Need ideas! 7yo and reading...

[Wee Pip]

How do I teach reading to someone already able to read? 7 1/2yo dd reads at about early 2nd gr level, can read level 2 readers somewhat easily but very slowly. I've relaxed a lot this year, just trying to let reading happen, and hope that a spark catches fire. She doesn't really like reading, hates Frog & Toad, hates Arnold Lobel, hates anything that uses dark colors (most level 2 easy readers). She does not like the easy reader choices at the library. When she does pick books to read, she'll pick up the whole Help Me Be Good series (she reads the word bubbles). She DID like Amelia Bedelia, so I borrowed all I could find until that fizzled out. I feel like I should assign something, teach something, or...uh...something! We've been not-very-seriously working thru the Sonlight Core 2 readers (which she hates), but she's made it very clear that she does NOT want one of those big fat instructional reading books, where you read grade level stories in a collection. But now I'm wondering if I should do something instructional, or have some sort of structure to our reading. So...

Should dd be reading aloud to ME every day or be reading quietly to herself every day (or both)? How much time?

Should she be picking her own reading, or should I pick her reading, or a combination?

Should we be doing something besides reading to help this whole process? (she's doing spelling & grammar, but no phonics)

 

Thanks!

[Reya]

Try Henry & Mudge with her. Possibly George and Martha. Ask your librarian for all the readers at her level and go through them with her to see which ones catch her fancy. At this point, she needs PRACTICE to get fast enough to read more interesting books. She might be ready for the earliest in the Magic Tree House series. These are complete twaddle, but kids love them.

[Adrianne]

Should dd be reading aloud to ME every day or be reading quietly to herself every day (or both)? How much time?

Should she be picking her own reading, or should I pick her reading, or a combination?

Should we be doing something besides reading to help this whole process? (she's doing spelling & grammar, but no phonics)

 

Thanks!

 

Should dd be reading aloud to ME every day or be reading quietly to herself every day (or both)? Both

 

How much time? I would start with 30 minutes a day for by herself reading and maybe one read aloud book. The progress by 15 minutes a day per year. At 9 my ds reads for an hour a day. (he loves to read)

 

Should she be picking her own reading, or should I pick her reading, or a combination? A combination. With my boys, they pick some and they are assigned some books to read (usually history related). If they cannot pick any for themselves, then I pick it for them.

 

Should we be doing something besides reading to help this whole process? (she's doing spelling & grammar, but no phonics). Personally, I think reading alone is enough. The more she reads, the better she will become at it. Others may disagree with me on this. If you feel the need to teach her phonics, I recommend Phonics Pathways or OPGTR. These books have phonics broken down by lessons. This way you could focus on what she needs to learn and skip what she already knows well.

 

Good luck!!

[Nestof3]

Should dd be reading aloud to ME every day or be reading quietly to herself every day (or both)? both, but at that age, I would read aloud to her more than I would have her read aloud to me.

 

I picked a reader series for both of my boys. My 8 year old uses Christian Liberty Press Nature Readers (because he loves nature/animals), while my 6 year old (almost 7) reads from Pathway Readers. They each read one chapter aloud to me while we snuggle on the couch.

 

Me reading aloud to them has always been a frequent thing -- I read science, history, poetry and a chapter book each day. My 8 year old also loves listening to audio books. I believe this makes him a better reader.

 

Independent reading is a new thing around here -- at least consistent IR. I allow the boys to stay awake one hour later if they spend that time reading. Ben (my 6) has been loving all of the Cynthia Rylant books -- Henry and Mudge, High-Rise Private Eyes -- I even let him read Thomas and Berenstain Bears. My 8 is reading Detectives in Togas and also reads books like Boxcar Children and short mysteries from authors like Linda Lee Maitair and Beverly Lewis.

 

 

How much time? Their reader usually takes 5 minutes or less. They read for an hour at night, in their beds.

