1st Grade Reading

[Guest captain_mommy]

I am a first time homeschooler of a 7 year old DD.  She was in private school for Pre-K through 1st grade.  We're just starting homeschooling this year and following the outline in WTM beginning with Ancients for Reading and History.

 

She is not a particularly strong reader yet, and I find that I have to read aloud all of the books that, according to the WTM, she should be reading.  Has this been anyone else's experience?  How did you manage?  Are there any classical-based, more formal curricula geared more towards developing readers that you could recommend?  

 

Also for the 30 minutes of independent reading...what do you do if your child doesn't really read independently yet?  

 

This is a source of great stress for us (me).  I don't want to pressure her so much that she no longer enjoys the thought of reading...but I also want to feel like she is making progress.

 

I am really looking forward to feedback.  Thanks!  :)

[jaderbee]

My eldest didn't read in 1st grade. We switched to Writing Road to Reading and that helped. I was making too big of leaps for her in what I was offering her to read (and what she would select for free reading). She certainly wasn't doing 30 minutes of free reading in 1st grade. She's going into 3rd grade this fall and is only reading 19 minutes a day (this week- we're increasing it by 2 minutes each week this summer).

 

There are lots of different programs like WRTR: Reading Lessons Through Literature, Spell to Write and Read, Logic of English

 

What I would have done differently- read the instructions on how to use McGuffey's or other readers before giving them to her. :) Use Webster's syllabary. It is so much simpler (IMHO) than all those phonograms. Do popcorn reading from the beginning. Use Treadwell Readers. Ditch the upper levels of Books To Remember (though I still think their beginner readers are gems and priced accordingly ;) ).

 

I had made some of these changes teaching daughter #2 to read but she's a natural reader and doesn't struggle to connect with text like her sister. Hth

[HS Mom in NC]

Most children aren't reading independently at that age.  That's a recommendation for people with children who are reading independently. 

 

Search this board for read aloud information. My husband and I read aloud to ours about 2 hours a day (not all in one sitting)  usually at least 5 days a week until ours go to college. You have to work up to it over a few years.

 

My oldest started learning to read at 4 and could read fluently like an adult by her 5th birthday.  My middle started learning to read very simple words just before she turned 8.  She could read like an adult by 11.  My youngest started learning to read around 5 and is a very strong reader but only reads independently easier chapter books.  They're all different.

 

I used Ruth Beechick's Homestart in Reading pamphlet to teach my older two to read with real library picture books.  I used Phonics Pathways to teach my youngest to read as I was homeschooling 3 and helping care for a dependent elderly adult. There are lots of ways to do it. 

[Guest]

The only thing I have to add to the excellent advice you've already gotten is that if she can read sentences fluently, have her read one herself once in awhile in the context of a read aloud or if she can read words fluently, have her do that either in the context of daily life (grocery shopping, street signs, bringing you something from another room, etc.) or in the context of games.

 

That way reading will become immediately useful to her long before books are fun and her successes will snowball very rapidly.

 

I also feel that content is very, VERY important for any little ambassador from the future who has to put so much more effort into reading than we do. If she likes cats, look for books about cats, not books about trains.

 

As far a what's normal, my rising first grader reads one or two sentences a day before he's allowed any screen time and he's my earliest reader. There are kids who read much earlier, but that isn't a sign of high intelligence and can actually be a symptom of Asperger's in extreme cases. Would any of us really WANT our six and seven year olds to understand some of the headlines on the tabloids at the checkout counter?

[Rachel]

I think the first year of homeschooling can be really overwhelming while you figure things out, try not to stress. The WTM is a list of recommendations, you don't have to teach exactly the way it is written. There are a wide range of abilities among 1st graders, do what you think will work for your daughter. If you are tired of reading everything aloud, look into audiobooks.

 

I would encourage you to have your daughter read daily at her ability level instead of trying to force 30 minutes. The important thing is that she is practicing reading. If she can handle 5 minutes, have her read for 5 minutes. As her ability progresses, have her read longer. Popcorn reading worked really well for my beginning reader. Alternate reading a line, page, or paragraph.

