Can your rising 1st grader read?

[Brindee]

Mine were all different: My oldest read fluently by age 5. He loved the book "Go Dog, Go!" the best, I think. My 2nd could care less about talking until he was about 3, then he talked in sentences almost constantly! :) He could've cared less about reading too. He was 7 when the light suddenly went on, and within a few months he was reading daddy baseball statistics from the newspaper, and chapter books. DD, my youngest, was 6 when it clicked. We had 45 minutes to 1 hour of reading time after lunch when they were younger, and they loved it! The younger two are still voracious readers!

[LizzyBee]

My oldest had 3rd grade word attack skills when she started kindergarten.

 

My 2nd could read very simple leveled readers by the end of kindergarten. Her phonemic awareness was weak, so we did phonics pathways during 1st and 2nd grade. She didn't start reading chapter books until 4th or 5th grade. I worried some about her reading, but now she reads constantly.

 

My youngest is a rising 3rd grader and just finishing up Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. She still struggles to remember vowel sounds, so she is not really fluent even with CVC words. She has great comprehension, just can't read on her own.

[Mama Lynx]

I don't have a current rising first grader, but of my four so far:

 

DS #1 Learned to read in 1st grade - could not be considered a "reader" until close to 8. Did not read chapter books until 3rd grade. Maybe even 4th - it's hard to remember.

 

DS #2 Could read @ on a 2nd grade level when he was a rising 1st. By the end of 1st he was reading chapter books.

 

DS #3 Could not read at all as a rising 1st. He is now a rising 3rd, and probably reads at close to a 2nd grade level.

 

DS #4 Could read on a 2nd grade level when he entered 1st grade. Now, as a rising 2nd, he reads on at least a 3rd grade level, and is reading chapter books.

[SheWillFly]

My 5 year old can read the first level of beginner books on her own and some of the next level up. She's technically entering kindergarten this coming year even though she is working on 1st grade stuff.

 

My oldest could barely get through the first set of Bob books when she was entering 1st grade. Now she is entering 2nd and can read fluently from simpler chapter books like Magic Tree House and Fairy Chronicles. Big progress was made during her first grade year.

[Laurel]

My first grader (will be 6 the end of July) reads about a 3rd grade level, I think. (She has about 2 weeks left of OPGTR, which I've read ends about 4th grade level, and we're just now hitting rules she doesn't know.)

 

She reads a lot, but hasn't yet ventured into chapter books. She's read just about every picture book in the house, even those that are at a pretty high reading level, but isn't interested in chapter books yet. I think she just prefers books with lots of pictures right now.

[SonshineLearner]

My 6 yr old (tomorrow) can sound out any single phonogram word. He can read some phonograms that have 2 letters. He doesn't like to work at it, so I'm waiting to force it until sometime further down the road. It's his fault I found out that he would be able to read. He started telling me words and then telling me how they were spelled. I just looked at him and said, "If you can spell words, you can read!!"

He can read the beginning books from Veritas Press and anything like Dr Seuss. And, other books like that...

 

Carrie

[Brindee]

My 6 yr old (tomorrow)

Happy Birthday to your son!:001_smile:

 

:party::party::party:

[stephanie78]

 

Middle ds left K not recognizing all of his letters. In fall of 1st grade right after his 7th birthday everything clicked and all of a sudden he went from sounding out C-A-T to reading Amelia Bedelia.

 

 

 

This thread has made me feel so much better, especially this post. My youngest son is currently in K, he should be going into 1st grade but I have had reservations about putting him into 1st. He turned 6 in May, has absolutely no interest in "book learning" he loves to be read to though, loves projects, and loves real life learning. However he does not want to do any kind of phonics instruction. He can not recognize all of his letters (he can say his ABC's) and has no interest in learning how to read. I am terrified that he is not going to be interested in learning to read, and that I am a bad parent for not having taught him to read yet. I keep trying to remind myself that he will learn to read on his time schedule. This thread has been a HUGE reassurance for me.

[Brindee]

 

This thread has made me feel so much better, especially this post. My youngest son is currently in K, he should be going into 1st grade but I have had reservations about putting him into 1st. He turned 6 in May, has absolutely no interest in "book learning" he loves to be read to though, loves projects, and loves real life learning. However he does not want to do any kind of phonics instruction. He can not recognize all of his letters (he can say his ABC's) and has no interest in learning how to read. I am terrified that he is not going to be interested in learning to read, and that I am a bad parent for not having taught him to read yet. I keep trying to remind myself that he will learn to read on his time schedule. This thread has been a HUGE reassurance for me.

