Reluctant reader--how many minutes should I require her to read per day?

[ereks mom]

My 11yo student (not my own child, but the child of dear friend) really, really does not like to read. According to her two most recent standardized tests, she is about a grade level behind in reading. She doesn't have a disability; when I have her read a passage or chapter (either aloud or silently) and then tell me about what she's read, she does just fine. I suspect that she's just lazy! :glare: I take her to the library, where I suggest all sorts of books for pleasure reading, but she isn't interested in any of them. She will finally check out a book if I insist, but she takes it home and never opens it. :mad: I think she needs to be required to read a certain amount each day. I've decided to have her keep a reading log (and have mom sign off daily), and I am wondering how much to require her to read each day. I'm thinking 30 minutes is reasonable for a child that age. What do you think?

[Mabelen]

I think it is a great idea. If she really is not used to it, how about going in 10 minute increments every few days to build reading stamina until you get to 30 minutes?

[Anne]

I'd go ahead and build in some rewards for longer goals. Ask her to read 10 minutes a day for awhile, then increase by 10 minutes for a week, and then another 10 minutes... When she's read 8 hours (or some other longer length of time), there should be some kind of reward.

 

Also, if this child has a definite bedtime, let her stay up half an hour later if she's reading (and for no other reason!)

 

Just some random thoughts...

Anne

[RamonaQ]

So how is her fluency when she reads? Is she reading at least 120wpm on a grade level passage? It could be there is something going on that makes reading just plain exhausting, so she avoids it.

[MerryAtHope]

So how is her fluency when she reads? Is she reading at least 120wpm on a grade level passage? It could be there is something going on that makes reading just plain exhausting, so she avoids it.

 

I agree. While I think 30 minutes a day is reasonable (though you may need to split up that time into 2 or 3 segments if needed), being a grade level behind is a red flag to me that something else could be going on. Kids can have dyslexia or a vision processing issue or something else and "fly under the radar" so to speak. Schools don't even look into disabilities unless a student is 2 full grades behind. I wouldn't assume it's just laziness. Many kids with learning disabilities compensate in other ways, and many also have areas of giftedness. A learning disability does not mean a child is not intelligent.

 

Merry :-)

[Mom0012]

I think 30 minutes a day is reasonable and I think the idea about letting her stay up a half hour later if she wants to read is a great one. You might get her reading an hour a day if you do that.

 

Lisa

[Haiku]

My kids read for 30 minutes a day (required reading, they spend more than thhat reading on their own). For an eleven year old, I would require at least an hour a day. I'd break it into history/literature reading (30 minutes) and "free" (within my discretion) reading (30 minutes). And I would work up two two hours a day, personally. It doesn't have to be all at once. She could do an hour in the morning and an hour before bed, for example.

 

My sixteen year old is in 10th grade and reads on a fifth grade level. She has some learning disabilities and ESL issues. I do not require her to read at home because she goes to a very demanding high school, takes a remedial reading class, and plays varsity soccer. Her days are packed. She plans to be a doctor, but honestly, this will never happen unless her reading skills improve dramatically. Getting her to read has always been such a hassle, so I wasn't persistent enough when she was younger. I did require her to read for 30 minutes a day for a while, but she would sit and look at the book but not read it. I have to say that my greatest failure with this dd is not being more proactive about her reading. We had so many post-adoption issues that the reading thing was not my top priority. Now I am very sorry. I'm sure this is way more information than you need but I share it because I take reading very seriously and I see with my own dd how poor reading is limiting her success.

 

Tara

Edited October 14, 2010 by TaraTheLiberator

[elegantlion]

My ds is a reluctant reader, mildly dyslexic, and not a fan of reading. At age 13 he's finally getting better about becoming engaged in reading. However, it's been a long journey.

 

I would have her read 30 minutes per day. If possible I would have her do it during your school hours. I would also not allow a reluctant reader loose in the library. I would keep a selection of books available for her to choose from. Make sure the reading level and content is appropriate and increase the length and difficulty with each selection.*

 

*This is what I do, based upon many hit or misses with my reluctant reader. Here's why. After 30 minutes of reading my son is done. Sometimes it helps to let him pace while reading. We opted to include his free reading in the school hours for many reasons. We tried allowing him to read after school, it rarely got completed without a fight. I was doing other things, ds balked and gave excuses....(etc, etc). I guess what I'm saying that unless mom is behind you 100% she might not have the follow through you need. I've found consistency to be the biggest help in advancing ds' ability.

