Threads about reading books for reception DC

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I've seen a couple today and only just realised that I haven't given it a single thought in the eight days that DS has been at (special) school. When DD started seven years ago it was lovely to have the reading contact book and to write little notes in it.

DS has a home / school book which says things like, "he has eaten nothing; please send in whatever he does eat, however bizarre" and, "DS was allowed to paddle in the water but could not resist the temptation to sit down in it"

I do get a weekly timetable / curriculum map and someone always writes comments in his book which is lovely, but I am all of a sudden a bit perturbed by the fact that I hadn't even thought of reading books! He is fairly verbal, can use eight-word sentences and recognises most initial sounds and now I feel strangely guilty that i must be having low-expectations of him...

Sometimes you just don't think about stuff as you're so busy thinking of other stuff.

True. Mainly the fact that he is four and has been getting on a bus at 8:10 and not coming home until 3:40, whereas my niece and other NT children have been phased in gradually and are not doing a full day until next week.

That and the nappies, food issues, swimming on the first day and ringing the school to tell them not to take their eyes off him etc

Cheers MM.

funny that, dh said the exact same thing yesterday about dd3 (5) not brining a reading book home from her ss. Must ask! And yes, have been rather distracted with other stuff.

Ah, but reading books are what you worry about when you've nothing more important to worry about.

I always remember DD's teacher at her first parent's evening looking at me a bit as I completely ignored all the academic stuff and kept asking if she had friends and was she happy at school. After DS, I couldn't care less what colour Oxford Reading tree she was on - because she wasn't coming home and sobbing herself to sleep, lol.

Settling in is way more important.

It's actually really bad practice to send home books straight away in reception.

First of all they should teach the kids to read - then they should send them home books they can read :)

So they start by teaching the sounds of the alphabet (they often start wit S A T P I N), then they teach them to blend so that they can read 3 letter CVC words (sat, pin, nit etc), then they should send them home books which only contain CVC words that they can read.

So I'd be more worried if they were sending home Oxford Reading Tree level 1 full of Floppy, Biff and Chip, then if they weren't being sent home a book.....

'Ah, but reading books are what you worry about when you've nothing more important to worry about.'
Completly agree, DD2 has started reception she is VI, I am more concerned that she is settled and knows where all her hazzards are in the classroom, it's not lower expectations,I will srart to think accademically when I know every thing else is working.

Good point Indigo. I taught DD (eight years ago) using the Jolly Phonics method before school and she came home with ORT books full of tricky "sight" words, hardly anything she could "read through" and was constantly told to "guess" from the context. Completely destroyed her confidence in what she thought she knew. The Clackmannanshire research / Rose report wasn't known to many schools at the time.

I'm glad that phonics first fast and only is the way it's being done now

And you're right, instinctively I must have blocked out everything apart from the fact that DS is happy, coping with the day, the bus, and is enjoying himself because that is what matters. Although I did have a sneaky hope that he would start sleeping better

hi mine has just started school. they send home pic books. they said all they want the children to do is get used to holding the books,turning the pages and describing the pictures. they suggest the parents help the kids to make up a story from the pics to help the kids imagination. pressume books with words are sent once school has started to help them learn to read.

When I worked in a Special School (HFA and AS) there wasn't any homework because it was too much of a struggle for students to differentiate between "school" and "home" and it just became a massive battle.

With smaller class sizes and a higher staff ratio, perhaps they're getting done in school what parents of children in MS are asked to support with at home?