read aloud vs. assigned reading

[angelmama1209]

I want to do book it with my kids this year and for my 3rd grader, I want her to read an assigned book and write a report on it. is there a trick to deciding which books to hold for read alouds and which to assign for reports? most of the read alouds we do are pretty much on her level. we have a shelf that she chooses the next one from.

[Critterfixer]

In third grade, I was focused less on themes than on ordering how events happened. We picked Call it Courage, which I read aloud, and the boys would illustrate a blank-top page of letter paper and then detail the chapter for me. At the end of the book we had their own little "book" of chapter summaries, like in TWEM. This year we did a little more with the character of Mafatu in the same format. In fifth grade we may read it yet again and discuss plot in our chapter summaries.

 

So this might be a read-aloud that has turned into a book for story-work.

 

Read-aloud books I choose based on their difficulty-they are usually beyond both of my boys in reading level and also above in vocabulary. I usually need to stop and explain a word here or there, and now we are also into a book that requires me to update them on the mood, and sometimes the plot turns a little quickly and I need to go over a section again.

Books for work are usually challenging, but not beyond them, and require me to skim the vocabulary for tough words, but I shouldn't have to put up more than 6 on the board for discussion before assigning the reading.

[Rachel]

My oldest is only in kindergarten, but so far I read aloud books that are above his reading level or that he wouldn't read on his own.  I let him read books that he would find interesting on his own.