 

Should she be picking her own reading, or should I pick her reading, or a combination? I would say a combo, but I won't let them read anything I deem inappropriate.

 

 

Should we be doing something besides reading to help this whole process? (she's doing spelling & grammar, but no phonics) I don't feel spelling or grammar helps reading. I feel being read to often and finding the right books is what it takes. I also feel not everyone will love reading equally. Or, sometimes, some children prefer nonfiction over fiction. My 8 has been enjoying reading a book about caring for rats and mice. Don't rule out science and history books -- there are many for young readers these days. Perhaps she would enjoy nature magazines?

[Susie in CA]

I would require her to read an amount of time but allow her to read things she find interesting. By that I mean that I would stop paying attention to grade level. My ds8 hated all early readers and frankly most of them are not all that interesting. This year he got over the hump by simply reading 30 min outside of school every day. He did not like this at first. Now he complains when we don't get to our reading time!

All this to say that he wanted to read meaningful things not fluffy kid stories.

 

Now, in fairness I want to point out that there is nothing wrong with kids reading the early reader books. In fact, my other son (7) loves them. They are, however, not for everyone.

 

Susie

[iquilt]

My dd6 (almost 7) has always resisted reading out loud to me but loves to look at books by herself. She has developed a love for the Usborne Level 2 Readers which are condensed versions of classics; currently she is reading the Wizard of Oz out loud for us. We have 1 hour of quiet time every afternoon where we all read alone and we spend at least an hour a day reading out loud (that's how long it takes to get in everyone's requests, sometimes longer). She started out with Dick and Jane and BOB books. We also do phonics everyday to constantly expand what she knows and her fluency; Explode the Code books are awesome for that! HTH

[farmwife]

My dd(7) loves reading the pathway readers because it is a continuing story and she really got to 'know' the characters and she wants to know more about them.

 

Also, I made the mistake of going to the library and picking out books for her, now I take her and let her pick out the books she likes (with my approval!). My dd really judges a book by it's cover and so this helps.

 

One more thing, try to keep her reading every day. When I was young (8) I disliked reading but my sister dared me to read a series of books, it forced me to read every day(to prove her wrong!) it was the best thing for me! Now I am an avid reader, thanks to my sister!

 

HTH,

~fw

[Academy of Jedi Arts]

My daughter taught herself to read. I have never used a reading program, with the exception of keeping a copy of Phonics Pathways on the bookshelf for dd to explore on her own when she started to pick up reading, which wasn't touched much.

 

What I have always tried to do is to meet my kid where she is and offer lots and lots of material at a variety of levels to choose from. On her nightstand right now are D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths, a spy/secret agent activity book, and The Crucible. We talk about what she reads, and every now and then I have her read aloud. I try to center any formal literature study around something she picks unless there is a particular book I feel she needs to read to correlate with a trip or other studies.

 

Something else you might try to keep reading practice up is to use real world reading as an alternative to books. Type up some recipes or project instructions and let her do some things "all by herself". Kids can help with grocery lists, clipping coupons. Reading the funny papers is always fun too.

 

I teach Sunday School to tweenagers and am always amazed at how poorly these kids read after having so many years of systematic reading instruction. The problem is not only have the kids not been read to as they should, they have not heard great literature with rich language read aloud hardly at all.

[Wee Pip]

Thanks...I do already read aloud A LOT. We've used SL for 2 years now, and I read the novels, Bible, science, & history, plus whatever interests us (right now, my 7yo likes listening to me read Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, & I just sort of edit out all the drinking & inappropriate things - but the big vocabulary has a great sound to it, and I think she likes listening to it). So...she is an avid listener, lol. I've read to her since her infancy. I do currently let her pick her own books from the library...but I think I will try to pick an assortment of different genres myself to add to her choices. She rejects most books (I tried the Henry & Mudge variety, but those were rejected too - the character is a boy, and she doesn't like books about boys). I think she is just being extremely picky (no dark pics and no boys). Sometimes I think she's just being a stinker and wants to see how many hoops she can get me to jump thru. She didn't like the Amanda pig series, either (girl with bright pics, met all demands). Maybe I'll try some non-fiction, as some of you suggested. Otherwise, I think I may have to force feed some of the reading. She's not ready for Magic Treehouse either (tried that, absolutely no interest, and I think she'd struggle with it). Anyhow, thanks for the suggestions, and your daily framework of what you would assign was very helpful!

