3 ladybugs Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 I am not great with comprehension myself. DH is great with it. DH is a reader. I am not. I want to make sure ds doesn't have issues with comprehension later on. DH says we don't need to do anything other then read to our children. I feel we need something more. What do you think? I was thinking of getting something simple like Evan Moore's daily reading comprehension. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 Read lots and discuss what you read. Read aloud to him, have him read quietly and occasionally aloud to you. :001_smile: Here's a cut and paste of a post I just made in a different thread asking about reading curricula. At those ages I take the summer to make a particular spot on the shelf for each one of them, loaded with high quality children's literature. Some easier, some difficult, some in the middle. Veritas Press has been our favorite for titles over the years. We don't use guides or reading curricula at all. They were/are required to read the book of their choice from that shelf for a developmentally appropriate amount of time every day. We discuss what they read. That's it. So far this has produced two highschoolers who thrive in seriously meaty Great Books history/lit courses, and read classics like Pride and Prejudice for fun. I'd say it worked. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 Read lots and discuss what you read. Read aloud to him, have him read quietly and occasionally aloud to you. Yes, this! Discussion and some narration work just fine for checking comprehension. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertflower Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 Yes, I know exactly what you mean 3 ladybugs. I'm going to use centerforlit.com when they are around 3rd grade. I also agree with ScoutTN and SilverMoon. So, I have my son narrate back to me for SOTW. The activity guides have the answers. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3 ladybugs Posted June 4, 2015 Author Share Posted June 4, 2015 I asked my mom today what she thought and she said she likes to read but has AWFUL comprehension. She says she regularly picks up books that she read and reads them for a while before she realizes she has read them. So she thinks it is something that for some people needs to be taught. She thinks I should get the Evan Moore thing just as a precaution for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soapy Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 She says she regularly picks up books that she read and reads them for a while before she realizes she has read them. Respectfully, this is a memory issue, not a comprehension one. Now, if she reads it and can't tell you what she's read right after, that would be comprehension. If she loves reading, I doubt that is the case. I'm an excellent reader, but I've had the experience of picking up a book and reading a chapter before realizing I've read it before. This is easy to do with series. It seems as if your anxiety on this issue will lead to purchase the workbook. For what it's worth, I agree with your DH. Just read lots of books and discuss them. :) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2bee Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 ....I want to make sure ds doesn't have issues with comprehension later on. DH says we don't need to do anything other then read to our children. I feel we need something more. What do you think?... You're feeling is correct. You need to do more than just read to the children. You need to read and discuss the books. The same way that when you explain something to the kids, you dialogue with them to make sure that they understood it, you should talk about what you are reading. When you are reading aloud from a chapter books, do a quick "The story so far..." recap of the main points of the story each time that you resume reading in that book. After you've read that chapter talk about it with the kids. "Why did Bobby run home after school? What day was it and why was he excited about that day?--that is right, it was the last day of school and he wanted to get home and start his summer." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternallytired Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 I'm like your mom--I've frequently picked up a book and realized midway through that I've already read it. I disagree that it's a comprehension issue, though. My not remembering every book I've read does not mean that I didn't understand them when I read them; it's simply that I did not remember them. (I took to keeping a list of book reviews for a while--then I discovered Goodreads.) DS is like me in that aspect, while DD has informed me before which chapter of which book in a series contained the information to which I referred. Our brains just work differently. I think the one aspect of reading comprehension books that might be useful is if you will be needing to do standardized testing. Basically, a comprehension workbook will teach your child how to read a passage and answer certain types of questions about it. This does not guarantee deep comprehension of the passage, it simply means that a child can find answers in the text. I think of this as being a separate, test-related skill that is not the same as comprehension. I will occasionally (a couple times a year) print off one of those comprehension passages with questions simply to see how my kids do on it and to make sure they aren't completely at a loss if at some point they attend school or face some test. Otherwise we read together, discuss what we read, ask questions about what we didn't understand, make connections to our lives and to other books, point out details we find interesting... THAT is comprehension. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3 ladybugs Posted June 4, 2015 Author Share Posted June 4, 2015 So what I am getting from this is that comprehension isn't just with "reading" time per say, but with all subjects. There is a lot of reading in history or science and with those we often ask questions afterwards. So I shouldn't worry about general reading as much as my son is getting lots of it with other subjects too. Is that correct? Where do you find the test taking comprehension online? Or should I not even worry about that as he is just in 1st grade? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternallytired Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 So what I am getting from this is that comprehension isn't just with "reading" time per say, but with all subjects. There is a lot of reading in history or science and with those we often ask questions afterwards. So I shouldn't worry about general reading as much as my son is getting lots of it with other subjects too. Is that correct? Where do you find the test taking comprehension online? Or should I not even worry about that as he is just in 1st grade? Yes! Limiting our comprehension questions/exercises to fictional tales or to "reading time" limits our children's growth, as well. We read all the time--directions to a new friend's home, recipes, picture books, articles online, encyclopedia entries, etc--and all of these need to be comprehended to be useful. For the most part, comprehension simply comes with exposure and practice. Initially you do a lot of reading to your child and questioning/discussing. As your child gets older, they will transition to reading aloud to you and ultimately reading on their own to learn, and you can continue to follow up by discussing what they've read, helping them to apply it, making connections. (Not EVERYTHING needs to be followed-up-on--you don't want to drive your kid nuts with 50 questions about their free reading every night--but you do want to continue to foster a rich thought life during reading. Reading is often more fun, anyway, when we can discuss it later with someone else who's read it, comparing favorite parts, sharing conclusions, and the like.) If you'd like to throw in a few reading comprehension exercises just for good measure, you can find a decent number of freebies online from various sources if you simply google "reading comprehension __ grade". If need be, you can add "free" or "worksheet" to your search terms to refine your results. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwik Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 I often take a while to realise I have read the book also and sometimes don't remember much about the books after. I read a lot and quite frankly many books are not worth remembering. Also there are only so many story lines so a lot of books are similar. I comprehend the book fine and can pass comprehension tests easily if I know I am being tested. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storygirl Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 We have always had a literature rich household, with lots of readalouds. But DS11 does not really care for reading much :sad: and was diagnosed with a LD in reading comprehension last year. I realized that he needed something that worked more directly on the comprehension skills. He needed an actual reading curriculum, because just immersing him in books was not doing it for him. So we started on CLE Reading 300 (which was lower than his grade level but appropriate for his abilities). I think it is helping him to have a more directed approach. I do think that for many people just reading and discussing and narrating books is enough for developing good reading comprehension skills. It was all that I needed as a student, and I assumed that it would work for my kids as well. But I was wrong. The truth is that not everyone thrives with the same approach. Because your DH is a reader, he may not get it that comprehension is not just a natural skill that everyone has, so if you think your son may need extra help with a more specific program, it's okay to pursue that. You may find that your son just flies through the exercises with no trouble, in which case he may take after his dad and show you that he is just fine without a reading curriculum. If he seems to have to work at it, it may be something that you want to keep using a curriculum program for. I mentioned CLE, which is relatively inexpensive. (Check their samples, because the second grade level might still be "learning to read" instead of reading comprehension.) BJU also has a solid reading curriculum, IMO, but it is pricier. There are also many small reading comprehension workbooks that are standalone products. I've seen many such workbooks at Rainbow Resource, on all different topics. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparrowsNest Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 I do think that for many people just reading and discussing and narrating books is enough for developing good reading comprehension skills. It was all that I needed as a student, and I assumed that it would work for my kids as well. But I was wrong. The truth is that not everyone thrives with the same approach. I totally agree. Some children will need a more intentional, methodical approach, while some homeschooling moms may simply appreciate knowing that all the bases are covered with a reading program. I also use CLE reading. I love that it covers comprehension (as many programs do) and that it also gently, methodically lays the foundation for deeper textual analysis. For example, one of my kiddos is finishing up the 200 level. In this latest unit, she has covered main idea, figures of speech, cause and effect, and choosing a new title. You can see the progression if you consider what my older child is doing in the 400 level -- onomatopoeia, similes, main idea in poems, free verse poetry, and checking your predictions. And for me, the best part is that it isn't just 'one and done," rather there is that spiral review which has really helped these concepts soak in. My daughter particularly thrives with the CLE workbook approach and has asked that everything she does be CLE. She also asked me to order all the 1st grade units so she can teach her brother and sister. :) I don't get it because I personally don't find the materials aesthetically pleasing, but I do think that what they lack in flash they make up for in substance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3 ladybugs Posted June 5, 2015 Author Share Posted June 5, 2015 I may be inpatient. I just read AAR and it does cover comprehension. DS is in book 1 though so I haven't seen much of it. I have book 2, I just need to read it. ☺ï¸â˜ºï¸ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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