Guest Posted February 14, 2004 Posted February 14, 2004 i have a mixed early years /reception class and am having alot of hassle over individual reading. my head believes i should be hearing every child read every day. is this general practise . what do others do?
Steve Posted February 14, 2004 Posted February 14, 2004 Hi Jeanney - Just wanted to welcome you to the forum - thanks for your first post! I'm not going to respond to your query, because I'm not qualified to do so. Hopefully Susan, amongst others, will find her way here because I'm sure she will have something to say on this subject! Welcome again! Steve.
AnonyMouse_379 Posted February 14, 2004 Posted February 14, 2004 Hi I teach in a reception class and hear my children read twice a week.... although I have to say its not always me who hears them... parent helpers and my classroom assistant also hear the children read. I try and make sure that I have heard them myself at least 1 in 3 times they read. Hope that helps Lorna
AnonyMouse_73 Posted February 14, 2004 Posted February 14, 2004 Welcome jeannie. I think it depends on your individulal circumstances. I would never dream of hearing readers every day, you would never get anythng else done, and how awful for the children if they dont enjoy it or find it difficult. We tend to group read which takes the focus off individual children, only hearing individuals occasionally. Part of this is because we think it is the best use of the time and part because we have 30 children and only part time support, and no parent helpers. In addition, our children are still at the 'which way up do we hold the book stage so reading every day is a bit of a nonsense. That's not to say we dont have 'ERIC' time as we do, every day in fact, but that is more about sharing how books work and creating an interest than it is about how many words they can read.
Guest Jillbetts Posted February 14, 2004 Posted February 14, 2004 Hi I support in a reception class and I agree twice a week is all you can fit in Jill
Guest cat33 Posted February 15, 2004 Posted February 15, 2004 We group read and then ask parents to help by having a good range of books coded and the children choose a book to take home, changed every morning as they come in. I still feel it is not enough as this stage is crucial in reading but I do not know either how best to fit individual reading in. How about gifted and able? How about children who have no help at home.. Oh dear, just another issue not resolved yet for FS Chris
Guest Posted February 16, 2004 Posted February 16, 2004 Hi I have a reception class of 27. Myself or my CA share guided reading books with each of my groups (5) once a week and then i here the children individually once a week when i change reading books - Ginn 360 and give new words etc. in thier word envelopes - when i have students / parent's in they will here ch. read but only after i have heard their words etc. I wouldn't have time to hear them read every day - IT IS almost impossible i feel. Sarah
Guest Posted February 17, 2004 Posted February 17, 2004 I am so impressed that you can even think about hearing your children read everyday. I teach as part of a team with 2 teachers and 2 nursery nurses with 60 children in 1 room and we hear guided reading every week and individuals on an ad hoc basis. I would love to hear them all every week but find squeezing everything in a nightmare as it is. Home reading is changed twice a week and I have an additional guided reading slot with my extended reading group each week and a parent hears that group read 1-1. I also have a session playing key word games with my lowest attaining group per week. I did hear about 1 school who put 3 classes together at the end of the day and someone read them all a story whilst the other members of staff listened to readers, but to me that seemed to be short changing the 90 children for the last 40 mins of the day when no one is at their best. If you find the answer let me know.
AnonyMouse_79 Posted February 17, 2004 Posted February 17, 2004 Welcome Emily, I see this is your first post. I have been following this with interest as I have just decided that I need to revamp all of my practises in my reception classroom, partly to address individual reading and partly to address the indoor/outdoor balance. We also do not do enough in the K&U field, especially in DT but it just all seems to be such a massive juggle. However, reading being the important skill that it is, I am going to increase the teaching time that I give to it and do some individual reading next half term. I had been concentrating on guided reading for teaching and monitoring reading and teaching book skills through big books etc but have just bought some new individual readers, "Rigby Rockets" and am going to use them in a more purposeful way. I hope!!! Will let you know how I get on. Susan
Guest Posted February 17, 2004 Posted February 17, 2004 Do you know what's really great about reading the posts in this place - people recognise & are happy to admit that sometimes they may need to change things, or that it's OK to do things in different ways! Thank god!!!!!! I'm sure tha't why I always come home & have a look at what people have been saying - it get's me enthusiastic enough about the whole thing to go away & think about tomorrow. Sorry if this is just a silly message, I know it's all been said already, but I was just suddenly full of the feeling & had to write it! Love Dianne xxx
Helen Posted February 17, 2004 Posted February 17, 2004 Thanks so much Dianne for making that post It was exactly the reason we set up this forum We have so much to share with others and also so much to learn!