[Cleopatra]

I used How to Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons.  Even though I insisted that we work on it consistently, I really allowed my dd to set the pace as to how much we covered.  If she only wanted to do a little bit, we covered only a little bit.

 

As for the independent reading, I purchased the McGuffey Readers and the only thing I really required was that she spend  5-10 minutes reading a story that would be challenging for her.  Otherwise I made sure that we had good "twaddle-free" books and I'd encourage her to read at her level but never force her.  She'd often choose books that were way below what she was capable of reading but I'd just grit my teeth and, again, try to encourage her to read something more difficult.

 

She's now fifteen and has read Vanity Fair, Frankenstein, Pride and Prejudice and she will often take non-fiction science books from my library pile and read them before I can even get to them.  So don't worry.  Your instinct that you don't want her to hate reading is a good one.  Go slowly if she needs to, but steadily, encourage reading good (well-structured) books and, as Homeschool Mom in AZ said, read to her as much as you can.  I think reading aloud to children encourages a love of books more than anything else.

 

 

[MerryAtHope]

I am a first time homeschooler of a 7 year old DD.  She was in private school for Pre-K through 1st grade.  We're just starting homeschooling this year and following the outline in WTM beginning with Ancients for Reading and History.

 

She is not a particularly strong reader yet, and I find that I have to read aloud all of the books that, according to the WTM, she should be reading.  Has this been anyone else's experience?  How did you manage?  Are there any classical-based, more formal curricula geared more towards developing readers that you could recommend?  

 

Also for the 30 minutes of independent reading...what do you do if your child doesn't really read independently yet?  

 

This is a source of great stress for us (me).  I don't want to pressure her so much that she no longer enjoys the thought of reading...but I also want to feel like she is making progress.

 

I am really looking forward to feedback.  Thanks!   :)

 

 

Work at her level. I read everything out loud to my kids in the early grades too--we just snuggled on the couch together and enjoyed good books. (We used Sonlight which emphasizes read-alouds). 

 

I wouldn't do independent reading with her yet, or do a shorter time--make up a book basket of simple books she could either read or look at the pictures. 

 

I'd go lighter on these things though and focus your energy on teaching her to read. You might see if All About Reading would be a good match. Don't stress over this though--it's common for children to be at various places, especially in the early grades. Do what works for her, meet her where she's at, and enjoy learning together. 

[Guest]

Enjoy the  read-alouds; my "library card and love" summer curriculum includes Life of Fred, all sorts of biographies, all sorts of geography, all sorts of science, etc.

 

I cried when my teenagers said they didn't want me to read to them any more. Those cuddle up on the couch days are seriously going to be some of your most treasured homeschooling memories.

 

It's the journey, not the destination.

[a27mom]

My almost 7 y/o does not read books independently either. (My just turned 5 y/o does read independently, kids are different). Reading aloud to your kids is just fine. I plan to read aloud with mine for quite a while.

 

As far as the 30 minutes. I think of it as 30 minutes of interacting with books. My 5 y/o reads, my 7 y/o examines the pictures and occasionally reads words in books. My 7 y/o is having as important an experience as my 5 y/o. She is noting details, developing an understanding of plot and flow of a story (she often looks at books she knows well, but sometimes figures out the story by the pictures and a few words). Since she is by herself she doesn't have pressure to perform, and really gets to use her brain her own way.

[Ellie]

I am a first time homeschooler of a 7 year old DD.  She was in private school for Pre-K through 1st grade.  We're just starting homeschooling this year and following the outline in WTM beginning with Ancients for Reading and History.

 

She is not a particularly strong reader yet, and I find that I have to read aloud all of the books that, according to the WTM, she should be reading.  Has this been anyone else's experience?  How did you manage?  Are there any classical-based, more formal curricula geared more towards developing readers that you could recommend?  

 

Also for the 30 minutes of independent reading...what do you do if your child doesn't really read independently yet?  

 

This is a source of great stress for us (me).  I don't want to pressure her so much that she no longer enjoys the thought of reading...but I also want to feel like she is making progress.

 

I am really looking forward to feedback.  Thanks!   :)

 

Read aloud to her. Do something with phonics to improve her reading skills. Don't worry about her reading independently yet.