Parents evening tonight - advice needed how to state/get over my concerns!

[JennyPen]

Hi Ladies,

I have mentioned this on here before, with parents evening tonight i really need some good advice on how to broach reading issues with dd teacher.

So, I have mentioned to dd teacher a couple of times before that i didn't think dd was being challenged enough - or that she was being given enough reading practice - this did not result in any change and she told me that dd was unconfident in her reading group and didn't speak up and thats why she wouldn't be moved out of it.

So, she has been on ort stage 4 for the last month and reads them very easily - she only gets one book a week and what annoys me is the top group as such get 2 books a week(I asked about this and was told they can go at this pace, my dd can't). So she gets one book a week for 2 nights and the other 5 nights a week she reads to me boks that i have to constantly buy now. I have read at home ORT and some rigby star etc. In my opinion(and she's no child genious or anything) she reads FAR better at home than what she's given credit for. A month ago her friend was over and they were swapping their books and reading a page each to each other and she read a stage 5 book with 100%accuracey - she also reads stage4/5/6 at home very well.

I realise this brings up heated discussions - no i'm not desperate to rush her through every level - yes her comprehension is totally fine(just how much discussions can you do about biff and floppy etc - however we scrape out eveything possible in those 2 nights)what i am annoyed about is she is not given credit at school and challenge/moved on. A quiet child surely should be given the same opportunity as a outspoken child to be taught to read????

Sorry for essay - please - how do I reiterate this to teacher tonight being polite - non pushy - however FIRM also in my issues.

Hmm. Sounds a bit difficult if the teacher has already considered the issue and given you her rationale for taking things a bit more slowly and the problem is that you quite simply disagree with that rationale. IME this sort of situation is often almost impossible to resolve as the teacher will feel her assessment is based on sound professional knowledge and you feel that as a mother you know your daughter better. No one likes their credentials as a professional or as a parent seriously questioned so compromise is quite hard to achieve.

I know it's very, very annoying when teachers seem to fail to see your child's potential and progress but in the interests of harmony I would be tempted to take a step back, let the school do things their way at school and read loads of lovely books with your daughter at home. An added advantage of this is that you have a real chance to help your daughter learn to love reading over the long term. Reading schemes are pretty dull, no matter how fast or slow you plough through them. Why not make reading a lovely, cosy, fun thing that you do together? She will love it and come on in leaps and bounds. At parents evenings of the future, when the teacher tells you her reading is off the scale and puts it all down to the reading scheme, you can grin a secret grin to yourself and nod wisely, knowing that she reads well because she loves it and she loves it because you and her are an ace reading team.

Hi JennyPen,

My experience of 2 DCs (one who struggled to read and one who could 'just do it') is that you have virtually zero chance of changing the teachers opinion on this. I advise reading the school book (with good grace) and then getting library books for the rest of the week but do not make a fuss about this to the teacher . I know it is hard to find reading scheme level books at this stage but there should be something suitable.
My DC2 who is in yr 1 and has been able to read anything he wanted from about Easter in yr R onwards sometimes says to me 'just put in my record Great Reading as you know it would be and I'll read my library book instead'. Can't do that as he has to work on his comprehension as although good it is not where his 'technical' reading skill is. Interestingly he has not had a word he hasn't known in his school books for the 12 months but we plod on.

HTH
k.

Thanks for replys.

i definately want to keep things sweet between the teacher and me - i guess we have had a proper chat with her so she may have more reasons or put my mind at rest...i definately will continue to read with her, we only do about 10-15mins a night but i think its important to keep that consistancy and practice up with her.

What i guess i'm anxious about is that the teacher is digging her heels in a bit because she has been challenged about this before. Now, dd is not in a top reading group or anything so its not that i'm asking her to push her past the realms of what she's teaching to them, but that her present reading ability is being overlooked basically. Its not like she's ever assessed dd and had her read a book 2 stages up - she just hears her one a week/once a fortnight read her book and sends her home with great reading/lovely reading written in her report. they are definately far too easy for her and she is not challenged at all, i take on board what you are both saying though and shall just plod on through these scheme books!

I would ask about your daughter's reading ability and say that you think that the books she is bringing home are too easy. if the only problem is that your daughter is quiet 'in the group' this doesn't give any indication of reading skill to the teacher - just that she is a bit shy and not forward. I don't know whether the teacher would consider giving her a book of the level that you say she is reading happily, letting her read some or all of it and then asking questions about the story on an individual basis - this would hopefully show the teacher that she can read well and has good comprehension - its just the speaking in the group that she has problems with.

I wouldn't be buying any reading scheme books for her at home (we've been specifically told not to by the school)- I would be getting library books and other books to interest her. You might be concerned about words she doesn't know - hopefully she'll be able to work them out phoenetically - if not, you're at hand to help. This way there is no chance that she will end up reading the same books that you've got at home next year sometime.

I think the problem sounds like she isn't really suited to group guided reading, which most primary schools seem to do, and would be better with 1:1 reading, as she does with you at home.

Maybe find ways to work on her confidence and once she is more forthcoming within the group sessions the teacher will realise her capabilities. In the meantime I would just foster her love of reasing at home. You know she can do it and is progressing, the teacher will realise eventually...

