When to add in literature to the mix

[beth83]

I remember growing up in school (why I am comparing to traditional school, I do not know) we had books we read each year.  Read and discuss, vocabulary, etc. I would like some sort of resemblance for my children.  We don't use a packaged curriculum that comes with readers, and I don't want to line up with what we are studying in history.  I am looking for assigned reading for each grade.

 

Right now, without assigned reading, my daughter is just picking up anything she wants.  This is fine, except that she is reading behind her level most of the time.  She checks out a variety of basic readers at the library all based on their pictures.  We get everything from a level 1 to a level 4.  Then she picks up Stuart Little and devours it in 3 days and can't stop talking about it.  I would like to offer more to her than continually checking out "Biscuit and fill-in-the-blank."

 

My question is, when did you start doing this?

 

How did it look in your homeschool?

 

Did you use literature guides?

 

We don't have any assigned reading around here right now.  I'm thinking, given her reading level, that we will start next year in 1st grade.  I work better with an idea in place, so I would like to have some books picked out, otherwise it will be more "oh, these pictures look pretty books."

 

Any suggestions?  Do I even need to do this?

 

 

 

 

 

 

[freeindeed]

Is your daughter in kindergarten? If so, I'd just continue to let her read for pleasure. I wouldn't add in a literature program.

[alisoncooks]

I personally like the idea of a reading/lit program.  I need structure, plus I like knowing that nothing gets skipped and it holds me accountable!

 

Ideally, I would've started some sort of "literature" in grade 1 -- something along the lines of Memoria Press or Veritas's lit guides.  They both seem to be a gentle introduction.  However, my DD has struggled with reading, so I keep pushing it back.  

 

There are a few options out there:
1. Hewitt Homeschool has a first grade lit course, and *I think* they're beta testing 2nd this year, with the thought to release the remaining years (3-6, they already have 7+).

2. I love the look of Mosdos (starts at grade 3) but it's pricey and very school-like.  (It's an anthology collection, covering multiple genres.)

3. I already mentioned Memoria's lit guides, as well as Veritas. Veritas has a Kindergarten Favorite Comprehension Guide.

 

So there are programs geared toward the younger crew which would cover vocabulary, comprehension, exposure to different types of lit.  You could even just look at the book list from some of these, choose those books to read with your DD and then do some narrations/retellings/vocab work/illustrating/acting out/etc.  Just to flesh it out a bit, but not invest in a whole program.

[Chelli]

I am using Hewitt's Lightning Lit first grade with my dd6 this year. I think it is perfect for that age. I write some of her answers for her though.

 

We will begin beta testing the 2nd grade program later this school year, but it looks great too.

 

My oldest dd has been using K12's Literature program since 3rd grade. We are doing the 4th grade program this year, and I've already bought the 5th grade program for next year. I REALLY love K12's Literature. I buy the teacher and student books used-like new from Amazon and purchase the reader used through Amazon or new from Christian Book Distributors. It doesn't take a lot of time because I don't make my dd write all of the answers to the questions. We do those orally. They only thing she writes is doing the student activity page on her own. So far I've spent about $30 total on each grade level of K12 so it has been very economical as well.

[beth83]

Is your daughter in kindergarten? If so, I'd just continue to let her read for pleasure. I wouldn't add in a literature program.

 

Well, like my original question said, I was wondering when other people did this, just to get an idea.  Telling me not to do it in K is not what I was asking.  "We started in 2nd grade," was more what I was expecting.  I like to plan ahead, which I know is not uncommon around these parts.

 

And, I never said I was planning on doing something now.  I actually said I was thinking about 1st grade.

 

I would like to keep her away from ONLY reading basic, basic readers when she can blow through Stuart Little in three days and love it.  On our current path 99% of the books she reads look have a big picture on one page, and the other page says, "Here, Biscuit!  Look what I have.  Woof, woof!"  Then the other 1% is made up of books like Stuart Little.  Seems a little unbalanced to me.

[beth83]

I personally like the idea of a reading/lit program.  I need structure, plus I like knowing that nothing gets skipped and it holds me accountable!

 

There are a few options out there:

1. Hewitt Homeschool has a first grade lit course, and *I think* they're beta testing 2nd this year, with the thought to release the remaining years (3-6, they already have 7+).

2. I love the look of Mosdos (starts at grade 3) but it's pricey and very school-like.  (It's an anthology collection, covering multiple genres.)

3. I already mentioned Memoria's lit guides, as well as Veritas. Veritas has a Kindergarten Favorite Comprehension Guide.

 

 

 

I am using Hewitt's Lightning Lit first grade with my dd6 this year. I think it is perfect for that age. I write some of her answers for her though.

 

 

Thank you, ladies.  I have never heard of Hewitt.  I will check into it for next year.

[alisoncooks]

I am using Hewitt's Lightning Lit first grade with my dd6 this year. I think it is perfect for that age. I write some of her answers for her though.

 

We will begin beta testing the 2nd grade program later this school year, but it looks great too.

 

My oldest dd has been using K12's Literature program since 3rd grade. We are doing the 4th grade program this year, and I've already bought the 5th grade program for next year. I REALLY love K12's Literature. I buy the teacher and student books used-like new from Amazon and purchase the reader used through Amazon or new from Christian Book Distributors. It doesn't take a lot of time because I don't make my dd write all of the answers to the questions. We do those orally. They only thing she writes is doing the student activity page on her own. So far I've spent about $30 total on each grade level of K12 so it has been very economical as well.

 

I am interested in K12, but cannot figure out WHAT I should be looking for used.  What exactly are the guide/workbook called?  These go with the Classics for Young Readers, right?

[sunnyday]

Well, like my original question said, I was wondering when other people did this, just to get an idea.  Telling me not to do it in K is not what I was asking.  "We started in 2nd grade," was more what I was expecting.  I like to plan ahead, which I know is not uncommon around these parts.

 

And, I never said I was planning on doing something now.  I actually said I was thinking about 1st grade.

 

I would like to keep her away from ONLY reading basic, basic readers when she can blow through Stuart Little in three days and love it.  On our current path 99% of the books she reads look have a big picture on one page, and the other page says, "Here, Biscuit!  Look what I have.  Woof, woof!"  Then the other 1% is made up of books like Stuart Little.  Seems a little unbalanced to me.

 

My strategy with my pre-k student is to let her focus on the leveled readers when we're at the library. But then we also get some picture books, and I add to her pile a few books of my choice (phonics readers for more complicated letter combos, non-fiction books, easy chapter books). My hope is to lure her in to get engaged with some of the "meatier" material. But before first grade, I don't feel I need to require any assigned reading or limit her level. Working on the easy readers builds fluency and confidence.

 

If you want her reading more like Stuart Little, then do a Scholastic Book Wizard search for similar books by reading level or Lexile. Looks like many Roald Dahl books are in her range, and My Friend Flicka might be interesting for a little girl, etc. Let something capture her interest.

 

Since this is the Well-Trained Mind forum, I feel I should ask if you plan to use WTM methods? SWB is pretty clear about how to incorporate good literature integrated with language arts starting in first grade. Complete with reading lists, etc.

