Jump to content

Menu

pleasure vs "school" reading


mothergooseof4
 Share

Recommended Posts

We just started MFW. DS 11yo is in the middle of reading the 3rd book in the Percy Jackson series. I am having him read for book basket for 20 minutes. He has never read for pleasure until recently and is now doing it almost daily. In the past we have used HOD and he seemed to be DONE with any reading after the assigned history, Bible, science, maybe some research, and then an assigned reader.

 

My question is this: should I

A)just make sure that he does 20 minutes of reading during book basket and allow Percy Jackson to be his "reading" that MFW has on the schedule. This seems light since he has been doing so much reading in the past that was school related. But, those topics are now covered with me reading to everyone.

 

B)assign school related reading and anything he wants to read is just extra

 

Option A will result in more reading but he will always choose fiction. He would still be reading for book basket though.

 

Option B will mean that he only reads what I assign and is too tired of reading to choose to do it in his free time.

 

He is in 5th. Would you just be happy that subjects are covered between read alouds and book basket and he enjoys a lot of free reading?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Why can't you assign school reading AND 20 minutes of free choice reading? :confused:

 

I would also suggest implementing a "no screen time" policy during the school week. It's been my observation that the kids I know whose parents claim "hate reading" all come from homes that allow liberal media use and those who are avid readers tend to come from homes that have strict media limits.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Why can't you assign school reading AND 20 minutes of free choice reading? :confused:

 

I would also suggest implementing a "no screen time" policy during the school week. It's been my observation that the kids I know whose parents claim "hate reading" all come from homes that allow liberal media use and those who are avid readers tend to come from homes that have strict media limits.

 

I'm only dealing with a first grader, so the reading amount is waaaaay less, but what I've been doing this week is to tell my son to read a chapter from the chapter book he's been assigned (Tornado by Betsy Byars) while I go put his younger brothers down for their naps. After he has read the chapter, he can read more if he wants (he doesn't - he'd rather read picture books :tongue_smilie:), or he can read "any book on the library book shelf". So this ends up being about 30 minutes of reading, and most of it is "free reading", but it's "guided free reading", as he only has decent books on the library book shelf. ;) When we start history and science soon, I'll have those books on the library book shelf also, so that shelf is essentially our "book basket".

 

We have also instituted the "no screen time until all school work is done for the day" rule, and I noticed today that he is reading on his own for fun WAAAAAAY more. For example, as I was cleaning up the toddler after lunch, I noticed DS1 had pulled a library book off the shelf and was reading. It's one he's been reading over and over again, and it's a decent picture book (short paragraphs on each page, not just a sentence or two), so I'm thrilled! He also brought books with him in the van to DS2's speech therapy (we wait in the van until he's done - 30 minutes), and he read to his baby brother the whole time. So today he has done more reading than he probably did in a week's time last semester. I'm still in shock! He's always been an excellent reader, and he has always liked me to read to him, but has not wanted to sit and read on his own for long periods of time. Today, he probably read for 1 hr 15 min, at least.

 

Of course, again, this is a first grader, and the OP's kid is not, but I have to say I agree with Crimson Wife about the no screen time policy. It has really helped here. I say this as my son is playing Wii right now, BUT he finished all his school work 2 hours ago. ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Why can't you assign school reading AND 20 minutes of free choice reading? :confused:

 

 

 

:iagree: My son does silent reading each day and what I do is let him choose a book (has to be approved, no comics for example but Percy Jackson would be fine here), then I'll choose a book once he's finished that one (usually a history, science, biography, historical fiction or something similar. Right now he's reading a Christian Liberty Press Nature Reader for example-my choice and just finished Henry Huggins, his choice.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think if he has really started to enjoy his own reading then giving a few months where he gets to pick his book can work well. The more he reads the quicker and easier it will be and loving his "reading book" for a while might pay off in the long run.

 

My oldest has really just become an avid reader. He has been able to read since about 4, but now at 11 is starting to be one of those kids who always has a book in his hands. He reads before scouts starts instead of playing with the other kids :confused: I'll admit that when it first started about 6 months ago I did often let him count his books for school. Now, not so much.

 

But there are different ways we do assigned vs. free reading depends on our schedule otherwise and how often they choose to read if it isn't assinged.

-assigning both free read time and book I pick time

-saying okay you can read your book today, but I am going to double the time

-assigning reading time for school and letting them stay up to read after bed time

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think if he has really started to enjoy his own reading then giving a few months where he gets to pick his book can work well. The more he reads the quicker and easier it will be and loving his "reading book" for a while might pay off in the long run.

 

My oldest has really just become an avid reader. He has been able to read since about 4, but now at 11 is starting to be one of those kids who always has a book in his hands. He reads before scouts starts instead of playing with the other kids :confused: I'll admit that when it first started about 6 months ago I did often let him count his books for school. Now, not so much.

 

But there are different ways we do assigned vs. free reading depends on our schedule otherwise and how often they choose to read if it isn't assinged.

-assigning both free read time and book I pick time

-saying okay you can read your book today, but I am going to double the time

-assigning reading time for school and letting them stay up to read after bed time

 

This fits. This dc taught himself to sight read at four. He has had no love of readinf until recently. My next ds wants to read science books that are far above his level. Funny how they are so different.

 

Since science and history are covered with what I read to them in MFW, I will just make sure book basket only has things that are on those topic. Then for a while I will just make sure he reads everyday. I will add back more school related readinf later. I want to nurture his new love of reading.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think if he has really started to enjoy his own reading then giving a few months where he gets to pick his book can work well. The more he reads the quicker and easier it will be and loving his "reading book" for a while might pay off in the long run.

