Finishing books to fast?

[Momto4inSoCal]

I decided to try lightening literature this year with my 6th grader since she's getting closer to high school and I thought it would be a great intro to analyzing literature. She loves to read though and hates to slowly read the books the way the program intends. She snuck Tom Sawyer in her room and finished it along with finding two other books she was scheduled to read and finished them also. Should I slow her down and have her read the way the program is set up? We tried memoria press a few years ago and had the same problem so I ended up dropping the program and just letting her read. Is there a reason to read books slowly and not just finish it in a few days? I was looking at some other middle school/high school programs and most of them schedule very few books a year so I am guessing to really analyze the book they should only read a chapter or so a day? Maybe I need to hide the books.... I should add I have asked her the comprehension questions and she always understands the books and can answer any questions I ask her about them. 

Edited November 4, 2017 by Momto4inSoCal

[Lori D.]

JMO: At grade 6, there is no need to have to "do formal literature" if your child is loving just reading. Yea for her being a book lover! :)

 

When you are ready for something more formal, perhaps do just 1 book a quarter where you dig deeper together. Fine if she reads and finishes it in advance, but just let her know that this is a book that she will be spending more time on -- that you're going to do more than just read for plot and enjoyment -- so she needs to expect that for THIS book, she'll need to do some re-reading of parts of the book to be able to answer the literature program questions, or for you to discuss together in depth. Let her know that it's not a punishment for being a fast reader, but that she's actually getting a benefit by re-reading sections after the fact, as it means she'll be able to dig deeper as a result of having had a previous exposure.

 

Another idea is to go head and do the Lightning Lit. program unit on Tom Sawyer at the pace that works for her, and have other books of interest for her to read during her reading time. Then when it's time to do the next Lightning Lit. unit, hand her the book, and don't worry how fast or slow she reads it, and just go through the *lesson material* at the different/separate pace needed to absorb the material.

 

In my Lit. & Comp classes, I tell the students it is perfectly fine to read ahead and finish the book in the first week we go over the work -- some books we get excited and just want to know "what happens". Then they can mentally prepare to re-read or skim back over the chapters we are covering to answer the lesson questions and prepare for the in-class discussions -- and "double exposure" (re-reading) usually means they'll have a better grasp on the lit. for discussing. :)

Edited November 5, 2017 by Lori D.

[regentrude]

I have an extremely fast reader. Forcing her to slow down and analyze the books would have been a sure way to kill the joy.

There is no need for "formal" literature studies before high school, and even during high school I would tread lightly. We never used a "program" before my kids started taking college lit classes. Being a voracious reader goes a long way towards developing appreciation and understanding for literature.

 

I would carefully evaluate what skills the program is supposed to teach her and whether she actually needs this instruction.  I would not subject a strong reader to needless busywork just to adhere to a program. For example, if she understands what she reads, I would not make her do comprehension questions - they are a tool to force children to read who otherwise wouldn't. I would simply talk with her about the books.

And I would absolutely not hide books from a child who wants to read.

[Momto4inSoCal]

I have an extremely fast reader. Forcing her to slow down and analyze the books would have been a sure way to kill the joy.

There is no need for "formal" literature studies before high school, and even during high school I would tread lightly. We never used a "program" before my kids started taking college lit classes. Being a voracious reader goes a long way towards developing appreciation and understanding for literature.

 

I would carefully evaluate what skills the program is supposed to teach her and whether she actually needs this instruction.  I would not subject a strong reader to needless busywork just to adhere to a program. For example, if she understands what she reads, I would not make her do comprehension questions - they are a tool to force children to read who otherwise wouldn't. I would simply talk with her about the books.

And I would absolutely not hide books from a child who wants to read.

 

I was joking about hiding the books... But I do think I might just drop the program. It had great reviews but does seem a bit like busy work. She tends to pick good books so I don't really have much need of assigning good books to her. I just need to have them available and she'll read them. I guess what I was wondering more than anything is if there was a reason to slow her down or if going through a book slowly to dissect it would be of any benefit but Lori D's advice seemed to cover that. 

[Lori D.]

I have an extremely fast reader. Forcing her to slow down and analyze the books would have been a sure way to kill the joy.

There is no need for "formal" literature studies before high school, and even during high school I would tread lightly. We never used a "program" before my kids started taking college lit classes. Being a voracious reader goes a long way towards developing appreciation and understanding for literature.

 

I would carefully evaluate what skills the program is supposed to teach her and whether she actually needs this instruction.  I would not subject a strong reader to needless busywork just to adhere to a program. For example, if she understands what she reads, I would not make her do comprehension questions - they are a tool to force children to read who otherwise wouldn't. I would simply talk with her about the books.

And I would absolutely not hide books from a child who wants to read.

 

Totally agree with everything -- and esp. about comprehension questions. No "fill-in-the-blanks" here! The lessons I prepare for my students are *thinking* questions for deeper digging, discussion, and guided analysis.

 

I did find that the work pages of Lightning Lit to be helpful for beginning formal lit. study and for seeing how the literary elements are working -- esp. the last half of the grade 8 program, which uses excerpts of passages to help guide the student into how to begin to analyze works. But not all students need that to help them "dig deeper" and discuss. :) And, we did skip the 2 "busy work" pages in LL of the crossword and word search in each lesson; most of the other work pages in each unit were useful for us.

Edited November 5, 2017 by Lori D.