[Korrale]

I started by following some reading lists. We have several lists printed out. And my son loves going thorough the lists and checking off the books he reads. He is also a Biscuit lover and has read all the books dozens of times, and for a while I felt he was stuck in a rut. So I hid the biscuit books, and he simple moved on to something else without a fuss. He is now loving books like Madeline! Babar, Books by Lois Lenski or Virginia Lee, and he loves the Little House Books. We are also buddy Reading Charlotte's Web.

When we are both inspired and agreeable, we will draw pictures, act out and write a little bit about the books that we are reading. Right now we are on the hunt for some overalls as he wants to dress like Fern. We have a "pet" spider on our porch called Charlotte. And he wants to raise a pig and call it Wilbur. I wish he could. :)

 

Note: if I had felt that he was not enjoying reading I wouldn't have put the the Biscuit books away. Cultivating a love of reading is of utmost importance. But keeping him growing as a reading is important to us also.

[freeindeed]

Well, like my original question said, I was wondering when other people did this, just to get an idea.  Telling me not to do it in K is not what I was asking.  "We started in 2nd grade," was more what I was expecting.  I like to plan ahead, which I know is not uncommon around these parts.

 

And, I never said I was planning on doing something now.  I actually said I was thinking about 1st grade.

 

I would like to keep her away from ONLY reading basic, basic readers when she can blow through Stuart Little in three days and love it.  On our current path 99% of the books she reads look have a big picture on one page, and the other page says, "Here, Biscuit!  Look what I have.  Woof, woof!"  Then the other 1% is made up of books like Stuart Little.  Seems a little unbalanced to me.

 

OK then. I was just trying to be helpful. Well....we started in second grade when we used Sonlight. We purchase the readers that come with each core. Now my 6th grader uses Oak Meadow and it comes with literature selections, but I also add in some of Sonlight's suggested books for each time period. My 4th grader uses The Weaver Curriculum and we read related Sonlight titles as well.

[Desert Strawberry]

I use the ambleside online free reading lists. They begin in kindergarten , and continue...past 6th grade.

In the early years I read aloud. My 2nd grader just discovered Biscuit books and loves them. Obviously it will be a while before he's ready to read classic lit on his own.

When they are ready, I have them alternate one book from the list(modified as I see fit) with one book of their choosing. My oldest switched in 3rd or 4th grade. I expect my second to follow that time frame.

 

. My goal is for them to be literate, familiar with well known works, and develop a love of great books. We discuss the stories informally, but I don't assign any writing. I don't want to turn it into work.

[ondreeuh]

So what I think I'm hearing is that you would like to encourage her to read more at her reading level, but aren't really looking for a formal program yet.

 

If you just want to encourage more books at her level, you can use the Scholastic Book Wizard for recommendations for books that are similar. Typical books that are used alongside Stuart Little are Charlotte's Web, Mr. Popper's Penguins, and Pippi Longstocking.

 

Is she reading Stuart Little to herself or out loud to you? Reading out loud gives you the opportunity to make predictions and talk about basic story elements. It doesn't have to be anything formal, but there are graphic organizers that can be used to compare/contrast characters or settings, look at an event through different points of view, summarize each chapter, etc. This one includes activities for specific books. Better Than Book Reports and Big Book of Reading Response Activities are both generic. Wait until Teacher Express has a $1 sale to buy any of them.

 

My son is in K and we aren't doing a formal literature program at all, but we do go through preselected books and do activities. Although he is past Frog and Toad, the Scholastic guide for Arnold Lobel books has MANY great suggestions for activities to do. We skipped the crafty ones (lol) but used the story elements ones. It's actually nice to study a book below his reading level so we can focus on the higher-level thinking and not the decoding. Here's one for Cinderella Stories from Around the World. By digging deeper into books, I hope it will help him to comprehend other books he reads.

[Chelli]

I am interested in K12, but cannot figure out WHAT I should be looking for used.  What exactly are the guide/workbook called?  These go with the Classics for Young Readers, right?

 

Yes. You need the Teacher's Guide and the Student Pages. There is one Teacher Guide or Student pages for 3rd grade. In 4th grade there is one teacher's guide and two student pages (semester 1 and semester 2). In 5th grade there are two teacher's guides and two student pages (semester 1 and semester 2). Once you get the Teacher Guide you will find that there are usually two or three extra books that are read and discussed in addition to the Classics for Young Readers books. Sometimes I do them and sometimes I don't.

 

Here is the Teacher's Guide for 3rd grade. 

 

Here is a set of the Teacher's Guide and the Student Pages for 3rd grade.

 

I think that you can only go up through 5th grade, then the online component becomes necessary for 6th and up. At that point I will be moving to Lightning Lit.

 

Let me know if you have any more questions and I'll try to help. This program has been so easy to use and my dd has learned a LOT about literary terms and beginning lit analysis from it.

[Harriet Vane]

I have a degree in English. I used to be a book editor/proofreader, and am now re-entering the freelance market as an editor this year. I have taught literature classes to small groups of teens (8-15) for many years. I also tutor writing students.

 

At that age, I wouldn't worry as much about a formal program. There's plenty of time to teach story elements when she's a little older. For now I would recommend one of the following:

 

--If you really want a program, I like Lightning Literature or Sonlight at that age. I like the book selection in both programs. If you choose to use these programs over the years, though, keep in mind that neither one is very strong for high school years. They are both lovely for younger children, but lack rigor for teenagers. If I were going to use the programs in the teen years, I would supplement with a writing curriculum like Susan's WWE and with something to help teach literary terms and literary analysis.

 

--At this age, my best recommendation is to just try to work through a wonderful reading list through both reading aloud and through individual reading. Honey For a Child's Heart gives a wonderful list. I also shamelessly look at the Sonlight, Lightning Literature, Ambleside, and My Father's World lists. I strongly recommend purchasing Honey For a Child's Heart, though.

 

For younger children, I focus on comprehension questions. Any "analysis" is confined to just talking about what the characters are like and cause-and-effect, etc. I start teaching literature elements in the middle school years. If the student has had a rich base in reading literature, they are ripe for deeper analysis at around fifth grade.

 

[beth83]

I have a degree in English. I used to be a book editor/proofreader, and am now re-entering the freelance market as an editor this year. I have taught literature classes to small groups of teens (8-15) for many years. I also tutor writing students.

 

At that age, I wouldn't worry as much about a formal program. There's plenty of time to teach story elements when she's a little older. For now I would recommend one of the following:

 

--If you really want a program, I like Lightning Literature or Sonlight at that age. I like the book selection in both programs. If you choose to use these programs over the years, though, keep in mind that neither one is very strong for high school years. They are both lovely for younger children, but lack rigor for teenagers. If I were going to use the programs in the teen years, I would supplement with a writing curriculum like Susan's WWE and with something to help teach literary terms and literary analysis.

 

--At this age, my best recommendation is to just try to work through a wonderful reading list through both reading aloud and through individual reading. Honey For a Child's Heart gives a wonderful list. I also shamelessly look at the Sonlight, Lightning Literature, Ambleside, and My Father's World lists. I strongly recommend purchasing Honey For a Child's Heart, though.

