Another reading thread!

[FernieB]

At what stage did your school stop giving reading books to the kids?

Just wondering, cos mine are 9 and read well at home, find the school books boring, but are still being given reading books and are listened to every week by the TA. Is this usual?

I teach yr 5/6 and all my children still receive a reading book to take home, and they are "heard" each week by a TA or volunteer( not to hear then read but to question them on the text, inference and deduction, understanding etc). However they are also encouraged to read books brought in from home,library books, school library books and anything else they would like. The vast majority of my children are free readers ( I do have some SEN children who are not) so they can choose their book from any in the school library too.

DD is in Y3 and can chose any book to read. I actually pushed for this last week as she had been given some reading scheme books which were dire. She had been a free reader in Y2. The class teacher checked with DD's dyslexia suppoert teacher (DD has some tendancies, not dyslexia) and she agreed with me. So, DD's enthusiasm and enjoyment o f reading is back.

My oldest is in Yr 4 and hasn't had a reading book since midway through Yr 2.
She does reading in a group at school, can borrow from the school library if she chooses, but is never heard reading individually.
She needs no support, so I am fine with this.
I assume there is more support for those that need it, although none of her friends get reading books now either (which is maybe 1o children).
It would be unusual in our school then FB, unless reading hadn't clicked.

Ds was in Yr3 when his teacher stopped giving him school reading books regularly. By this I mean that he technically had a reading book but it would stay in his bag for several months at a time. He reads books from outside school and just records those in his reading record book instead.

They do guided reading every week or so but not individually. He is now 9.

IMO all children in primary school should be heard to read out loud weekly, either as part of a group, or preferrably individually. It helps with fluency and expression, and reading out loud is a different skill to reading to oneself.

We also insist DD reads her reading book outloud to us most nights - just a page or so, then rest to self.

Different schools have different systems, especially regards free reading. But really once a child can read ok then they ought to be encouraged to chose their own books, one that interests them.

Thanks for your replies. I was just curious. Seems that different schools have different systems. My DD's have no interest in school reading books so largely ignore them and read their own stuff. I do still listen to them read myself from time to time.

Half way through reception the kids at our school have to change their own books. School listen to most of them read one to one about once a term.

DD is in year 6 and still has school books to read. She chooses them for herself from the school library and we have to keep a 'reading record'. I believe it is actually the law that all children in primary have to read at least once a week to a teacher/authorised adult, and it is recommended that they are heard reading at home for 10mins a day - I think.

They become free readers in yr1/2/3 in our school, so most children are free readers by 6 or 7 I suppose. And then they stop bringing books home.

Year 4 and all the children are given a reading book to bring home, there's no such thing as a free reader in that respect. The teacher likes to see that the child has read out loud at home, at least 3 times a week.

The books seem very easy compared to what else he reads. It doesn't seem to be so much about learning to read, but fluency, comprehension and discussing. We're supposed to discuss with the child, what has happened, what do you think will happen.

They have quite reading time in class and he's a free reader for that and the library.