Can your 4th graders read DK science encyclopedia independently?

[LNC]

Edited to add it is actually the Kingfisher Science encyclopedia...

 

My 9yo has had a bit of trouble learning to read over the years. He now can read Matt Christopher series level (3-5 grade reading level) with ease. He dislikes fiction though, except for assigned lit and historical fiction.

 

He has a passion for science and he's been pulling our science encyclopedias off the shelves for silent reading. He was discouraged about how many words he couldn't pronounce. I don't know if further phonics would help or life experience??? Things like cerebrum, corpus callosum etc. He was discouraged that he said minute (like time) insteade of minute (as in very small). I told him that as he reads more he would notice the context cues for which minute it was referring to. He was a bit upset "that he can't read". I gave him our Usborne Science Encyclodia and he did better with that. We have many of the Let's Read and Find Out books, but he's read those and feels they are too babyish now. Any thoughts about if his reading level is ok for 4th? Could your 9 year olds read DK science encyclopedia alone?

Edited August 24, 2010 by LNC

[johnandtinagilbert]

You can change the title by "advance editing" fwiw

 

DK - yes; Kingfisher, no. KF is really a nice middle school read, while Usborne and DK would better suit my grammar stage students.

[Capt_Uhura]

I would probably read sections of it to him. Not as in "you can't read this so let me read it to you," but rather, "WOW this is really exciting. I'd like to learn to. Can we read it together?" You don't have to do the whole book but pick a topic in the book you're interested in and you read it to him and he reads some to you. Make sure he can follow along. He will see how those words are pronounced and you will know if he is pronouncing any words incorrectly. I think you learn advanced words like those by listening either to lectures, documentaries etc so when you see them in print and in context you realize what they are.

 

Also, there is a program that uses latin and greek roots to teach scientific terminology. I think it's at Paula's Archives.

[SailorMom]

Yeah - my younger son at nine would not have been able to read that (and he's way above grade level now).

Barnes and Noble has some great science books (sort of like the DK books - same size and length) that are very inexpensive - I think they are about $5 each. I would get him a stack of those to build his confidence.