 

For younger children, I focus on comprehension questions. Any "analysis" is confined to just talking about what the characters are like and cause-and-effect, etc. I start teaching literature elements in the middle school years. If the student has had a rich base in reading literature, they are ripe for deeper analysis at around fifth grade.

I actually have Honey for a Child's Heart. I need to pull it off the shelf! Thanks for the reminder.

 

I really wasn't wondering about story elements as much as comprehension. I just need to follow a guide for that. Does that sound too ridiculous? My brain has completely shut off with having two toddlers and being pregnant. I'm tired of asking, "What happened next? And then what happened?"

 

I guess I'm looking more for a program that will recommend a good selection of books to read at the different ages and provide better comprehension questions than I am currently asking.

 

I just wasn't sure from the beginning of the post when to even start assigned reading.

[beth83]

I have a degree in English. I used to be a book editor/proofreader, and am now re-entering the freelance market as an editor this year. I have taught literature classes to small groups of teens (8-15) for many years. I also tutor writing students.

 

At that age, I wouldn't worry as much about a formal program. There's plenty of time to teach story elements when she's a little older. For now I would recommend one of the following:

 

--If you really want a program, I like Lightning Literature or Sonlight at that age. I like the book selection in both programs. If you choose to use these programs over the years, though, keep in mind that neither one is very strong for high school years. They are both lovely for younger children, but lack rigor for teenagers. If I were going to use the programs in the teen years, I would supplement with a writing curriculum like Susan's WWE and with something to help teach literary terms and literary analysis.

 

--At this age, my best recommendation is to just try to work through a wonderful reading list through both reading aloud and through individual reading. Honey For a Child's Heart gives a wonderful list. I also shamelessly look at the Sonlight, Lightning Literature, Ambleside, and My Father's World lists. I strongly recommend purchasing Honey For a Child's Heart, though.

 

For younger children, I focus on comprehension questions. Any "analysis" is confined to just talking about what the characters are like and cause-and-effect, etc. I start teaching literature elements in the middle school years. If the student has had a rich base in reading literature, they are ripe for deeper analysis at around fifth grade.

I actually have Honey for a Child's Heart. I need to pull it off the shelf! Thanks for the reminder.

 

I really wasn't wondering about story elements as much as comprehension. I just need to follow a guide for that. Does that sound too ridiculous? My brain has completely shut off with having two toddlers and being pregnant. I'm tired of asking, "What happened next? And then what happened?"

 

I guess I'm looking more for a program that will recommend a good selection of books to read at the different ages and provide better comprehension questions than I am currently asking.

 

I just wasn't sure from the beginning of the post when to even start assigned reading.

[Harriet Vane]

Your daughter is still pretty small, so I wouldn't worry so much about comprehension. It really is okay to just enjoy the stories together. Choose to use your time and limited energy on saturation of lots of great literature at this age. Even if your child is an advanced reader or gifted, there is plenty of time for more advanced discussions later. Saturation in lots of great literature will provide the basis for later discussion.

 

If you really, really want to do more comprehension questions, I think Lightning Literature or Sonlight  are fine.

 

Another option is to make yourself a generic comprehension guide to apply to any book.

 

--Chronology of events

--What is the problem? How was the problem solved?

--Character descriptions (What is Mary Poppins like? What are her favorite things? What does she dislike? What does she look like? Where is she from? etc.)

--Cause and effect (What made the Browns decide to take Paddington Bear home?)

--What was the most exciting part? (Often this is also the climax of the action.)

 

You get the idea.

 

Please, please, though, don't apply comprehension discussions and questions to everything your dd reads. AS I said before, focus on saturation of lots of good literature. Feed a love of books. Enjoy.

[Korrale]

I have a friend who is braver than I am, but what she does is hands her daughter a pencil and has her underline all the words that she does not know when they read.

We borrow heavily from the library and I don't want my son starting this. But I am going to start writing down the words he doesn't know as we read so we can build his vocabulary.

 

I agree with Harriet. Print up a list of generic questions that applies to nearly all types of stories and keep it handy when you read. This gives you a little cheat sheet.

You could also write up the names of types of stories and together work out what type of book it is. Fable, non-fiction, fiction, poetry, etc.

[boscopup]

I started "assigned reading" halfway through 1st grade with my oldest, when it was obvious my son was ready for chapter books and wasn't going there on his own (he was reading at a 4th grade level at the time). I assigned a small amount each day from a book like Charlotte's Web, just to get him willing to branch out into longer books and build his stamina. He could read the book easily, but the size intimidated him. I should also add that he really wasn't crazy about fiction at that age, including Charlotte's Web, Trumpet of the Swan, and other books I tried to give him. :tongue_smilie: He read them, but he didn't devour them. When he realized he could read SOTW, THEN he started devouring books. :D

 

I still let him read plenty of easy readers. Those easy books are building fluency and confidence.

 

We also had a 20 minute book basket time each day (the time it took me to nurse the toddler to sleep ;) ), and he would read anything I'd put in the library book basket. I purposely checked out good quality picture books with a 4th-5th grade reading level. These are the books you'll find on literature read aloud lists all the time. They are well written, and they aren't at the level of Biscuit. ;) They also still have plenty of pictures to keep the child intrigued. Perhaps that would be a good bridge to the longer chapter books for your DD? I put history and science readers in the book basket also - many of those are at a 3rd-4th grade reading level. My non-fiction loving kid devoured those and learned science and history from them. Kill two birds with one stone! :D

 

I never asked comprehension questions for the books my son was reading. He did narrations in WWE and SOTW at the time, and I also saw him acting out the stories he was reading at times, or he'd tell me some interesting fact he learned from the non-fiction books. It was obvious that he comprehended, so I didn't need to test him all the time. As we got farther in WWE, I could ask for oral narrations on occasion. Or sometimes I'll have him draw a picture and write a couple sentences about the picture, though I didn't do that until 3rd grade. He was NOT ready to write a couple sentences in 1st grade.

 

My current first grader is not reading well enough yet to worry about literature, beyond reading aloud TO him, which I do often. We have one book going at bedtime (just a random good literature book, not tied to anything else we're doing) and one good history related read-aloud going at breakfast. I also read aloud Bible at breakfast, and sometime during the day I often read a history book at my first grader's listening level (the breakfast read-aloud is geared toward the advanced 4th grader, but the first grader still hears some good language... well, when we're not reading in rural dialect during Civil War times :lol: ).

