Help with struggling / reluctant reader

[Oak Knoll Mom]

I have a young 5th grader who struggled for years to learn to read. He and I put in a lot of hard work and now he can decode on grade level (maybe even a little above.) However, reading is still slow going and he still balks at reading anything other than very easy "Step into Reading" type books. He has read a couple of Magic Treehouse under protest, but he refused to read more than a chapter a day instead of letting himself be drawn into the story.

 

He loves stories. He loves for me to read out loud to him. He loves to listen to audiobooks--the more dramatic the reader/s the better. He loves movies. He loves for my DH to tell stories about when he was a little boy. I know that he will love reading once he gives it a real chance.

 

I would love any ideas on how to get him over that hump? Books that he may enjoy? Tactics or techniques I can try?

 

TIA

[campmom]

Have you ever looked to see if he has any signs of vision processing problems? I have been researching this for my ds and have found that a lot of reluctant/ struggling readers have this problem also many children who are labeled as add, learning disorders etc really goes back to visual processing. I just made an appointment for my ds with a vision therapy doctor to find out if this is his problem. I can't wait to find out if this is his problem.

[QuirkyKidAcademy]

:bigear:

[wapiti]

I would get his vision checked with a COVD optometrist. If nothing turns up there, I'd look into a neuropsych eval for dyslexia.

[MerryAtHope]

I would get his vision checked with a COVD optometrist. If nothing turns up there, I'd look into a neuropsych eval for dyslexia.

 

:iagree: As long as reading is still hard work for him, it's hard to find it fun. My kids' reading levels went up 2 grade levels the first year we used All About Spelling. Both started enjoying reading more at that point (6th & 4th grades), but I could see my oldest was still having to work hard at it. Then we added in vision therapy, and that really helped too. His reading is still on the slower side but he really enjoys all kinds of books now. Hang in there and keep looking around for answers.

 

Merry :-)

[serendipitous journey]

Seconding (thirding?) the vision/neuropsych evaluation suggestions.

 

For straight-forward help, Phonics Pathways and Reading Pathways are very good for remedial students (and precocious ones too ... just terrific materials). There's an associated book with games you can make. But do be sure that there is no visual or cognitive challenge getting in the way.

[Oakblossoms]

Have you tried something funny like Captain Underpants or Calvin and Hobbes?

[mothergooseof4]

He sounds exactly like my son 10yo. He knows phonics inside and out via OG methods which is what is recommended for dyslexics. He can decode, but just wants to get it done, so he will try to guess at an unfamiliar word if not made to slow down. He knows syllable division rules. He spells phonetically very well. He never reverses any letters except the occasional b and d but catches them himself. His handwriting is perfect. Copywork is excellent. Comprehension great. And, descriptions of kids with vision problems or learning disability just didn't fit. He just didn't want to read. He didn't see it as fun, but work. He only recently began to like read alouds, as in the last year. Honestly, he would just prefer to be out shooting something.

 

I tried every kind of book to interest him even Captain Underpants. He rejected them. Then last week he picked up The Diary of a Wimpy Kid at the bookstore. I tried to talk him into something else because I don't care for these, but after he insisted I gave in. He read the whole book in three days and has moved into book two. I keep finding him hiding and reading. He then comes to tell me how the story is going. I am rejoicing!

 

I have not asked him to read aloud from the books. I am just letting him realize that reading is fun. We are doing Dancing Bears FastTrack during school. Otherwise I am not assigning any reading for a while. And, I have discovered that he wants to own the books. He said that books from the library or our family bookshelf don't feel like his and he doesn't want to read them. Hopefully we can work through that one or I will go broke.

 

Perhaps I should have had his eyes checked or had him tested for a LD. But the descriptions just never fit. He just didn't seem to be making the jump from being able to decode and read to being a reader. I am hoping this is finally the time.

[Jeeves]

It definitely may be a vision or LD problem, and I would suggest getting that checked out, but if those don't fit him, I think the key is finding books that he enjoys. My oldest had trouble reading until he was 9, when we discovered Tintin. I was reluctant only because they were comic book-like, but at that point I was willing to try anything. It was the turning point. He now reads above his grade level.

 

From your description, it sounds like your son wants to read, but he's a 5th grader reading 1st and 2nd grade material. It's not fun and it doesn't interest him. He needs to find the right book that interests him, isn't too childish, but the words aren't too hard, either. Those are sometimes tough to find, but, obviously, I would suggest Tintin! But there are some others (mentioned above), as well as the Time Warp Trio series (goofy) and Geronimo Stilton series (really goofy and silly). I realize that these aren't great literature, but the goal right now is to get him to enjoy reading BY getting him to read faster. Once he starts to read faster, he'll like to read the better literature. Just make sure that when he starts reading faster, you start supplying him (and maybe requiring, depending on his personality) the better stuff!

 

Keep looking for THAT book that will turn him around!

 

Good luck!

[creekmom]

Have you tried nonfiction books? Ripley's Believe it or Not, 100 Awesome Things on the Planet, 100 Most Disgusting Things on the Planet, 100 Most Dangerous Things on the Planet, etc.?

 

Some kids take off with reading, some kids need a little push (shove). I would require him to read at least 30 minutes a day on his own. I would also pick a novel that you think he'd enjoy and read with him each day (alternate pages). You might also try reading aloud a book and stopping right when it gets really good. Some kids lack the patience it requires to "get into" a book, and reading aloud the first few chapters may be all it takes to get him hooked on reading.

[ocelotmom]

It definitely may be a vision or LD problem, and I would suggest getting that checked out, but if those don't fit him, I think the key is finding books that he enjoys. My oldest had trouble reading until he was 9, when we discovered Tintin. I was reluctant only because they were comic book-like, but at that point I was willing to try anything. It was the turning point. He now reads above his grade level.

Same here - my DS was 8.5 when he found his hook. In his case, it was Nate the Great.

Then he went on to devour Calvin and Hobbes and the mystery books by Ron Roy (A to Z Mysteries, etc.). Then everything else :) Over this past summer he jumped from reading below grade level, very slowly and reluctantly, to reading voraciously at about a 6th grade level.

[Pen]

I have a young 5th grader who struggled for years to learn to read. He and I put in a lot of hard work and now he can decode on grade level (maybe even a little above.) However, reading is still slow going and he still balks at reading anything other than very easy "Step into Reading" type books. He has read a couple of Magic Treehouse under protest, but he refused to read more than a chapter a day instead of letting himself be drawn into the story.

 

He loves stories. He loves for me to read out loud to him. He loves to listen to audiobooks--the more dramatic the reader/s the better. He loves movies. He loves for my DH to tell stories about when he was a little boy. I know that he will love reading once he gives it a real chance.

 

I would love any ideas on how to get him over that hump? Books that he may enjoy? Tactics or techniques I can try?

 

TIA

 

I think knowing more about what is going on (vision, dyslexia?) could help you a lot.

 

Besides "decoding" there is also "fluency" and it sounds like that is what now needs to be worked on. It sounds from what you read that decoding is at or perhaps above 5th grade level, but that fluency is at ?? maybe around 2nd grade level?

 

It took about 90 minutes per day practice for almost a year for my son to get up to reading at a level where the interest level of the books was something he could read well enough to enjoy them. For my son this meant starting with things below interest level and working up, but there came a point when he made leaps forward. Also, letting him free access to choose his own materials from library and bookfair and engaging the children's librarian at local library all helped find particular books.

 

Series when possible help, so that if the child gets hooked, there is a lot of practice to be had before moving on. Also some parts like names get easy. At first I used to read-aloud till there was some familiarity and interest, and then let him take over.