How do you "do" reading comprehension, vocab, etc?

[Mom2OandE]

I just finished reading The Read Aloud Handbook and it has left me thinking. I love the idea of read alouds and silent reading and having discussions and interactions about what we read. Do you keep it at this or do you do worksheets with comprehension questions? Do you test vocab or keep a vocab notebook? Do you notebook? I'd love to know how you approach reading comprehension and your experience with it. I hope that makes sense. It's late and I'm tired but my mind is racing. Thank you.

[boscopup]

Oral narration and general discussion is great for comprehension.

 

Reading good quality books and stopping to discuss unknown words is great for vocab.

 

Definitely no worksheets here. I know whether my children comprehend. For vocab, my kids have picked up a lot from being read to, or in my older son's case, reading himself. I use MCT's vocab book for fun, and it goes into stems. Otherwise, we're not doing anything formal right now. Eventually, spelling will have more vocab, plus we're studying Latin.

 

Considering my 5 year old complained one day that my 3 year old was sowing discord (and the 5 year old has language issues), I'm not real concerned about vocab. My oldest reads tons of books, and occasionally I hear a new word enter his vocabulary. I think reading is the best way to develop vocabulary for a lot of kids. :)

[Crimson Wife]

My oldest has done some reading comp workbooks for standardized test prep from this series. I have her do them twice per week during the spring semester. She actually likes them, go figure!

 

For vocab, I like MCT's Caesar's English series followed by Sadlier-Oxford Vocabulary Workshop. DD is also learning a lot of new vocabulary through Hexco spelling bee prep materials.

 

I do think TWTM methods of narration and keeping a vocab notebook are useful for helping with these skills. Whether or not to add a formal reading comp and/or vocab program depends on how much your goals for your students depend on high standardized test scores. I want my kids to be competitive applicants for selective private high schools and Ivy caliber colleges, so I do incorporate test prep into our HS.

Edited August 9, 2012 by Crimson Wife

[Kathryn]

Oral narration and general discussion is great for comprehension.

 

Reading good quality books and stopping to discuss unknown words is great for vocab.

 

Definitely no worksheets here. I know whether my children comprehend. For vocab, my kids have picked up a lot from being read to, or in my older son's case, reading himself. I use MCT's vocab book for fun, and it goes into stems. Otherwise, we're not doing anything formal right now. Eventually, spelling will have more vocab, plus we're studying Latin.

 

Considering my 5 year old complained one day that my 3 year old was sowing discord (and the 5 year old has language issues), I'm not real concerned about vocab. My oldest reads tons of books, and occasionally I hear a new word enter his vocabulary. I think reading is the best way to develop vocabulary for a lot of kids. :)

 

This is what we do.

[fourisenough]

I agree that reading widely and being spoken to/speaking with adults is the best way to develop a full vocabulary and to ensure good comprehension, however, that doesn't mean you can't add in a workbook if that is something your child would enjoy.

 

My girls have all used the Wordly Wise 3000 series. The vocabulary words are almost all beneath their level (even when we advance a grade), but it is something they can do independently, requires them to produce a bit of "output" when some days it seems all we do is read and talk (like that is nothing!), requires that they read and follow instructions, and gives them good practice answering high-quality reading comprehension questions similar to those they're likely to see on standardized testing. The multiple-choice test booklet available for each level is good practice for 'bubble' tests they'll take for the remainder of their lives.

 

We do annual standardized testing, and I've never had to explain to my kids how to take the tests because of their experience with Wordly Wise. Their scores on reading comprehension and vocabulary are always 95-99th percentile - all of them. I suspect this has more to do with the reading/talking in our home, but Wordly Wise has certainly been a factor.

[Laura Corin]

We did both. We did a lot of reading and (fairly casual) asking of questions. We also used Galore Park English, which has comprehension questions and vocabulary based around high quality passages of real literature.

 

Laura

[Down_the_Rabbit_Hole]

We do several things for reading. They have an assigned book they read and write about. This is usually a more challenging book and read slowly. The writing is a paragraph or two of the chapter they read. At the end of the book we type up the pages, add a beginning and ending paragraph with review.

They have another assigned book which is usually not hard but applicable to the area being studied. These usually get discussed every few days or weekly.

Dd gets a read aloud we do discuss as we read.

 

Vocabulary is picked up from reading quality books and getting words from a vocabulary workbook. These workbooks are not used as workbooks but as a list of words they use to write sentences for to show the word in action.

