Something to take your mind off the 11plus

[fatbananas]

I know what you mean; it is frustrating. DC spend SO much of their time at school! Have never been entirely sure what 'guided' reading is, but I don't believe it can be better than a 1-1 with you, or you and both your daughters, alternately reading and talking about words/ inference etc etc.

[mystery]

You are right in one sense, but the trouble is they don't play ball with me the way they would with a teacher. With me they just want to read as much as possible and enjoy the story, forget the analysis. I'm sure they'd learn something from discussing a book with even the tiniest amount of substance with some other children and the teacher.

I don't get "guided reading" either though Fatbananas. It seems to mean so many different things to different people.

[suzanne]

Hi Mystery

What sort of thing do you do at home with respect to reading? I am trying to encourage DC3 8 yr old who has just gone into year 4. DC1 reads and reads and I remember having to take books away when friends came round to play! DC3 needs more encouragement. She does read at bed time and we have read books together such as Warhorse and Heidi. If left to her own devices she would either watch TV or read non-fiction or joke books!

Guided reading at school seems to happen quite regularly - on a table basis (6 kids) with the TA. Not sure how much discussion there is about the stories though.

When reading Warhorse with me she preferred to just read the story rather than analysing things. I tried to talk about one thing / character per reading session which was about 20 / 30 mins in the evening.

I remember you recommending tutpup and we are trying to do spellings on that - lickety split level - as that is definitely an area needing improvement!

[mystery]

Hi Suzanne

At home I buy them both books I think they would like, and then they choose what to read next from that big selection. I also try to read out loud to them something I think they are less likely to plough through themselves but will enjoy hearing me read to them both. Like yours they don't really like to discuss the book at home - they just want to listen to it. I also buy books on CD which we listen to in the car (e.g. Naxos Junior Classics - Little Women).

They won't look up new words in a dictionary - it's too much like hard work and they don't seem to use dictionaries at school on a regular basis so there's no habit there.

I'm really pleased they both love reading at the moment and that's why I don't want it spoiling with pointless books from school. The last time the younger one was forced on to the school scheme it wrecked her home reading habit for quite a while. I had a quick word with the teacher today. Got absolutely nowhere. Hopefully DD is old enough now not to be bothered by it and I can sail along like a majestic galleon as recommended by Sally (I'm hoping I'm not that big though). I'm going to be annoyed though if she is in a rubbish guided reading group again though.

[scarlett]

I once knew a lady , who didn't believe that her child wasn't being bullied at playgroup and so it was eventually arranged for her to sit( hidden) behind a curtain to check for herself.Hopefully it wasn't hay fever season

Any little nooks and crannies you could secrete yourself in , Mystery ? Maybe you could take one of those extending arms to offer a more suitable book when no one was looking ?

Have you had a discussion with the teachers yet ? Or are you waiting to see how it pans out ?

Can I go back to my panic thread now.

[mystery]

No don't go back there Scarlett; I have some questions to distract you from the forthcoming unimportant events in the Scarlett household. I have been given an explanation. My daughter does not read with sufficient expression. This leads me to wonder:

- why does she read with expression at home and not at school?
- why did my older child who only reads with expression when the fancy takes her once in a blue moon ever graduate off the school reading scheme?
- why will being prescribed this particularly dull set of books to read help her expression?
- how will being told what my daughter should read at home, and making her read them, improve her expression at school?

[fatbananas]

She reads with expression at home because she's enjoying what she's reading and she doesn't feel self-conscious. I really feel whenever I hear the 'read with expression' phrase.

When are they going to start concentrating on the stuff that counts, like grammar, punctuation, inference, sentence structure, story structure/ essay structure ...

Not enough time is ever spent on these areas in small groups (like the guided reading groups), where DC could grapple with this stuff, rather than whole-class attempts. I really hate whole-class attempts. Good for timestables, rote learning of language; little else.

[fatbananas]

IMHO, of course

[mystery]

It's sorted. This kind of thing usually takes months or years so I've got out the wine glass and am pinching myself at the same time.

[scarlett]

Don't leave us in suspense then ! What's happened ?

I'm going to put DH back on the Biff and Chip books..he never reads with expression when reading to the DC , you know. The words are gabbled , interspersed with gulps of whisky.