Guest Posted February 17, 2004 Posted February 17, 2004 thanx for all the supportive suggestions. hope i havent made anyone feel guilty, that wasnt my intention. i managed to get time to talk to the head today and negotiated twicw a week + guided reading and a promise that we will do more if we can.
AnonyMouse_79 Posted February 17, 2004 Posted February 17, 2004 Having a sounding board is so useful, Diane & very, very necessary in the changing world in which we work. I certainly value the the more widespread community that is here and from which we can all gain. its been my life line more than once in recent months! Susan
AnonyMouse_1195 Posted February 20, 2004 Posted February 20, 2004 Between my teaching assistant and myself we hear children read three times each week. How we hear them depends on what they need. With some it may be talking about a book they have chosen and with those who are beginning to recognise words it will be from our scheme. We begin with Storyworlds which shares reading between the adult and the child. We read in book bands rather than sticking to one scheme. If you really think about it your children are reading every day. There are the books you share either the big book or your storytime book. you will be talking together about these. Learning about authors, illustrators, sequencing the story, talking about what has happened may happen etc. This is all part of leaning to read isn't it ? They will be 'reading' in their play - labels etc. I'm sure you get the gist. Reading is going on all the time and for children to understand what they are doing and it needs to be set in context. hope this helps.
AnonyMouse_79 Posted February 20, 2004 Posted February 20, 2004 Well said JacquieL. You're not being bogged down from top down pressures and can still see the wood from the trees!!! Susan
Guest Posted April 17, 2004 Posted April 17, 2004 Hello I teach Reception - 22 summer borns in my class, one LSA. I do guided reading once a week when all my children go full time in summer term. Parent helpers and LSA do individual reading, and i fit individual reading in very rarely. Shame, but just don't have enough time. Take care Hum
AnonyMouse_2776 Posted May 1, 2004 Posted May 1, 2004 (edited) Well, I have 14 children in an International School. Only 2 are native English speakers, another has very good English, others do well and most have just started to learn it this year or last term when some new ones came to the group. I try to hear them individually at least once a week, taking 3/day. Sometimes that is not possible and it then takes 1½ week. We use the Oxford Reading Tree, although I find there are some gaps and Ginn was filling these, but now our school only wants to use Oxford, so we can't use Ginn anymore. This I do during D.E.A.R. Time (Drop Everything And Read). Sometimes it can take 20 minutes. While I am with a child doing individual reading, the rest read their favourite books from the ones we have in the Reading Corner. They can do so individually, by pairs or in small groups. I have a part-time TA (she used to be a teacher) and she stays with the larger group so there is more 'silence'. She models reading to them, doing so with the books the children ask her to read to them. Happy to be here, SmileyPR Oh, yes... I forgot to say that I was planning to work in small groups... depending on which books they now. I tried with 2 children, but one of them was quite dependent to the answers of the other. The second time I asked him first. Let's see how it keeps on. I don't use the Oxford Reading Tree completely as a Literacy Program. I find it narrows the possibilites of working around Themes/Topics and also with a more wide spectrum of literacy books. I also reviewed the support materials for teachers and there is no mention of the FS. Their material was published in 1999 and has not been updated to cover the ELG of the FS. Even lots of their books don't appear in the teaching guides or fotocopiable sheets for the pupils. The children do love the serie. Have any of you had any experience with it? What do you feel about it? Edited May 1, 2004 by SmileyPR
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