 

Anyway, for your DD, I'd again suggest that you find good quality picture books at a higher reading level than Biscuit. Load her up on those. At that age, they often prefer picture books, even if they can read chapter books. I still like my K-1 graders to be mostly reading picture books. It helps give them input into what they're reading so they can figure out the vocabulary they don't know already. If something talks about plowing a field and the child is deep in suburbia with no farms nearby, they can see a picture of a tractor plowing a farm and know what plowing looks like. Pictures are such a good thing at this age. They don't have much experience in life to know what everything is and looks like. I also would hate to kill my child's love of reading by making them write down words they don't know at such a young age (even my 4th grader doesn't do that - I figure we'll get to vocabulary via Latin, his writing program, his spelling program which focuses on vocabulary in the middle school years, and later literary studies in middle/high school). We do discuss vocabulary when they ask what something is as I'm reading aloud. But a child reading on his own, I just let him continue reading. He'll likely figure it out from context, and if he doesn't, he might ask later. Or not. He won't go through the rest of his life not knowing what the word means though. I'm always seeing my son add new vocabulary in daily usage, and it comes from reading a lot on his own, not from a vocabulary or literature program. In fact, I've never seen him add new vocabulary from a subject that focused on vocabulary. I've only see it come from reading on his own with no dictionary at hand.

[Jess4879]

My oldest struggles with reading, and we have the opposite issue.  She always gravitates towards the "youth" section and ends up with a pile of books she never has time to finish.  :( 

 

We currently cover literature as read-alouds and we use these:

http://simplycharlottemason.com/store/narration-bookmarks/

 

I wanted something that would incorporate all my kiddos (ages 9, 7 & 4).  We discuss vocabulary as we come to it and talk about a chapter as we finish it.  I also ask the kids to remind me what happened in the last chapter before we start reading the next day. 

 

For me, I wanted the kids to learn a love of reading first and to just get "lost" in a book. I have no plans of teaching them to dissect the book until they are older.  

 

Considering that you DD's reading level is higher, I would just asign a book and then ask her to tell you what happened in that days reading.  "A big juicy conversation" as it were. :)

[HS Mom in NC]

Literature for young ones is read aloud at my house. We read aloud to our kids up to 2 hours a day (not all in one sitting)  almost every day until they go to college (where the oldest two are now.)   Young children are often still not fluent readers and literature needs to be read by a fluent reader.  You can also read at a higher level when you read aloud to a child than a child can read at on her own before fluency.  So, reading aloud is a much more efficient way to broaden a child's vocabulary, exposure to new people places and ideas, and trains the ear for grammar over a longer period of time making English Grammar and writing so much easier years from now.  Having a young children read literature to themselves just slows them down and denies them all these added benefits.

 

There are lots of threads here about what and how to read aloud. If you simply don't want to do the reading aloud yourself, you can get recordings of books. 

 

Beware, if you turn all her reading literature into an assignment she may decide she hates it.  Having lively discussions about it around the dinner table, often covering most of the same territory in a more natural way can turn kids into voracious readers.  Mine (17, 15 and 8) read very challenging material in large amounts for pleasure and one was a natural born reader (fluent at 5) while one didn't start learning to read until almost 8.  The youngest is of average ability and not quite fluent yet.  They love to read high quality classic and modern literature for hours a day on their own when they have time. I didn't do formal literature with them until they were about 12 or 13. 

 

Is your goal to mark off literature on your to do list or do you want to develop a passion for reading quality literature?  Those are two very different things.

[twoxcell]

We start formal Literature study around 3rd-4th grade. Before that I have the kids read to me daily and sometimes discuss what we have read. I also read books aloud to them daily that they either narrate back to me or we discuss them. My oldest is in 5th and he is using Drawn Into the Heart of Reading. My 2nd grade dd is reading through HOD's Emergent Readers(which have comp questions) plus some extras.

[beth83]

Literature for young ones is read aloud at my house. We read aloud to our kids up to 2 hours a day (not all in one sitting) almost every day until they go to college (where the oldest two are now.) Young children are often still not fluent readers and literature needs to be read by a fluent reader. You can also read at a higher level when you read aloud to a child than a child can read at on her own before fluency. So, reading aloud is a much more efficient way to broaden a child's vocabulary, exposure to new people places and ideas, and trains the ear for grammar over a longer period of time making English Grammar and writing so much easier years from now. Having a young children read literature to themselves just slows them down and denies them all these added benefits.

 

There are lots of threads here about what and how to read aloud. If you simply don't want to do the reading aloud yourself, you can get recordings of books.

 

Beware, if you turn all her reading literature into an assignment she may decide she hates it. Having lively discussions about it around the dinner table, often covering most of the same territory in a more natural way can turn kids into voracious readers. Mine (17, 15 and 8) read very challenging material in large amounts for pleasure and one was a natural born reader (fluent at 5) while one didn't start learning to read until almost 8. The youngest is of average ability and not quite fluent yet. They love to read high quality classic and modern literature for hours a day on their own when they have time. I didn't do formal literature with them until they were about 12 or 13.

 

Is your goal to mark off literature on your to do list or do you want to develop a passion for reading quality literature? Those are two very different things.

So going back to the original question, when do you add it into the mix. Let's even say outside of asking questions. Again, getting her out of reading beginning readers when she can read full-on chapter books with ease.

 

I was just reading the thread "How much literature does your homeschool read." Whoa, those are some large numbers people were posting. They were blowing me away. I never read that much growing up. And it wasn't even including read alouds.

 

Someone commented, "Ds9 will read 15-20 lit. books. None will be super easy for him. Some will be a challenge. He will read 20-40 other books for school. He will read other books at bedtime."

 

Almost all of the responses were comparable to this amount.

 

So 6 year olds shouldn't necessarily be reading by themselves, but 9 year olds are blowing through 40+ books by themselves. People are telling me not to worry about any literature at this age, but I'm completely overwhelmed by how many books some 8-10 year olds are reading.

 

When is this transition?

[sunnyday]

So 6 year olds shouldn't necessarily be reading by themselves, but 9 year olds are blowing through 40+ books by themselves. People are telling me not to worry about any literature at this age, but I'm completely overwhelmed by how many books some 8-10 year olds are reading.

 

When is this transition?

 

My 7yo first grader is in public school, which alters things a bit (because he does almost nothing during the day and we have to cram our reading in before and after school), but here's an example. Yesterday we went to the library. When we got home he begged me to read a book about spiders that was above his level; then he read another high-quality picture book himself; then he read his "school assigned" book to me that was pretty much at his level (310 Lexile). While he was in the bath I read several chapters of a Bill Nye science book to him, and we didn't have time for our usual read-aloud (in fact, since we finished The Hobbit we haven't gotten involved in a new read-aloud.) That's after he read a 48-page book at his level (460 Lexile) over breakfast. So that's first grade, and that's four non-twaddle books plus a few pages, in one day.

 

So the point is that if you build motivation now by emphasizing the fun and story and keeping the difficulty mostly within reach, then you have a better chance of having a kiddo who's ready to tackle more difficult assigned works with enthusiasm when they reach school age.

[Desert Strawberry]

So going back to the original question, when do you add it into the mix. Let's even say outside of asking questions. Again, getting her out of reading beginning readers when she can read full-on chapter books with ease.

 

I was just reading the thread "How much literature does your homeschool read." Whoa, those are some large numbers people were posting. They were blowing me away. I never read that much growing up. And it wasn't even including read alouds.

 

Someone commented, "Ds9 will read 15-20 lit. books. None will be super easy for him. Some will be a challenge. He will read 20-40 other books for school. He will read other books at bedtime."

 

Almost all of the responses were comparable to this amount.