 

The library is ovewhelming to a reluctant reader. If they're not used to making selections, they can pick one that is over their reading level, too thick to finish in the checkout period, not what they thought it was, etc. A slow reader can not simply read enough back covers to determine their interest. I prefer to have a stack of approved books from which ds' chooses. Usually I pick on and then he picks one. I include thin books which can finished quickly. Thicker books that follow a series, biographies, some non-fiction, and some abridged classics.

 

My biggest concern is not to squelch the love of reading in ds. It's small, but it's there. He loves to hear stories so we do many read-alouds. I had hoped to be at 1 hour /day by now, but 30 minutes is really his limit. If I required more at this point he might balk at ever picking up another book, I don't want that.

 

HTH.

[Mom0012]

Another thing I have done for my reluctant reader is have comic books like Tin Tin and Calvin and Hobbes around. They actually have a pretty high vocabulary level but he will read them for hours.

 

Lisa

[Kates]

I agree. While I think 30 minutes a day is reasonable (though you may need to split up that time into 2 or 3 segments if needed), being a grade level behind is a red flag to me that something else could be going on. Kids can have dyslexia or a vision processing issue or something else and "fly under the radar" so to speak. Schools don't even look into disabilities unless a student is 2 full grades behind. I wouldn't assume it's just laziness. Many kids with learning disabilities compensate in other ways, and many also have areas of giftedness. A learning disability does not mean a child is not intelligent.

 

Merry :-)

 

I agree - my son is dyslexic, and until we figured that out, all he could tell me was "I don't want to." Turns out, about half the time when he opened a book, the words randomly flipped around in mid-air in front of him and made him feel physically ill. The other half, the words were fine, but he was always waiting for it to happen.

 

The problem was, it hadn't crossed his mind that this isn't what reading is like for everyone else, so he didn't tell me that it was happening. "I don't want to [read]" (how I interpreted it) was more along the lines of "I don't want to [throw up]".

 

One thing that works for him is to hear the book first - either as a read-aloud or an audiobook. Part of the reason this happens for some dyslexics is because they are extreme picture-thinkers - their brains need to transfer the written word into a picture and then link it to all the other pictures to form a plot. When they get to words like "a", "the", or abstract ideas that don't have pictures (never mind words they don't know), their brain goes into overdrive and the word actually seems to come off the page. (What they're doing is spatially analyzing the word without really trying, but it's enough to make them nauseous at times.)

 

If they have already heard the book, they already have a complete picture in their head and can more easily deal with the words that don't have pictures. No more nausea...and poof, reading can be fun. You might want to try having her listen to a book somehow before you give it to her to read. Start with books that are at or just below her reading level (just try to pick one with an actual plot :) ) and you might find that it works. She'll still probably be a bit resistant at first, but it might work.

 

Ds has since discovered that some fonts and font spacings drive him absolutely nuts..."Mom, I just threw up, can I stop reading now?" If I type a passage into a font that works well and space it at 1.5 or double-space, he can read it just fine. For this reason, we're getting him a Nook for Christmas - he can download almost any book he'll need to read and change the font & space to his liking.

 

I really think there's something more there, though...most kids will be inherently drawn to what causes them to learn, and inherently shy away from what doesn't. For some reason, reading is not causing her to learn.

Edited October 14, 2010 by Kates

[EKS]

Has her vision been checked by a developmental optometrist? Vision problems can make reading difficult and not fun for kids *and* they can frequently be fixed with glasses and/or vision therapy.

 

How is her fluency? At 11, she should be able to read a grade level passage aloud at a rate of about 150 words per minute. And when you test her, don't just have her read for a minute. Kids can usually sustain much higher rates in the first minute and then slow down, sometimes substantially, over the next few minutes.

 

How is she at reading long words? A lot of kids at that age have lots of trouble with this. There is a program called REWARDS by Sopris West that specifically addresses this issue. It is quick (20 lessons) and powerful and made for kids her age so it is not babyish in the least.

 

Finally, assuming there are no vision issues, I'd have her read aloud every day, working up to 20 minutes. I'd use material that is high interest and very easy for her to read then gradually increase the level over a long period of time. Also, I think it's reasonable to require silent reading for 30 minutes daily, again, assuming that any issues have been dealt with first.

