How long to have a struggling 2nd grader read every day? (I see Sam readers)

[TheAttachedMama]

I am currently teaching two second graders to read. Both kids are "behind" in reading due mostly to another reading curriculum I was using that I have since switched from. I'm not sure exactly what grade level of reading they would test at, but I do know that they would struggle reading the sonlight first grade readers.

 

I finally switched them over to the "I see Sam" readers (http://www.3rsplus.com/3rsplus_ar2.htm) and now they are making so much progress. (We are in ari set 2)

 

My next question is: how long should I have them read to me each day?

I am anxious to get them caught up and reading at grade level. (Because having problems reading seems to affect every subject we work on....even math!). And I can see that reading is going to become even more important in third or fourth grade on. But, I don't want to push them too hard or make them hate reading. It's such a fine line!

 

I emailed the "I see Sam" yahoo group and one of the tutors said that she recommended only reading 1story per day. One story only takes us about 10-12 minutes to read. Is this really enough practice per day? Do you agree with her recommendations? Should I shoot for two stories per day? Maybe one in the am and one at night? Thanks!

[....]

I emailed the "I see Sam" yahoo group and one of the tutors said that she recommended only reading 1story per day. One story only takes us about 10-12 minutes to read. Is this really enough practice per day? Do you agree with her recommendations? 

 

I *think* my 6 yro is hovering around a 2nd grade reading level.  She spends about 10 minutes on reading.  So, I agree with what the tutor said.  My daughter does a page of phonics (where she reads list of words that work on a particular sound) and then reads for a few minutes from a short book.  That probably does take us about 10 mins.  After we do the phonics, I just tell her to read until she feels like stopping (although that might not work with all kids).  Sometimes, she really gets into the story and reads for a long time...sometimes she just reads a couple of pages.

 

I think making sure you work on reading consistently every day is key.  Also, it seemed like my kids were about 3rd grade before they took ownership of their reading and started reading things for "information".  Before that, reading was something they had to practice every day with me.  Not sure if that makes sense.

 

About the late reader thing - my son (age 11) was a late reader.  He really struggled to learn to read until about 3rd grade.  You would never know he was a late reader - he's in the middle of a Michael Crichton novel right now.  This is the same dude who cried a few years ago if I told him he had to read a Bob book. 

[weintz8]

I shoot for their grade level. So 10 minutes for a first grader, 20 minutes for a 2nd grader, and so on. My one really struggled so when he was in second I did ten in the morning and ten in the evening. This is assuming that they are reading across curriculum. They are reading directions in math, labels in science, captions in history. If the ONLY reading they are doing is out loud to you, I would think they needed a little more.

[EKS]

You want to have them work up to being able to read aloud fluently for about 30 minutes daily from books at grade level or above. Start with books well below their reading level so that it is easy for them and then slowly increase the level and the amount of time required over a period of a year or more.

[....]

They are reading directions in math, labels in science, captions in history. 

 

I forgot about this.  I have my kids do this, too.  My younger ones also try to read the signs everywhere when we go places.  They're big sign-readers for some reason.   

[Starr]

Break it into chunks of time. Alternate reading pages with them if that makes it easier. Leave books, notes, on the kitchen table that are easy for them to read. Maybe get some fun placemats that give some information in simple words. Make it easy. ;) 

[TheAttachedMama]

They are reading directions in math, labels in science, captions in history. If the ONLY reading they are doing is out loud to you, I would think they needed a little more.

That is part of the issue....he can't yet read across the curriculum. That is one of the reasons I'm anxious about "catching him up" so that he can began to read a bit more in other subject areas.

[Goldilocks]

At second grade, there doesn't need to be reading across the curriculum.  You can still read to them.

 

I always like to end reading before they are tired.  So, I agree that one story is enough. 

 

Model that reading is fun by reading aloud a lot and read for enjoyment yourself.  One day they will do it too.

[mmpmelmack]

How long can they read aloud now? I would start where they are and increase it 2-3 minutes a month until they are at 20 minutes. Then I would add a second session the first for at or above grade level and the second for fun reading at or below grade level. Then slowly increase both sessions until the first is 30 minutes, and the second is an hour.

[TheAttachedMama]

They were reading two stories (at level).   So, I did have them reading to me for 20-30 minutes each every day.   But the tutor said that she worried that that was too much and recommended I just do one story per day.    So I  have since cut our reading time back.  

 

However, then I worried I wasn't doing enough.  10-12 minutes a day for the subject we are struggling with the most didn't seem like enough practice to me.    (I constantly wrestle with whether I am doing enough or too much.  :) )    We aren't doing any other phonics work except for spelling.  (We are using AAS which is heavy in phonics.  But that is all review at this point.)  

 

How long can they read aloud now? I would start where they are and increase it 2-3 minutes a month until they are at 20 minutes. Then I would add a second session the first for at or above grade level and the second for fun reading at or below grade level. Then slowly increase both sessions until the first is 30 minutes, and the second is an hour.

 

Do you recommend that we set a timer?  And then give them the option to finish the book/story if we are in the middle or just put a book mark in and pick it up the next day? 

 

And do you also think it would be possible for them to do the second reading session silently to themselves?  Or do I need to have them read out loud to me for both sessions?   Teaching two kids to read simultaneously can be tough sometimes.  I have to listen to one read a story and then the other read the exact same story.  I am almost tempted to buy TWO sets of every book and have them take turns reading pages.  

