Do read-alouds count as "books read"?

[mc26]

Just curious, as my boys (5th and 6th grades) would rather have me read their assigned books out loud than read them themselves.  I enjoy reading to them, and we discuss as we go, but was wondering if we could count those as books they read.  

[Ellie]

Just curious, as my boys (5th and 6th grades) would rather have me read their assigned books out loud than read them themselves.  I enjoy reading to them, and we discuss as we go, but was wondering if we could count those as books they read.  

 

*I* wouldn't count them (if I needed to count books read). It should be books they have read on their own. I say this as someone who is very liberal in counting things. :-)

[Excelsior! Academy]

Yes! However reading independently is valuable as well. I would still require them to read alone, even 20-30 minutes a day.

[MinivanMom]

No, I wouldn't count them for a 5th and 6th grader. I would keep two separate lists: books read independently and books listened to.

[Aurelia]

No, I wouldn't count them for a 5th and 6th grader. I would keep two separate lists: books read independently and books listened to.

 

That's what I do. 

[EKS]

When my kids were in those grades I kept two lists--books read independently and books listened to.

 

For high school courses, I read a lot aloud--however, my kids could easily read the things I'm reading aloud independently and they also read a ton independently.  I don't differentiate between read alouds and independent reading in my records for high school.

[ByGrace3]

I always have them on our reading log, but I have two lists: read alouds and read independently.

[marbel]

I counted them, just as I would count an audio book.  

[mc26]

Thanks for the feedback everyone!  2 lists, it is.  

[mc26]

Do they count toward what? Do you have to turn a list in to the state?

 

Not specifically, I have to turn in a Portfolio Review at the end of the school year, and wanted to include their book lists. And really, I was just curious to see what others did.   :001_smile:

[Caclcoca]

I put them on their lists, but I will put an A beside the title for audio or a P for parent.  This way I know which books they read themselves and which ones they listened to.  This list is just for me.  I think it is fun to go back and see all that they read during the year.

[Farrar]

It's all stories and information going in the brain. :)

 

If I had to keep an "official" list of some kind, I'd also keep two or make a little star by one or the other or something.

[Ellie]

I counted them, just as I would count an audio book.  

 

I wouldn't count an audio book, either.

[OneStepAtATime]

I wouldn't count an audio book, either.

Why not Ellie?  I don't mean to be argumentative but I don't understand this philosophy.

 

Yes, reading the actual words is also helpful and certainly exposure to print is important, but the information/concepts/grammar/vocabulary are all there in audio book form, too.  And in many instances gives the child a chance to listen to books that might be above their reading level but are perhaps at their intellectual level, something I find incredibly helpful.  DS very early on was able to understand material way above grade level or reading level and loved listening to audio books or books I read to him that he could not yet read fluently on his own.  He still learns a ton that way.  It seems silly to me to not count those books someone listens to as having any value.  Reading print is great.  But audio books are just as worthwhile, IMHO.  Would you tell a blind person that the books they listen to don't count?

 

OP, two lists sounds like a great idea to me.  

 

FWIW, my eyesight is fragmenting.  Audio books are quite helpful to me in my studies.  I am learning the content even if I don't "read" the material myself for each and every book.  I don't dismiss the audio books I am using as not important or not useful.  They are incredibly useful.

[Ellie]

Why not Ellie?  I don't mean to be argumentative but I don't understand this philosophy.

 

Yes, reading the actual words is also helpful and certainly exposure to print is important, but the information/concepts/grammar/vocabulary are all there in audio book form, too.  And in many instances gives the child a chance to listen to books that might be above their reading level but are perhaps at their intellectual level, something I find incredibly helpful.  DS very early on was able to understand material way above grade level or reading level and loved listening to audio books or books I read to him that he could not yet read fluently on his own.  He still learns a ton that way.  It seems silly to me to not count those books someone listens to as having any value.  Reading print is great.  But audio books are just as worthwhile, IMHO.  Would you tell a blind person that the books they listen to don't count?

 

OP, two lists sounds like a great idea to me.  

 

FWIW, my eyesight is fragmenting.  Audio books are quite helpful to me in my studies.  I am learning the content even if I don't "read" the material myself for each and every book.  I don't dismiss the audio books I am using as not important or not useful.  They are incredibly useful.

 

You have special needs, and I would take that into account.