[AngieW in Texas]

I would suspect reading issues that you don't know about in a child who is one year behind in reading level. Could you possibly do Rewards Reading with her? It could make a huge difference.

 

If the problem is just that she doesn't read much, then requiring her to read each day should help. If there is some deeper issue, then she'll need help to overcome it.

 

As far as what she should read, I would make sure that whatever books you find are at a level that she can read. In fact, I would make sure that you give her books below her reading level as well. Give her maybe 4-6 books to choose between and try to make them things that you think she'll be interested in.

 

I require my dyslexic 7th grader to read for 30 minutes every day, but those 30 minutes are for free-choice reading. She can read at (and even beyond) her grade level with full comprehension, but it's still work for her. I don't know how much she'll ever read for pleasure.

 

Books she has read (and enjoyed) over the past two years:

Uglies series by Westerfeld (Uglies, Pretties, Specials)

Darkwood by Breen

The Roar - 1st book in a series by Clayton (sequel won't be available until fall next year)

Atlantis Complex (7th Artemis Fowl book)

Red Pyramid (1st book in new Rick Riordan series)

Hunger Games series by Collins

Mysterious Benedict Society series

Pillage and Choke (series by Skye)

Bran Hambric - 1st book in a series by Nation

ALL of the many Warriors books by Erin Hunter

 

These books are at a variety of reading levels. I try to find things that my dd is interested in. Sometimes I am successful and sometimes I'm not.

 

Next year I will start having some required reading related to school, but that's a battle that I just couldn't fight this year. She HATES historical fiction. I will definitely keep her assigned reading to a minimum.

[NanceXToo]

I think that forcing a reluctant reader to read X amount each day is just going to make them hate reading even more (which as an avid reader, seems like such a shame)!

 

Perhaps instead of "you must read" you can have the mom do more like "reading challenges"- make it quirky and fun and let her win a small prize (or points toward a prize or some such) at the end.

 

The challenges can be things like 'sit under the kitchen table and read with a flashlight.'

 

Or

 

'Read aloud to the goldfish.'

 

Or

 

'Sit on the bottom step and move up one step for each page until you get to the top, and then move back down.'

 

or 'lie upside down on the couch'

 

or something just to make it seem silly and fun instead of dreary and forced.

[EKS]

I think that forcing a reluctant reader to read X amount each day is just going to make them hate reading even more (which as an avid reader, seems like such a shame)!

 

 

 

This is simply not true. If she is hating reading because she is not good at it for whatever reason, fixing any underlying problem and then requiring practice is the only way to develop skill. We tend to hate to do things that are too difficult for us.

 

If I had taken the attitude that forcing my reluctant reader to read was going to make him hate reading, now at 14, he would still be struggling and hating reading. I *had* to force him to read for years until he had enough instruction and practice to be good at it enough to enjoy it.

Edited October 14, 2010 by EKS

[Haiku]

We tend to hate to do things that are too difficult for us.

 

If I had taken the attitude that forcing my reluctant reader to read was going to make him love reading, now at 14, he would still be struggling and hating reading. I *had* to force him to read for years until he had enough instruction and practice to be good at it enough to enjoy it.

 

:iagree:

 

Tara

[ElizabethB]

If she was taught with sight words and is reading below grade level, she most likely needs some remedial phonics help and some nonsense words.

 

Here is an article I wrote called "Why Johnny Doesn't Like to Read" that explains why many people taught that way do not enjoy reading.

 

The article also explains how to test for this (the MWIA) and some resources. I need to update this page, I should also add my how to tutor page to this in the what to do part at the end.

[NanceXToo]

This is simply not true. If she is hating reading because she is not good at it for whatever reason, fixing any underlying problem and then requiring practice is the only way to develop skill. We tend to hate to do things that are too difficult for us.

 

If I had taken the attitude that forcing my reluctant reader to read was going to make him hate reading, now at 14, he would still be struggling and hating reading. I *had* to force him to read for years until he had enough instruction and practice to be good at it enough to enjoy it.

 

I'm not saying you won't develop skill by forcing a child to read.

 

But I don't think it will help develop an enjoyment of reading, which to me, would be a shame.

 

I'm not suggesting they don't have the child read at all.

 

I'm suggesting they do it more in a fun way that might not turn them off even further, rather than a "I don't care if you don't like it, you have to do it" kind of thing.