 

So 6 year olds shouldn't necessarily be reading by themselves, but 9 year olds are blowing through 40+ books by themselves. People are telling me not to worry about any literature at this age, but I'm completely overwhelmed by how many books some 8-10 year olds are reading.

 

When is this transition?

At 8-10, there is a reading explosion. They spend the first few years going their decoding skills, building vocabulary by listening, and establishing fluency. In these years, they will read books that are far below their ability because they are just practicing the mechanics of reading. Comprehension far outpaces decoding ability. This is why read-alouds are important . They are working on two separate, symbiotic sets of skills. 

Once the basic skills are mastered, and the Corpus collosum has fully formed, connecting both halves of the brain, she will suddenly find herself able to read even fairly weighty books with ease, without struggling, without it feeling like work, and with good speed. 

I know for my son, too, less of his day is spent on child's work, and more school time is devoted to reading. More nonschool time is also devoted to reading. He can easily blow through 20-30 literature selections in a year, and he's not what I would consider a big reader at all.

2 years ago, he was reluctantly reading picture books, with a great deal of effort . Then it clicked. Now he's a reader. 

This is what happened to me. In third grade, WHAM suddenly I couldn't get enough. I had always loved books, but I stayed in the picture book section until my teacher forced me out. Once I got it, I never stopped. I used to get in trouble in school for reading too much  :huh:

[beth83]

At 8-10, there is a reading explosion. They spend the first few years going their decoding skills, building vocabulary by listening, and establishing fluency. In these years, they will read books that are far below their ability because they are just practicing the mechanics of reading. Comprehension far outpaces decoding ability. This is why read-alouds are important . They are working on two separate, symbiotic sets of skills. 

Once the basic skills are mastered, and the Corpus collosum has fully formed, connecting both halves of the brain, she will suddenly find herself able to read even fairly weighty books with ease, without struggling, without it feeling like work, and with good speed. 

I know for my son, too, less of his day is spent on child's work, and more school time is devoted to reading. More nonschool time is also devoted to reading. He can easily blow through 20-30 literature selections in a year, and he's not what I would consider a big reader at all.

2 years ago, he was reluctantly reading picture books, with a great deal of effort . Then it clicked. Now he's a reader. 

This is what happened to me. In third grade, WHAM suddenly I couldn't get enough. I had always loved books, but I stayed in the picture book section until my teacher forced me out. Once I got it, I never stopped. I used to get in trouble in school for reading too much  :huh:

 

But I think my child is already at this level.  I mean, it is possible, right?  She doesn't NEED readers.  I can't remember the last time she sounded out any word.  She reads to me at least once a day, and it might not be long, but it is long enough to know she has no problem reading.  She seems to comprehend, as well.  I mean, she uses no effort at all

 

When she was 4, she was plowing through the Magic Tree House books without a hitch.  No effort needed.  Even then, she didn't struggle, did it with ease as if I was reading it to her, and was quick at it.

 

This year, she read both Stuart Little (920L) with no problems and Charlotte's Web (810L).  Stuart Little was read in 3 days, and that was just reading in spare time.  I very occasionally had to assist with a word.  

 

And we always check out about 15 picture books from the library a week (outside of readers) and she reads all of these on her own, including all of the books I check out for our science selection.

 

I guess that is where I am right now.  I don't know how to keep up with her.  

[mom31257]

If she is reading those kinds of books, I think you should be doing something with at least a few of them each year. Literature guides might be a good way to go. Here is some about my own literature journey with ds. He doesn't love to read fiction, but I wanted to make sure he was reading some each year.

 

 

I need structure for literature as others have said. I really like BJU reading, and I started it in 1st grade. By 2nd grade I was adding in a few short chapter books. I went through the Teaching the Classics program so that I could better understand literary analysis. I started a very small book club with just a couple of friends when ds was in 3rd grade. We read 4 books that year. We got together to discuss the literature, and I taught them some basic literary analysis. Then we would watch a movie of the book. During his 4th grade year, I still used some BJU, but I went through the whole book and worktext choosing the types of activities I thought would be good and wouldn't be covered as well in the book club. I taught another book club open to more families, and we met 6 times during the year and watched movies again.

 

This year (5th), I'm still using BJU, but less of it. I already owned the program through 5th grade because of using it with dd. I'm leading another book club this year (6 books), but we aren't watching the movies. We are putting together a literary analysis notebook and doing a unit study of each book with crafts, projects, games, etc.

 

I'm not sure what my plans will be beyond this year except that I might try something like Lightning Lit during middle school. I enjoy leading the book club, but it has grown almost to the point of being too big. I've got about 25 kids 3rd-9th grade in one big group. The older kids haven't done much with literature at home, so they are learning necessary skills. I've also tried to choose a variety of reading levels. The younger ones will have mom read aloud if it's too hard.

[Chelli]

i was your daughter. Excellent reader very early and I never struggled either. 

 

However, lit analysis (and lit programs) is an entirely different ball of wax. It not only requires an ability to read, but an ability to analyze literature which takes longer. I don't start our lit analysis program (K12 literature) until 3rd grade. Before that I give my children reading lists and let them plow through them. I ask basic questions about what they are reading and that's it.

 

I think what everyone is saying is that she's too young for a formal literature program because those generally require a higher level of thinking and analysis skills. At this point just feed her books that she enjoys and let her enjoy reading. Ask her questions if you feel like it in a general, "How's your book?" kind of way.

[Chrysalis Academy]

Something that might help you with your informal discussion is the book Deconstructing Penguins.  It goes through how to talk about literature with kids, and has suggestions using specific books as well. 

[beth83]

i was your daughter. Excellent reader very early and I never struggled either. 

 

However, lit analysis (and lit programs) is an entirely different ball of wax. It not only requires an ability to read, but an ability to analyze literature which takes longer. I don't start our lit analysis program (K12 literature) until 3rd grade. Before that I give my children reading lists and let them plow through them. I ask basic questions about what they are reading and that's it.

 

I think what everyone is saying is that she's too young for a formal literature program because those generally require a higher level of thinking and analysis skills. At this point just feed her books that she enjoys and let her enjoy reading. Ask her questions if you feel like it in a general, "How's your book?" kind of way.

 

Oh, this is embarassing.  Do I not know what literature is?  I just thought literature meant books, in general.  Does it only regard analyzing books?  Am I completely off?  

 

I never meant analysis.  And this is different than asking comprehension questions, if anything, right? I feel like I keep trying to get that across to everyone because everyone seems to be adding information that doesn't address my question, or need.     

 

MY PROBLEM:  My daughter is reading at a 4th grade level.  Because of her age, I have been hesitant to have any kind of required reading.  Without required reading, though, 99% of the books she picks out to read are basic readers.

 

OUR CURRENT SETUP: Right now, we do handwriting, math, and then add in our history program with a picture book read aloud each day and maybe an associated activity.  We also have an occasional science picture book that we read.  That it is.  No literature.  And what I mean by this is "no assigned reading."

 

When did you add in require reading and how did this look in your homeschool?  I'm trying to figure out once you are past reading lessons, at what age you add in reading lists.

