Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

Flip

1 2 3 4

Original poster

Oxford Reading Tree and Reception

80 replies

ninani · 20/05/2010 15:49

I was following a discussion on another section of mumsnet where I could not log in. So I am posting this here.

From what I have been reading, it seems that most or many schools teach reading from the Oxford Reading Tree (ORT). Or am I wrong? We were thinking of buying a set for our son -the first 5 levels at a bargain price- before he starts Reception since he has recently started reading. Do you think it's not worth it if they teach the same at school? Should we buy him something else instead? What other book choices are there? I really don't know what the schools teach here, maybe not the ORT. If you think it's ok, do you think we should buy him more than the first 5 levels from this series?

Also how do you know when a child has reached a level? When they can read fluently? Understand all the words?

Thank you in advance! You have all been very helpful here

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

piscesmoon · 21/05/2010 22:30

I agree RollaCoasta-people have the entire library at their disposal-why on earth do they want to buy ORT reading books?! Giving a love of books is much the best thing in the long run-what level they are on at 4/5 yrs isn't of the least importance.

pooka · 21/05/2010 22:41

Oh dear

We have about 10 of the ORT books at home - not bought by us, but passed on by SIL when her boys had finished them. DS1 very keen (because excited at the prospect of going to school in September, and these are "school books").

BUt also keen on reading "his" books, or dd's cast-offs - including The Gruffalo, SHaring a Shell, The Night Pirates and the current fave which is a revolting book about poo and the digestive system with a rubbery sticky tongue on the front.

I don't want to step on the toes of the teachers or to be thought of as a competitive parent. Am not, no way, never.

piscesmoon · 21/05/2010 22:57

They are a waste of money-who would want to read an ORT book more than once? There are lovely children's books that you can read again and again.

wook · 22/05/2010 00:00

I agree with you Piscesmoon In terms of reading again and again, any Shirley Hughes book a winner here, but Out and About Through The Year is our total favourite, plus the Alfie ones. The Cat In The Hat, Beegu, Bear Under The Stairs, Peace At Last, Where The Wild Things Are... So many lovely, lovely books for children. Definitely money better spent than on ORT.
I teach secondary pupils and many can decode but not comprehend what they are reading.

piscesmoon · 22/05/2010 07:34

You get a lot of DCs who can decode, but unless they read for enjoyment they will only pick up a book if they have to. It is far more important to give a love of reading-being on a certain level at 5 yrs is very short lived. By the time they are 8yrs no one will know who was on the higher level at 5yrs-it is meaningless. All the books mentioned by wook are lovely and I remember reading them over and over again to my DCs-you don't get bored with them. A reading scheme is useful because it is graded but keep it for school-the price is worth it to them because many DCs use them over the years-it isn't a one off like at home.

cnaik · 22/05/2010 08:18

Another vote for readingchest. My son's enjoyment in and ability to read has soared since we signed up. It's interesting for me and I imagine useful for him to see books across the schemes.

DreamTeamGirl · 22/05/2010 14:51

But why can that love of reading NOT be part led by ORT

It feels like one of those MN snobbery things against fruit shoots, white bread and reading books.
My DS enjoys reading and he enjoys reading ORT. Therefore he reads ORT becuase he can and I read other things to him and he reads the odd word that he can recognise.
I am sure as hell not going to say 'NO DS you cant read that becuase its not phonetic (or whatever the objections are) and your teachers have it all wrong and by allowing you to I would merely be being competetive and trying to get you to race through levels in order to feel superior...'

Whilst I would not for one second say they are great literature they can be a fun read (for the children- I am amazed by how excited DS gets by some of the story lines) and they serve the purpose of bolstering his ego and helping him to recognise some words giving him the confidence to try and work out other words and realise that he CAN be part of the readers not just the read to
He 'read' most of his Dinosaur Cove book the other night whilst I was on the phone by looking at the pictures and finding a few words he knew and was very proud. I am NOT taking that away because of some weird inverted snobbery

At which point I think this cues me taking a break from MN yet again before I shout at narrow minded self important bigots.

StewieGriffinsMom · 22/05/2010 15:03

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

nighbynight · 22/05/2010 15:32

What makes me a little uneasy is that there is no effort to see which system suits a child better - because overall standards rise with phonics, its assumed blanket that that is the best system for all.
I learned by word recognition, and so did 3 of my children, and I do think that it suits some people better. You can read faster when you read and spell via the shape and chiaroscuro of the word.

Coincidentally, the worst reader amongst my children is ds2, who is also the only one to learn exclusively via phonics.

mrz · 22/05/2010 15:44

By nighbynight Sat 22-May-10 15:32:09
What makes me a little uneasy is that there is no effort to see which system suits a child better - because overall standards rise with phonics, its assumed blanket that that is the best system for all.

