FO4UR Posted March 26, 2014 Share Posted March 26, 2014 He's able to read, but it's still a bit of a slog to get through a chapter. Part of it is just him thinking he can't, and part of it is being too prideful to use tools to help himself. Ex. He exasperated himself over reading a chapter in Sign of the Beaver, yet when I asked him to read it aloud to me he did just fine, no stumbles whatsoever. I make him use a 3x5 card to keep his line when he reads to me, and I think he's trying to do without that when he's reading to himself. He listens to audiobooks probably 1-3 hours a day. His favorites are LORT & The Hobbit. His listening comp is excellent. He told me today that he only tries reading books if he can't get the audiobook. :glare: I'm glad he's loving good literature, but it's time to push this little bird out of the nest. I want to help him close the gap between reading & listening abilities next year. We will be in SOTW 4. I'm open to books related to history, but I'm open to other ideas. I'm also open to great audiobook selections that might be out of his reading ability, but on par with his interests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagira Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 DS10 hasn't been reading as much as I would like him to, but he enjoys the Landmark biographies, especially the one he's currently reading (we're also on SOTW 4) - The Wright Brothers. As for Literature, it depends on what turns him on. Maybe you can try something funny like Pippi Longstocking that's below his reading level to get him laughing and excited about reading, and interesting bios (lots in the modern era!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 You mentioned using the index card when you read together -- you may want to have DS's vision checked by a specialist to make sure there are no tracking or convergence issues making the solo reading difficult or even painful. Also, would a colored transparency help reduce glare and make the solo reading easier? Very visual students sometimes struggle with eye strain if the white page/black ink contrast is too high for them. What about large-type books, or using an e-reader so type size can be changed? Also, for solo reading you might actually want to look for works that are a bit *below* his reading level to increase his fluency, speed and confidence -- getting lots of practice with "easy" books on his own can lead to building stamina and confidence to eventually try harder books on his own. Farrarwilliams has posted various times how the predictability and patterns of reading series books that are a bit below reading level works to build reading speed and confidence. Just a few ideas, FWIW! BEST of luck in finding what helps! Warmest regards, Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FO4UR Posted March 27, 2014 Author Share Posted March 27, 2014 You mentioned using the index card when you read together -- you may want to have DS's vision checked by a specialist to make sure there are no tracking or convergence issues making the solo reading difficult or even painful. Also, would a colored transparency help reduce glare and make the solo reading easier? Very visual students sometimes struggle with eye strain if the white page/black ink contrast is too high for them. What about large-type books, or using an e-reader so type size can be changed? Also, for solo reading you might actually want to look for works that are a bit *below* his reading level to increase his fluency, speed and confidence -- getting lots of practice with "easy" books on his own can lead to building stamina and confidence to eventually try harder books on his own. Farrarwilliams has posted various times how the predictability and patterns of reading series books that are a bit below reading level works to build reading speed and confidence. Just a few ideas, FWIW! BEST of luck in finding what helps! Warmest regards, Lori D. He was tested by a developmental Opt when he was younger and had some serious issues. Visual Discrimination was like in the 8th %, and every other area was either below normal or right on the line. (We have a strong family heritage of dyslexia. I think this is genetic.) We went through some therapy, and I've completely tailored his schoolwork around this issue. We have moved 3x since that vision therapy (5 years ago), and haven't always been able to get insurance...let alone find a COVD Dr. Sigh...I *just* got our insurance paperwork back yesterday (moved and applied for it in Nov, but that's another thread). I do need to get him checked again. He hasn't taken to the kindle really. We have tried it. Ours is really old. Maybe he'd take to a new, shiny one with text to speak. And, I guess I'm hunting for some good titles that would interest a 6th grade boy and would fit in that easier to read range, but does not look/smell/feel babyish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MicheleinMN Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 Percy Jackson! Redwall - probably best as an audio book Narnia The Wizard of Oz Thornton Burgess - Adventures of Chatter the Red Squirrel and all the others in the series (but not his actual Animal, Seashore, Bird books) Ds, 12, does mostly audio books too, but the Thornton Burgess books he is reading on his own and to me. He also REALLY likes The Wizard of Oz and is reading that one on his own too. He also listened to the book Divergent, which may be "older" than you want for your ds, but mine was listening to it to keep up with his older sister. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 He was tested by a developmental Opt when he was younger and had some serious issues. Visual Discrimination was like in the 8th %, and every other area was either below normal or right on the line. (We have a strong family heritage of dyslexia. I think this is genetic.) We went through some therapy, and I've completely tailored his schoolwork around this issue. We have moved 3x since that vision therapy (5 years ago), and haven't always been able to get insurance...let alone find a COVD Dr. Sigh...I *just* got our insurance paperwork back yesterday (moved and applied for it in Nov, but that's another thread). I do need to get him checked again. Ouch! Sympathy and :grouphug: . I guess I'm hunting for some good titles that would interest a 6th grade boy and would fit in that easier to read range, but does not look/smell/feel babyish. Two easy to read but not babyish options: - Calvin and Hobbes comic collections pictures and short bites of text make these easy to read; and, they really are very clever, with some great vocabulary and sometimes wrestle with some pretty big concepts! - magazines -- short articles and photos make for easy reading, they are educational Ranger Rick (animal and nature) ZooBooks (animals) Kids Discover (science/history) Cricket (contemporary and historical fiction) Muse (ideas in science, history, the arts) Odyssey (latest science news for kids) Dig (archaeology) Cobblestone (American history) Calliope (World History) Faces (cultures around the world) Stone Soup (stories by and for children) Scholastic News / Time for Kids / God's World (current events -- first 2 = secular, 3rd = Christian) Brick Journal (Lego enthusiast quarterly journal -- actually written for/by adults but great for tweens/teens who are into Legos) Okay, these are what I would call "snack" books, not classics or "good reading" books, BUT, below are titles that helped my delayed reader with borderline dyslexia get over the hump of enjoying reading. Because we were doing assigned reading of high quality books daily during school, and loads of classics for read alouds and books on tape, I was okay using some "snack" books as DS's solo reading choices just to help him over the hump, since his mind was getting fed with all the other good books we read/listened to every day. - Varjak Paw (by Said) -- and the sequel very much a snack book -- fast, light, with some illustrations - Time Warp Trio series (Scieszka) your DS may be beyond these; they are for about age 9-11, silly/cheesy with some boy humor (i.e., burps and farts); they are short with illustrations; definitely a step above "average" in writing with actually some good vocabulary and historical elements - Tiger's Apprentice; Tiger's Blood; Tiger Magic short trilogy: ninja/warrior talking tiger takes on a tween boy as apprentice - Warriors series (Hunter) this really was the book series that got him wanting to read books; the writing is adequate and the stories are very derivative, but the real draw for DS was the "world" of cat warrior tribes living in the wild; there is some slight new age spirituality, mainly centered around the one night a year when moonlight hits this special gathering place rock and the cats see a vision and special star constellations - Ranger Apprentice series again, adequate writing/very derivative, BUT, it really captured DS's imagination -- medieval setting, boy who learns to be a master archer and "ninja-like woodsman" - mini-mystery collections each mystery is usually 2-5 pages long, so it's easy to read through an entire story, and the trying to find the clues to solve the mystery keeps the student really involved in the reading -- and if really enjoyed, can lead to reading full-length mysteries; here are some good mini-mystery collections for tweens/younger teens: by Donald Sobol: Two Minute Mysteries; More Two Minute Mysteries; Still More Two Minute Mysteries by Hy Conrad: Almost Perfect Crimes; Whodunit: You Decide; Historical Whodunits; Little Giant Book of Whodunits; Whodunit Crime Puzzles; Solve It Yourself Crime Mysteries; Whodunits: 100 Mysteries by Jim Sukach: Dr. Quicksolve series by Marvin Miller: You Be the Jury series And here's a trilogy that I just read that was a fast "snack" book read, fun steam-punk alternative World War 1 world, with 12yo boy and girl as the protagonists (the chapters alternate between their points of view): Leviathan, Behemoth, Goliath. These are huge-looking hardbacks, BUT, big type and widely spaced lines, plus a number of very nice line-drawing illustrations makes it easy on the eyes, which is one reason I suggest this one. Hope that helps! BEST of luck with getting more help with the vision issues, as that will really help make it enjoyable to read for DS! Warmest regards, Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FO4UR Posted March 27, 2014 Author Share Posted March 27, 2014 Hope that helps! It does. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Off to the library... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 It's non-fiction, but I recommend Oh, Yuck! The Encyclopedia of Everything Nasty. I brought it home from the library once for my daughter, and the whole family was entranced by it. It's appallingly appealing. The author also wrote Oh, Yikes!: History's Grossest Wackiest Moments I'll add a hearty second to the Calvin and Hobbes recommendation. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 Maybe A Series of Unfortunate Events? My 2nd grader started reading it but didn't finish because it was too long, but both of my boys loved it and thought it was a hoot. They ran through them quickly because they were so engaging. There are 13 books so you could start with the first one to see if he likes it. The good news is that if he does like it, you have plenty more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 Diary of a Wimpy Kid. This was the first novel my struggling reader was self-motivated to read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.