What grade or level do you stop formal reading program and read chapter books?

[avazquez24]

This is a spin off from another thread I had, when asking favorite 2nd grade reading curriculum. I'm wondering at what grade or reading level do you stop using formal reading curriculums, but instead just have dd or ds read chapter books? I'd still be using a formal grammer, spelling, writing,ect curriculum, but I'm referring just to strictly reading.

 

Also, when you do, do you just have them read the books to you, or do you do some other sort of activites with the books? If so, is there a place where you find 'activities' that go along w/ the book (as far as possibly vocabulary, comprehension, and other things I may not even have thought about lol)

[Lisa in the UP of MI]

We do AAS until they jump into reading, OPGTR just to make sure they don't miss anything, and other than that they just read good books. First grade ds is reading reader books from the library to me. Oldest dd just reads whatever books I put in front of her. If she sees something new she will read it. I will occasionally ask dd about the books she has been reading but otherwise we do not do any activities based on the books they read. When she is older we will probably study literature more formally, but for now she just reads.

[MusicMama]

I use Phonics Pathways until they are sounding out CVC words, then add in AAS 1. I continue that two pronged approach until they are reading chapter books, and then drop the Phonics Pathways. AAS is a great phonics program as well as spelling program and has helped my ODD with her reading. Right now, I have DD read a section of her assigned book to me, then I ask her questions, narration style. I think I will be doing this for a while...

[Χά�ων]

What is AAS?

[mysticmomma]

All about spelling

[Kathleen in LV]

We finished OPGTR, and now we use a McGuffey Reader for formal out-loud reading practice for my 6 yo son. I often have him narrate to me after reading. And I also go through and just discuss some of the new vocabulary. Often there are poems, and we might discuss particular imagery in the poems, as well as the basic rhyming pattern. It's not too formal, but I do want him to keep reading out loud to me for awhile for practice in fluency. (I expect he'll read out loud to me for a least several more years in some way, shape or form.) He reads a lot of simple chapter books on his own for fun (Nate the Great, Magic Tree House), and I read a lot of picture & chapter books to him -- but I try to keep those times enjoyable & not as much focused on narration, vocabulary and the like.

[kdownie]

We finished OPGTR, continued with AAS and dd just chooses books from the library or our personal collection. I believe that OPGTR finishes with 4th grade words.

[Ellie]

Well, aside from the fact that "chapter books" has never been in my vocabulary, lol, I never noticed when my children went from shorter books to longer ones. They just...did. I never used vocabulary-controlled basal readers at all, only trade books (from the library). We went every week, and dds could check out whatever they wanted. Younger dd was reading well when I withdrew her from school; I taught younger dd to read with Spalding; both just read real books, chapters or not. ;-)

[avazquez24]

Thanks everyone:) Instead of 'chaper books' I should have just said 'books'.....I was trying to ask at what point do others stop using a reading program (Such as AAR, BJU, ect) and just have their kiddos read good books:) This school year we did AAR2 (DD just finished.....I think it was a tad too easy for her though).....a few other mentioned AAS, and we're working on AAS2 right now too.

 

I'm torn right now on what to do. As I mentioned dd finished up AAR2 shortly ago. I had planned on just moving her to AAR3, but as far as I know it's not scheduled to be released until later this year. Then, as I was looking at BJU for English (switching over from FLL), I stumbled upon their reading...I then started wondering about other reading curriculums, which then in turn made me start wondering what point and age others stop using a formal reading curriculum (such as AAR, or BJU reading) and just have their dd/ds read good old fashion books:)

[boscopup]

My oldest just read books starting halfway through first grade when I pulled him out to homeschool, but he was already reading at a 4th grade level, so he was ready for things like Charlotte's Web. We just had to build up his stamina for the longer books. I used a phonics based spelling program, but no reading program. At that time, I had him have a 20 minute book basket (library books) reading session each day - any book he wanted from the basket. And then another session he had to read a certain amount of a "longer book". ;) This would be maybe a chapter usually. That book would be somewhat near his reading level, whereas the book basket books included plenty of things below his reading level.