 

But if I am supposed to keep track of the books my children read, and they have no special needs, then I would count the books that they actually sat down and read themselves, not books that they listened to in the car on the way to the park or wherever while they played Bejeweled Blitz or something on their devices. 

[Farrar]

You have special needs, and I would take that into account.

 

But if I am supposed to keep track of the books my children read, and they have no special needs, then I would count the books that they actually sat down and read themselves, not books that they listened to in the car on the way to the park or wherever while they played Bejeweled Blitz or something on their devices. 

 

But what's the point or goal of the reading? To me, there are a few different potential goals of reading - for pleasure, for information, to increase fluency, to practice finding information... to name just a few. Obviously some goals can only be met when a student reads the book themselves. But other goals can be met by listening to the book. If the point is to, say, learn about neuroscience or the first world war or something, then the goal of learning information could be met by listening. If the goal is to familiarize a student with the story, that could be met through listening.

 

Don't get me wrong... I think it's important for students at that age to be reading independently assuming there are no learning issues preventing it. I just think both means of learning are fine.

[Ellie]

But what's the point or goal of the reading? To me, there are a few different potential goals of reading - for pleasure, for information, to increase fluency, to practice finding information... to name just a few. Obviously some goals can only be met when a student reads the book themselves. But other goals can be met by listening to the book. If the point is to, say, learn about neuroscience or the first world war or something, then the goal of learning information could be met by listening. If the goal is to familiarize a student with the story, that could be met through listening.

 

Don't get me wrong... I think it's important for students at that age to be reading independently assuming there are no learning issues preventing it. I just think both means of learning are fine.

 

Y'all can do what you want. :-) But it seems to me there's just a difference between a book a child picks up with his own hands and reads with his own eyeballs, and a book he listens to while doing something else, because usually children are doing something else while they listen. There's a whole different part of the brain that kicks in, more active than passive, and in some cases there are things that must be *seen*, as when Milne does things with capitalization in his Pooh books, or Lewis when Mr. Tumnus hears "Spare Oom" instead of "Spare Room," that will be missed if only listened to and not read (even though I love listening to Narnia...but I've read the books multiple times, so I know all of those things)

[Farrar]

That's true for me as well, Ellie. But I've learned it's not true for a lot of kids, who get a ton more out of listening to a book than they get from reading it. I guess I just don't want to imply one method of learning is superior to another. My kids typically don't do anything else while they listen. They really listen with their whole selves - perhaps more so than they read with their whole selves.

[Ivey]

In this case, I would keep two separate lists, or at least make a note that some books were read aloud while others were read independently. Dh is currently reading The Silmarillion to my 10yo, but it would be very misleading to include it in his 4th grade reading list. 

 

For high school, I have included books that were read aloud in course descriptions. At that point, the list is of works studied instead of books read, so presumably the student would have had to listen well enough to discuss it, reread long chunks in order to write about it, etc. 

[happypamama]

In this case, I would keep two separate lists, or at least make a note that some books were read aloud while others were read independently. Dh is currently reading The Silmarillion to my 10yo, but it would be very misleading to include it in his 4th grade reading list.

 

 

I don't feel that that's misleading at all, and I'd totally count it. He's still getting exposure to the language of the book, the vocabulary, the sentence structure, the plot and characters. It's just doing all that in a different way than reading it himself. He's not getting nothing out of it simply because it's being read to him.

 

I keep two lists, one for things they've read to themselves and one for things they've listened to, either from a parent reading aloud or from a recorded audio book. When I put together the portfolios, I include all of the books with no distinction between the types. Even among the books they've read themselves, there are differences in how they've interacted with the books -- some have been dissected and discussed, while others have simply been read and enjoyed -- so I don't see why things they've listened to wouldn't count. It's just different types of interaction.

[Minerva]

I want to add, as the mother of a dyslexic who loves books, that many books are meant to be read out loud. I like what Ellie said about the punctuation being purposeful, but it in most cases it is the key to how the book should be read, either in your head or out loud. Fiction is a story meant to be brought to life. If the picture is painted more clearly by hearing it, why not count this as read? My dd can have a meaningful literary discussion, can make inferences, see connections and delight in the language without being able to read the text. She can also hear very dry nonfiction and retain it exceptionally. I still require my dd to read everyday (now that she is able to read a bit), but it seems a shame not to "count" books read aloud if someone is absorbing them deeply. There are many neurotypical auditory learners, not just dyslexics, who thrive with audio books. 

