AnonyMouse_48226 Posted April 26, 2014 Posted April 26, 2014 I have twins (one boy & one girl) just started with me who turned 3 in January. They are both able to read (girl better than the boy) and I would like some advice on how to keep their interest and help them in some way. Mum has already asked what reading books we have - we have the oxford reading tree story and phonic books but none of us are trained in 'teaching' reading. I went to a phonics lesson at the local school but it was done so quick I don't think I could remember all of it and as a Pre-school we are unable to afford buying into the scheme they use. I do have the letters and sounds book which bases the teaching on listening games etc. How do we as a pre-school stand when children are able to read?
AnonyMouse_3307 Posted April 26, 2014 Posted April 26, 2014 How do we as a pre-school stand when children are able to read? You have to identify their skill set and plan to teach them what they need to develop those skills! Could you get a teacher from the local school to give any support/guidance? Maybe assess them? when you say read are they decoding text? Understanding what they have read? Using strategies to decode unknown words? Cx
Guest Posted April 26, 2014 Posted April 26, 2014 I have a little boy in nursery who is 46 months old and this past term he has begun blending and segmenting words!! I spoke to the reception teacher next door (I am in a nursery attached to school but it is no longer maintained) as I have very little experience with someone this advanced! We have been using the phonics games on the iPad, alphabats etc but after a chat with the reception teacher I have begun sending him home with the Biff Chip and kipper phonics books from the oxford reading tree scheme I think. We had done a lot of words work but felt he needed to use the reading skills he has in a way that he could see the context. He has been whipping through the books!! He has been very excited. Whilst I am trying hard to build and expand his skills (he is due in school in September) he needs lots of support with social skills so I am trying to move him on but not to the exclusion of his other areas of learning!
AnonyMouse_30128 Posted April 26, 2014 Posted April 26, 2014 the book people often have sets of 'reading' books at a very reasonable price if you wanted to purchase some
AnonyMouse_48226 Posted April 27, 2014 Author Posted April 27, 2014 They have only been with me for 3 days and one of those days was spent out of the setting so have not properly observed what they are doing. Mum has been very insistent from the first day that I provide reading books for them to take home and to make sure that they have plenty of opportunities during the day to read!! I have explained that I will not be making them sit down to read if they don't want to. We will start our observations this week to see what exactly they are doing. I will be asking the reception teacher to come and visit and offer any support and will take it from there. One of my members of staff is adamant that we don't teach reading as we are not qualified and don't want to get it wrong but I don't want to ignore any child who is able but am unsure of how to do it. (If that makes sense). We will also be observing the children against all the other criteria to ensure that they are not lacking in any other aspect as from what I have gleaned from various sites is that these children who can read can be lacking in social skills.
AnonyMouse_3307 Posted April 27, 2014 Posted April 27, 2014 One of my members of staff is adamant that we don't teach reading as we are not qualified and don't want to get it wrong but I don't want to ignore any child who is able but am unsure of how to do it. (If that makes sense). Hi, that makes perfect sense. I'm afraid the staff members attitude is a bit saddening - it is the responsibility of anyone who has a child in their setting to meet their unique needs. This might be a good opportunity for them to extend their skills and learn how to teach children reading skills! Whatever our qualifications we are all tasked with delivering the statutory framework for the EYFS! Just because a child is talented in a particular aspect of the curriculum doesn't mean we can ignore it, they have a special need just as a child with language delay for example would. Is their attitude going to get in the way of what you want to do? Do you have any development worker/LA advisory team? They would also be a good place to start with. Cx 1
AnonyMouse_30128 Posted April 27, 2014 Posted April 27, 2014 This might be a good opportunity for them to extend their skills and learn how to teach children reading skills! Cx Catma do you have materials you could recommend to help with this ...as most of us have very little input from our lea's it might be useful to have something to refer to?
AnonyMouse_32261 Posted April 27, 2014 Posted April 27, 2014 This is a tricky one as as Early Years Practitioners working within the EYFS we should be developing each child's individual needs. I would however point out to the parent that our role in the EYFS is to ensure that a child develops in all areas of the curriculum and it's not the norm to push children into reading so early. If they really are reading then we need to ensure we maintain this interest and have plenty of resources to support this within the setting such as simple books with simple words but we must not lose sight of the fact that these children are 3 and need to play!