 

I don't do comprehension questions or vocabulary or activities for the books he's reading. He comprehends well, and a narration will tell you what they comprehend. He picks up vocabulary without having it pointed out to him (we always laugh when doing Story of the USA workbooks in Sonlight Core D with their easy vocabulary). I don't have him read aloud to me, but 1) he hates reading aloud because it's slower than reading on his own (he's a VERY fast reader), and 2) when I have had him read the Bible out loud for the family, he has no problem doing so, so it's just not something I felt like I needed to work on with him.

 

Now my 6 year old who is still learning to read... We're doing Phonics Pathways, so I plan to just keep going until we finish the book, then we'll do a phonics based spelling program instead. I'll have him read daily like I did with DS1. I imagine the transition to "longer books" ;) may be in 2nd or 3rd grade, but we'll see. He's just starting to be able to read some very beginnerish books, but is still doing mostly short vowel words (plus a handful of what schools call "sight words" that he knows phonetically - I, he, she, it, a, an, the, and not phonetically - you).

 

So basically, when a child is ready to read good old fashioned books, I let them read those. If they still need phonics instruction, I teach phonics until they no longer need the instruction. Age/grade has no bearing on when we switch over. My youngest will probably be reading "longer books" in K at the rate he's going (he started reading CVC words at age 3), my oldest was mid-1st grade, and my middle is about to start 1st grade and is nowhere near ready for "longer books" anytime soon. You'll know when she's ready. :)

[km123175]

Even after my oldest was reading chapter books we continued Reading Pathways until she finished it.

 

To start her on chapter books we read as a team. She had listened to books on tape of Magic Tree House books. Since she knew the story well, I would Point to sentences here and there that I knew she could read. Then I worked up to having her read one paragraph per page. Then to reading a bit more. Finally she was up to reading full pages. After she could easily read a full page on her own she kind of too off with it.

 

We are starting the same approach with my younger daughter now that she can read VCE words. They pick up the others from context and reptilian within the book.

 

My older wanted to read longer books. The younger doesn't really have the desire yet. We're trying to get her there.

[Pen]

Chapter Books, first HighNoonBooks.com and the Magic Tree House were part of our formal reading program. But to answer what I think you are getting at really:

 

We stopped having reading be a 'school subject' when it became what my ds would do for most of every day if given a chance and I had to stop him reading and get him to do other things.

 

For my particular ds that was at the end of grade 3--for his best friend it was around K, so I think the issue is ability to read and interest in doing it on ones own, not grade or age. Wanting more and more challenge has for him seemed to come naturally. Sometimes I have steered him to things I thought he would like and be good next steps for him, sometimes he has found them himself at the library, or at a book fair, or by hearing what a friend is reading.

 

 

Mainly reading is silent these days, but I think it is sometimes a good idea to have children continue to read aloud for fluency and to make sure to catch problems if they are there so they can be corrected. Sometimes we will alternate reading aloud, or one of us will read aloud as the other is doing something like cooking or washing dishes.

 

My ds recently went back to his Percy Jackson series, and when he reads aloud now, we are getting words like "Chiron" corrected (he was saying it with a CH as in chess) and discussing that the CH sounds like K if it is from Greek. That works now, but when he first read it, that would have been too much of an interruption in the narrative flow. So I let him do it mainly silently knowing there would be some errors, but also feeling that loving the story was more important than how Chiron was pronounced.

 

We will work more on reading in future when it becomes important again, either for more complex subjects to learn study skills, for specialized types of reading, or for deeper literary analysis and higher levels of literature.

[PachiSusan]

We will be doing it as a separate subject all the way through 8th grade. The Reading we use includes book reports, critical thinking skills and reading comprehension.

