Confession: We have no assigned reading/reading aloud in our homeschool.

[Erica in PA]

This is a travesty, I know, but somewhere along the line reading aloud and assigned independent reading just went right out the window in our homeschool. I read picture books aloud to the younger two at bedtime, and we occasionally read a light-hearted, fun chapter book in the evenings, but that's all the reading I've been doing with the kids for some time. They do read independently books of their own choosing for 1-2 hours in the afternoon. But we don't do any reading aloud or assigned reading during school. (Other than the history and science textbooks, and having the younger kids read aloud for practice.)

 

The programs I use don't assign independent reading or read-alouds. So I need to come up with them somehow on my own. I would like to assign reading for both my 12 yo and my 8 yo, and then I'd also like to get some sort of read aloud going in the afternoons as well. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to decide which books to choose, or how to get started? I'm so far out of the habit, that it seems daunting at this moment. :confused:

 

Erica

[Jean in Newcastle]

It looks to me like you do have quite a bit of assigned reading and read-a-louds if you have your history/science texts plus practice reading for younger ones and then bedtime stories! I don't do more than that (although our history for 6th grade is Beautiful Feet and so there is quite a bit assigned reading there). What I do is pull some books from Sonlight and Ambleside and then casually leave them around for my dc to find. Pretty soon they are reading them! (Sneaky, huh!):D

[Alenee]

You could check the Sonlight read aloud sections. There are some good finds. We have a lot of reading with our history (TOG) but I currently have my 9yo reading Where the Red Fern Grows. I pick one book for her to read outside of our assigned curriculum. The younger two listen to the history and science as well. Plenty of reading imho.

[Once]

After reading your post I realized we are in the same place. I'm going to listen in. :001_smile:

:bigear:

[magistramom]

We have never had assigned reading. I think is zaps all of the joy out of reading - especially reading science and history. We've always been library regulars, choosing books each visit for our current topics in history, science, art/music, practical arts, literature/poetry, and math. Once those books are chosen by the kiddos, they are free to check out anything their heart desires. Because they have chosen the books based on their interests, they (almost) always get read. Letting them choose will also take the stress off of you to follow someone else's book list with books that may not be in your library. For those books, you can interlibrary order them ahead.

 

I wouldn't stress about read alouds. There are plenty of things on CD, and you can go to any site with books (Baldwin Project) and click on the voice on your computer and have the voice read to your kids (some voices are better than others, but they are all pretty silly). When this is done (by CD or on the computer) you should be in the room to moderate and get info for your discussions after.

 

The other "thing" about read alouds (I'm for them actually) is that if you do not read aloud, you might want to read their books so you can engage in conversations about those books. The discussion is, imo, more valuable than putting pressure on yourself to do a read aloud.

 

HTHs -

Cheers!

[Melissa in Australia]

What I do is look at the reading list for the logic stage in WTM. I pick out some that I assign as independent reading for my logic aged children, and some I have as read -aloud for the whole family. I also love Bethlehem books for read-aloud. by the finish of the year the logic students have finished the reading list, and the younger ones have had the joy of having some books that are way above their reading level read to them.

 

we are up to modern reading list. I have one child reading 'Murder on the Orient Express.' one reading Jungle Book', then they will swap books, I have just finished reading 'War Of the Worlds' to everyone, and have just started 'Enemy Brothers' (a WW2 book from Bethlehem books).

I mostly read at tea time( dinner) . I eat fast, and while I am waiting for everyone else to eat, I read aloud.

 

I also assign reading for my older children that ties into the history being covered. the 10ds and 8 dd still read aloud to me every day. the older 2 read for 1 hour every day. they are not the sort of kids that just pick up a book. if I assign books then they get read.

[Amy in Orlando]

We have never had assigned reading. I think is zaps all of the joy out of reading - especially reading science and history. We've always been library regulars, choosing books each visit for our current topics in history, science, art/music, practical arts, literature/poetry, and math. Once those books are chosen by the kiddos, they are free to check out anything their heart desires. Because they have chosen the books based on their interests, they (almost) always get read. Letting them choose will also take the stress off of you to follow someone else's book list with books that may not be in your library. For those books, you can interlibrary order them ahead.