 

We keep a list of books we have read, mostly so that we can remember them all, and recently my dd has begun to put a check next to the books she has read herself. Happy reading!

[Sherry in OH]

I list books the child reads himself in the ‘Reading’ section of the child’s portfolio.  

Books I read aloud and audiobooks are listed under the appropriate subject categories, most frequently, literature, history, or science.   I also list movies watched, productions attended, and other media.  

 

[SparklyUnicorn]

I read aloud a lot to my kids, but I also require that they read books on their own too. 

 

 

[OneStepAtATime]

It seems from scientific studies I have read, and from various posts on TWTM and my own experiences with my kids and my niece and nephews, as well as my experiences as a child, that all forms of exposure to books can be highly relevant and important.  For the OP, I think keeping separate lists would be very helpful.  Read alouds with discussion and shared conversation can be incredibly useful/enlightening.  So can listening to an audio book.  And certainly reading independently is also very important.  I do not see that any one of these is superior to another.  They are all important.  And should all be counted as relevant, IMHO, just perhaps in different ways.

 

I thought these might have some usefulness:

 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/olgakhazan/2011/09/12/is-listening-to-audio-books-really-the-same-as-reading/

 

http://blogs.psychcentral.com/research/2011/audio-books-vs-book-books-which-does-the-brain-prefer/

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3131673/

[Ellie]

That's true for me as well, Ellie. But I've learned it's not true for a lot of kids, who get a ton more out of listening to a book than they get from reading it. I guess I just don't want to imply one method of learning is superior to another. My kids typically don't do anything else while they listen. They really listen with their whole selves - perhaps more so than they read with their whole selves.

 

I was not trying to imply that one method of learning was superior. I was just answering the question: If I were required to count how many books my dc read, I would only count the ones they read on their own.

[SparklyUnicorn]

It seems from scientific studies I have read, and from various posts on TWTM and my own experiences with my kids and my niece and nephews, as well as my experiences as a child, that all forms of exposure to books can be highly relevant and important.  For the OP, I think keeping separate lists would be very helpful.  Read alouds with discussion and shared conversation can be incredibly useful/enlightening.  So can listening to an audio book.  And certainly reading independently is also very important.  I do not see that any one of these is superior to another.  They are all important.  And should all be counted as relevant, IMHO, just perhaps in different ways.

 

I thought these might have some usefulness:

 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/olgakhazan/2011/09/12/is-listening-to-audio-books-really-the-same-as-reading/

 

http://blogs.psychcentral.com/research/2011/audio-books-vs-book-books-which-does-the-brain-prefer/

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3131673/

 

I agree that they are all relevant.  My younger kid has been a bit more resistant to reading on his own.  He does do it, but I have to pick very high interest books to get him excited about it. I read a lot to him.  Sometimes he'll ask me to read a bit from the book he is working on.  I do sometimes.  Some people don't love to read, but I figure it's way better than nothing if I'm reading to him. 

 

[Farrar]

I was not trying to imply that one method of learning was superior. I was just answering the question: If I were required to count how many books my dc read, I would only count the ones they read on their own.

 

But saying that they shouldn't be listed implies they aren't important. I don't know how that isn't privileging one form of acquiring information over another.

 

I do think they should be listed separately. Or that, if the whole goal of the book list is to demonstrate reading competence, that they not be listed. I just think that isn't the only goal of reading, so it depends on what the book list is meant to demonstrate.

[elegantlion]

I keep one list and mark whether it was RA (Read aloud) or RO (Read on his own). For us, we both enjoy the read alouds, even at the high school level. Ds was a delayed reader and still really doesn't enjoy reading on his own. He enjoys stories, however.  We've both had a better experience out of a book when we share it. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

Are there states that even require something like keeping track of number of books read?  For all the wackadoodle things I gotta do, that's not one of them thankfully. 

 

 

[SparklyUnicorn]

I guess maybe people put it in the portfolio?

 

I have always lived in states that had no direct oversight so I dunno.  I keep a list on my iphone for my own edification.

 

Ah ok.  We don't have to do portfolios.

 

I used to track books, but then one day I kinda thought...why am I doing this?  LOL  So I stopped.

