Reading

[dancingmama]

Ds is 11.5 yo and is still really struggling to read.  We've done AAS (got us to 2nd grade, we did up to level 3) and started LoE but I need something that goes a bit more quickly while still breaking things up.  He knows his phonics relatively well but still likes to guess at words that are more than two syllables.  He does better while reading in context but has no issues skipping a word entirely if he doesn't know it.  We've talked about breaking words up into syllables and he can do it, but just rather not.  He's reading at about the third grade level at this point but will only read books for 5/6 th grade because that's what he is interested in.  So although books like Geronimo Stilton would be perfect for them, they are too babyish.  He prefers 39 Clues and books like that.  Anyone have ideas for a reading program for remedial?  He does better with online programs.  He struggles with math as well and IXL and Khan are perfect for him to help him along.  Anything similar for reading?

[FairProspects]

If it is really about multisyllabic words then I would be looking at REWARDS Intermediate. That word chunking is the main focus and it is definitely remedial, not too babyish for an 11 y.o. at all.

[geodob]

Perhaps you could consider teaching him the Latin, Greek and French roots, prefixes, suffixes that are used in English?

Where the focus shifts to learning what each of them 'mean'.

As opposed to syllables/ phonemes which just represent sound and have no meaning.

 

But if he knows what most of these roots, etc mean?  Then when he comes across a word he doesn't know?  He will be able to work out what it means. How to sound out the word, can then follow.

 

[dancingmama]

Thanks for the ideas. I'll take a look and I think I have a book I picked up that has the meanings of roots. That might be easy to try and see if it helps.

 

Thank you

[OneStepAtATime]

Have you had any official assessments?  As others here will tell you, there are a lot of processes that go into reading.  If any of those are out of sync, it can become very challenging to read effectively.

[Ottakee]

Have you had an evaluation for vision issues?

[ElizabethB]

You can try the syllable division rules and exercises, links # 6 & 7 at the end of my how to tutor page:

 

http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/howtotutor.html

 

I also really like Marcia Henry's Words for multi syllable words, it works on spelling, word roots, and syllables within language of origin.  The samples are from early on, it goes up to what she says are 8h grade level but seem more high school level words.

 

http://www.proedinc.com/customer/productView.aspx?ID=989

 

Finally, you might want to try working through Webster's Speller, you can start with the link #12 on my how to tutor page for a quick preview to see if it will work with you, it is a short version with 1 passage from each grade level 4 - 12, if you like it you can then work through the whole thing.

[SandyKC]

Rewards is a great recommendation, as made by FairProspects.  You might want to also check out Lexia Reading at Home.  It's the program we used with our boys.  Given your DS likes Khan and online learning, you might want to check out some Online Interactive Reading programs and games.  Lexia is on that list.

[Pen]

The program we used http://www.highnoonbooks.com has a specialty area in what are called "high interest/low level" readers (a term which might also help you on internet searches, or when in library if you talk to a children's librarian)--you could find books at his reading level on subjects like inventors/explorers, American History and Government, and so on, I think.  They try to have books that mirror typical education at different levels, but at easier reading levels, including simplified classic literature--but we did not care for the simplified classic we chose and found it too simplified.  For my son, reading books several times aloud till he gained fluency at a particular level was a tremendous help. 

 

Globe Pearson has some middle school level material science books that have a lower reading level (but probably not so low as 3rd grade RL).

 

The fact trackers of the Magic Tree House have quite a lot of information packed in at a pretty easy reading level.

 

If he were not quite ready for Rewards, the same company has a series called Language! that might be another possibility. It starts with single syllable words, but quickly introduces ideas like abstract art which would likely not seem terribly babyish for an 11 year old.

 

I did not use it because I was afraid that it would be a crutch and my ds would not learn, but our computer (a Mac) does a decent job of reading aloud what is highlighted onscreen and could be used as an adjunct to teaching reading from interesting online materials if the child had the discipline to try it himself, and then highlight and check unknown words.