starwarsmomma Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 My son reads at/slightly above grade level for reading (7th) But, he's just like his Dad (and all the men in my family), who do not read unless forced. They are all reluctant readers. This is NOT about Special needs, or LD's... this is about a boy who does not WANT to read, but is capable of reading. Right now, the only series he will read during daily reading time (forced) is the Bill Myers, My Life as a... series. These are good clean books, BUT I want him also exposed to classics. I was thinking of this as my plan-- please critique and keep in mind I am dealing with a very reluctant, whiner, complainer over ANY reading... Daily reading his choice 30-50 pages a day (depending on book) Assigned reading my choice 150+ pages a week (depending on difficulty level of the book) plus written synopsis and/or discussions. The Hobbit Tom Sawyer's Adventures The Three Musketeers Gulliver's Travels Robinson Crusoe Short Stories by Edgar Allan Poe Any BETTER book suggestions? What classics am I missing that might be a better fit? We TRY to avoid books about witchcraft, ghosts, sorcery, vampires, werewolves, etc... We also TRY to avoid anything too voilent or has child or animal suffering in it. (they are super-sensitive to animal or child suffering) I have searched my area for a book reading club, but so far the only one I found is girls only and they're doing the vampire series. So that isn't an option. Co-op here is not an option for us. (too long to explain) Virtual co-op might work though. Just haven't found one yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 What I would do is NOT make him write about reading this year. It is a great way to kill the love of the story. I'd require him to read 1 hour a day...30 minutes must be your choice, the other 30 can be more of that book or another book/magazine/etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 My son reads at/slightly above grade level for reading (7th) The Hobbit Tom Sawyer's Adventures The Three Musketeers Gulliver's Travels Robinson Crusoe Short Stories by Edgar Allan Poe I think having to read 30 page/day of those books would be too much for a reluctant reader. I think you are more likely to turn him into a book hater than encourage more reading, but I know others will disagree. The Hobbit, Tom Sawyer and Poe would be the choices I would go with from that list. I wouldn't force the page count, but would let him have time to read and enjoy them. If he hasn't already read it, Robin Hood would be a good addition to the list, very approachable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 What I would do is NOT make him write about reading this year. It is a great way to kill the love of the story. I'd require him to read 1 hour a day...30 minutes must be your choice, the other 30 can be more of that book or another book/magazine/etc. :iagree: I think having to read 30 page/day of those books would be too much for a reluctant reader. I think you are more likely to turn him into a book hater than encourage more reading, but I know others will disagree. The Hobbit, Tom Sawyer and Poe would be the choices I would go with from that list. I wouldn't force the page count, but would let him have time to read and enjoy them. If he hasn't already read it, Robin Hood would be a good addition to the list, very approachable. :iagree: Although I would preview Poe as it might not fit your requirements. I would not make a page count requirement, I would do a time requirement. I also have a reluctant reader and a dh who does not read literature. My goals is consistency and learning to love a story. We've been working on this for the last few years. I normally pick one book, then he gets to pick. I would try to assess the work orally, either through narrations or Socratic dialogue. If you are still working on the skill of writing (as many are at this age) I would limit the literature analysis for now. You might look at a book like Figuratively Speaking to introduce literary terms. There are excerpts in there that might give you ideas for a reading list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starwarsmomma Posted June 25, 2012 Author Share Posted June 25, 2012 We used to have 10, 20 or 30 minute reading times, BUT when I would ask him what he read, he always admitted he just stared at the page waiting for the time to be used up. (all my boys do this-- soooo annoying!) That is why we do the amount of pages. It can take him all day if he's goofing off, but it's his own time he's wasting and not mine. :D make sense? :D He's a good reader, with excellent comprehension. Telling him to read a certain amount of a book per week (trying to give him the ability to make his own choices on time management) is not over the top. And any book that has difficult to understand language or vocabulary, I will obviously adjust the amount of pages, and possibly switch to read aloud or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 Have you tried doing it as an audiobook where he can read and follow along? Also VP has comprehension guides that are very straightforward that would work well for this situation. It would break the books into chunks and give him a way to interact with the material, something he's reading for. Their selections tend to be very boy-friendly. I know they have a Hobbit guide. Can't remember off the top of my head for the other books. Just check the catalog. You can probably see samples of the guides at CBD or Rainbow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starwarsmomma Posted June 26, 2012 Author Share Posted June 26, 2012 Thanks for the suggestion of the guides-- I think that is a great idea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 Thanks for the suggestion of the guides-- I think that is a great idea! In addition to guides to spark discussion, we did the required reading aloud together, "popcorn style" ("you read a page, I read a page") -- usually about 30-40 minutes. After we read, we would use a lit. guide to springboard into deeper digging into the work for another 10-20 minutes. Some of the benefits we discovered from aloud together reading: - learned vocabulary in context and in the moment (which really sticks the best!) - discussed the book as we read if a theme or a comment arose while reading - sometimes what we were reading led to questions and conversations on other topics that were of great value - learned together, and learned about each other - made enjoyable shared experiences/memories together BEST of luck! Warmly, Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeJM Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 Your page count does seem a bit aggressive to me, but only you know your child. I know that my reading-hating 13 year old would die if he had to read 60 pages a day (30 of his choosing, 30 of my choosing), and then write about 30 of those pages. I would have a revolt to deal with in addition to the aversion to reading. You have some good suggestions here; I hope you find a fitting solution. All the best to you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehogs4 Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 I wonder if listening would be a viable option for him? My family really enjoys listening to stories together and talking about them. Audible is the best subscription I've ever had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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