BJU Readng Advice Please

[BlueGator]

Hi,

 

I'm looking for Moms who have used BJU Reading with a gifted reader.

 

This spring my 3rd grade DS tested high 11th grade to low 12th grade in reading comprehension and vocabulary.

 

I'm thinking of skipping 4th grade Reading and going to 5th grade reading. I don't want to frustrate him but I would like him to work a little harder.

 

I always suppliment his reading now and am considering ToG Year 4 for next year.

[Reya]

Why are you using a reader at all? Why not give him real books instead?

[Anne/Ankara]

I like Reya's advice about transitioning to real books at that age/ability, since obviously the simple act of decoding seems well understood. But if you, as I did, want to "make sure" that your kid's reading comprehension is indeed developing appropriately, you could use the McCall-Crabbs Test Lessons in Reading, which is a great series of brief reading passages, with 10 questions, which the student has 3 minutes to read and answer. The answer key gives an approximate reading level for each exercise.

 

You can buy it from Rainbow Resources at http://www.rainbowresource.com/product/McCall-Crabbs+A-E/009101/1213302989-1606249

 

It was definitely a fun resource for my kids at that age, and they did all the books (A to F, or whatever it was).

[LinRTX]

My youngest is also a very good reader. What I do is novel studies. I find that I can challenge her more if I do a novel and talk about the characterization, the setting, the plot, the antagonist, and the protagonist. Have you ever read the book "Deconstructing Penguins"?

 

At the same time I was going to stop her BJU reading because it really is beneath her level, but she begged for it. I do it a year ahead without the workbooks because they are really beneath her level. But we do it very fast, like an entire story or two a day (we do not break up the stories into several lessons). I actually would just stop this and just do novels, but she likes it so very much. So we read and talk about the stories, pointing out any literary items I want her to know (like foreshadowing) that she may not have been introduced to before. This is an easy way to introduce something that might be harder to explain in a longer novel.

 

I really just let her lead the way.

 

Hope this helps.

Linda

[BlueGator]

I actually would just stop this and just do novels, but she likes it so very much.

 

We are doing Hobbit right now. I read it in HS, (High School) and remember very little. I bought a teacher's guide on enotes.com for the Hobbit. He was frustrated with the early chapters because the language is so much more complex, although ds aces the quizzes and vocabulary.

 

I have a hard time staying a head of him.

 

I've been told by everyone not to rush him or push him too hard.

 

We were doing 4-6 chapters of BJU each school day.

 

It is difficult to find books that don't introduce emotionally complex issues. I looked a Son Light. He hated the emotional books. He has read all the chapter detective series at the libraries we go to.

 

I'm trying to introduce him to historical fiction slowly. Once he finds something he likes he is unstoppable.

[Reya]

Goodness! You don't have to keep up with him. Have him do just a few books for school--most for fun reading. Don't try to slow him down--this is independent work, which is WONDERFUL!

 

There are enormous numbers of non-trauma books. Swiss Family Robinson. Alice in Wonderland. Robert Louis Stevenson. Tom Sawyer. The Odyssey. Just TONS! Pick a few good ones for school--no more than a novel a week. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT make him take quizzes over the chapters or any of that public school nonsense that makes kids hate reading. Instead, discuss the book informally daily and have him write a single sort paper at the end--or do a related project. I'd stay at an 8th grade level at this point if The Hobbit frustrated him at first, though--that's about where it is.

 

The reader is just busy work for him now. Unless he loves it, ditch it.

[LinRTX]

I agree that it is very difficult to find books that challenge but are not emotionally too much. My little one likes to re-read quite a bit so that solves the problem some. She also likes to read quite a bit of non-fiction and biographies, so that helps some.

 

One thing I have done that she thoroughly enjoys and to have her journal the book. After each chapter, I have her write about her favorite part of the chapter. Some days I get quite a long paper and other days I get only a few sentences. But she loves to write and this lets me see where I can work on writing skills also.

 

I actually wish I could discuss more with this child; she has great insights and will discuss for hours, but she is my youngest by far and the others are needing me for high school work. Right now getting ready for college with my older ones is taking up so much of my time that I just find books that I think she will enjoy and hand them to her. Then she follows me to the garden to talk about them.

[summer]

Their reading program does have critical thinking in it. However, if he is scoring so high on the ITBS, he may very well already know all that is being taught, I am not sure. If you want to do a reading program though, BJU is excellent with critical thinking and I agree with skipping ahead on grade levels.

[PeterPan]

I just got the BJU5 reading to use with my dd this fall. It doesn't has a particle of value to me as a way to up her reading level (she tests like your ds, lol), but I wanted it for the discussions, viewpoint, and introduction of some terminology I haven't gotten to. I don't see the point of just reading the selections; you need to actually do the discussions in the tm and do the workbook. But like I said, it's not exactly hard or challenging. She's reading Swiss Family Robinson right now and enjoying it and I've lined up some more challenging selections for her for history for fall. To remove the emotional issue, you may need to up the level of the non-fiction reading you provide for him and let the level stay lower on his fiction reading. There's no crime there. Has he read Landmark History of the US by Boorstin? Has he read the Guerber books? Go through the VP catalog and find upper level, longer historical fiction books to provide him. I also use the TQ guides. So her history reading is up there on the reading level, but her everyday fiction is across the board, often lower. I don't think it matters.