[Wee Pip]

Quote: My ds8 hated all early readers and frankly most of them are not all that interesting. This year he got over the hump by simply reading 30 min outside of school every day. He did not like this at first. Now he complains when we don't get to our reading time!

All this to say that he wanted to read meaningful things not fluffy kid stories.

 

Thanks, Susie - I think this may be my dd (not an easy-reader type of kid). I just posted before re-reading all the responses, and listed some of the easy readers we've tried that were dismal failures. At the beginning of our schoolyear, she kept picking up picture books that were way too hard, and then she'd get frustrated. She seems to prefer picture books. I guess there is nothing wrong with that. I think I will start with a 20min silent reading time each day, in addition to reading aloud to me. She can pick what she reads silently, and we'll collaborate a bit on what she has to read aloud to me. Anyhow, thanks!!

[AngieW in Texas]

My youngest is dyslexic, so trying to find something that we could at least buddy-read and that she also didn't hate was very difficult.

 

I ended up going with the Rainbow Magic Fairies. There used to be a treasury available on amazon that had the first series of 7 (the color fairies) in a hardbound bindup with full color photos. At first, she would read the first full sentence on a page and I read the rest of that page. We gradually worked up to her reading for 5 minutes at a time (and then I read the rest of that chapter). By the time we got through three entire series of Rainbow Magic Fairies (each series is 7 books) and two of the special holiday bindups (Christmas and Summer), I was thorougly sick of the series, but my dd loved it and was able to read an entire chapter out loud in one sitting.

 

The recommendations that I make for girls (even if the books are too hard at first) are

Rainbow Magic Fairies (we started with the rainbow fairies, then the weather fairies, and then the pet keeper fairies) and then the Princess Ellie series (also called Pony-Crazed Princess). You can find both of these series in most bookstores in the easy reader section. They're about the same level as Magic Treehouse, but VERY girly.

[Lovedtodeath]

My DD hated Sonlight last year. Her favorite books to read are by Syd Hoff, also the Harry the Dog series... and anything I found at http://www.tanglewoodeducation.com/bksrd.htm

 

She likes the Sonlight readers this year. Go figure. Now she is at 3rd grade level from what I can tell. I am going through OPGTR with her and if she can read the word list we skip the lesson. She doesn't like doing it, but that's tough... a lot of kids don't like some things in school. They still have to learn them. I also have closed captioning on the T.V. She reads it all the time. Also recommend you read "The read aloud handbook" by Jim Trelease. Great info there.

[Reya]

Thanks...I do already read aloud A LOT. We've used SL for 2 years now, and I read the novels, Bible, science, & history, plus whatever interests us (right now, my 7yo likes listening to me read Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, & I just sort of edit out all the drinking & inappropriate things - but the big vocabulary has a great sound to it, and I think she likes listening to it). So...she is an avid listener, lol. I've read to her since her infancy. I do currently let her pick her own books from the library...but I think I will try to pick an assortment of different genres myself to add to her choices. She rejects most books (I tried the Henry & Mudge variety, but those were rejected too - the character is a boy, and she doesn't like books about boys). I think she is just being extremely picky (no dark pics and no boys). Sometimes I think she's just being a stinker and wants to see how many hoops she can get me to jump thru. She didn't like the Amanda pig series, either (girl with bright pics, met all demands). Maybe I'll try some non-fiction, as some of you suggested. Otherwise, I think I may have to force feed some of the reading. She's not ready for Magic Treehouse either (tried that, absolutely no interest, and I think she'd struggle with it). Anyhow, thanks for the suggestions, and your daily framework of what you would assign was very helpful!

