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.

[MilaMae]

They are fine until a child thinks they can only read those and are reluctant to read real books. If that happens they are reading too many and not enough real books.

They are total tedium anyway,the next 6 weeks is a lovely opportunity to give dc the chance to actually read real books.

[Doodle2u]

I say read, read, read and read some more both to them and with them. Read what ever you can get your hands on - it's the very best thing you can do with them.

Her Yr1 teacher will have done a hand-over with her reception teacher but she/he will assess her again in a way they see fit....it will soon become apparent if she's rocked up a stage!

Just READ!

[ThingOne]

I agree with MilaMae about the downside of schemes.

My DS1 is just leaving reception. I have tried to encourage him to read books other than the ORT and he has been very reluctant. We're having to be very stealthy, getting him to read the odd word and then the odd sentence here and there when we are reading to him. We encourage reading stuff that isn't in books, just to show him he can.

I've started getting early reader books from the library and
got a load from a jumble sale. He just keeps rejecting them. So, against my better judgement, and to keep him happy and at least reading something rather than nothing over the holidays, I've ordered the "read at home" ones from the library in "his" colour. They have three and we can swap them with a neighbour.

I'm also hoping the library summer quest scheme might tempt him to try something different.

[nkf]

Personally, I would only consider reading the ORT books if all other forms of entertainment had died on us.

[HappyMummyOfOne]

DS likes the ORT, we have both the read at home ones and the Magic Key ones. His school uses ORT but various other schemes as well and he can easily switch between schemes.

I bought the Peter and Jane ones for home, DS wasnt overly keen but they are very dated now. Loved them for when I was younger.

We also have the Red Nose Readers. Ladybird Phonics and some Jolly Phonics Readers but DS will be in Yr2 in Sept and needs the next stages which seem harder to buy.

There are plenty of books available other than ORT for reception/year 1 children.

[pagwatch]

Oh my god.
Would anyone ever read the ORT books for pleasure ? Really?

And if you read them over the holidays and then the schools gets them to read them again how tedious will that be.
Put them in with a stack of books for the children to read. My DD loves to read a page and then I read a page out of her picture book and older ones too. That way she has a mix, has some practice but still has the lovely thing of being read to.

If your child selects the ORT books then you can just go with that and let them read those books. That way you will know that your child is really dull covering the bases

( I would also avoid any relative who gave a small child ORT books)

[Fennel]

I don't actually consider doing reading practice with a beginner reader much of a pleasure, whichever books you use. It's about as exciting as watching paint dry, plus I have to dig my nails into my arms and glare at the ceiling just to stop myself saying things like "Oh come on, surely you know by now that t-h-a-t spells That, we've done it a hundred times, how can you possibly not know that by now....." etc.

Not exactly my idea of a fun activity.

[Hulababy]

4ever21 - what level ORT? Maybe we can sugegst some other books to real alongside them at a simialr level?

[spellicious]

Will also be doing an ORT or two over the summer as ds seems to love them and I feel is behind his peers as has missed a bit of school through illnesses.

He likes them because it feels he is reading a real book and they are at the right level. The library thing is fine but when your age 6-7 child can only read books independently which are babyish looking it is offputting and then if they choose a chapter book they are quickly demoralised as struggle by half way through the first sentence

It's fine if you have girls as there are literally 100s of 'transition' books for them Everybleeninfairy under the sun book,(honestly Rachel and Kirsty must be gigamillionairesses by now)every magic pet/princess/ballet heroine imaginable and just when you have run.Madonna, Jordan or whoever invents another must have series. When this all finished there are then all the frightfully nice 1st Form at Malory Towers

There are far fewer boy equivalents and until they can read Horrid Henry Famous Five etc there is very limited choice and what there is seems to involve a lot of toilet humour.

pacinofan your school sounds great to offert to lend you some. We would never dare ask and the answer would be no!!

[itsrainingitspouring]

spellicious - have a look at the Magic Key series, also Dinosaur Cove for your ds. Both recommended by mners, my ds loves them. Got Captain underpants out the library today, it is dire...toilet humour as you said.

