Reading above grade level. Now what?

[Silvamom]

My soon to be 6 year old (first week of January) can easily read at a 3rd grade level. I suspect she can read at a higher level. 

 

What does your home instruction look like, when your young one is reading so far above their age? The joy of having an early reader has quickly been replaced by the dread of having an early reader. (Not everything my DD can read should be read.) How does one proceed? How do you find great books your young one can read that is age appropriate? Do you teach topics such as main idea, supporting details, main characters, plot, setting, time, theme?

 

We have read aloud to hear above her own reading level, usually the Classic Starts series. I tried reading the original Classics aloud to her, but some passages are not appropriate for very young children, and it was getting difficult to paraphrase on the fly. But, now she can read the Classic Start books on her own. She does not want to, but that is another story. So now what do I read aloud?

[HomeAgain]

You read what they're interested in.  This summer my 7yo requested I read Fahrenheit 451.  I did, and we had great lunch discussions.  Right now it's Understood Betsy - a book on his level that presents ideas about education and life.  We've done the Children's Odyssey, classic children's books...whatever he wanted.

 

Our main literature read every day ties into his language arts curriculum- ELTL.  I don't teach much outside of that just yet, because he's not ready to analyze books.  That's a different skill.  And really, most of the early concepts are easy for kids to grasp: this is a character, this is a setting....it's not worth spending time over that right now.

I have him read to me from an Elson Reader on grade level to help with other aspects of reading: tone, inflection, voices.. It's a 5-10 minute part of his day.

We have a Book Basket a few days a week where I put a mixture in there for him to choose from: well illustrated children's books, poetry, popular chapter books, and books that tie into our science and history.  We each read to ourselves for 30 minutes.

He checks out whatever he likes from the library each week and reads before bedtime.  I don't micromanage that, even if it's a steady stream of Minecraft and Wimpy Kid. 

 

 

[Jackie]

I started this list a few years back: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/77569.Preschoolers_and_Kindergarteners_at_a_4th_5th_Grade_Level

 

I don’t necessarily base my read aloud selections on what DD can read. It would be hopeless; she tested post-high school reading level as a kindergartener. I read books that I want to share with her (old favorites), books I think she might enjoy but wouldn’t pick up on her own, classics that I think everyone should have some knowledge of, books that I think will spark good discussion, and books that I think would be just a little too intense emotionally for her to read on her own.

 

This list is ours from last year, when she was 6 years old: http://everchangingchild.blogspot.com/2016/06/second-grade-literature-list_30.html

 

Edit: I don’t assign any reading to her. The books “for her†on the list above are ones I put in her library basket and suggest she read. She can choose to read them or not. What she chooses to read independently is completely up to her.

Edited October 30, 2017 by Jackie

[Cake and Pi]

I steal books off of Jackie's lists ;)

 

The Mensa k-2 list is pretty good too.

 

Every week we go to the library and everyone picks things that they like from the children's section.  My 5-nearing-6yo is into a mix of picture books that would normally be read aloud to a child his age (and so generally are in the 3rd-6th grade reading level range), graphic novels (esp. Max Axiom science stuff atm), and recently some pretty classic children's novels (just starting the 3rd book in the Narnia Chronicles now).  He also LOVES the Let's-Read-And-Find-Out science series.  Around his age my older two were into the Magic Tree House series, Ninjago books, and the juvenile nonfiction section, especially the fairy tails.

 

I don't worry too much about books containing unsuitable material if they came from the children's section.  DS#3 is not particularly sensitive, and I know from experience that kids tend to set aside books or skim over the parts of books that they don't understand or find uncomfortable.

 

We also listen to a wide array of audio books together in the car and are following a lit-based history curriculum, so we have plenty of opportunities to talk about some of those iffy topics that come up in older children's literature, like racism, sexism, what would now be considered child abuse/neglect, etc.

[Cake and Pi]

Oh, I wanted to add that I get a lot of our read-alouds from the Build Your Library lists, in addition to what we do for BookShark history.  I also just go to the children's audio book section at the library and grab whatever I see that looks or sounds interesting, I liked as a kid, I've heard mentioned favorably online, or whatever.

[Silvamom]

Thank You So MUCH!

 

Jackie, your lists are just what we need right now. I'm adding this to our library list. Thank You.

[JudoMom]

Once mine could read (they were all earlier readers, testing at grade 12+ by age 6 at the latest), I just provided books. I read aloud books that were good stories. I provided books that were good stories. I never worried about reading level.