 

I'm the original Mean Mommy, but at this point, I'd say tough toenails and tell her that she's reading what I pick out unless she can find something appropriate herself and that she WILL NOT make ONE WORD of complaint because she knows what her other options are. I'm thinking that this is a power issue at this point--and if it isn't, this approach will at least spur her to get up off her rear end and to show a little initiative in finding her own books instead of just pooh-poohing whatever you bring home!

 

I know you're concerned about fostering a love of reading and all that, but as long as you're still reading books she enjoys to her, I don't see a danger there. I think she's taking advantage of your sensitivity to her at this point, and that won't make her love reading, either!

[Kimber]

AT that age my dd loved Cam Jansen books. We sat together while she read and I helped her read what she didn't know. But I also just gave her books to read. I picked out what I liked, and we co-read them until she didn't want to wait for me and finished them by herself.

 

I can kind of see being bored with Frog and Toad books at 7. My dd never got into those. I'd have her read alone at level, but try harder books together that she might enjoy. For some reason, once you past the first 2 chapters of a book, the vocabulary gets easier or they just catch on to the new reading level and just get going.

[Wee Pip]

Great replies!! Thank you!! I inter-library-loan ordered a bunch of the suggestions, and will have many more from you all to add to the list after the first bunch. I have ordered a large variety (sciency ones about bats, frogs, dolphins, an easy to read I Spy book, a couple of those Rainbow Magic Fairy books, and a few easy reader types). I also think I'll take her to a different library (ours is really tiny, and we've gotten the same books out every single week for the past 2 years). She'll get a big basket of books; she'll get first pick some days, and some days I'll pick the reading. Anyhow, thanks so much! I will be pulling from your list of ideas in the weeks to come.

[...................]

Another plug for Pathway Readers.

 

My son is currently just starting to be where I can pick any level 1 easy reader and work him through it. Your dd sounds like she is a little beyond that.

 

If you can just get her fluent enough (she sounds like about pathway 2nd grade level), then she can really start just reading on her own, and her options will really open up for her.

 

She's not quite at the level yet where you can just let her read Boxcar CHildren or Magic Tree house, and the only thing between those more exciting, more mature books and her is *practice.*

 

I feel like Pathway is a pretty painless, easy way to just get that practice in and over with. my son is not in the ranks of kids who "Love Pathway Readers" but he tolerates them and I know exactly how much he is reading, at least.

 

So if I were you I'd invest in the Pathway 2nd Grade readers and require her to read 4-5 pages per day.

 

Personally I am making my son read 3 pages of Pathways and 3-4 pages of an I can Read It library books every week. But my son is not averse to reading the library books.

 

If dd is fighting over reading them or really complaining, then it would be easier to you to just forget them and use the Pathways- this way there will be no questions, no complaints. She will know exactly what is expected of her and you can easily implement consequences when she's rude about it.

 

I am a big fan of dc knowing exactly what to expect when possible.:D

[Wee Pip]

Thanks Calming Tea!! I have a friend with those books; I could probably borrow/buy them from her.

[tiffany k]

My dd6 just started a series called The Tiara Club, by Vivian French. She is reading about half a chapter aloud to me each day and loving these books. They are about a group of six princesses at Princess Academy, very girly! She hates easy readers as well and usually just reads picture books. This is the first chapter book series she has shown any interest in. They are listed for ages 6-9.

 

Hope that helps some,

 

Tiffany :001_smile:

[Wee Pip]

Ohh, complete girly twaddle - she'll love it! Even though I probably have 20 books on order from the library, I added one of these Tiara Club books to the list. Couldn't resist:) Thanks!!

[judycym]

If you are still looking for colorful books with shorter stories I used A Beka's readers. My kids loved them and I never had a child bored with them. I only used them for 1st, sometimes 2nd grade because I wanted them to work their way into real books, but these were great starters.