[Sherry in OH]

Are there states that even require something like keeping track of number of books read?  For all the wackadoodle things I gotta do, that's not one of them thankfully. 

 

My state requires that I teach reading.  I demonstrate compliance by providing a list of books the child has read in his annual portfolio.  I list books I require the child to read and a representative sample of other materials he has read.   I am also required to teach a number of other subjects. Resource lists are one way of demonstrating compliance.  A licensed teacher reviews the portfolio.  He or she may ask for additional information.  I have heard that some ask the child to read, although the evaluators I have used have taken my word for it.   

[Farrar]

We're also required to keep a portfolio. Supposedly they can check. Except they don't. I write a little thing that lists books they're reading independently under the language arts section I make. But under subjects like history and science, I list the books that we read aloud alongside any they read independently since the primary goal is the information, not the reading. Which is not to say reading for information isn't important, just that we do both.

 

My kids are in fifth grade and NT I have to say... the statement that they could read "anything" at this point simply isn't true. They can read things intended for fifth grade and sometimes middle schoolers. They can't read a high school science text and they lose interest when they try to read longer, more dense literature. They can decode it usually if I have them read aloud, but their reading stamina and fluency isn't there yet. On the other hand, they can understand and engage with many higher level stories and texts if read aloud. So we read that stuff aloud. I don't think that's unusual.

[happypamama]

Are there states that even require something like keeping track of number of books read? For all the wackadoodle things I gotta do, that's not one of them thankfully.

We have to keep a list of some sort in our state; it's specifically required as part of our portfolios.

[rimk3]

I am not required by my state to keep track of books read or even provide a portfolio, but I do like to keep a book list for myself.  I do this two ways.  My son (age 9) has his own Goodreads account where he logs all books, including audiobooks and read-alouds.  I also have a document with the books I have read aloud for the year.  If I were required by the state to provide a list, I would include the read-aloud/audiobooks and just mark them as such, like PPs have said.  I read-aloud, my son reads aloud to my daughters and myself, and we listen to audiobooks.  I would count it all.  

 

On a side note, I read aloud books that my son is capable of reading independently so that my six year old daughters can share in the book.  These are mostly additional history or science books.  I guess I could give the book to my son and say "now read this independently, so I can put it on the list that you read it," but I know he is able to read and comprehend the book.  So, why not count it?  Ya know?  It may be a fine line and I don't have to keep records, so I can be as casual as I want.  I may feel different if someone was keeping tabs on me.   ;)

 

Also, I tend to think of this topic in terms of myself and my own reading habits.  I am currently reading two books on my iPad, one paperback book, and listening to two audiobooks (one fiction, one non-fiction).  I will enter all them into my Goodreads "read" account and note the audiobooks as such.  I am so grateful for the variety of book formats available to my children and myself.  My children do actively engage with a book while being read too, just as I do.  So, that is not a concern of mine, either.  

 

[Ellie]

But saying that they shouldn't be listed implies they aren't important. I don't know how that isn't privileging one form of acquiring information over another.

 

I do think they should be listed separately. Or that, if the whole goal of the book list is to demonstrate reading competence, that they not be listed. I just think that isn't the only goal of reading, so it depends on what the book list is meant to demonstrate.

 

I'm not implying anything. I'm just saying that if I were required to report the books my child has *read,* then I would feel compelled to report the ones he has read with his own eyeballs.

[HS Mom in NC]

I think they're each very valuable and each have academic worth and should count.  You can easily add (I) for independently read and (RA) for a read aloud after each title if you prefer a single list.  You can keep two separate lists if you want a read aloud list and an independent reading list if that's more useful to you. Or you can create a sub lists  related to a subject like History, Literature, Science or a time period like Ancients or 1600s-1800s or by region like US, Europe, your state, etc.  and either label them with (I) and (RA) after them or have two separate lists that make up the sub list.

[HS Mom in NC]

Here's my obligatory, state the obvious, disclaimer: No one is obligated to do it this way, I'm just pointing out it's a valuable option for those who would prefer to do it this way sometimes. Obviously you can have a good solid, rich education without doing this.

 

I suspect people who don't do high school/adult level read alouds with their kids probably aren't able to discuss this in depth because they don't know what they're missing. Also, people who haven't done Trivium Neo-Classical Education aren't aware of how much more you're able to do at the Rhetoric stage if you've laid the foundation of the Grammar and Logic stages.  This thread brings up the perfect opportunity to explain how those things can pay off. 