 

I wouldn't stress about read alouds. There are plenty of things on CD, and you can go to any site with books (Baldwin Project) and click on the voice on your computer and have the voice read to your kids (some voices are better than others, but they are all pretty silly). When this is done (by CD or on the computer) you should be in the room to moderate and get info for your discussions after.

 

The other "thing" about read alouds (I'm for them actually) is that if you do not read aloud, you might want to read their books so you can engage in conversations about those books. The discussion is, imo, more valuable than putting pressure on yourself to do a read aloud.

 

HTHs -

Cheers!

 

This is us too. For two years I tried assigned reading - it backfired on me big time. The kids resented it, hated the books and really resented reading period. I backed off. Fast forward three years and I have teenagers that will read all the time - I just went in to tell one to turn his light out. (He's hiding under his blanket with a nightlight, but how can I be mad at that? I used to do the same thing.)

 

When I gave the kids some freedom (along with my many suggestions), they started choosing quality books on their own and they stopped fighting me about reading.

[KidsHappen]

We have never had assigned reading. I think is zaps all of the joy out of reading -

 

:iagree: We don't have assigned reading either and all of my kids are readers. We don't have regular read alouds but some of us do read aloud to others. My 16 yr. old is especially good at reading to the youngers and they read to me. I sometimes read to the whole family. I read all seven Harry Potters to the whole family and we were so sad that it ended.

[Ellie]

Never did assigned reading in my home, either. I read aloud to dds from good books, completely unrelated to anything we were studying, each day that we were home, but they never read aloud to me. Both dds are voracious readers as adults.

[RoughCollie]

Until the last couple of years (middle school/high school), I didn't assign reading very much. My kids read avidly on their own. Three of them would grudgingly read the assigned book, but the fourth would complain about it all the way through and take forever to finish it.

 

I either read aloud at lunch (Lunch & Lit) or playing books on cd during times when I had a captive audience (meals, drawing time, in the car). It exposed the kids to excellent literature (I say that because sometimes I couldn't tell if the Complaining Kid was listening or thinking about baseball).

 

The best part is that the kids did not bicker when they were listening to a book being read aloud. This was a sanity-saver for me.

 

I turned the tables on Complaining Kid a few times by assigning books I knew he would love. The look on his face was priceless -- he was sure I'd made a mistake.

 

The kids loved a lot of the books I read aloud, and they would not have read them on their own. If we all disliked a book, I would not finish it because if someone did want to do so, s/he could read it on their own.

[Frankie]

They do read independently books of their own choosing for 1-2 hours in the afternoon. But we don't do any reading aloud or assigned reading during school. (Other than the history and science textbooks, and having the younger kids read aloud for practice.)

 

 

 

 

 

I don't see why this is a travesty if they read that much in the afternoons!

 

I've got a child who won't pick up a book on his own, so I have to assign reading. Once he gets going, he doesn't like to put the book down, but I have to get him going. Our library trips are funny: He picks the first book he sees and is ready to go, now. So every year I make a list of books I think he will like, and he picks from the list.

[Kelli in TN]

I don't see why this is a travesty if they read that much in the afternoons!

 

I've got a child who won't pick up a book on his own, so I have to assign reading. Once he gets going, he doesn't like to put the book down, but I have to get him going. Our library trips are funny: He picks the first book he sees and is ready to go, now. So every year I make a list of books I think he will like, and he picks from the list.

 

This reminds me of my youngest. My youngest has learning challenges and learning to read was very hard for him, but even at that there comes a time in every reader's life when one must progress from The Fantastic Four comic books to books with actual text; like Hank the Cowdog. He had a throwdown fit in the library because I was going to force him to check out Hank the Cowdog and he knew it would be boring and why was I making him do this was it because I hate him yada, yada, yada.

 

He is about halfway through the series now and reads an average of 3 Hank books per week. I am starting to think the time has come in this little reader's life when one must progress from Hank the Cowdog to something else!!