English comprehension - is it really that hard?
Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 10:42 am
DS in year 5 attends very "normal" state primary. We are contemplating him sitting for Sutton grammar next year, so have started looking at some English comprehensions. Now, before anyone jumps up and down and tells me that a bright child shouldn't need tutoring to pass these exams, the school recently told year 5 parents that they don't have time to do many comprehensions during school hours and so will be sending some home for homework. During the whole of last half term, he has had only one comprehension:shock: If we don't do it with him, no-one will......
Anyway, back to my point. I think my DS is reasonably bright - not a genius but above average. Currently working at good level 4s at the start of year 5. We make sure he reads a variety of books (e.g. all Harry Potter series, Tom's Midnight Garden, lots of Michael Morpurgo and currently wading through A Christmas Carol - tough going!!). He reads with one of us as well as on his own and I certainly do all the usual like asking him why things have happened in a book and what he thinks the characters might be feeling etc etc. The problem is, some of the practice comprehensions we've looked at are incredibly difficult - well I think they are anyway! For example in one of the Schofield & Sims Comprehension (Bk 3) you had to explain why something could be considered "crass" and also explain what a motivational speaker was. Now this was completely over the head of my DS. It may have been possible to eek out some sort of answer from the context in relation to the "crass" question but if you didn't know what "motivational" meant before you read the extract, there was no way you could guess from the text.
I appreciate DS is only 9 and still has a year to go, but if the actual 11+ comprehensions are that tough, well, I'm starting to wonder whether it's even worth trying We're looking at a couple of indies as well, and their sample papers seem even harder!
Has/Is anyone else experiencing this? I think I'm just looking for reasurrance but any confidence boosting tips gratefully received as well
Anyway, back to my point. I think my DS is reasonably bright - not a genius but above average. Currently working at good level 4s at the start of year 5. We make sure he reads a variety of books (e.g. all Harry Potter series, Tom's Midnight Garden, lots of Michael Morpurgo and currently wading through A Christmas Carol - tough going!!). He reads with one of us as well as on his own and I certainly do all the usual like asking him why things have happened in a book and what he thinks the characters might be feeling etc etc. The problem is, some of the practice comprehensions we've looked at are incredibly difficult - well I think they are anyway! For example in one of the Schofield & Sims Comprehension (Bk 3) you had to explain why something could be considered "crass" and also explain what a motivational speaker was. Now this was completely over the head of my DS. It may have been possible to eek out some sort of answer from the context in relation to the "crass" question but if you didn't know what "motivational" meant before you read the extract, there was no way you could guess from the text.
I appreciate DS is only 9 and still has a year to go, but if the actual 11+ comprehensions are that tough, well, I'm starting to wonder whether it's even worth trying We're looking at a couple of indies as well, and their sample papers seem even harder!
Has/Is anyone else experiencing this? I think I'm just looking for reasurrance but any confidence boosting tips gratefully received as well