 

On reading aloud at a high school level, it can be very important to read aloud together and discuss as the reading happens with some books.   When we read They Thought They Were Free by Mayer, a book about German Society and the people who voted for Hitler, there were several discussions that had to happen almost every page.

 From a medieval history of Anti-Semitism in Europe, social, religious and government institutions, the differences in civil structures, the evolution of civil laws, civil rights issues, cultural norms, national character, economics, philosophy, European history,  etc. there were so many different factors in play in from one page to next throughout the entire book, it would've been counter productive to read it separately and then discuss it, because we would've had to preface each of several discussions with a rereading of each particular section, discuss it from multiple angles, then go back to the next paragraph or section and reread it to give context for the next several discussions based on that part, and so on and soon and so on.  Reading it a chapter at once then discussing would pointless because there would be dozens of discussions for each chapter. That particular book and many other books have enough density that reading them aloud and pausing as each discussion worthy passage comes along is far more productive and congruent and thorough by reading it aloud with everyone listening and discussing along the way.

 

They finally got to the highest level of reading/discussion there is and were connecting  every aspect of their educations in one of the most important kinds of applied learning. Not counting that as something they read is silly. What the heck does that count as, if not reading a book?

There are plenty of other books the older kids read for themselves and discuss or do a complex writing assignment about. Just don't leave out the rich, valuable opportunities that can be had with a read loud at an adult level. It counts. You don't have to wait for high school/adult level books to do this either. 

Also, reading aloud while doing a quiet activity is just as useful as reading with your own eyes if a child is able to do both.  There are rare children who cannot do both.  If a parent is reading aloud and then engaging a child in discussion afterward, they can easily determine if their child is able to process spoken language while their hands are busy. If not, there may be a processing issue that needs addressing.   Beowulf is just as valuable heard (which by the way,  was its original format) as it is read to self.  The language and ideas don't become lesser because they came in one way as opposed to the other. Reading or hearing Beowulf is valuable.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I like reading aloud because it does two things.  I get to read books I enjoy while my kids get to listen to them.  So usually I pick higher level books I want to read myself. 

 

 

[elegantlion]

I also consider it a continuation of building skills. In college classes, you have to read and discuss sometimes well after you've read, or *gasp* re read something multiple times (I know some in my lit class this semester didn't want to read the same story multiple times, not sure I did for some of them). So reading aloud in high school and doing things like HomeschoolMom discussed above helps them learn how to analyze while reading. Some kids are reading to do that independently at the high school level, some aren't. 

 

 

[Farrar]

 Beowulf is just as valuable heard (which by the way,  was its original format) as it is read to self.  The language and ideas don't become lesser because they came in one way as opposed to the other. Reading or hearing Beowulf is valuable.

 

True of many great works! The Odyssey, Gilgamesh... And thinking of things like Canterbury Tales... it's fascinating to listen to in the original. Such rhythm that you'd never hear if you read it in the original because your head is saying it all wrong. And, of course, all these silly people reading Ibsen and Chekov and Shakespeare and Arthur Miller...

[Ausmumof3]

Our state gov have a reading challenge where kids get a medal for reading a certain number of books. They accept read alouds particularly in the early years.

 

I would count it but it depends toward what. If I was looking at mechanical literacy skills it wouldn't count much (except as vocabulary development). If I was looking at overall content I definitely count audiobooks and read alouds.

[mc26]

OP here.  This was very interesting.  I am going to keep on keeping on the way we have been going.  

My boys are good, fluent readers with better than average vocabularies.  Younger one is NT, but not at all independent with schoolwork (ironic since he is a competitive athlete in an independent sport).  

Older is 2e (Aspie, gifted), was a very, very early reader, but is extremely literal and struggles with comprehension in fiction. They generally will not pick up fiction books to read for fun, so by doing the read-alouds, I am getting stories and literature in them that they might not otherwise.  And even if they did read these books independently, I am sure they would not get as much out of them as they do when we read and discuss together.  