AnonyMouse_3307 Posted April 27, 2014 Posted April 27, 2014 Catma do you have materials you could recommend to help with this ...as most of us have very little input from our lea's it might be useful to have something to refer to? Hmmm - I suppose I was taught how to teach reading when I trained as a teacher so it's something I've done for years without thinking!! The key texts I used then are probably quite old now but Don Holdaway's "the foundations of literacy" was a big influence! It would depend on a child's skill set really as "reading" obviously means different things at different stages of reading development. However as the statutory curriculum says:"Literacy development involves encouraging children to link sounds and letters and to begin to read and write. Children must be given access to a wide range of reading materials (books, poems, and other written materials) to ignite their interest." The provision of a literate environment and adults modelling the use of reading is key. I have to say some of the settings I've been in recently have had a real paucity of quality books and certainly wouldn't be igniting an interest The letters and sounds packs do provide a good programme for teaching the phonics parts of reading skills in an interactive way both at phase 1 and further. Aural and oral blending and segmenting is really a key skill for future success. Typically when children can actually decode you need texts with a 90% difficulty rating so they can be challenged but still develop fluency. The book bands book can give a lot of guidance on this side of reading. Children leaving reception would typically be expected at the yellow band stage which matches the skill set of phase 3 secure. Small group shared reading with big books is a good strategy which develops opportunities for dialogue about what is being read - this develops comprehension skills. http://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/welcome/for-home/reading-owl/at-school - I did a quick google search and this looked very up to date for general info. Cx
AnonyMouse_30128 Posted April 28, 2014 Posted April 28, 2014 Thanks catma ...this is one of those areas that i think early years are poorly supported with, We used to have a support teacher to help with this sort of issue but that position now of course does not exist! If only the skill set that exists in pre-schools and schools could be shared we would have a fantastic service!
AnonyMouse_9650 Posted April 28, 2014 Posted April 28, 2014 We have a young man at the moment who is reading. As well as books he enjoys comics and uses the letter tiles to make words. He is also mathematically gifted adding on and taking away, recognising four digit numbers etc. His keyperson was trying to gain an understanding of his knowledge of 3D shape names the other day and twigged that he was reading the shape names off of one of our boards so for some things we are now covering up the text to determine knowledge and understanding rather than his ability to read the labels - certainly keeps you on your toes! 1
AnonyMouse_48226 Posted April 28, 2014 Author Posted April 28, 2014 Hi, thanks for your replies. I have spoken to our reception teacher and she is coming round tomorrow to do a 'sounds test' which will enable her to see where they are and how we can help them/keep them interested. We will be able to borrow their resources as well. 3
AnonyMouse_19762 Posted April 28, 2014 Posted April 28, 2014 Hi, thanks for your replies. I have spoken to our reception teacher and she is coming round tomorrow to do a 'sounds test' which will enable her to see where they are and how we can help them/keep them interested. We will be able to borrow their resources as well. How brilliant - don't forget to note that in your SEF :rolleyes: 1
AnonyMouse_48226 Posted May 8, 2014 Author Posted May 8, 2014 Quick update - children have been with us two weeks ish and have not been anywhere near a book in the setting. The reception teacher came and didn't do a 'sounds' test but left me with some details to assess them ourselves. Mum had complained to other parents within the first week that the only feedback she had got was, in her words, not good enough so a meeting was arranged around about the 6 day mark. What little I could tell her focussed on the fact that the children were only just feeling settled enough to talk to the other children as they had not said a word to them previously. This is why no starting points had been done which she said was not good enough :mellow: I have subsequently spoken to other settings who say they wait at least 3 weeks before doing anything (it's so nice to speak to other settings to confirm that what you do is right :1b ). She had received feedback at the end of every session but obviously not up to her standards. It transpires she is a secondary school teacher (oh help) and the other parents think she is the best thing since sliced bread..... I do think I am going to have my work cut out with these two for the next year.
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