Guidance on building reading habits/fluency

[kubiac]

Can you guys help me educate myself on the next step in reading "instruction"?

 

DS-almost-five can read. We finished the BOB books, and he does very well (although not flawlessly) with the likes of Frog and Toad, Little Bear, Beginner Books, etc.

 

Anyway, now that the "mechanics" are mastered, what do I do to help him build stamina, fluency and a passion for reading?He has a bedroom library of "I Can Read" level books and I plan on reading aloud to him until he has his driver's license.

 

Do you have your kids read a certain number of pages/books per day/week? Should I entice him with appealing twaddle like Ninjago books?

 

I feel like I was ready for "learning to read" but now I'm overwhelmed by the thought of guiding him through "reading to learn." Help?

[Mystie]

My almost-five is reading also, pretty much fluently without much instruction, but it's my just-turned-seven-year-old who still needs work to move from BOB books to fluency. 

 

I have newer readers read out loud to younger siblings where I can hear and remind them to sound out a word if needed. My older ones moved from the leveled readers to just reading the classic picture books. Billy and Blaze are also good books. My older two boys read at 5, and it was tricky until they got to 7 or so, because most books for their reading level were geared for 7+. But picture books are great. I tried to make sure we checked out every book I could from this list: http://www.classical-homeschooling.org/celoop/1000.html

 

Another thing that has really helped, even though it wasn't why I was doing it, has been our morning memory time. Each child has his own binder with the memory work printed out, but we're reading it aloud together, reciting. That has helped a ton with fluency and ability to read words they'd never encounter in a reader. :) 

 

Just keep having them read out loud - maybe Aesop's Fables? Don't move them to independent silent reading too soon, especially at 5. Though the fluency is there, it might not be until he's 7 before picking up a book is something he does for his own entertainment, just because of developmental/maturity issues as well as the fact that most "chapter" books are geared more for the 7ish range. If reading is a normal part of your home, and you read aloud to him, picking up books on his own will come and it isn't something to worry about, especially if screen time is also limited and he has plenty of opportunity to move and get his energy out, too.

 

 

[kubiac]

Thank you Mystie! I double-posted this because I was using the Tapatalk app on my phone. My bad!

[blondeviolin]

Once the phonics foundation is laid, I have newer readers read to me books at their instructional level. Their pleasure reading is too easy stuff that builds fluency. Then we come around and review phonics with spelling.

[Amy Jo]

Buddy reading has been very helpful - for new, struggling and even good readers. My good reader and I do half pages each, the child who struggles generally does 1 paragraph then I read 2. It's really helped me see their pronunciation issues (names!) and each of them has improved his reading voice. (DD is still too bossy for this.)

 

I also (attempt to) have a daily reading or resting time, it is about 30 min, currently before bed (in the summer it will be in the hot afternoons). Anyway, they seem to choose to enjoy reading, but I find with active boys they need that block to 'help' them choose to read.