help with reluctant reader

[koko]

Hi everyone,

Needing some input on how to encourage my 3rd grade DS in reading. He's reading probably 2nd grade level and balks at trying things more challenging than that, even if we take turns reading the pages. My other kids (now 18 and 15) are superb readers regularly testing out several grade levels above, so I've never had to deal with reading difficulty.

 

Beyond reading with me, he hates reading on his own for pleasure (it's NOT pleasure for him :-/), although he thoroughly enjoys the read-alouds we regularly have going around here.

 

I've done various things to motivate and encourage but could use some fresh ideas and some wisdom. Thanks in advance!

[Ellie]

I may be the odd man out in this, but in my house, *nothing* special would be done. I'd read aloud to him from good books of my choice, not making him take turns reading, you understand; and I'd make sure there were plenty of books in the house, and we'd go to the library regularly. Other than that, I wouldn't be doing anything. No rewards, no incentives, not nothin'.

[In The Great White North]

One grade level off is well within the error range of most reading programs. I wouldn't (didn't) do anything special either.

 

Half way through 4th grade (as in 10 years old), ds suddenly discovered something "worth reading." Miraculously, he read all the Magic Treehouse books (in a coupe of weeks), then all the Encyclopedia Browns, the all the Hardy Boys, by the time school ended in June. Before that, all he had done was balk at reading and laboriously sound out words, with no interest at all in what he was reading.

 

When your ds finds something he thinks is more fun than work, his reading will pick up.

 

Does he read road signs? Directions? On the computer? Maybe he needs something he sees as useful to read.

[koko]

Thanks, that is encouraging about your son...that there will probably just be "lift-off" someday. :blink: We will keep pluggin along!

[Deana FL]

I just received my Pizza Hut "BookIt" packet today in the mail. You might consider doing something like this with him. You set the goal and he earns a free personal pan pizza each month.

 

Another good incentive site is www.bookadventure.org with comprehension quizzes and prizes.

[koko]

thank you Deana. Our library had a summer reading program this year and he really hooked into that. Will look into those sites!

[Titus.Two.Five]

My 2nd grade son is a reluctant reader as well. :001_smile:

 

We do nothing special around here either, except make sure that he gets *really* bored at times and provide books on his level that are interesting.

 

At bedtime they have 30 mins of reading allowed, but nothing else...*this* is where I DO get him reading...at age 7 reading is always more fun than sleeping. :lol:

[fsunolefan]

Do they still have the choose your own adventure books? I remember them from elementary school and I think most were boy friendly subjects like space, robots, etc.. He might be so interested that he would read each book more than once!!!!:001_smile:

 

Now I'll need to see if I can find some at our local library.

[Deana FL]

http://www.bookitprogram.com/

[VaKim]

Well, my youngest dd, just last year, informed us that she did not see why anybody needed to learn how to read. If you wanted to know something, you could just ask somebody. :D We asked her what was going to happen if everybody thought the same way? Then there'd be nobody left to ask, lol.

 

Just this past year, something happened to her, and she reads like a maniac. She usually has about 6 books going at one time, and reads for about 2 hours per day. She loves it now.

 

Sometimes, it is just a matter of time. I also think it is simply more fun once they are truly proficient at it, which is just a matter of plugging along at their pace until they are ready.:)

[Pat in MI]

My ds didn't read until 3rd grade and he is a good reader now. He doesn't like to consistently read, but will do nothing but read when he is in a very good book that he enjoys. I was the same way growing up and I love to read now. When ds was in 3rd grade I had him read a level of books at a time. I started at Level 1, did Level 2 (Dr. Seuss) and moved into 3rd grade level. He did receive a prize when a level was completed, but he read through about 30 books on each level, it was great incentive for him. By the time he completed all of the levels he had improved in reading by leaps and bounds. I also applaud your reading aloud that is the best thing you can do. I had a lady tell me one time that of her three children the one that scored the highest on the SAT test was her late reader and she felt it was because she just read, read, read to him and waited patiently for him to take off reading. Good luck to you and your child.

Blessings,

Pat

[Hillary in KS]

For my boys, there was that stage in 2nd grade (ish) where they *could* read, but it was just so darn much work that they wouldn't do it in their free time.

 

SO! I upped the payoff. I bought several Calvin and Hobbes books, and a few Garfields, and let the boys read tose. They LOVED those and spent many hours curled up on the couch reading them. Their fluency increased, and eventually they moved on to short, funny books. (Marvin Redpost, etc.) The Wayside Stories series followed after as well.

 

We would read mysteries together, and I'd stop reading maybe a page or two before the end of the chapter (I'd try for the most exciting part I could) and say, "I've got to start getting dinner ready. You can keep reading to the end of the chapter, though, if you can't wait for tomorrow to see what happens." etc.