That's a lot like my middle guy was! Once he started reading, though, he can't get enough of it. He's closing in on 16yo and is still a voracious reader! He'll get there, don't worry!:001_smile:

[skaterbabs]

Yes. According to the Accelerated Reader lists, the books she is reading consistantly fall between a 3.2 and 5.0 level. She knows all of her consonant blends, and most of the vowel blends. A few of the less-commonly-seen combinations occasionally throw her for a loop, and if the text is physically "too small" she'll refuse to read it at all, saying it's "too hard". But, she won't be 6 until October and is technically a kindergartener.

Edited July 3, 2009 by skaterbabs

[St. Theophan Academy]

child number one was fluent reader by end of K - began chapter books in first grade. Number two could not read a beginning reader until the end of 1st grade, but now (end of 2nd grade) reads more than the older one.

[4kiddies]

Thank you! Its nice to see the wide range between kids! Thanks again for putting me at ease.

[Mom-ninja.]

Thank you! Its nice to see the wide range between kids! Thanks again for putting me at ease.

 

My rising 3rd grader is just now reading Frog and Toad and Little Bear. :001_smile:

[Quiver0f10]

My soon to be 1st grader is about half way through Reading Made Easy and can sound out basic words, but I wouldn 't call her reading yet.

Edited July 3, 2009 by Quiver0f10

[Renee in NC]

No. He doesn't know many letter sounds at all. He is most likely dyslexic, though (like his brothers) so I am not worried. He'll get there slowly but surely.

[JenniferB]

My ds, turned 6 in April is reading phonics readers very well, and is just starting to pick up regular books, levels 1, 2, and 3 of the "I Can Read" series, and he's reading those with some help. He tries and wants to read anything he picks up, sound lots of words out, and asks for help on lots of words as well. I think by end of 1st grade he'll be reading easy chapter books. I think he's right on track - not advanced - not behind.

[Narrow Gate Academy]

My oldest was reading chapter books like The Boxcar Children easily at the start of 1st grade. My second DD was reading The Magic Tree House books which are a little easier. My rising Ker can read the first two sets of Bob books. My minimum goal for him would be the level 2 readers like Henry and Mudge by the beginning of his first grade year. We'll have to wait and see how it goes. HTH

[HomesteadMommy]

My oldest dd is 7 (spring bday) just ending grade 1. She can read novels and chapter books easily. But she learned to read when she was 5.

 

My 2nd oldest dd has just turned 5 (May) and is just starting to read. She can sound out short words like sam and cat.

[Rhonda in TX]

She wanted to read so, so badly, but was really struggling with it. Then one day it just clicked and she was off! She was reading chapter books (like Magic Treehouse) by the time school started and got the reading award for her class that year. (That was before I homeschooled and I didn't do any teaching with her that summer. We just spent time with beginning readers.)

[WiseOwlKnits]

My DD just turned 5. She's starting 1st grade this fall. She reads on a 2nd grade level right now.

[JESSICAinMD]

My rising 1st grader is reading bob books. We about to start Section 7 in OPG with long vowel sounds. After we start that I think she will be able to move beyond Bob books.

[lauracolumbus]

My dd5 can read chapter books, but getting her to is difficult. Like a pp said, she prefers books that can be read quickly for that sense of accompishment. At first I thought she just didn't like Magic Treehouse books b/c of the plot line--and this may still be the case. My other two were reading Magic Treehouse at the end of K when they were in parochial schools. And they really enjoyed them.

 

DD5 loves to read a bunch of short picture books, which have difficult words in them. She can read them and understand them, but doesn't want to open a longer book w/o pictures.

 

Laura

[jengjohnson]

My oldest, as a rising first grader, could read chapter books. She really got into Harry Potter at that time. My middle, at the same age, was reading beginning chapter books, like Frog & Toad and Amelia Bedelia. She might have been able to read more, but was intimidated by thicker books and just wasn't interested in trying. She progressed very quickly though and is now reading just about whatever.

 

I started teaching my oldest to read at 3, my middle at 5 (needed speech therapy), and my youngest at 4.

[mom31257]

My ds is sort of in between. He's not to chapter books, but he's beyond Bob books. He can read short vowel words, long vowel words (2 vowel rule), lots of blend words, and some sight that he hasn't had introduced yet in phonics (words like could, would, said, they, etc.). There may be chapter books he could read, but I haven't tried any. He never asks to read on his own, though. He will try to read things out like signs, packages, etc. He will sit and read when we tell him, and he seems to enjoy being read to, so I hope there is hope. He's really left brained, so I wonder if that's why.

 

My dd could read almost anything she wanted at 4 years old. She never even had to sound words out. She LOVES to read to this day.

[CalicoKat]

and he's my first kiddo to be reading this well in first grade.

[Rainbows]

We've got 2 days left of kindergarten and I think the BOB books are too easy for DS but chapter books are too hard. He has just learned long vowel sounds, oa and ea words, and some blends....plus a few sight words. But he still sounds out almost everything (even after reading it on a previous page). We recently got some I Can Read type books from the library and he is able to read a good bit of them but needs help with some words

[Laura Corin]

Both mine were early readers. They both read the first Harry Potter at five.

