Rant after year 1 parents night (reading)

[MumNWLondon]

DD is in year 1 and on ORT stage 4, we are getting through 6 books a week (they change 3x a week, we get 2 books at a time).

But the books are far too easy for her. She knows all the words and can read them in around 3 mins each. She can read books like mr men books, the poppy and max books, and the easier horrid henry books etc.

I raised this as a concern at parents night tonight, and teacher said that headteacher has policy that every child has to read every book on the scheme, and as we are already getting 2 books at a time we can't go any faster.

I offered the following: a) to send lots of books home over the weekend b) me to come into school to work through the books with DD c) for them to send home 3/4 books at a time and teacher said none of these are possible.

I am reading other books at home with DD, but it seems to me that the school reading books are now just an irrelevant waste of time.

Teacher suggested as a compromise sending home one harder book as well as a stage 4 book but this will not really help as move any faster as it will take even longer to get through the stage 4 books.

There are some kids in the class on stage 5 and 6, these are the kids with older siblings in the school where the parents know how the system works and requested 2 books at a time from the start of reception!

Oh ok Jesus, you confused me there (haha, never thought I'd say that ).

"My DD had to read every single book...I went to where the books were kept at school and took 10 out each week. We soon got through them!"

Wow Miggsie you must be very popular with the teachers.

If I could take extra books, then it wouldn't be a problem! If I don't get anywhere with the class teacher will ask the head if thats an option.

Will write down the books DD is reading out of school in her reading diary, and see what comes out of parents night..... DD very keen to continue with the books we are reading at home.

Clearly if its a harder book it will not be as fluent. But reading a book where she can recognise every word might mean its fluent reading, buts its boring and not challenging either. Interestingly DD really enjoyed the stage 4 songbird books but now is bored with B,C & K.

I wouldn't tell OFSTED inspectors unless I'd taken it up with head and got nowhere.

write to the school governers and explain the attitued you are being faced with - copy in the head or visa versa if not already written to the head?

as others say, read at home from the library and tick the boxes with the school

I know all most of governors - they are my friends - 2 even have kids in the class. But again I'd have to discuss with the head first.

The problem with the rigid rule of "must read every book in every stage" is what happens to the child who has read every book in the stage and still is not really coping with them.
I volunteer with reading at DS school, and some of the children are desperate to "move up", but even I can see they are just not ready. It's not my decision anyway, though I gently suggest to the teacher sometimes, and usually find they do get moved in the next week or two.

Was told on a literacy INSET this week that children should be reading, at least for guided reading/school reading anyway, books with a 90-095% accuracy. If they are reading 95-100% accuracy they need to be moved up and challenged a bit more.

Obviously there are times when they need to go back a bit - if focusing on key aspects of reading - such as rhyme, expression, speech, punctuaion - but general reading, then the above.

Interesting Hulababy.

I would also just continue with the reading 2 books and do extra books at home which are more challenging.

With the 2 easy books, could you make up comprehension worksheets for her to do? DS1 flew threw 12 levels of ORT last year (didn't have to read every book in the level, but was moved up at his teacher's discretion), and his teacher started giving comprehension sheets for him to do to make the reading more challenging.

Great idea to write down the names of the harder books you are reading with her in the reading book so that the teacher is aware of what and how she is reading.

re: the understanding - her understanding is well beyond the level of the easy books, I ask her questions, and I am not going to do more because she is so bored with these books (not interesting stories) that I do not wish to prolong the task!

re: the fluency, interesting - do you mean they can get 10% wrong or do you mean that they need to decode 10%? In the last few ORT books she's read she has read them 100% correctly but probably has had to decode maybe one word or maybe 2 words per book - as there aren't many words in the books thats probably 5%-10%.

re: punctuation she is very aware of full stops and question marks and we are working on exclamation marks too.

the more bizarre birds and non biff and chip ort are significantly harder and more taxing

same with the non fiction - different kettle of fish

I cannot see why people are so bothered with the reading books - as far as I could see they never read my comments, DS just read all the time anyway. He would take a few minutes to read the reading book then he read something else. Luckily DS finds everything in text interesting (signs, newspapers, pamphlets...), so he was never turned off by the process.

What book they bring home doesn't actually have any impact on whether they can read. Is it just the recognition factor (i.e., the teacher knows my child is a super advanced reader)? Does it impact on their SATs at all? Eventually they worked out DS could read very well, which is what counts.

DD is in Reception - they change the books once a week! However given the lack of any connection between the early ORT book and any phonetic scheme I don't think it would make any difference to her speed of learning.

I think if you have a child that isn't interested in reading then getting extremely dull books from school can be a problem. Ds refused to read for over a term last year and only started again when I went out and bought a series of books I thought he would find interesting. Had I left it to his teacher he would have gone for most of the year refusing to read.

At ds's school they get a new book everyday but that doesn't help if you are stuck with a dull series.

yes but this thread was started by someone whose child is already good at reading. In that case, who cares what level they are at since they are clearly able to read and quite well. Agree that books need to be interesting - DS only really got going on reading once we went to the library and got out lots of fun early readers. If I were the OP I would say, let's read this book for homework - right, finished, very good and move on.