[kb44]

I focus on the comprehension strategies from Reading with Meaning by Debbie Miller through reader's workshop method. I have posters of each of the strategies on our wall. We read trade books and focus on different comprehension skills through discussion. We also display and discuss strategies through extended activites and writing!

[Mom2OandE]

Thanks everyone for your feedback.

[laughing lioness]

Daily read-alouds from the time they are toddlers. Narration when they get older. Reading "over their heads."

Vocab: Talking intelligently in front of them :001_smile:. Turning off the screens and making sure they have access to irl people who talk.

[daughterofsarah77]

:lurk5:

[Shelsi]

I do what my school always did growing up (I got a stellar education from the private school my parents sent me to and I tend to model much of it in my homeschool).

 

I have ds pick out words in his reading that he doesn't know. He tries to infer what the word means and then looks it up. I would have him write the word, the sentence it's in, and the meaning but he has dysgraphia so we keep the writing to a minimum.

[Mom2OandE]

I do what my school always did growing up (I got a stellar education from the private school my parents sent me to and I tend to model much of it in my homeschool).

 

I have ds pick out words in his reading that he doesn't know. He tries to infer what the word means and then looks it up. I would have him write the word, the sentence it's in, and the meaning but he has dysgraphia so we keep the writing to a minimum.

 

This is exactly what I was thinking/planning on doing. Good to know it works for you.

[jar7709]

Daily read-alouds from the time they are toddlers. Narration when they get older. Reading "over their heads."

Vocab: Talking intelligently in front of them :001_smile:. Turning off the screens and making sure they have access to irl people who talk.

 

This is what we do. Except we started as babies. ;) I never baby-talked to them, it's not in my nature, I always talked to them in full sentences with an adult vocabulary. My kids often just ask if they don't understand a word, sometimes I may pause during a read-aloud if we run across a word I don't think they've heard before (more often than not they've already figured it out from context, though).

 

I don't plan ever on doing a formal vocabulary program, but someday we may do latin roots. The kids are already wordy and they may enjoy it, down the road.

[regentrude]

Daily read-alouds from the time they are toddlers. Narration when they get older. Reading "over their heads."

Vocab: Talking intelligently in front of them :001_smile:. Turning off the screens and making sure they have access to irl people who talk.

 

This.

I see no need for special vocabulary programs - a child who reads widely, is being read to, is listening to audiobooks and adult conversations will develop a wide vocabulary.

Reading comprehensions is developed through reading and some more reading and talking about the books.

[Walking-Iris]

I never try to turn a read aloud into a "school lesson." What I read aloud and what my ds is reading on his own are just read in a natural way. We do talk about certain topics or unfamiliar words during the reading, but in a very natural way. My kids know "scripted, canned" questions and will shut down. They need it to be authentic.

 

I have used Wordly Wise in the past and I think it's a great program. The questions are challenging and really make kids think. I've also used Jane Ervin's Reading Comprehension in the past and found it so-so.

 

Oddly enough I like using WWE as a sort of reading/listening comprehension activity. Reading a selection from the workbook and working on the questions has a different feel about it than if I interrupted genuine book time to do the same.

 

I've tried to figure out how to implement English From the Roots Up as a word roots study. But that book gets ignored.

 

I think workbooks like Wordly Wise can be helpful in moderation---as an occasional supplement, mainly to get kids familiar with that format. But necessary? No. It also helps to pre-read some kid's books so you are familiar with some of what your kid is reading. I can't talk about a book I've never read.

[Mrs Twain]

Oral narration and general discussion is great for comprehension.

 

Reading good quality books and stopping to discuss unknown words is great for vocab.

 

 

The above is true.

 

You can also read The Knowledge Deficit by Hirsch which explains the conclusions of his extensive research into how kids learn reading comprehension and vocabulary and how to improve them. Reading books aloud which are above the kids' reading levels and explaining new words and concepts as you go is one of the best ways to build vocabulary. Teaching the core knowledge/assumed knowledge/background knowledge systematically in your curriculum is another of the main ways to improve reading comprehension.

 

That said, I add in these workbooks, though I don't put a lot of emphasis on them:

--Skill Sharpeners Reading workbook (Evan Moor)--for reading comprehension

--Blackbird & Co. literature guides (only one per year)--for reading comprehension

--Vocabulary Workshop workbooks (just starting these this year)