[beth83]

I started "assigned reading" halfway through 1st grade with my oldest, when it was obvious my son was ready for chapter books and wasn't going there on his own (he was reading at a 4th grade level at the time). I assigned a small amount each day from a book like Charlotte's Web, just to get him willing to branch out into longer books and build his stamina. He could read the book easily, but the size intimidated him. I should also add that he really wasn't crazy about fiction at that age, including Charlotte's Web, Trumpet of the Swan, and other books I tried to give him. :tongue_smilie: He read them, but he didn't devour them. When he realized he could read SOTW, THEN he started devouring books. :D

 

I still let him read plenty of easy readers. Those easy books are building fluency and confidence.

 

We also had a 20 minute book basket time each day (the time it took me to nurse the toddler to sleep ;) ), and he would read anything I'd put in the library book basket. I purposely checked out good quality picture books with a 4th-5th grade reading level. These are the books you'll find on literature read aloud lists all the time. They are well written, and they aren't at the level of Biscuit. ;) They also still have plenty of pictures to keep the child intrigued. Perhaps that would be a good bridge to the longer chapter books for your DD? I put history and science readers in the book basket also - many of those are at a 3rd-4th grade reading level. My non-fiction loving kid devoured those and learned science and history from them. Kill two birds with one stone! :D

 

I never asked comprehension questions for the books my son was reading. He did narrations in WWE and SOTW at the time, and I also saw him acting out the stories he was reading at times, or he'd tell me some interesting fact he learned from the non-fiction books. It was obvious that he comprehended, so I didn't need to test him all the time. As we got farther in WWE, I could ask for oral narrations on occasion. Or sometimes I'll have him draw a picture and write a couple sentences about the picture, though I didn't do that until 3rd grade. He was NOT ready to write a couple sentences in 1st grade.

 

My current first grader is not reading well enough yet to worry about literature, beyond reading aloud TO him, which I do often. We have one book going at bedtime (just a random good literature book, not tied to anything else we're doing) and one good history related read-aloud going at breakfast. I also read aloud Bible at breakfast, and sometime during the day I often read a history book at my first grader's listening level (the breakfast read-aloud is geared toward the advanced 4th grader, but the first grader still hears some good language... well, when we're not reading in rural dialect during Civil War times :lol: ).

 

Anyway, for your DD, I'd again suggest that you find good quality picture books at a higher reading level than Biscuit. Load her up on those. At that age, they often prefer picture books, even if they can read chapter books. I still like my K-1 graders to be mostly reading picture books. It helps give them input into what they're reading so they can figure out the vocabulary they don't know already. If something talks about plowing a field and the child is deep in suburbia with no farms nearby, they can see a picture of a tractor plowing a farm and know what plowing looks like. Pictures are such a good thing at this age. They don't have much experience in life to know what everything is and looks like. I also would hate to kill my child's love of reading by making them write down words they don't know at such a young age (even my 4th grader doesn't do that - I figure we'll get to vocabulary via Latin, his writing program, his spelling program which focuses on vocabulary in the middle school years, and later literary studies in middle/high school). We do discuss vocabulary when they ask what something is as I'm reading aloud. But a child reading on his own, I just let him continue reading. He'll likely figure it out from context, and if he doesn't, he might ask later. Or not. He won't go through the rest of his life not knowing what the word means though. I'm always seeing my son add new vocabulary in daily usage, and it comes from reading a lot on his own, not from a vocabulary or literature program. In fact, I've never seen him add new vocabulary from a subject that focused on vocabulary. I've only see it come from reading on his own with no dictionary at hand.

 

This was beyond helpful.  I need to start a book basket!

[Desert Strawberry]

Ok.  IMO literature is a higher quality, more complex kind of reading than the average book you might find on a shelf. 

 

Literature study refers to formal analysis of said literature . I am not doing any formal literature study at this time. I'm not planning to add it until at least 6th grade, probably 7th or later. I am happy that my kid is reading quality literature and discussing it with me. I see no reason to mess with a good thing right now.

 

It sounds like you want a literature list, correct? Suggestions for appropriate, quality selections. Am I right? If so, you have received a few suggestions.

 

Am I understanding that you want to push her to read more advanced books ? Because she can?   I'm unclear on this. 

 

If she is a voracious reader, and she is not reading anything developmentally inappropriate (young adult fiction, romance, horror, coming of age stories), then I would suggest that she is doing fine. I don't see any reason why she can't read whatever she wants. She is selecting books that are aimed at her chronological age cohorts. I don't see a problem with that.  Is there a reason that she should not read simple books that she enjoys? She may read well, but she is still a very little child.

 

What we do is I choose half of the books, and the kids choose the other half. My oldest kid alternates between one of my choice and one of his. 

My younger kid has a reading time each day when he reads my selection out loud, then I give him copy work from the book, which he illustrates. This gives him writing practice and the opportunity to process the words in both concrete and abstract ways. 

He has unstructured time to read books of his choosing, literature from my personal collection, picture books from his own shelves, and other books. He can interact with them however he likes, reading, reciting from memory, chatting with self and brothers about the book, looking at pictures, whatever. The goal is to build a positive relationship with books. To allow them to be familiar, trusted friends. 

I'm not sure if this will help,as I'm really not certain what you are looking for. Please clarify if I am not understanding.

 

 

 

 

 

[Korrale]

I guess you could say I have always had required reading. Even while he was learning to read, he was expected to read 30 minutes a day in 2 sessions. I selected the books. He now is able to read independently he reads whatever he wants whenever he wants.

Before nap time and before bedtime he is to pick a book to read by himself. Pick a challenging book for us to buddy read. And then read to him. I try and have him choose something above his reading level.

[Korrale]

I guess you could say I have always had required reading. Even while he was learning to read, he was expected to read 30 minutes a day in 2 sessions. I selected the books. He now is able to read independently he reads whatever he wants whenever he wants.

Before nap time and before bedtime he is to pick a book to read by himself. Pick a challenging book for us to buddy read. And then read to him. I try and have him choose something above his reading level.

[Desert Strawberry]

I re-read your last post.

We start reading lists at age 5. My kids , so far, at this age, do not read. I read aloud until they are ready to take over reading to themselves. For my one kid who is at that stage, he was 3rd or 4th grade, 8 or 9 years old.  My 7 year old is not ready. I choose early readers for him to read aloud, and he has access to an abundance of other books to do whatever he wants with. 

 

For your daughter, I would choose a literature list that you feel is appropriate for her, and make selections from it. Allow to also choose books that she likes. Give her time to read, and let her decide what she wants. 

 

[beth83]

Ok.  IMO literature is a higher quality, more complex kind of reading than the average book you might find on a shelf. 

 

Literature study refers to formal analysis of said literature . I am not doing any formal literature study at this time. I'm not planning to add it until at least 6th grade, probably 7th or later. I am happy that my kid is reading quality literature and discussing it with me. I see no reason to mess with a good thing right now.

 

It sounds like you want a literature list, correct? Suggestions for appropriate, quality selections. Am I right? If so, you have received a few suggestions.