I presume the school will be streaming the literacy groups, which is probably the more important step - does the ORT stage determine which group they are in?

I am not sure about streaming but the teacher did acknowledge she was towards the top end of the class for english, so not worried about that.

Thanks everybody for the responses, I guess we'll just continue with the reading we are doing at home (which she loves) and not get too hung up about the school books - although am hoping teacher will follow through with the one easier and one harder book as noticed that from stage 6 (I think roughly were she should be to ensure 90% fluency) the books are longer so one at a time is probably enough.

MumNW - it means that they can read (without having to sound out) 90-95% of the text, and need help with the rest.

Bear in mind that the harder level ORT books are not designed to be read by younger children. The story content is not always suitable reading material for infant children.

I assume the school doesnt just do ORT, so you need to be looking at breadth of reading - reading lots of different books, different formats, different styles of writing, different vocab, etc.

Other punctuation to concentrate and focus on include speech marks. Oh, and commas. Knowing when to pause for breath, etc. And speach - changing the way she says things depending on who is speaking, chaging the tone depending on if it says "shut" "said" "sang" etc.

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florenceUK - I work in a Y1 class and always read the comments parents make int he reading diary, and will resond accordingly having consulted my own notes/information and that of the class teachers.

Hulababy - I wish you were in our school! DS once brought home the same book for a number of weeks - despite our writing in the reading book a number of times "DS has read this and now reads it very well, can we get a new one." I now try to affect a blase attitude to reading records.

Ah - our parents chose the books for their children. The books are in the classroom n the relevant coloured boxed. The parents and children know what colour to take. Sometimes parents will write messages about havng read all the books available or that they are too easy. So I will investigate and respond, sometimes getting in more books from elsewhere in school, sometimes to tell themt o take additional books from next level up, or to supplement with home books too if they prefer. This doesn't mean the child goes up a level in guided readin at school - that is determined through teacher obs in the classroom. The children are heard read in their groups once a week.

I only check diaries when they are handed in to me in a morning - the child and parent decides when they do this. It is supposed to be after 5 days of reading - they can a stamp then, and I always have a read. If I do a guided read I check the diaries too, as I have them at hand at that time.

Hullaby: DD just read me the 2 books for tonight - they were the sparrows ones from ORT4 she knew every single word, no sounding out at all. When we read at home together I'd saw she knows 80%, 15% she decodes but works out correctly (usually quickly) herself and 5% she needs help with.

I haven't written anything in the diary (other than book finished) as last time I wrote something (ie that the books too easy) I got a stuffy response that they have to read all the books.....

Looks like her school books are definitely too easy and not challenging her at all. I think you need to go in and speak to the teacher. Ask to see the teacher in charge of literacy, ad ask to see thier policy on reading. Find out why he/she feels all books in the scheme must be read, even when obviously at too low a level for a child. If you get nowhere take it to the head, and if necessary the Governors. I thinkt hese silly policies need to be challenged and followed through, else they just stay in place and lots of children suffer from them as a result.

Sounds like her home books are a bit too diffiult for her to be managing alone, so would be at too high a level for her school reading books - but perfectly fine for sharing at home

What ages are your children when you say year 1?

My ds is 5.5 and can read the Biff and chip books - though not sure if it's by memory as they have just done it school that day.

He can read most words - if they spell like they sound - but not fluently and has no real grasp of punctuation.

I'd be astounded if other 5.5 yo's could read Harry Potter fluently. Mine must be really slow.

Your school approach sounds familiar, although not one that would suit us.

My dds primary makes children read at their level which means you can skip books, Book band levels etc.

I personally think that we've skipped a few too many (their reading books are lovely and a good read) but I prefer this approach to the one that insists every book is read.

A school local to us does this and it does sound dismally dull.

TraceyK - I think only a really advanced year 1 child could read Harry Potter. In any case I am not sure the content is suitable, for example I don't think its something I'd read to my year 1 child. My DD, whose reading is above average in the class can read the Mr Men books, and the easiest of the Horrid Henry books (the early readers). However, at home we are currently working on the superphonics books that I bought from the book people.

re: the Biff and Chip books there is a big difference between stage 1+ and stage 9!

Does it say on the Biff and Chip books what stage it is? ds has been reading 4 a week for maybe 2 months - he only started school in Aug this year. So he will be the oldest in his class - but still sounds out the words.

But a vast improvement from a month ago when he would spell out b a t h - is it chicken mummy??? Now he can spell out b a t h - is it bath mummy?? So I can see a very quick improvement - I hope he doesn't get bored with Biff and Chip - though it is dire for me!!

Tracy K: yes says on the front of the book. biff and chip books got up to level 9, there are probably more than 250 of them overall.

www.oup.com/oxed/primary/oxfordreadingtree/chart/

in reception would start on level 1 or 1+. my DD now only sounds out harder words eg in book last night "corkscrew" or "camcorder". When she is reading a "normal" book ie not one aimed at early readers more sounding out to do. so although she can read the mr men with me, she'd probably get stuck on around one work per page hence couldn't really read it by herself.