 

 

[ElizabethB]

I would do two or three periods of phonics/reading, 10 to 15 minutes each.

 

My phonics concentration game could be one, the others could be I See Sam. Have breaks and/or other subjects in between. Several short periods is better than one long session.

 

http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Phonics/concentrationgam.html

[MomatHWTK]

I stop my learner's sessions when he starts showing signs of fatigue.  If he starts stumbling more or can't remember words or sounds that I know he can read, it is time to pause.  I might have the child read more after a break, but once the fatigue sets in I don't think he is getting much out of the exercise.

 

Reading Rescue 1-2-3 has a lot of good tips that I used with my first child when he was learning to read. 

[mmpmelmack]

[quote name="TheAttachedMama" post="5937898" timestamp="

 

 

Do you recommend that we set a timer? And then give them the option to finish the book/story if we are in the middle or just put a book mark in and pick it up the next day?

 

And do you also think it would be possible for them to do the second reading session silently to themselves? Or do I need to have them read out loud to me for both sessions? Teaching two kids to read simultaneously can be tough sometimes. I have to listen to one read a story and then the other read the exact same story. I am almost tempted to buy TWO sets of every book and have them take turns reading pages.

 

Yes, I would set a timer, and give the option to finish if they want. , and yes again, I would have them read whatever they want at the second session on their own. The second session is to love reading, not have to work at it. I would not have them reading much in content until it is below their reading level, it's no fun to have to figure out the words and be expected to learn the subject too. A little everyday will go a long way!

[SevenDaisies]

I have an 8 year old Ds who struggles to read. He's taken a real interest now, so we have really started to make progress, but that didn't happen until he was ready. I agree that the most important thing is reading daily. Some days we read for 10 and some for 20, but if I push too hard we start moving in the wrong direction. If you want them to read a little extra, give them some books that are easy. We are working on the 4th AAR reader, so I have him read from the first three books after our lesson to boost his confidence. He gets a real kick out of how well he reads them now.

[Minerva]

I want to encourage you to have them read aloud to you and read silently too. They are different skills.  The silent reading will help them enjoy reading more since they are reading for content and not perfection. Maybe have them read one story out loud to you in the morning and one story silently later in the day. Or if it's a longer story, have them start out loud and finish silently. 

[beishan]

Last year (2nd grade), we did Dancing Bear 1-2 page (roughly 10-15 minutes) and then read one story from I See Sam reader (ARI2 & 3) as our after school reading instruction. My son goes to public school and he gets 30 minutes of Wilson reading tutoring in his daily reading pullout on top of 45 minutes of group reading in his own classroom. He progessed 6 guided reading levels last year (from early 1st grade level to mid 2nd grade level). We still have 4 guided reading levels (6 month) need to catch up.

[Shay]

I used to tutor with these books. I would not set a timer, but instead I'd establish a daily routine that focuses on accuracy and fluency.

 

To accomplish this, I would have the child read each story *twice* and then do a timed reading.

 

1. The first time through, he/she will be learning any new sounds and blending them. This may be shaky.

2. For the second reading, you should notice better fluency and mastery along with confidence!

3.You might want to even do 1 minute timed readings after the second reading. You can plot "words read correctly in one minute" and your child may be very motivated by this.

 

I taught remedial reading and I always had children read through stories in the above manner, and I had great success with increased accuracy and fluency.

[TheAttachedMama]

I used to tutor with these books. I would not set a timer, but instead I'd establish a daily routine that focuses on accuracy and fluency.

 

To accomplish this, I would have the child read each story *twice* and then do a timed reading.

 

1. The first time through, he/she will be learning any new sounds and blending them. This may be shaky.

2. For the second reading, you should notice better fluency and mastery along with confidence!

3.You might want to even do 1 minute timed readings after the second reading. You can plot "words read correctly in one minute" and your child may be very motivated by this.

 

I taught remedial reading and I always had children read through stories in the above manner, and I had great success with increased accuracy and fluency.

Thanks Shay!  I am especially interested in your experience with these books.   One problem that I am battling is guessing/memorizing text.  My son has a CRAZY memory:  he has the ability to memorize large portions of text after reading it only once.  So sometimes with the repeat readings I catch him reciting from memory the second time through.

 

Also, just to clarify, do you do both readings the same day? 

[ElizabethB]

For memorizers, I like word lists and my nonsense word game.

[rachelpants]

Attachedmama,

 

I'm constantly agonizing over reading as well. (As you know, lol).

 

I'm so fed up with the guessing, it's exhausting. I think Elizabeth's game looks great, I'm printing it off tonight. It looks easy enough to implement and would add 10 minutes to your daily routine.

 

Another idea, could you set your kids side by side at the table and have them read from the same book? Left page, right page.

[TheAttachedMama]

 

Another idea, could you set your kids side by side at the table and have them read from the same book? Left page, right page.

 

I've actually tried that and they LOVE to do that.   I think because it gives them breaks. 

[vonfirmath]

My son is in 2nd grade and the school is pushing for us to read at least 20 minutes a day. Perhaps you could break it up into 2 reading sessions a day? Reading the same story so the second time they are more familiar. Or something.