At what age do you expect kids to do their own history/science reading....

[Michelle T]

rather than you reading out loud to them? If your kids are doing their own reading, can you tell me what subjects, and how old they were when they started? Do you do the reading for some subjects, and have them read others?

 

Trying to figure out what's reasonable independence for learning.

Michelle T

[rafiki]

.

[Jenny in Florida]

Basically, once they are reading fluently, they usually want to do most of their reading on their own. In my daughter's case, she was doing pretty much all her history and science reading independently by age 7- or 8-ish. We did continue to read aloud one book at a time, usually something literature related, until she left for college last year. And when there was something that I specifically wanted both kids to hear, we'd read aloud so as to include her younger brother.

 

My son probably took the reins when he was slightly older, maybe closer to 9? And, at 10, he doesn't particularly enjoy being read aloud to anymore, so we don't even do the one-book-at-a-time literature thing. The only subjects we do together, reading from the texts, are English (grammar, reading comp) and Latin. We're adding Greek next year, and I suspect that may join the do-together list. I also work through his math lessons with him, but those are online, so it's just a matter of me sitting with him and playing along.

[Bee]

She was half way through 3rd grade then.My youngest,at about 6 & 1/2, is requesting to read SOTW vol. 1 to herself.Sometimes I let her do the reading and then I ask questions.Sometimes I still read it to her.I read all her formal science lesson to her-her choice.I have noticed that oldest dd learns better by reading the information to herself rather than listening to someone speak;she just sort of spaces out when she tries to listen to me teach or when we listen to our history lectures.I find I have to stop a lot and have her repeat back to me what I just said or ask her questions about what we are listening to.Younger dd does much better listening and remembering what she hears.(I don't think it has anything to do with how much they were read to as young children.I spent years reading to oldest dd from the time she was a baby and far less time reading aloud to my youngest.)

[Rhondabee]

My 3rd grader reads general stories independently daily (this is the first year), but for history/science I feel it's important that the assignments are read together. I want to be directly involved in what they are learning, asking comprehension questions as we read, model KWO for important sections, discussing things as we come to them, answering any questions they may have, seeing hey, this would be a good topic to write about, etc.. I'm not a fan of the "go do your history/science" method, children of all ages need teachers.

 

 

There are times my kids read their science and history by themselves, and then we discuss it (they are rising 5th and 8th). They normally read library books for extra reading/report writing on their own.

 

But, frankly, if they can understand *everything* on their own with no input from an adult, then I think they are probably not reaching their potential in that subject. (IOW, The books are too easy.)

 

:)

Rhonda

[Laura W.]

Last year, when my dd was in 4th grade, I started the move toward her doing some of her history/science reading independently. This year I'm planning for her to do a little more independently, but will still be doing a good bit of reading aloud to her as well. History leads so naturally to good discussions that I feel it is wise to keep reading some of it aloud. Plus I agree with what another poster said - if they can read it all themselves, it's too easy.

 

Blessings,

 

Laura

[frogpond1]

do all their own history and science reading, but that doesn't mean they do their class independently. They come together twice a week for discussions, lessons, experiments etc. They also are taking notes and writing papers on their readings.

 

Before 6th grade we work more together. I don't want to miss out on the interactions and joy of discovery.

[Beth in Central TX]

I stop reading science aloud in 3rd grade, and turn them loose in 4th grade. I read aloud all 4 years of SOTW, so that's through 4th grade, and they start reading on their own in 5th grade. This schedule also gives my boys a gradual introduction to independent learning too. I still check for comprehension through written or oral narrations and other assigned work.

[Bambam]

My oldest started doing almost all her own reading in the middle of 3rd grade. For 4th, I handed her a schedule and she handles the rest. We have conversations on her material, and she writes narrations on some of it. I can tell from regular conversations she understands what she reads and can apply some of it to other situations. She also has a good memory later as she will mention things that I have forgotten. I do read a lot of her material before she reads it. I encourage my children to be as independent as they want to be and can handle. She retains information much better if she reads it than if it is read to her. She is an extremely organized and motived child. Now my youngest, she is a different story. She (2nd grade) is capable of reading and understanding all the material, but she really isn't very interested in history, so we will have to do that together for a while. She is interested in some science materials, so if it interests her, she is motived and does fine. If it doesn't, beware.

 

I do read aloud Plutarch with my oldest (started in 4th grade but taking a long time to do a life). We also started reading Beautiful Girlhood together (this summer, starting 5th) and discussing that. Not because she can't understand, but this is discussion and application material.

[HollyinNNV]

My kids were capable of reading it long before I "left them to it." For 6th grade my dd read science on her own and we went back and summarized and clarified together. After that she's been totally independent except when she's asked for help.

 

For history she started reading on her own in fifth grade. However, we've talked more about it through the present than science. She's going into 9th.