[Stacy in NJ]

a specific number of pages or chapter. It's easy to run down the clock and stare off in space during that assigned 30 minutes. Assigning by pages/chapters encourages concentration or efficient use of time.

 

Remember to hold her accountable for her reading by narrating back to you or a parent.

[EKS]

I'm suggesting they do it more in a fun way that might not turn them off even further, rather than a "I don't care if you don't like it, you have to do it" kind of thing.

 

I'm guessing that my son's experience is similar to that of most struggling readers. And for him, learning to read was very very hard work. I don't think a thing about it was fun for him. And I really don't see how I could have made it fun. I do think I managed to make it tolerable though. I didn't drag him kicking and screaming to his reading lessons, but it was not fun.

[NanceXToo]

I'm guessing that my son's experience is similar to that of most struggling readers. And for him, learning to read was very very hard work. I don't think a thing about it was fun for him. And I really don't see how I could have made it fun. I do think I managed to make it tolerable though. I didn't drag him kicking and screaming to his reading lessons, but it was not fun.

 

Maybe we are talking about two different things here. You are talking about teaching your son to read, that he had a hard time learning to do so, that it wasn't fun etc.

 

The OP is talking about a child who DOES know how to read, but who is maybe a grade level behind, and who does not LIKE to read (but can do it and does understand the passages she reads, etc).

 

She's not asking "should I teach this child to read." She's saying "should I take this child who knows how to read but doesn't like to and require X number of minutes per day of reading time anyway."

 

And I'm saying if the kid already thinks reading isn't fun, saying "you have to do it anyway" is going to make it seem even less fun. But presenting it as a game, challenge, or whatever, might make it more appealing.

 

It's about the attitude, and HOW it is presented, not whether it is presented at all. I'm not sure what's wrong with trying to make reading appealing to a child to the extent possible instead of a chore?

[Heather in VA]

a specific number of pages or chapter. It's easy to run down the clock and stare off in space during that assigned 30 minutes. Assigning by pages/chapters encourages concentration or efficient use of time.

 

Remember to hold her accountable for her reading by narrating back to you or a parent.

 

:iagree:

 

This is of course assuming you have ruled out the reading problems as suggested by previous posters.

 

Heather

[Kfamily]

I had a couple of years of issues with my dd with required reading. She could read well but did not respond well with required reading. She was also the same in that we would often go to the library, yet she would go home with no books for herself. Or sometimes she would have a couple of choices but never read them once home. I tried to require her to read at certain times of the day for a required amount of time. This absolutely did not work. We even reached the point where I treated it like a discipline issue. I finally realized after some heart-to-heart talks with her that she need to be able to read under less restricted conditions. Over the years we have worked on this in increments. She is now in 8th grade and handles many required books on her reading list.

 

Here is what worked for us:

1. I didn't require a certain amount of time or amount of pages/chapter to be read. I allowed her to read whatever amount she felt like she could handle for that particular day.

2. I didn't put time limits on her. I let my dd read as long as she could handle for that particular day. (If this was a fifteen minute day then so be it. The next day might be a forty minute day.)

My goal for her was to see reasonable progress in the book in a reasonable amount of time. I would always take into account the kind of week it was (were we running around more than usual, family in town, etc.). I checked weekly with her on her progress.

This proved to be the perfect solution. She felt undue stress over being told when and how much to read and I really just wanted to see her reading independently.

 

Also, my dd really needs quiet conditions in order to read. Is it possible that her home conditions are not set up in a way that allows her to have the right conditions for reading? Maybe she would do better with some tips on how to set up a good reading environment and maybe her family should know this too in order to better support her.

 

I hope this helps a little. I have really been through it with my dd so I can relate. I also spend many conversations relaying to her the importance of reading independently and why she must accomplish this. I think this helped too.

:grouphug:

[Elizabeth in WA]

I have been reading Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers and tossing around the idea that reading skill (past the learning to read stage at least) is like the other skills he discusses: closely related to the amount of time spent reading. To follow that idea through, a child with no other problems (visual, learning disability) who dislikes reading may be a year below grade level because she has spend a total amount of time reading that is equivalent to the average of a child a grade level below. Furthermore, without intervention the gap between the child's reading level and "grade level" would be expected to widen as a result of continuing to read less than the "average" child at that grade level.

 

This is, of course, just an idea I have been tossing around in my head, and the issue of trying to instill a love of reading is also a valid point imo.