Maybe she is keeping her in the lower group to try to improve her confidence ie being the best in her group rather than one of many good ones in the next group up? You could maybe ask that she stays in the same reading group, but gets sent home with slightly harder books? My dd does something similar - she reads yellow rigby stars in group reading but brings blue ones home....

Ask the teacher what level your daughter is reading at (not the book level, but the assessment level e.g 1a, 2c etc). Then she can show you what aspects of this level she has met and which she needs to work on to move to the next level. In her defence reading is a much more complicated assessment than it might appear! I speak as parent as well!!
If you go on the Primary Framework website and go into literacy you should find the APP assessment sheets. These break down every level for reading (and other subjects) and then you will have something specific to work on.

You will probably have to ask her to get back to you on the criteria she has assessed your DD to have met as I wouldn't have this to hand for everyone of my children at parents evening as we would never meet the 10 mins meeting per parent deadline!!
Best of luck....
ps.. I would rather have an "over" interested parent than one that can't be bothered any day!

Agree with the others who suggest that perhaps she is trying to boost her confidence in reading out loud. Also,and important to bear in mind, these things are just readers, designed with specific learning goals in mind, so reading other things is essential. I'd go as far as to suggest you get some non-reading scheme books for her to read. Let her plod through the readers, but translate this into books that she LOVES to read. For eg, my DS works at class levels with his readers (they all have the same book, in the same group), they then take home other graded readers to reinforce their skills, and ensure that they are not just memorising their readers, these can be changed as often as they like. The important thing from DS's school is that they should be able to read the books with EASE. i.e it is the teacher's job to teach them to read, the books they come home with should never be a struggle. If they are they need to take a step back. Alongside this DS reads his books at home, and have recently introduced him to books with chapters so he has to remember how the story is progressing. All of this fosters a love of reading quite separate in some ways to the practical skill of learning to read.

In other words, keep to the readers, the important thing is about confidence and not how quickly they get through them. At home put the readers away (when you have read them with DD), and get out favourite stories. She can try to read them (even the tricky stuff), with you to nudge her on the tricky stuff!

Thank you ladies- well parents evening was last night.

Reading - she is aware she is a good reader within her group - i mentioned i didn't think the books were challenging at all, she whizzes through them in 2 mins flat and is done with it(i go over comprehension though in depth with her)

Her reasons for not challenging her or moving her up a group is even though she's aware she will technically manage no problems with reading further on a level she still isn't confident at talking up in the discussion time and the more spoken children in the higher groups will dominate her and may put her back. I take this on board but still, some kids are shy right and don't like talking out in groups - surely they shouldn't be held back though on the technical side of reading though. I smiled politely though and took it on board but told her i felt she still needing more challenging reading material. She knows how i feel at least and said she would monitor the situation.

Still confused to how outspoken kids get to be challenged with reading and quieter ones need to remain in lower groups - still doesn't make sense but I will nuture and home school teach reading as much as I can, visit library weekly etc.

IMO the more outspoken children should be taught that we do not need to hear their opinion all the time - they need to learn that just because someone is quiet or reluctant to speak, that it doesn't necessarily follow that the child can't contribute something valuable. Outspoken chldren need to learn to take turns answering questions and listen to each other.

Still our conversation about moving our child up didn't go much better - apparently she's able but it would make her old group too small

It's good that the teacher is going to 'monitor the situation' but did she also say anything about providing additional books for your DD to bring home so that you can help build her confidence?

My own DD in in Reception and whizzes through the books she brings home so I sometimes pop in and ask if we could borrow a couple of extra ones to bring home. I've never yet encounted a problem with this and don't believe it's just because I also teach at the school! We listen to DD read and often feel the books are 'too easy' but encourage her to choose early readers from the library so she reads those to us too. She also reads from the picture and chapter books we have at home and to be honest I'm relieved that we're not limited to the tedious lives of Boff, Chip and other bizarrely named characters.

As a teacher I have been known to have mixed-level groups based around personalities rather than performance so that I can help the less confident children develop their confidence and help the already confident to take it in turns/listen & respond appropriately to others etc. I don't think reading groups need to be all about levels so if my DD was in a group that I felt was 'lower' than her reading ability suggested she was capable of I would assume she was there for a positive reason.

Perhaps after Easter you could ask to meet with the teacher again and ask how your DD is getting on in her reading group and what strategies she is using to boost her confidence e.g. paired talk, learning partner etc. Also ask if you can borrow some extra books over the holiday or else visit the library and get some of the easy reader books i.e. real stories, much like the old Ladybird books.

I would love to have additional books and have asked before but alas, they only do ORT and she has to do one book a week with the rest of her group and isn't allowed to take more home. We have the library though, our saviour and shall visit this afteroon.

I'm amazed she's not allowed to take home more than 1 book from school! Maybe it's time to say to the teacher that you're going to have a word with the literacy co-ordinator because you feel it's a shame that keen readers are being limited to a single book per week....

It doesn't have to be reading scheme books though, does it? My dd1 is in reception and currently off sick with chicken pox. At the moment she's on the sofa reading "We're going on a bear hunt" to herself. She read Angelina Ballerina to me this morning - surely it's all equally good practice?