 

The BJU 5 deals with some issues in the reading selections that I wanted her to talk about, things that are common feelings and experiences for kids her age. That's actually the main reason I'm doing it, honestly. We've done the VP lit guides, and straight comprehension doesn't seem to be a need for her. But maturity, talking about things, THAT is an issue. So if your ONLY reason for considering the BJU reading is because you feel compelled to have reading as a subject on a list, I wouldn't bother. I'm doing it because I wanted specifically what it does, kwim? I'm pushing almost everything else independent for fall and I wanted that level of interaction it provides.

 

BTW, did you see the links I posted to 4th grade book projects? http://www2.redmond.k12.or.us/mccall/renz/ Check these out. I printed out a bunch of them and plan to have her do one a month. I think that would be plenty adequate for "reading"... Beyond that, just let him read! :)

[BlueGator]

 

• I wanted it for the discussions, viewpoint, and introduction of some terminology I haven't gotten to.

• The BJU 5 deals with some issues in the reading selections that I wanted her to talk about, things that are common feelings and experiences for kids her age.

 

 

1. Has he read Landmark History of the US by Boorstin? Has he read the Guerber books?

2. Go through the VP catalog and find upper level, longer historical fiction books to provide him.

3. I also use the TQ guides.

 

http://www2.redmond.k12.or.us/mccall/renz/ Check these out. I printed

 

:)

 

The things items that I bulleted are the reasons I like BJU. You expressed it clearly! I like the Teacher Manual because it suggests so many different type of questions, inferred, ....

 

We just finished reading George Washington, a Heroes of History book. He really like it. DS is not wild about Hobbit, even though I started to read it to him half way through. I tried Swiss Family Robinson a few months ago. It takes more effort to read and he gets mad if he reads it for very long.

 

I think it is comparing a sprinter and a marathon runner. I would like to build his endurance and tenacity.

 

The items that I numbered, I don't know what they are. Could you elaborate please!

 

I'll check out your link.

[PeterPan]

Sorry for all the abbreviations, didn't notice you're a bit new! :)

 

VP=Veritas Press. They have a fabulous catalog and list books, comprehension guides, etc. by grade level. They list the Hobbit as advanced 4th and Swiss Family Robinson as average 5th. Honestly, I would put those books aside and instead get books from their 3rd and easy (1) 4th grade lists. When he can read those through, have harder books around and let him take them up as he feels comfortable. I just wouldn't push him into harder books, kwim? Just have them around and when he's ready, he'll read them. At least that's what I do with my dd. Results on a test don't equal what they do in real life. See if he takes a standardized test and it comes out saying 12th grade level for reading, what it really means is that he read and comprehended the passage on that test, a passage that could have been written at say a 6th grade level, as well as an average 12th grader would have. It DOESN'T mean you have to hand him 12th grade books, hehe!

 

TQ=TruthQuest history, a set of guides to help you chose literature for fiction.

 

Guerber, well just google this. NothingNewPress has reprinted a whole bunch of books by Guerber. They're on the upper end of what an advanced 4th grader might read. My dd has begged to read her american history ones for next year, but I'm scheduling them in with OPTIONAL beside the assignment. They're really at the upper end. It sounds like it's not what he needs right now. Instead, for him, if you want american history, I'd look for the Landmark series. That's different from the single book Landmark History of the American People by Boorstin that Sonlight cores 3 and 4 use. What I'm talking about is a series of books (you can find them on ebay and some reprints) published as the Landmarks series. They go through all kinds of history and are very engaging. They'd be right on his level and enjoyable. Also look for the We Were There series. You might even check out the COFA's (Childhood of Famous Americans). They're a bit lower reading level but still quite worthwhile. My dd enjoys them a LOT.

 

Don't feel like you have to push everything into the upper end of his reading level just based on some test. I'd make a lot of books at a lot of levels available to him and let him move forward at his own pace. The COFA's are about a 3rd grade reading level, and my dd will jump between those and something more sophisticated like Swiss Family Robinson quite readily. It's interest that drives it. It's ok to let them read "lower" stuff. I think it's more important to read, read, read, than it is to push up the reading level, kwim? That will come with time and comfort.

 

On the BJU reading, the one thing I'd caution you about is timing and maturity. I don't know your ds, only my dd. When I said they're issues kids face her age, I'm saying they are issues that I think SHE feels pretty keenly and is aware of. I don't know about every kid. BJU seems to be right on with the way they nail maturity, so I'd be cautious to make sure the issues they tackle are actually things that fit him. Nothing worse than getting a blank stare from a kid who doesn't see it or with whom it's not clicking, kwim? Basic comprehension isn't the same as emotionally being ready to think through those issues. Just something to consider. In the mean time, you might like to do some basic guides like the ones from VP. I'd look at the 4th grade lit selections in their catalog and see where that gets you. He might like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (marked level 1 for easy 4th, but a nice change of pace after being swamped by the Hobbit) and the guide. Dangerous Journey would spark some good talks for you. He might do better with Robbin Hood and the lit guide for it than he's doing with The Hobbit.

 

VP also sells a lot of other good stuff. Besides literature categorized by grade recommendation, they also have history, historical fiction, art, math as lit, etc. They have some Shakespeare comic books that are tons of fun and would be a pleasant challenge for him. Again, none of this stuff do I push. I just put a whole bunch of books at a variety of levels into a pile and offer them to her. She usually takes a bit of each, some easy and some hard. Ooo, I'm looking at the history recommendations for the 2nd half of american history (which they cover in 6th grade), and there are some really good books in there for a boy! Just check it out and see.