 

Am I understanding that you want to push her to read more advanced books ? Because she can?   I'm unclear on this. 

 

If she is a voracious reader, and she is not reading anything developmentally inappropriate (young adult fiction, romance, horror, coming of age stories), then I would suggest that she is doing fine. I don't see any reason why she can't read whatever she wants. She is selecting books that are aimed at her chronological age cohorts. I don't see a problem with that.  Is there a reason that she should not read simple books that she enjoys? She may read well, but she is still a very little child.

 

What we do is I choose half of the books, and the kids choose the other half. My oldest kid alternates between one of my choice and one of his. 

My younger kid has a reading time each day when he reads my selection out loud, then I give him copy work from the book, which he illustrates. This gives him writing practice and the opportunity to process the words in both concrete and abstract ways. 

He has unstructured time to read books of his choosing, literature from my personal collection, picture books from his own shelves, and other books. He can interact with them however he likes, reading, reciting from memory, chatting with self and brothers about the book, looking at pictures, whatever. The goal is to build a positive relationship with books. To allow them to be familiar, trusted friends. 

I'm not sure if this will help,as I'm really not certain what you are looking for. Please clarify if I am not understanding.

 

This was very helpful.  Thank you.

 

So I don't know why I feel I should be encouraging other book selections.  I just know she can read at a higher level and when she reads those books at a higher level, she LOVES them and talks about them non-stop.  I feel like it is dwaddling to just let her read basic readers all the time, when it is way below her level.  I mean, we are seriously dealing with such a small percentage of books actually read on her level.  I wouldn't even care it 75% was basic readers.  

 

I will never forget when she was reading through Magic Tree House when she was 4. It was during quiet time and she was finishing book #4.  There had been character development of the mystery librarian at the time building through all of the books.  She ran into my room FREAKING out!  She could not believe that Morgan had been "hiding" in the previous 3 books.  She wrote up a diagram to explain it to me and seriously walked around the house all day saying, "I can't believe it.  I just can't believe it."  It's all she told everyone about for the next week.  It blew her mind.

 

Then she reads her readers and walks away unchanged.  It is just more words.  The same words.  She checks out 15 readers at the library and within 30 minutes of being home, they are all read.  I just sort of feel like it is fluff to her.  

 

Someone here mentioned (while advising me to wait because she was too young) that it took a teacher to bump her into chapter books and after that point she could not get enough.  I feel like we are on the cusp of that.  She got burnt out on Magic Tree House.  I haven't had any assigned reading, but the two real books she has read this year, Stuart Little and Charlotte's Web, she loved.  I mean, do I label her with a grade, or by her ability?

 

I just feel like I should meet her where she is, versus saying "You are labeled in society as a Kindergartener, so I will let your reading ability stall out and you can pick whatever you want to read, always.  That is, until a couple of years from now, I will have expectations because at that point society has deemed it appropriate." 

 

While this is all going on, there are so many articles on here talking about how the reading level of society has dramatically dropped.  I just feel weird giving her a full year of reading 4 grades below her reading level.

[Desert Strawberry]

If you put good books in front of her, will she read them? If so, go to the library and check out a bunch of books from a literature list.

 

Let her choose a few as well. 

 

I wouldn't push it at this point. If she doesn't want the books, I wouldn't force her. But a required reading time each day would be fine. 

 

IMO, it's more important that she enjoy reading than that she reads certain books. If she is resistant-which I'm guessing she is if you are considering requiring her to read these books- pushing her will turn reading into work and suck all the joy out of it for her. 

 

I'm not saying not to give her high quality reading material. I am saying think it through before you decide to go to war over this.

 

Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe she is a voracious reader and only needs a little encouragement and exposure to back on the chapter book train. 

In that case, put a stack of books on the table at breakfast, or next to her bed, or wherever and tell her it's reading time. See you in an hour.

I guess I'm not sure why we're still having this conversation. What concerns have not yet been addressed.

Btw, it was me who told the picture book story. I didn't mean that I started reading chapter books because I no longer had access to picture books. I meant that even though I was an advanced reader, I still loved picture books. One does not negate the other. I still like picture books. Reading them until I was 9 did not stop me from reading Alcott at the same time. It was my(faulty) understanding that you wanted to ban picture books to force more advanced reading. That, IMO, would be unwise. She is a good reader, but psychologically and emotionally, she is 5. 

Yes, you can meet her where she is. That is one of the great aspects of homeschooling. So has no peers to keep up with or to slow her down. You know your kid. You know what she can handle. I don't think it matters what any of us would do. Do what you think is best.

[lewelma]

I say ramp it up with reading difficulty, and completely avoid comprehension questions and literary analysis until she is 10. I will also say that with a child who read Magic Treehouse at age 4, you need to post this question on the accelerated learners board.

 

I *always* push my kids' reading levels, and have since they were 5.  I just don't give them the option to *ever* read easy books.  And I won't apologize for it.  They don't know that the books they read are difficult because they never read any simple ones for comparison. Stop and think about that.  By the time my older was in 6th grade, he just did not want to read 'lite' books because he said that they were boring -- give him Count of Monte Christo (his favorite) or Gormenghast (the hardest he has ever read).  Good readers crave the advanced plots -- it gives them something to really sink their teeth into.  In fact, my older boy prefers to have really difficult reads over the school holidays because he has more time to really enjoy them.  However, if one of my kids has just read a hard book (younger ds with Prince and the Pauper last month), I offer a couple of 'easier' reads - something exciting like the Hobbit, or something thinner and lighter like a Newbury award winner.  And then I ramp it up again.  I alway press forward. 

 

So how do I do it?  I have a bunch of graded lists, and I make a list of 30 books per year for each child that they work their way through. The lists include a variety of genres, authors, and levels -- I give them lots of choice so they are not actually assigned books.  Some authors are easier (like HG Wells), some topics are more exciting (like horror or adventure (e.g., Poe or The Lord of the Rings)), but sometimes my kids are ready for a harder read (Huckleberry Finn). I act as the cheerleader.  I am passionate about literature, and I slowly over time get them equally passionate.  I also start to sell books ahead of time -- Oh, just wait, soon you will be able to read Great Expectations.  Did you know it is considered one of the best books of all time? Or I give them a sense of pride -- Let's see, how many classics have you read already?  is it 100?  Let's count.  Or I show them what they have and will gain -- Did you know if you read Poe you can compare it to Picture of Dorian Grey because they are both gothic but one is physiological and one is psychological.  Let's figure out what the difference is.  Do you realize that at this point, you are able to really begin to compare books because you have read so many classics?  I sell all the time.  I get excited.  I get passionate about literature.  And no, I don't read all the books, but I read the plot summaries of all of them on Wikipedia, and I listen to as many as I can when I am doing chores.  And one key point, I *never* require them to finish a book they have no interest in.  They have to get 50 pages in, but nothing destroys the love of reading more than being forced to finish a book you don't like.

