Suggestions for improving beyond the 4th grade reading level?

[Guest GingerThrock]

Hello-

 

My daughter finished OPGTTR last August at the end of kindergarten and she is currently reading on an estimated 4th grade reading level. I am wondering what is the best way to help her to continue improving her reading. Currently, she has 30 minutes of independent reading time each day where she can read whatever she wants. During our daily schooltime I pick random things for her to read aloud to me for about 10 minutes (such as the backs of the Veritas Press History Timeline cards or a few pages from "Little House in the Big Woods" or a page from a Reader's Digest Family Nature book). She also reads SOTW 1 by herself and we will use SOTW 2 next year. Other than that I currently don't have a strategy for how to improve her reading all the way up to the college level.

Any suggestions? Should we just continue going to the library each week and reading, reading, reading?

Thanks!

[Jean in Newcastle]

Just let her read. And let her develop at her own pace. Right now it is very fast. It may continue that way, it may not.

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

I agree that at this point, just have her read, read, read! That will improve her! Practice makes perfect!!!!! Orally and silently! I might increase the oral to 10 minutes a few times a day (not all at once though, break it up!)

[Tap]

One thing to think about is that while she may be able to read the words, she may reach a point that she can't really understand the content. Or while she sees the basic story line, she isn't getting the plot.

 

I wouldn't worry about her blazing through 'twaddle' but I would avoid books you plan to use for her academics. This will save the story lines for use when you feel she is ready to actually understand and use the knowledge.

 

There are soooooo many books out there, it is great when they get to the point of reading at a speed to enjoy the book.

[MaMa2005]

One thing to think about is that while she may be able to read the words, she may reach a point that she can't really understand the content. Or while she sees the basic story line, she isn't getting the plot.

 

I wouldn't worry about her blazing through 'twaddle' but I would avoid books you plan to use for her academics. This will save the story lines for use when you feel she is ready to actually understand and use the knowledge.

 

There are soooooo many books out there, it is great when they get to the point of reading at a speed to enjoy the book.

 

:iagree:I know when I was teaching reading, by fourth grade, we started to work on vocabulary. Maybe a vocabulary program like Wordly Wise would be beneficial.

 

I have a DS (4) who is reading books written on a fourth grade level comfortably. But there are lots of words that he doesn't know the meaning of - simple words, too. Just yesterday, he ran into the word 'brook'. Even with the context, he wasn't quite sure what the word meant. So next school year, we are going to do some vocabulary intensive work.

[musicianmom]

Have you looked at Ambleside Online as a curriculum option? Its books, on average, appear to be on a much higher reading level than other programs. I plan to use it for first grade and beyond (though that could change, of course).

[Laurie4b]

Hello-

 

Should we just continue going to the library each week and reading, reading, reading?

Thanks!

 

Yes. That.

 

It's probable that her reading ability compared to her peers may move back toward the norm as other peers hit a more typical stage for taking off in reading. That would be typical.

 

Your problem in having her read increasingly higher level material will start to be in finding books in which the content is appropriate for her developmental stage. You probably don't want teen and adult themes for your K student yet.

 

But you've gotten her off to a great start. Let her take some time to enjoy it. Her reading will continue to grow on its own as she reads and reads and reads. You don't actually need to "teach reading" any more unless she for some reason balks at multisyllabic words, which I doubt will happen. You will naturally teach more vocab, and she will be exposed to deeper level content as you move through your studies. Congratulations--but don't worry about moving her to the "next level. "

[Terabith]

I would probably just have her read.....silently and orally. I have my kindergarten aged reader working through Rod and Staff's reading program, although we do the "write a sentence" answering orally instead. I see it as teaching some comprehension skills.

 

You could work through Webster's speller. That will take her up to a 12th grade level. ElizabethB could help you with that.

[Melenie]

Thanks for asking this question. DD has 5 more lessons left in OPGTR and I was trying to find other options for us. I like the Webster's speller idea, since I have it printed out already. DD never clicked with it before, but I may try that again in the summer.

[Guest GingerThrock]

Thanks for the suggestions! This was my first post and it was so fun to get so many helpful replies:-)

[ElizabethB]

Webster's Speller! It teaches to a 12th grade reading level.

 

You can also try the syllable division exercises linked at the end of my how to tutor page, you'll also need the syllable division rules and to know that syllables that end in a vowel are long:

 

ba, be, bi, bo, bu, by (ba is bay as in ba-ker, ma is may as in ma-ker)

and those that end in a consonant are short.

 

I let my daughter read older books or newer board books--board books are to be read by an adult to a small child, so are written at a high grade level but are emotionally and developmentally appropriate for a young child.

 

There are also syllable divided books.

[cougarmom4]

I think once they are reading well, the biggest thing is just to keep reading a variety of things. I think you're right on track to have her reading for 30 minutes of free reading during the day. Then I'd use the school 'reading time' to focus on quality literature books that you don't want her to miss or that is worth discussing together. (NOt that you have to have deep discussion yet, simply stating that I think there are some books more worthy of reading & discussing than others...for example, Charlotte's Web vs. Puppy Patrol).

 

I'd second the suggestion to start working on vocabulary (Wordly Wise also has online activities that you can do for free). Or find some educational games to introduce new vocabulary or start a Word of the Day type of thing.

 

And I'd say that now that she can read well, the focus switches to comprehension. You might want to choose a chapter book & literature guide to use during reading time. The lit guide would have comprehension questions and different kinds of questions to focus on during the reading of the book. (Thinking Bloom's Taxonomy here...the basic level of questioning is recall...what happened in the story? Who was the main character....then you move up to more difficult types of discussion questions about why something happened or how it affected the characters). I also would suggest reading short selections (either a collection of short stories or by chapter) and then having her orally narrate back to you (while you write it down)...working up to her writing her own narrations. SWB talks a lot of narration, especially across subjects such as history & science.

 

I've gotten a few of the Reading Comprehension workbooks at stores like Barnes & Noble before to work with my kids. You could go up a few grades (probably to 3rd) and find some that might introduce some of the reading strategies that readers use...looking for the main idea, making inferences, summarizing, etc. (Not necessarily a full reading program, just the little workbook type things that supplement)

 

Happy Reading!

[Melenie]

I was just cleaning out my bookcases and rediscovered The Aesop for children by Milo Winter. From what I can gather on the internet it has a reading level somewhere between 3rd and 8th grade. I think it would be a great way to practice both reading and comprehension with appropriate content. I had the post in mind when I found it so I thought I would mention it.

 

Good luck!