As an example, DS1 and I just read The Hobbit, following the MBTP Lit guide loosely.  He either sat with me on the couch, or hung upside down off the couch, lol, but was not playing on any electronic devices and was thoroughly engaged.  I can tell you for sure that if i handed him the book and assigned a chapter a day or whatever, he would have zoned out by page 2.  I was so pleasantly surprised at how much he enjoyed a book that was pretty far out of his comfort zone for reading material.  He usually picks up science or history encyclopedias, or fiction about "smart kids".  His words.  

So, what we are doing is working, we all enjoy it and are learning a lot.  I will make an effort for 2015 to make sure they are doing some more independent reading.

Happy New Year everyone, and Happy Reading!

[OneStepAtATime]

OP here.  This was very interesting.  I am going to keep on keeping on the way we have been going.  

My boys are good, fluent readers with better than average vocabularies.  Younger one is NT, but not at all independent with schoolwork (ironic since he is a competitive athlete in an independent sport).  

Older is 2e (Aspie, gifted), was a very, very early reader, but is extremely literal and struggles with comprehension in fiction. They generally will not pick up fiction books to read for fun, so by doing the read-alouds, I am getting stories and literature in them that they might not otherwise.  And even if they did read these books independently, I am sure they would not get as much out of them as they do when we read and discuss together.  

As an example, DS1 and I just read The Hobbit, following the MBTP Lit guide loosely.  He either sat with me on the couch, or hung upside down off the couch, lol, but was not playing on any electronic devices and was thoroughly engaged.  I can tell you for sure that if i handed him the book and assigned a chapter a day or whatever, he would have zoned out by page 2.  I was so pleasantly surprised at how much he enjoyed a book that was pretty far out of his comfort zone for reading material.  He usually picks up science or history encyclopedias, or fiction about "smart kids".  His words.  

So, what we are doing is working, we all enjoy it and are learning a lot.  I will make an effort for 2015 to make sure they are doing some more independent reading.

Happy New Year everyone, and Happy Reading!

Good job, Mom.  Do what works best for YOUR KIDS.  If read alouds work, then do it.  Embrace it. :)  

 

The more we homeschool the more I realize that all kids are different, and different approaches are going to work differently for different kiddos.  DD does not do well with auditory books alone.  DS does phenomenally well.  He also does great with Immersion Reading off a Kindle and with read alouds but does not do as well with independent reading.  He fatigues quickly.  He zones out without meaning to.  If we didn't do audio books, Immersion Reading and read alouds he wouldn't get much exposure at all to vocabulary/grammar/concepts/etc.   DD does better with read alouds or reading on her own.  Audio books just aren't as effective for her.  Every child is different and every family is different.

 

Exposure to literature, in whatever form, is immensely helpful for building concepts/grammar/vocabulary/etc.  And Scientific studies back that up.  

 

They also back up the fact that some kids learn and retain much better when physically moving while listening.   So for anyone reading this thread, if you have a child that needs to be painting or building with legos or doing handstands while listening to an audio book or a read aloud, don't think they aren't engaging in the material.  Many actually engage much better that way.  Instead of spending all their energy trying to stay still (which actually impedes their ability to focus and listen) they can expend physical energy engaging in a quiet activity involving movement while their brains can now focus on the material being read.  This has been proven scientifically.  And is certainly true of one of my children.

 

Best wishes to all.

[EmilyK]

But what's the point or goal of the reading? To me, there are a few different potential goals of reading - for pleasure, for information, to increase fluency, to practice finding information... to name just a few. Obviously some goals can only be met when a student reads the book themselves. But other goals can be met by listening to the book. If the point is to, say, learn about neuroscience or the first world war or something, then the goal of learning information could be met by listening. If the goal is to familiarize a student with the story, that could be met through listening.

 

Don't get me wrong... I think it's important for students at that age to be reading independently assuming there are no learning issues preventing it. I just think both means of learning are fine.

 

I wanted to agree, and say that I think there's a way to differentiate between books listened to while playing games on the phone (for example) versus closer listening. Right now my younger son is listening to a book on audio while he has the text in front of him, and he is marking passages that he particularly likes or wants to remember, and stops the audio periodically to discuss. We started this when he had visual issues that interfered with reading tiny print. I think he's getting more out of it than I do. I am such a fast reader that I often don't engage with the nuances as deeply as I should. 

[LaughingCat]

The school my DD went to for early grades allowed audio books, books read by Mom and books read by self to count through out all 6 grades (K-5).