 

I had to find high-interest, simple things for them to read until their reading fluency caught up to their interest level.

 

Seriously - Calvin and Hobbes. Those books are gold!

[Rosie_0801]

My little brother wouldn't read a thing until about this age when one of the grandmothers bought him a few little books on wind and solar power. He read them over and over and over. It must have made some long lasting impact since he will drive hours to attend environmental protest now ;) I don't think he read anything else until Mum picked up a copy of 'Mr Pudkins' at a garage sale. I think she read that to him, then he read it over and over. In Australia, a lot of boys don't really start reading until they're old enough to get into Bryce Courtney books. Now my brother probably spends more on books than on rent.

:)

Rosie

[koko]

wow, you ladies are great. Thank you! Hearing all your stories takes away my worries :) and I'm sure he'll kick in when ready. I did enroll him in the Pizza Hut and Book Adventure programs today and he got really excited..made me print out the whole Book Adventure reading list he generated and then got me gathering the first batch of them online through interlibrary loan. And when it came time for reading today there were no protests :D

 

That's why I find these boards so helpful. Sometimes it just takes hearing from others who've BTDT and can share their experiences and advice. It's not a big issue, just one that had me needing some encouragement, and in 24 hours I feel better and so does he LOL.

 

Thanks!

[Reya]

As long as he IS enjoying reading at a 2nd grade level, I wouldn't worry at all!

 

My sneaky-mom approach would be to find out the difficulty of books that he likes and then to sneak in one that's just a tiny bit harder every so often. As he gets better, then the next one would be just a tiny bit harder than that--etc!

[Bula Mama]

I had a lady tell me one time that of her three children the one that scored the highest on the SAT test was her late reader and she felt it was because she just read, read, read to him and waited patiently for him to take off reading. Good luck to you and your child.

Blessings,

Pat

 

I totally agree with this! I have a quite delayed reader. He's 10 now and is finally making good progress now that he sees the benefits of being about to read and I think is just more mature and ready to focus his energies in that direction. He just didn't retain phonics rules, etc, at ALL until he was over the age of 8 (and I started teaching him at 4 like his older sisters) even though he could remember interesting Science facts without even trying. But I've made sure all along that he's being fed good, exciting, interesting books by me even if he wasn't reading them himself.

 

I've been following the progress of friend who lives far away who has a son who my ds seems to be following in the footsteps of but a few paces behind. Her ds is about 13 and is an avid now, even though it was an intense struggle for YEARS to teach him to read.

 

So hang in there and your ds sounds fine to me!!!! Boys often don't seem to fit the educational 'mold' often anyway.

 

P.S. Love the idea that someone said of time before bed that can either be spent reading or sleeping! Fantastic!

[Amy C]

Calvin and Hobbes worked here too, along with Garfield, Peanuts and the Bones series.

 

Amy

[keptwoman]

Yes we had lots of luck with cartoon type books too (apparantly these days they are called graphic novels) When I was trying to encourage my reluctant reader right out of school, I insisted he read 1/2 an hour a day but it could be anything I took him to the library and let him choose whatever he wanted without censorship no matter how trashy or lacking in literary merit. I made sure he had a comfy spot like the hammock or a cushion filled corner, a drink and snack and left him to it. Very occasionally I'd ask about what he was reading to check comprehension.

 

I also played audio books in the car that were the first books in series that I thought he might enjoy and more than once that has hooked him into reading the series.

 

I do think it's time, and realising that reading is a pleasurable activity. If it's too much like hard work it turns them off I think.

 

My reluctant reader is now a voracious reader. I can't keep up with him. And now that he loves reading I'm able to guide his book choices more.

[rhrice3]

I agree with the other ladies. I would just keep reading to him, and I would require him to read 30-45 minutes per day on his own. Sooner or later, some book will click and he will take off. As he grows more confident, try to pick books that have series like Magic Tree House, Beverly Cleary, etc.

 

My 3rd grader was the same way last year. She was so reluctant, and it drove me crazy because I know how bright she is. She even balked the summer before last at reading anything - I mean, it was summer. One thing that I let her start doing last year when she was in 2nd grade was reading alone. I did not require her to read aloud to me. She loves reading in my bed so I let her do her 30-45 minutes of reading in my bed. She loved Garfield comics so I bought her a book of them at the used book store to keep in the car.

 

Once she discovered that she could read a Junie B. Jones book in a day, she took off. Now she will read anything I give her plus Usborne history/geography books in the car.

 

Just keep giving him books that he can read well. I think that I tried to push my daughter in to chapter books too early, and it scared her a little bit. Sometimes looking at the "size" of a book can be scary for them.

 

Good luck

ReneeR