advise pls re unchallenging books for ds.

[4ever21]

Hi MNetters.

My Y1 ds has been getting really unchallengng books from school. We live about 7minutes drive away from school and he's usually done with readng in the car on our way home.

I know it's the beginnng of school year and all but is it worth speaking with the teacher without seeming pushy. His reading has improved a lot though, he reads more fluently and has started to put expression in his readng which he wasn't doing before. So I'm thinking thats why his teacher is giving him easy books to read.

Do you thnk I should just go with the flow and perhaps mention it at parents evening in a few weeks or have a word with her about it now.

Thanks

Expressive reading is really important, so I'd let things run for a bit. Why not take him to the library as well & let him choose some other books to read too? All reading helps & I often think a mix of levels works well.

I'd second the library. That way he can enjoy choosing and reading what he wants to. Just quickly (+ it does sound like this isn't the case), but as it's in the car are you sure he's doing it properly? Only asking as yesterday I was making a snack while DS sat reading his school book to me. Sounded fluent, but when I looked I realised he'd joined up words he did know to make a sentence. The sentences were correct, but he wasn't actually reading the trickier words in the book. I wouldn't have known unless I'd checked. Made me laugh actually and hey it shows he understands sentences, but still it might be worth checking.

Meant to say, but doesn't he have a reading record that you write comments in? If so, why not keep putting 'DS read fluently and easily'. then leave it a week and if the books don't get harder you can gently ask if there's a rationale?

I have a DS in year 1 as well and last week was feeling a bit concerned that his books were getting a bit too easy for him. I think his teacher has been going round the class to check in a bit more depth as he has suddenly moved up a couple of levels. I wasn't going to say anything straight away, but would have mentioned it at parents' evening I think.

I would go with the flow IIWY - DS was given (IMHO) way easier books than some of his classmates in Y1 - but now (just started Y3) he is constantly being praised to the skies for his expressive reading. I agree about occasionally forcing him to wait and read at home when you can see what he is reading though as my DS also used to conveniently skip/guess trickier words when unsupervised.

DS still chooses books below the level that I know he can read at, but they are the books that he enjoys (Worst Witch is the current favourite), which is fine by me and by his teacher. One of his friends speed-reads much harder books, but cannot/will not read aloud with expression at all.

If I wanted him to read something more challenging as well as his school books, we would choose a book and take it in turns to read a page at bedtime (I would cheat and read a few if needed to move the story on and keep him interested).

The books that they bring home are not really supposed to challenge, just raise confidence.

I agree with bruffin.
Also, the first few weeks are usually Assessment wks. They may all have easy books while being assessed.

I don't think you'd be at all pushy to ask the teacher about it now, though ime going to the library is much more productive than relying on the school for reading material.

My dd was pushed through reading levels at a tremendous rate last year - she could read fluently, very expressively and understand the text. However, her new teacher has slowed things right down - all books need to be read before moving on a level and interestingly she is finding her school reading more of a pleasure now and less of a chore.

I like to keep a fresh supply of library books in the house from lots of different reading levels, some v easy and some quite challenging - she chooses what she's in the mood to read.

So I guess I'd head to the library and discuss reading levels at the parent consultation.

thanks every1 for your replies.

we pick library books once a week anyway which i think is helping a lot, but i sometimes feel i'm doing the teacher's job for her! I'll just feel better if i was sure she knows what she's doing ie giving him easier books on purpose and not just that she can't be bothered.

i always write in his reading records that he read fluently with lots of expression and retold the story to ensure comprehension, but it's still the same.

i'll wait till parents evening though and hopefully she'll explain things to me then.

thanks for all your contributions.

If he is reading it really quickly and has nothing else to read for a few days I would[and have] put a very polite note to say he could probably manage a longer book as he has been reading quite a bit lately ..and she will probably move him onto something longer.