 

As for comprehension questions, if a good reader likes a book and continues to read it, then she will be understanding it.  If not, she will not want to keep reading it. You simply do not have to check for comprehension with an advanced reader.  So she misses some of the undercurrent, so what? The more she reads, the better she will get. Wait until really complicated books like Brave New World, then you need to deal with comprehension. As for vocabulary, kids pick this up *through reading*, you don't need to go over vocab words.  Kids learn advanced vocabulary through immersion. At this point, however, my 9 and 13 year olds will look up words on the Kindle as they are reading.  I also celebrate words.  Can they find words that I don't know?  If so, they get 50 cents.  This makes big words cool and worth finding.

 

As for literary analysis, as SWB states, nothing kills the love for reading like over doing this at a young age.  If I remember correctly, she recommends that you completely avoid this until 5th grade.  Neither of my boys wanted to do this in elementary school, but now my older boy is *desperate* to do it.  He *always* wants to talk books with me, and he is my math and science boy.  And he is so well read, that I can bring up so *many* examples for comparison that he has read.  To have an opinion and ideas, you need content, and IMHO being well read *is* the content of literary analysis.

 

I don't know if any of this is helpful to you.  It is just my opinion, but I will say that giving my kids a passion for true literature has definitely been one of the biggest successes of my homeschool.

 

Ruth in NZ

 

 

[lewelma]

If your dd can read stuart little, she can read my ds's list for first grade:

Mr Poppers Penguins

Famous five series

Wizard of Oz series

Winnie the Pooh x2

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (and others by Dahl)

James and the giant peach

21 baloons

Cricket in times square

phantom toolbooth

Incredible journey

Dealing with dragons (x3)

Mixed up Files of...

5 children and it

Phoenix and the Carpet

The princess and the Goblin (preread, a bit scary)

The princess and curdie

Misty of Chincoteague

King of the Wind

Gone Away lake x2

Harry Potter x3 only (they get scary)

Children of the New Forest

Redwall series

 

The biggest problem you will have is the books being scary. So it depends on the child.

 

Here is the list my older ds got through by the end of 6th grade: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/371304-please-give-me-some-reading-suggestions-for-my-12-year-old-who-has-ready-everything/

 

Think big! Let her read, read, read. And don't require anything.

[alisoncooks]

Once you get a reading list going, you may want to look into something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/First-Graphic-Organizers-Reproducible-Comprehension/dp/0439458285/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1380716264&sr=8-10&keywords=graphic+organizers+for+K-2

 

It would give some ideas for taking those books a little deeper.

[CardinalAlt]

My DD is 6 and reading about the same level. I've carefully mentioned a few, better series like the Boxcar Children and Geronimo Stilton while we're in the library, not pushing, just showing a good book then moving on - because I do think that kind of reading has its place. She'll come home with a stack of 6-10 of those kinds of books each week and spend hours reading and re -reading. Then other books that are better quality, like Charlotte's Web, I read one with her as a read-aloud in the evenings, and make the rest of the series or the author's work casually available to her. So there are usually 1-2 better, more challenging books in her free reading mix. With that "tempting," I feel like her free reading is balanced enough. And I've just started occasionally asking her to read one small book or chapter related to our science or history work during her 1.5 hour-ish daily quiet time. She's been willing, so I don't think it's too much for this particular child. YMMV :)

 

ETA: She doesn't naturally spend much time with picture books anymore, but I have a list of good ones (from FIAR, Sonlight, etc.). I ask her to pick a couple from my list each week to read together, and then if she likes it, she'll re-read it on her own time. She likes listening to her toddler brother's read alouds, too!

[sunnyday]

While this is all going on, there are so many articles on here talking about how the reading level of society has dramatically dropped.  I just feel weird giving her a full year of reading 4 grades below her reading level.

 

Here is how Mortimer Adler talks about the development of reading skill. First comes the acquisition of mechanics. This is comprised of reading readiness; then the ability to recognize sight words and decode enough simple words to read a very basic book (word mastery/first-grade level); then increasing skill in vocabulary and beginning to understand the concept of reading for fun, and reading to learn, and reading across many genres (fourth grade reading level/functional literacy); then the ability to carry over ideas from one book and compare them with the ideas found in another book (ninth grade reading level).

 

At this point the mechanics of reading have been learned and the elementary/grammar stage of reading has been accomplished.

 

Only after this point can the logic/inspectional stage of reading begin, where the book is deconstructed and examined for structure and content beyond just what the words say.

 

And only after that stage can we truly begin the rhetoric/analytical stage, where we can judge the content and evaluate its merit.

 

Your kindergartener is doing great at the mechanics of reading! She is solidly on her way to functional literacy. And you are right, in a society where many adults have not much above 4th grade skill and where reading instruction ceases after 9th grade skill, there is room to challenge the norms. But she also has decades, yet, before we need to worry about exceeding those standards. Right now she is a 5-year-old immersed in the world of words and discovering their wonder. IMO, you will destroy that wonder if you take away picture books and assign chapter books of your own choosing.

 

However, there is room between the extremes, between letting her stick with Level 1 readers exclusively and forcing her to choose from only a selection of 5th-grade titles. I don't understand how it is possible that "She checks out 15 readers at the library and within 30 minutes of being home, they are all read." As I said and as several people said, she needs varied exposure, not forced reading lists. Add picture books and good chapter books to the stack. Lure her in. I tell my son, "This book is about some people who lived long ago without electricity or running water. You've been wondering about how people earn money if they live alone and fend for themselves. Want to find out?" "This book is about a girl who moves to our country from Mexico, like your friends at school who are learning English. Does that sound interesting?" I tell my daughter, "This book is about some little orphan girls who learn to dance ballet! Do you think you'd like that story?" I toss books about Greek mythology into the stack, and ancient Chinese culture, because that's our era of history right now. I pile up the books about animals because we're doing life science studies. We're about to start weekly poetry teatimes. *Exposure*.

 

You also need to be reading aloud to her both at and above her level, IMO, and/or offering audiobooks. Surround her with excellent story. And you need to be listening to her read aloud now and again. Make sure her mechanics and comprehension truly are as solid as you think. If you truly want to do something academic with this, it doesn't hurt to have her occasionally tell you what the book was about, and to transcribe the response for her. Kids LOVE to read back what they've dictated aloud! FWIW, the format that kids are being taught in first grade is "Who are the characters? What is the setting? What is the problem? What is the solution?"

 

My 4.5 year old can read Magic Treehouse and always checks them out at the library, though she seldom chooses to read them over the high-interest picture books she also picks. I intend to continue *exposing* her to higher level material, but I definitely have no plans to *require* reading or literary analysis for quite some time yet.

[woolybear]

Another one to consider (though probably not for another couple of years)

 

http://www.greatbooksacademy.org/curriculum/good-books-program-literature-study-guides/

 

Also look at their homeschool curriculum book list and look at the literature suggestions for the earlier years. They focus on the classics.

[Mhorai]

If she has read Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little, you might suggest "The Trumpet of the Swan", also by EB White.  It is lovely!

[kiwik]

Maybe just pick a dozen books yourself, get your child to pick one and read the first couple of chapters. Then tuck them into bed with the book and see what happens. If they like it look for more by the same author or similar. If they don't like it either keep reading it out loud or move on to the next book.