 

 

 

:iagree:

 

Last year my younger dd pretty much picked her own reading. She has been a strong reader for years but was a little inconsistent in finishing a book. We did MFW Adv last year and for reading she pretty much read what she was interested in. My only rule...she had to finish it if she started it. I didn't worry about reading level or whether it was "fluff." I just wanted some consistency to go with her above average reading level:D We alternated doing Book Basket together and having her look/read stuff on her own (and some days we skipped it altogether). The assigned books we did as read alouds.

 

This year I told her I was picking the books because it was time to read some classic children's books that I know she would love but not pick on her own. I usually gather about 5 different books in a pile and let her pick one from the pile. This has worked wonderfully! She still gets a pick, but she's reading some classics that she wouldn't have picked up on her own. She reads on her own for pleasure now. If she is really, really into a book (I know that feeling) then I let her read that book for her reading time. It gives her a break.

 

By the way my dd is a media princess. Itouch, laptop, wii, tv, etc. etc. No strict media rules here. Screen time every day. None of that matters when she gets into a good book. She has finished the first 5 Percy Jackson books and loved them :D I have two very avid readers, bad blanket statement there :)

Edited by Angel
Link to comment
Share on other sites

For required reading, the kids do a minimum of 1 hour/day. Beyond that, they can read whatever they like in their spare time. Spare time doesn't occur until all schoolwork is finished.

 

For required reading I let them make the selection every other time (from a predetermined group of books). I keep a running list of what they've read and what I would like them to read for each year of school, and as long as they finish my *private* list, I don't care what they read in addition to that.

 

My dd15 has recently become enamored with those cheap "inspirational" romance novels. *sigh* :tongue_smilie: (I remember having the same taste in reading at her age) She has a stack of them next to her bed, and she's free to read them after she has fulfilled her serious reading quota for the day. Usually, she gets caught up in the good books and doesn't even touch the feather weights until the weekends.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

if the school reading has already been covered by read aloud, i would go with option A. otherwise it seems that you are left forcing redundant reading. fiction can be great, especially fiction that explores the feelings and changes kids go through. percy jackson is a good choice for a tween. people begin to think of themselves as readers when they read regularly for pleasure.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Can you take the Living Books approach? Put together a list of "approved" books that he can choose from that can count as school time - books that are fun, and loved by kids, but contribute to a subject you're studying, stretch his reading abilities, or otherwise serve an educational purpose?

 

I know I learned a lot, about history in particular, from my free reading. And conversely, I found many books and authors that I absolutely loved from well-chosen assigned book lists.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think it's extremely important (and studies seem to support it as a marker of reading ability as well) that kids be able to choose their own books. So, to me, if you've got a kid who is just learning to do that and read for pleasure, then I would really want to support that by building time in for him to do it during your day. On the other hand, like others said, that doesn't mean you can't also assign reading that's curriculum related that you choose. 20 minutes seems like a somewhat short amount of time for a 5th grader to be reading during the day. If his attention span is short for it, you could still double it and have it at different times of the day.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My kids (8 and 9) generally choose all of their own books. They read at least 6+ hours a day, but t hey have no tv to access at all.

 

It took about a year or so after they could read novels before they started to read for pleasure. It took finding a few series that they liked. Famous five, secret seven, roald dahl, l. Frank baum, Harry potter, frances hodgson Burnett. Dd started first, and if she was reading we would let her get out of doing chores etc. Ds decided it was better to read than do the dishes. We also played a lot of audiobooks so they realized how much fun it was to lose themselves in book world (ds's terminology). Then they got a kindle each and I put all the kids books from Gutenberg on it (1400).

 

Now I seem to be always trying to get them to put the kindle down to go and play outside. I guess I'm trying to say that kids aren't going to like reading till it's easy, even if they read well. I don't generally assign reading, but I will put on an audiobook of any book I want them to read. They'll often complain; but they usually like them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

During our school week, my children pick a book from an assigned grouping of books (Peter Pan, Moby Dick, Anne of Green Gables, Dr. Dolittle, etc.) to read silently for 30min and write up a summary of their reading after a family discussion about their book. Mid-day we have alone quiet time for an hour where they also read a book of their choice (often their assigned book). I also give them another hour (often more if a book is hard to put down) in the evening to read a book of their choice. I read during these times so reading is really a family affair. My kids often chose various nonfiction books and fun magazines. I keep a good supply of "eye candy" books on hand (from the library) usually kid craft type books. Many of their play ideas come from craft or theater books. I think it is really important to limit screen time and carve out reading time...good life long habits.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I always have assigned reading AND reading for pleasure.

In 5th, I would count my son's recreational reading as English and towards school hours, because he was still transitioning to for-pleasure-reader. (I would count up to an hour a day, the rest of his school time had to be filled with other work)

Now in 6th, I assign historic fiction which is fun to read, but related to his history topics - this is for school. He now also reads in addition to that, without me rewarding his reading time - other than through a steady supply of exciting new books.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

IMO, 20 minutes a day reading isn't enough for an 11 yo. My ds does 30/min a day and he'd do more if I didn't tell him "Time to move on to math", and my 7 yo does about 20 minutes during school time, but is frequently found reading books on her own. Sometimes I allow them to choose what they want to read from books that I've selected from the library (or books they've chosen themselves and that I've approved). Other times I choose for them a book that I think will interest them and which compliments what we're studying (e.g., while studying westward expansion with ds, I had him reading some of the Dear America series, which he loved, but would've never chosen on his own.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...