[mrz]

I'm not sure why books from the library are more babyish than ORT (but they are my pet hate as a teacher anyway so perhaps I'm biased)
for boys I like Rapid Readers (yes a reading scheme but don't seem like one) each book has a story at the front and non fiction at the back very boy friendly.

I think children need to read and be read to no matter what age or ability they are every day and read wonderful magical language not the stilted form found in so many schemes.

[MilaMae]

Spellicious I know what you mean.

Dinosaur Cove is very popular here. There are 3 Horrid Henry early readers now (on offer with The Book People at the moment),my 2 loved them.

I've also bought some Corgi pups-The Chocolate Monster,The Monster Story Teller etc. We're working up to Young Corgi and Jeremy Strong this summer.

We just joined the library thing today and the twin not quite a free reader took out a load of Dr Zeus books. They're quite simple,you get through a lot of pages with very little reading that boosts confidence.

[ThingOne]

Hulababy, I'm not the OP but I'd love some appropriate ideas for my DS1. I tried today with a leapfrog rhyme time book we got from the library (I just got a random selection). To me it looks the right level but he was really not engaging with it at all. And we've tried it before, when I first got it out.

He was doing well on ORT blue but is struggling on ORT red. So nothing harder than red, please!

We got an indiana jones early reader book but discovered after we'd bought it that it was the wrong level so it's too hard.

[charmander]

he frog and toad books by Arnold Lobel are brilliant for early readers

[eruditie]

Oh lordy, I meant the Magic Treehouse, NOT the Magic Key of course!

[eruditie]

oh yes, name changed as well.

[Yurtgirl]

I would say NO!
ORT books are boring - ask my ds

Read real books with great stories

Also children who have already read the ort books can be pain for the teacher - because its hard for them to assess how the childs reading is progressing when they have already read the reading books (Dont take that as a criticism just a comment I read from a teacher on a similar thread ages ago)

[MilaMae]

Thingone if it was me I'd just read masses of quality books from the library to him(to get him motivated) pointing out the odd word saying I bet you could sound that out.

A love of books is what keeps them going. If they find the whole thing tedious they will not try however hard you coax. I never forced mine to read,ever. If they are too tired or not interested we just read to them instead.

My 2 love me to read the Oliver Jeffers and Simon Bartram books at the moment. They love The Pencil, Stickman,Beware of the Frog and the Mungo books too.

Get him to read everywhere everywhere-road signs,food packets etc. Make sure you wait long enough for him to sound out.It sounds as if that is what you do anyway. Also point out tricky words he knows like 'the' etc.

I'd go over all of his phonics again too.

If you really want him to read whole books to you Dr Zeus are good,a lot are very simple.

[MilaMae]

Dr Seuss

[aristocat]

the librarys are doing Quest Seekers during school holidays to encourage reading.
my DCs joined it yesterday and finished their 2 books last night, its an excellent opportunity not to miss

do you go to your library?

[Hulababy]

Thing One - what it ORT blue/red levels? I know these are different to the school colour coding systems. Do the books say a level on them?

[mrz]

Hulababy blue ORT are level 3 (mainly) and are yellow in the book banding system and red ORT are level 4 and blue in the book banding system

[Hulababy]

Thanks Mrz

I will have a think about similar non scheme books then.

Got to go and think about what to cook later for now.

[mrz]

yellow books

Each Peach Pear Plum - Ahlberg
Five Little Ducks - Beck
Oh, Dear - Cambell
What Time is it Mr Wolf - Hawkins
Animal Babies - Mastrogiovanni
Look What I Found - Sharratt
The Green Queen - Sharratt

Blue

Jasper's Beanstalk - Butterworth
Dear Zoo - Campbell
When We Went to the Park - Hughes
Rosie's Walk - Hutchins
Over in the Measow - Voce
Squeak -a-lot - Waddell

[TwoHot]

mrz, could I ask, what books go with the Purple band?

We are also doing the library Quest, its such a good idea!