[ereks mom]

The girl's mom is 100% behind whatever I suggest. She is so grateful to see that her daughter "is actually learning this year, as opposed to just going to school" (this is verbatim what she said to me a couple of weeks ago).

 

She reads aloud quite a bit while she is at my house for school, and she does just fine fluency-wise. I've seen a lot of improvement in this area just since the beginning of the school year 2 months ago. She is also comprehending quite well too, and spelling/vocabulary isn't much of a problem either. She learned to read using a phonics program, and is quite good at sounding out unfamiliar words. We are using DITHOR for reading, and I assign her a chapter or two to read each evening at home. We discuss the chapter(s) each day, and she can almost always answer my questions correctly.

 

I am reasonably sure that she is capable but lazy. She is distracted by the many electronic gadgets at her disposal at home--she has her own laptop, iPod, television, cell phone, and several video games/systems (Wii, Nintendo DS, etc.).

 

Anyway, thank you all for your input. I'll let you know how we progress.

Edited October 14, 2010 by ereks mom

[EKS]

Maybe we are talking about two different things here. You are talking about teaching your son to read, that he had a hard time learning to do so, that it wasn't fun etc.

 

The OP is talking about a child who DOES know how to read, but who is maybe a grade level behind, and who does not LIKE to read (but can do it and does understand the passages she reads, etc).

 

She's not asking "should I teach this child to read." She's saying "should I take this child who knows how to read but doesn't like to and require X number of minutes per day of reading time anyway."

 

And I'm saying if the kid already thinks reading isn't fun, saying "you have to do it anyway" is going to make it seem even less fun. But presenting it as a game, challenge, or whatever, might make it more appealing.

 

It's about the attitude, and HOW it is presented, not whether it is presented at all. I'm not sure what's wrong with trying to make reading appealing to a child to the extent possible instead of a chore?

 

I guess I am assuming that the student finds reading difficult, for whatever reason, and that finding that reason and dealing with it along with follow up practice in order to make the reading easy (fluent and automatic) would be an appropriate response.

[Haiku]

The girl's mom is 100% behind whatever I suggest.

 

Would she be behind a suggestion of limiting the electronic gadgetry that child has access to, or limiting the amount of time she has access to it?

 

Tara

[Stacy in NJ]

The girl's mom is 100% behind whatever I suggest. She is so grateful to see that her daughter "is actually learning this year, as opposed to just going to school" (this is verbatim what she said to me a couple of weeks ago).

 

She reads aloud quite a bit while she is at my house for school, and she does just fine fluency-wise. I've seen a lot of improvement in this area just since the beginning of the school year 2 months ago. She is also comprehending quite well too, and spelling/vocabulary isn't much of a problem either. She learned to read using a phonics program, and is quite good at sounding out unfamiliar words. We are using DITHOR for reading, and I assign her a chapter or two to read each evening at home. We discuss the chapter(s) each day, and she can almost always answer my questions correctly.

 

I am reasonably sure that she is capable but lazy. She is distracted by the many electronic gadgets at her disposal at home--she has her own laptop, iPod, television, cell phone, and several video games/systems (Wii, Nintendo DS, etc.).

 

Anyway, thank you all for your input. I'll let you know how we progress.

 

This might be a tough suggestion, but could you ask the mom to limit the electronics to a certain time period each evening, say 7pm-9pm, or ask her to limit the total number of hours? Giving her "homework" to be done in the evening will naturally cut into her screen time, but encouraging the mom to set limits might also be helpful.

[gardenmom5]

I agree. While I think 30 minutes a day is reasonable (though you may need to split up that time into 2 or 3 segments if needed), being a grade level behind is a red flag to me that something else could be going on. Kids can have dyslexia or a vision processing issue or something else and "fly under the radar" so to speak. Schools don't even look into disabilities unless a student is 2 full grades behind. I wouldn't assume it's just laziness. Many kids with learning disabilities compensate in other ways, and many also have areas of giftedness. A learning disability does not mean a child is not intelligent.

 

Merry :-)

 

:iagree:Even an eye exam would not catch a visual discrimination problem unless it is being specifically looked for by a developmental optomitrist. (opthlalmologists tend to look for more organic disorders) A child can have 20/20 vision, and still have visual discriminiation problems. (they can also have "perfect" hearing, and have auditory discrimination problems).