[Tanikit]

I used OPGTR with my 3.5 year old and stopped when she was 4.5 years old and since then I have not taught reading - she has just read aloud to me and if she needs help I'll explain whatever rule she has missed and help her sound out the word. She is 5.5 now and reading at a 3rd/4th grade level. Her stamina has recently increased greatly and she is reading chapter books (at the moment she reads an entire short chapter in one sitting, but longer chapters get split into two sessions). Basically I stopped when phonics instruction for reading was no longer necessary. I started spelling with her when she turned 5 and since then this has been her phonics training.

 

This is not to say she does not get reading instruction though - she must read easier books to me to practice projecting her voice, reading at a good pace and keeping her place in the story (she's very wiggly) She gets instruction on how to figure out what a word is by using phonics, but also checking herself with what makes sense in the story. We also use her reading to teach punctuation and good sentence structure. And then she also often discusses the book to help with narration and comprehension and we use the reading as a vocabulary exercise too. They are all just natural extensions of having my child read to me.

[NASDAQ]

My daughter is reading chapter books.

 

I also have her read the Elson Readers and the McGuffey Readers aloud to me. She's on the third in each. I will have her read and answer a few questions orally until at least the end of the eighth Elson and sixth McGuffey. That will probably be IYH sometime before the end of third grade, since she's nearing the end of first right now. We address vocabulary as it comes up, but I suspect she gets most of her vocabulary aurally.

 

I find basal readers very useful. My daughter cannot read as difficult a chapter book as she can read in a basal. A basal section is short enough that I can provide a great deal of scaffolding -- addressing words beforehand, rereading difficult sentences, discussing each sentence as necessary, checking regularly for comprehension. When she reads her chapter books for pleasure reading, she does it mainly on her own. Basals move progressively through levels of difficulty. Chapter books books maintain the same difficulty throughout.

[Punks in Ontario]

This is a spin off from another thread I had, when asking favorite 2nd grade reading curriculum. I'm wondering at what grade or reading level do you stop using formal reading curriculums, but instead just have dd or ds read chapter books? I'd still be using a formal grammer, spelling, writing,ect curriculum, but I'm referring just to strictly reading.

 

Also, when you do, do you just have them read the books to you, or do you do some other sort of activites with the books? If so, is there a place where you find 'activities' that go along w/ the book (as far as possibly vocabulary, comprehension, and other things I may not even have thought about lol, This is where novel studies or a reading/literature program goes. While the complexity of the reading selections get more complex over time, the emphasis is not so much on learning to read, but on comprehension, analysis, vocabulary and being able to form a written response to leading questions.

 

 

I wonder if you're confusing a learning to read program with reading/literature as a subject. We still do reading/lit all the way into high school although usually it's called English by then.

[happyhome]

Well, aside from the fact that "chapter books" has never been in my vocabulary, lol, I never noticed when my children went from shorter books to longer ones. They just...did. I never used vocabulary-controlled basal readers at all, only trade books (from the library). We went every week, and dds could check out whatever they wanted. Younger dd was reading well when I withdrew her from school; I taught younger dd to read with Spalding; both just read real books, chapters or not. ;-)

 

 

 

Ellie, I have to say that you are always a breath of fresh air. Every time I read one of your posts it makes me take another sip of really good coffee, take a deep breath and RELAX. I have been following you around on other threads too (unschooling....yikes!!) and I cannot tell you the encouragement you bring me on these boards. Thank you for continuing to post here and bringing a healthy dose of wisdom to newbies like me!!

 

Now back to my coffee.

[RootAnn]

I have so far started out my kids on 100EL (Teach Your Child To Read in At Least 100 Completely Frustrating and Tearful Sittings). Then, we don't do a "formal reading" program as we move onto Spell to Write and Read (Spalding spin-off) which teaches spelling to help the kids read (better). However, I learned with my oldest that one should continue to have a child read aloud to you every day even if they are reading "well" on their own.

 

If they aren't reading aloud a literature book, have them read aloud to you from one of the subject (history/science) books at least once per day. Continued help in developing fluency and also sounding out words they don't know are two reasons I do this.

 

I've also added in McCall/Crabbs (Reading comprehension) a couple times per week in certain grades.