Reading out loud--how much of an issue is this?

[Forget-Me-Not]

I'm just curious what others' experiences have been with this. My 7 yo son reads pretty well, but he has issues with reading word-for-word. He'll read the material, and get the gist of it, but it's like he rephrases sentences, adds words in, leaves words out, etc.

 

For example, the passage might say:

Jim and Tom were going to the store to buy milk and eggs. They wanted to bake a cake for Alice's birthday.

 

He might read it out loud to me as:

Jim and Tom were going to go to the store for milk and eggs, because they wanted to bake a birthday cake for Alice.

We stop him, make him go back and read carefully word for word (which he is able to do, but more slowly), but he gets frustrated with us (and frankly we with him). I don't know if this is something we should really be focusing on or if it's something that he'll outgrow in time. It seems pretty obvious to me that he's comprehending the material, but on the flip side it seems like he's skimming, which could maybe lead to issues with being able to catch important details when he's reading more complex material.

Thoughts?

 

ETA: I forgot to add that he also does then when he encounters words he's not familiar with. He'll just hazard a guess based on the first couple of letters and the context. When we make him stop, he's usually able to sound things out, he just doesn't WANT to.

Edited September 3, 2010 by LemonPie

[LoveBaby]

I'm just curious what others' experiences have been with this. My 7 yo son reads pretty well, but he has issues with reading word-for-word. He'll read the material, and get the gist of it, but it's like he rephrases sentences, adds words in, leaves words out, etc.

 

For example, the passage might say:

Jim and Tom were going to the store to buy milk and eggs. They wanted to bake a cake for Alice's birthday.

 

He might read it out loud to me as:

Jim and Tom were going to go to the store for milk and eggs, because they wanted to bake a birthday cake for Alice.

 

We stop him, make him go back and read carefully word for word (which he is able to do, but more slowly), but he gets frustrated with us (and frankly we with him). I don't know if this is something we should really be focusing on or if it's something that he'll outgrow in time. It seems pretty obvious to me that he's comprehending the material, but on the flip side it seems like he's skimming, which could maybe lead to issues with being able to catch important details when he's reading more complex material.

Thoughts?

 

ETA: I forgot to add that he also does then when he encounters words he's not familiar with. He'll just hazard a guess based on the first couple of letters and the context. When we make him stop, he's usually able to sound things out, he just doesn't WANT to.

 

No help, but I have two kiddo's that do the same thing! I'll be watching to see what others say!

[whitestavern]

:bigear: My just turned 8yo ds does this as well!! :lurk5:

[MiztrezzLyn]

I have been having this exact same problem with my 5 year old. He CAN do it (the sounding out) but doesn't necessarily WANT to. He reads at about a 3rd grade level and MOST of what he is reading he can read automatically (very familiar with the words) and he reads pretty fast. So he is just not being careful to read each and every word.

 

I do make him stop and reread it though. Its important to me that he read what the author said not what he thinks the author said. Not to mention that sometimes he skips an important word like "little". Well is it a little cat or a big cat? It would take away a bit of meaning from what he is reading.

 

Usually though he is just omitting words like "to, the, a, of" and sometimes likes to just throw an extra "to" in or replace "a" with "the".

 

I get frustrated when I shouldn't and he gets frustrated at me sometimes when I make him include the word he missed or make him reread what he read incorrectly.

 

We're currently working on word lists (Victory Drill) where he can't guess from context and he is rewarded for getting through the lists without any guessing at all. I'm also playing ElizabethB's game with him (phonics concentration game). I've started adding in a lot of nonsense word reading so that he can't just "know" the words.

 

It all actually seems to be helping. His reading is becoming a lot more confident and he is already starting to guess less. He's pretty proud of himself when he gets through his lists or reading without having guessed. He does realize that its a bad habit he's gotten into and is really trying to NOT do it. Which just makes me a proud mama :)

[LNC]

I think silent reading and oral reading are seperate skills. I'm adamant about my children becoming excellent oral readers, even if they silent read very well with comprehension.

 

My 4th grade son has really turned the corner with this and is becoming excellent like his sister. Daily practice with mom is the only idea I know!!

[Tree House Academy]

Both of my kids do daily oral reading with me to gain fluency and speed. It is tough to listen to and to correct them so much at first, but it does pay off.

[monalisa]

My dd 7 does the exact same thing. I think for her, at least, it is because she started reading very early and is now very far ahead of her grade level. She is always in a hurry to find out what happens, and she reads too fast. She CONSTANTLY adds words, leaves words out, and guesses at long words, but I do know she has most of the phonics skills because we went through OPGTR, and we're using AAS also now. It is extremely frustrating, but I think forcing her to read out loud regularly and to read each word as it is printed is the best way to address it.

[Beatusduo]

I too still work with my kids ds9 and ds12 on this skill for many of the same reasons already stated. I try and focus on inflection, rate, comprehension and punctuation. It can sometimes be a little tedius for both of us, but it has helped tremendously. However, I also find their reading will lull me into sleep. Sometimes I have to stop and walk around when my head starts bobbing too much!

 

Susie :)

[Forget-Me-Not]

Okay, sounds like we're doing what we need to be doing then :) He does read silently or very quietly to himself, so I suspect the problem is that he can't read orally as quickly as he can silently.

[Penelope]

I have an 8 yo that has improved a lot but still does this some.

 

I have read here that guessing can be a problem with being taught too many sight words, however, that isn't the problem here.

 

I also learned that skipping over words or changing around little words is a dyslexic tendency. I would like to know, too, if there is anything other than oral reading practice that should be done.

 

The problem I have is that my child gets frustrated if I ask him to go back and read over the sentence again. There is tremendous resistance to the idea, actually.

[Hedgehog]

I also learned that skipping over words or changing around little words is a dyslexic tendency. I would like to know, too, if there is anything other than oral reading practice that should be done.

 

That's really interesting. We think our 8yo dd is slightly dyslexic for various reasons, including this one. And I'd love to know how to help her, other than making her read slowly in order for every word to be accurate.

[onaclairadeluna]

And I'd love to know how to help her, other than making her read slowly in order for every word to be accurate.

 

Read "Overcoming Dyslexia" by Sally Shaywitz. It's great. The most important part of helping dyslexics is helping them learn the code. Many dyslexics guess words and read from context because they have such a hard time sounding words out.

 

Even if they "know" how. It can be hard. It takes practice. Getting a good spelling program designed for dyslexics can be very helpful. And repeated guided reading practice is also important. I would do only a few pages a day or perhaps a chapter at most, this can be tiring. Or even a paragraph. Quit before she is frustrated. Even 5 minutes can help.