 

Laura

[RhondaM.]

At the end of Kindergarten, I had one reading anything she pleased, usually chapter books like the old Bobbsey Twin books (considered a 5th/6th grade level currently if you check on Fry's Readability Charts) and EVERY book the library had on dinosaurs.

 

My other kiddo, at the end of Kindergarten, could read a few sight words and sound out some cvc words like cat, dog, ran, cup. He started 1st grade in public school (was there 8 weeks) and was considered middle of his class but in need of both inclass remediation and pull out with a reading specialist. They wanted after school also but I wouldn't hear of that!

 

Pretty much the same story for us.

Rhonda

[2_girls_mommy]

My dd6 was reading fluently and silently chapter books at the end of K with complete comprehension. She tells me about her books after she has read them, and can use that knowledge in other places. She was reading Bob type books way before K. She began sounding out words on her own at 3, before I had even gone over how to with her. I don't think she is the norm.

 

I am about to start K w/my next dd. She is going on 5 this month and is beginning to sound out every single CVC word in her BOB books. She is in a much different place starting K than her sis was. Only time will tell where she is in a year. I don't know if she will take off one day as some have described, or continue to move forward in short steps. We shall see!

[Rebecca VA]

Both my children learned to read when they were four. It took my son about three months of solid instruction (we used Rod & Staff at an accelerated rate), but he could read anything when he got through. My daughter wasn't especially interested in reading, but she started the phonics program to please me. It took her just a few weeks to figure out every phonics rule, and she never needed instruction after that.

[Mama Lynx]

My rising 3rd grader is just now reading Frog and Toad and Little Bear. :001_smile:

 

That's exactly where we are. Meanwhile, his rising 2nd little brother just read Winnie The Pooh. Unofrtunately, that doesn't do much for my rising 3rd's confidence level :glare:

[lulubelle]

My first grader to be is reading. He will turn 7 at the end of this month and we delayed K for him, which we decided not to send him at all. He had 1.5 years of pre-school. I started Phonics Pathways one year ago and we are 29 pages from finishing! He is reading very well. He reads to me 5 days a week and is just barely starting to read on his own time. His speed is getting better every day. He may need help with 1 or 2 words in the whole book at this point. He picks out his own choice of book. Today it was Scooby Doo and the Fishy Phantom - he read half of it. He will read the other half tomorrow. He tires quickly. He can read level 1 and 2 early reader books very well. I think he could do more, but his interest and reading speed is just not there yet.

[Medieval Mom]

My ds (who just turned six two weeks ago) can read at about a 3rd-4th grade level, but enjoys reading "I Can Read" type books to his baby brother. However, in terms of just picking up a book and reading it for pleasure, only two "books" get that devotion: his Lego catalog and a science book called All About Animals ;) I hope that this year (first grade), he'll begin to read by himself just for the love of reading. He does insist on reading us a bedtime story every night, though, which I think is sweet! This week, it's a Magic Treehouse book "Sunset of the Sabertooth" (rated 2.8).

 

Honestly, though, I think children are naturally all over the board at this age. In some European countries, they don't even begin to learn to read until 6 or 7 years old, yet have very high literacy rates in the adult population.

[Scuff]

My first rising 1st grader could read simple words (we used A Beka K with him and he was right at that level)

 

My second rising 1st grader could not read. She takes her time learning and soaking it all in. More of a slow and steady child than race and devour child. She's finishing up her first grade year now and should be ready for 2nd by the fall.

 

My third rising Ker is the race and devour type (like her bro in math) She has kinda taught herself to read (using educational toys she loves, so not really self-taught) because she wants to and won't be left behind! She's about halfway through A Beka first grade readers.

[SABE]

My rising 1st grader just started reading set 3 of Bob books. We're still working our way through Phonics Pathways.

[AngieW in Texas]

My oldest was able to read anything she was interested in by the time she was a rising 1st grader. She mostly stuck with books on 2nd and 3rd grade reading level because those books were of interest to her.

 

My middle was able to read very basic stuff when she was a rising 1st grader. She could easily read the first set of Bob Books and could also read Hop on Pop. By the time she was a rising 2nd grader, she was on 3rd grade reading level.

 

My youngest is dyslexic. When she was a rising 1st grader she was still working on being able to remember what she had sounded out by the time she finished sounding out the word. She was able to read only basic code words when she was a rising 2nd grader (and then only by sounding out the word every time). She was reading on a mid-1st grade level when she was a rising 3rd grader, on a late 2nd level when a rising 4th grader, on grade level when a rising 5th grader. She's a rising 6th grader now and is on level.