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184 Palace Road,
SMETHWICK,
B99 4MB.
26 / 06 / ..
(Ver respuesta abajo...)
ATN. Mr J Derrick
Saint Elizabeth of Hungary School
Great Sedwitch Street
Birmingham
Dear Sir
I am writing to express my concern over the introduction of spelling tests in the reception class. My objections are due to the following reasons:
1) The choice of words to be tested. The words which we as parents were given to practise with our children at home were 'is', 'on', 'and' and 'to'. For a child of 4 or 5 these words carry very little meaning. In their utterances, as in ours, they are far more likely to be used in their contracted or weak forms, 'is' becoming 's, 'to' becoming 't*' and 'and' becoming '*n'. For this reason, and also because it is impossible to demonstrate the meaning of these words out of context, I feel it would be far more appropriate to use more meaning-rich words such as 'dog' and 'run' etc..
I understand that the words were chosen due to their high frequency in text. However, research has shown that these words are often acquired naturally anyway, precisely because of their frequency.
2) No emphasis is given to the meaning of the word. In the suggested methods to practise the words at home, there is no focus on what the words actually mean. Surely meaning is crucial to the reading experience. If children do not know the meaning of the word they are writing, then all we are teaching is parrot-like memorisation.
3) Testing does not encourage reading for pleasure. It may even have the opposite effect. When Andre started in the reception class he had a deep interest in stories and books. He still has this, but does feel stressed by the thought of having to know certain words by a certain date. I can appreciate that Andre is perhaps more fortunate than many in the amount of access he has to literature, and know that he will learn to read and enjoy reading, irrespective of what happens at school. For others, whose only engagement with reading may be at school, it is even more important not to put them off by giving them the taste of failure, which testing, no matter how informal it is. does give.
4) It does not comply with the national curriculum. The national curriculum states that children should be able to recognise certain words by the end of the reception class. It does not say that they should be given tests which ask them to produce these words.
I have been informed that Andre has be en excused from these tests following my initial discussion with Miss Bloomer. This solution is not entirely satisfactory in my opinion, as obviously Andre is going to ask why he is doing something different from everybody else. I should also like to know how other parents have reacted to the tests. I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours faithfully
Nick Wilson
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(la respuesta)
Saint Elizabeth of Hungary School
Great Sedwitch Street
Birmingham
Telephone: 0121 922 1234
Fax: 0121 -622 61123
Thursday, July 20, 20..
Dear Mr Bilbrough
Having given much consideration to your letter I fail to understand your concern about the words which Reception pupils have been given to practise and become familiar with at home during this final term before they transfer to year 1.
The purpose of learning these high-frequency words is not only to assist with reading but also to encourage and facilitate independent writing. Parts of speech such as prepositions and conjunctions have limited meaning in isolation but are extremely important in spoken and written language. Should a child experience difficulty in comprehending such words during the learning process I would expect any adult to demonstrate their use by putting them into context as in 'Give it to me please', 'Put your book on the table', 'Take a cup and saucer'.
There will always be a difference between pupils' informal spoken language and their written English based on purpose and audience and as teachers we encourage and expect our pupils to observe this distinction in their written tasks. 'Fish 'n' Chips' might be acceptable to say but it is certainly not appropriate in written form.
In less than two years the current Reception children will, by law, have to undergo national tests in reading, spelling and writing, Mathematics and Science. I applaud Miss Farren for introducing her class to little learning assignments and tests which will be gradually extended next year. The teaching methodology at Saint Elizabeth's creates a learning environment of positive encouragement, praise and affirmation rather than apportionment of blame or feelings of failure or stress. The short tests given to children serve to recognise and acknowledge the success they have achieved and inform the teacher when words need to be repeated or incorporated into future planning to accelerate learning.
Other parents have been asking for homework during the previous term and the feedback to Miss Farren has been extremely positive and appreciative.
I have been very impressed by Miss Farren's lesson planning, curriculum delivery and her assessment of the pupil's knowledge, abilities and needs. The children in her care have been fortunate to have had such a hard working, committed and talented class teacher.
I have discussed your letter with Miss Bloomer who is in full agreement with the strategies employed by Miss Farren to encourage independence in reading and writing.
Yours sincerely
J. Derrick (Headteacher