 

And remember, the books at a higher reading level will always be there, but the window for her to enjoy books like Ramona is small. Just because she can read a book now doesn't mean she shouldn't enjoy stories for younger children. And picture books are great, too.

[SeaConquest]

If you have the funds, I would also suggest enrolling in Athena's lit classes. Several of our kids have taken these classes, and found them to be a good fit for discussing quality lit with other accelerated learners. ETA: Sacha started his first class there when he was 7, and is finishing up the last in their series this Spring. They have follow up lit class at OG3 after you finish the Athena's courses. 

 

I keep an excel file and a Goodreads list of our reading. I add books to the wishlist, as I come across recommendations, and then Goodreads notifies me when something on my wish list goes on sale. I've acquired a pretty extensive digital library this way (we live in small spaces, so cannot have a large physical library)..

Edited October 31, 2017 by SeaConquest

[RenaInTexas]

I lean more heavily on nonfiction books. I have boys, so they didn't mind at all.

 

Also Michael Clay Thompson wrote 3 children's books that are advanced and entertaining, but I am not sure how much they would be enjoyed if you haven't done his curriculum and it is just 3 books.

[4KookieKids]

I lean more heavily on nonfiction books. I have boys, so they didn't mind at all.

 

Also Michael Clay Thompson wrote 3 children's books that are advanced and entertaining, but I am not sure how much they would be enjoyed if you haven't done his curriculum and it is just 3 books.

 

Man, I do love how "safe" nonfiction books are! lol. No gore (in most cases), no bad language, no sexual innuendo that I'm uncomfortable with.

[Jackie]

I lean more heavily on nonfiction books. I have boys, so they didn't mind at all.

 

Also Michael Clay Thompson wrote 3 children's books that are advanced and entertaining, but I am not sure how much they would be enjoyed if you haven't done his curriculum and it is just 3 books.

Not sure what having boys has to do with it. We’ve relied heavily on nonfiction for my girl. It’s probably still 80% of what she reads, and has been for a couple years now. It’s comparitively safe. Fiction is the more difficult part, and what takes a lot of legwork from me.

[Cake and Pi]

I lean more heavily on nonfiction books. I have boys, so they didn't mind at all.

 

 

Not sure what having boys has to do with it. We’ve relied heavily on nonfiction for my girl. It’s probably still 80% of what she reads, and has been for a couple years now. It’s comparitively safe. Fiction is the more difficult part, and what takes a lot of legwork from me.

 

Yes, and I have a boy who would rather clean the toilet than read nonfiction, lol.  Can't even get him into nonfiction extensions of his favorite fantasy topics.  He has zero interest in the real world outside of pretty rocks and talking strangers into buying things.

 

Edited to fix multiquote

Edited November 1, 2017 by Lace

[SKL]

For early elementary I read aloud the Ramona series, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, Mr. Popper's Penguins, and similar.  My kids' aunt read them the Hobbit, the Little House books, some Narnia books, and similar.  My early reader at age 5-6 read thousands of books of her own choosing, from picture books to Harry Potter and an abridged Oliver Twist.  (I don't recommend Oliver Twist for that age, but she chose it and I didn't forbid it.)

 

At that age I was happy my kids liked books at all.  I did not attempt to introduce post-1st grade literature concepts.  We did try to experience some of the books in different ways, e.g. combining the book with a theater or travel experience etc.

[ReadingMama1214]

We really like the Mensa for Kids lists. Although DD started it before K.

 

DD is reading at a similar level as your son. She still enjoys pictures in her chapter book so she’ll tyoically read ones that are a 3rd grade level. But we buddy read a more difficult book regularly and she reads a lot of picture books which tend to be higher.

 

At the library she picks out a ridicukous amount of books and some not so great. I’ll sneak away books that have inappropriate concepts such as crushes and rude language. But she’s given free range on most books in the kids section.

[Momto4inSoCal]

In our house my goal with reading in the younger age is to encourage them to love books and love reading quality books. We haven't put much emphasis on analyzing stories although we have talked about characters, settings etc during writing. I've never been a huge fan of abridged books (like the classic start series). I feel most of the beautiful language and skilled writing is lost in the abridged versions. If you help a child to love good books though when they are ready they will read them on there own. My 6th grader now reads books like Anne of Green Gables, The Odyssey, Treasure Island for fun at night. There are a ton of booklist out there so I've always scoured them and let my kids pick the books. Sometimes I ask them to narrate back to me what they've read. My rules for books were appropriate books and at their reading level or at least close to it.