit to bursting with books of every level.

Stick with the library books and e-bay the ORT

Surely ORT and other reading schemes are fine as long as they are not the only source of reading. No need to ebay them. My children enjoy them and the Peter and Jane books. They like reading all kinds of books.