Even if a child naturally learns to read by whole word recognition (as did my son) I would try to dissuade any parent from buying ORT and suggest that high quality story books would be a much better purchase.

StewieGriffinsMom · 22/05/2010 15:47

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

nighbynight · 22/05/2010 15:47

Nothing to say about ORT - I have never read it. We are a Peter and Jane family lol.

btw is it really necessary to copy and paste half of my post, especially when it is right next to your post?

nighbynight · 22/05/2010 15:51

oh god, SGM, there was somebody on MN once who was convinced that every word in english could be taught by phonics!
I was forseeing hours of boredom in the classroom.

My son learned in germany. German is more suited to phonics than english, it must be said, but it does seem an awful lot of toil.

mrz · 22/05/2010 15:54

nighbynight I'm sorry posting your quote has offended you but quite often threads can move quickly and there be a number of posts between the original and the response (OK it didn't happen this time) but it makes it difficult for readers to follow the flow. The quote shows what I'm responding to ...

StewieGriffinsMom · 22/05/2010 15:55

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

nighbynight · 22/05/2010 15:56

not offended. But I dont bother to read posts that start with a long quote from another post myself. Its too tedious trying to figure out where the quote ends and the response begins. maybe it is just me, though.

mrz · 22/05/2010 15:57

Actually nightbynight every word in English could be taught using phonics with less effort than learning every word in English by sight.

nighbynight · 22/05/2010 16:03

Agree, mrz, we use Peter and Jane, where you learn the 200(?) most common words by recognition, and then the c books teach the rules, so the phonics comes in there.

mrsgboring · 22/05/2010 22:39

I feel there is a place for reading scheme books if you need a lot of books that are all going to be similar to each other - the same principle as a fiction (or non-fiction come to that) series. DS1 has been started on reading books by his nursery (attached to a primary school), but they don't want him to start on the reading scheme (ORT) yet, so we are left casting round for suitable books. I am a bit at the nursery really, as I would have thought they'd have been better resourced for this than we are, but the things they were finding for him weren't right. We've had a couple of picture books which weren't as simple as they first appeared and so it's handy to fall back on the reliability of a recognised scheme. DS1 feels safe with it too; he's happy to have a go at something he knows is the right level for him.

He is enjoying the Ladybird Read it Yourself books, particularly the non-fiction books. Unfortunately there aren't that many non-fiction ones. Also the Usborne First Readers and Red Nose Readers are going down very well.

kitkat1000 · 20/02/2011 08:14

My daughter is using ort in reception and i have to say i love the scheme. Lots of words need memorising as phonically they don't work - such as 'the' and 'some' where the sound differs. They also allow you to track your child and as they do repeat words my child is encouraged by the confidence she gains from remembering them! My child is in an "outstanding" primary school which uses ORT and scores extremely high levels for reading every year. As a teacher myself, its so important that a child reads at their level at the beginning - reading higher is more likely to discourage.

OffToNarnia · 20/02/2011 08:27

My ds loved ort magic key books. Almost cried when he realised he had read them all. If he could he would always choose an ort book from school box. Now he loves the Tree Top non fiction books though they are slightly doing my head in as he asks awkward sciency questions! With magic key he loved the adventures and the pictures -and believe it or not- was excited by them. Each to their own I say...

sarahfreck · 20/02/2011 14:28

Reading scheme books to get instead that are based on a more phonic approach to reading:
Floppy's Phonics (if you want to tie in with ORT characters)
Songbird phonics(same levelling system as ORT)
Read Write Inc books
Rigby Star Phonics

Lots of parents seem to recommend Reading Chest as a way of borrowing a variety of reading scheme books rather than having to buy them.

IMO you can always just go to the library, get books to share together and ask DC just to decode the words that are suitable for where he/she is up to with phonics (could start with a couple of "in, up, on and" type words per page iyswim.)

princessglitter · 20/02/2011 16:23

I did use the read at home books with my dd and am using them now with the younger dd, but I did also use other books as well with a phonics approach. My dds did seem to like the read at home books and have both picked up reading very quickly and know their phonics too.

notanewmember · 20/02/2011 16:36

ok, as a parent only. A child who know letters/sounds and is just starting to read (realise letters make words) what is easier?
"Ben had a car" or "Dad had a birthday cake (picture of dad, Kipper etc and birthday cake to help child guess).

mrz · 20/02/2011 16:49

Dad had a birthday cake(picture of dad, Kipper etc and birthday cake to help child guess) exactly guessing NOT reading

Flip

1 2 3 4