At what age do you assign reading to a reader?

[CadenceSophia]

I have two kids who read very well.  DS9 and DD6 are past the point of assigning them daily reading for the sake of learning to read. They could definitely read classics that would be worthy for language arts as a subject, but up until now I have done all the "school work" books as either read alouds or audio books we listen to together with stops for narration. I have wanted to let fluency develop by letting them read as much of whatever, and have helped them find catchy series. They each read at least 2h/day and maybe more on a relaxed day or in the middle of a good book. I do sometimes assign 30 minutes of history or science reading if we aren't going to cover those subjects in another way on a given day, but I've been pretty relaxed about letting them read from any book that fits without a commitment to finish it.

 

So at what point do you start assigning specific books that have to be read by the child? Do you use a time per day model or expect things to be completed on a certain schedule?

[rebbyribs]

I started assigning reading to my kids last year, when my oldest was 10 and my twins were 7.  We'd just each read through a couple chapters of a novel per day (separately and silently) and meet to discuss it together in the afternoon.  One of my kids really does better reading books himself, whereas the others absorb more by listening to a read-aloud.  We still do SOTW as a read-aloud.

[Melissa in Australia]

When the reading list pops up inTWTM. I think it is grade 4? Some of my children I did time per day and others I did a chapter or a specific number of pages. It depended on the child.

[Loesje22000]

When dd was about 10yo she developed a personal taste for reading, not always the same as my personal list of books I want dd to read. At that moment I made a booklist per year. When she is fluent enough in a language she gets a readinglist in that language to. The readinglists contain mostly classics, and the readings are part of the homeschoolday.

After that she reads about a book per day in freetime.

[Guest]

As soon as they can read, or 6.5- whichever comes last. I keep reading aloud a literature book for enjoyment, a history narrative, and a science book. And we keep the daily audiobook. But they have to do their own reading (of my choosing) every school day too.

[Guest]

When the reading list pops up inTWTM. I think it is grade 4? Some of my children I did time per day and others I did a chapter or a specific number of pages. It depended on the child.

 

I'm so interested in this! I hadn't realized that WTM didn't advise assigning daily reading until gr. 4 or so. I've read it several times, but I guess I was just assuming they had all kids reading regular books to themselves asap. Is there a reason for that, do you know off-hand?

[Melissa in Australia]

I'm so interested in this! I hadn't realized that WTM didn't advise assigning daily reading until gr. 4 or so. I've read it several times, but I guess I was just assuming they had all kids reading regular books to themselves asap. Is there a reason for that, do you know off-hand?

my apologies,

I think I worded my reply poorly. Of course children should read every day, but I thought the question was about assigning the child a reading list. I think I need to re-read the original post. I confess I am dyslexic and sometimes don't read things carefully enough.

 

Edited to add

Ok I reread the op. I think she is asking when are reading lists given to child of essential reading for the year. This is different from daily reading of books for fluency and enjoyment( not that reading a classic isn't enjoyable). I think the classics are encouraged as read aloud before grade 4 ish.

Edited September 12, 2017 by Melissa in Australia

[Soror]

Depends on the kid.  I do not give reading assignments until they are very solidly reading, even then for the first year or so I just give them free reading time to build fluency. So, they have 30 minutes a day they have to read but it is their choice of what they read (although sometimes I direct them to a shelf of books I've chosen around their level). After a year of so of free reading then I start assigning literature books at whatever level they can read. I continue to do read alouds of higher level books.

 

I think ds and dd1 were both around 4th before they had any assigned reading. Dd2 will start assigned reading in the 3rd grade (and is doing a tiny bit now in 2nd), she is a much stronger and earlier reader. 

 

In SWB's lectures she suggests an hour a day of lit time but to do read-alouds or audio books as needed if the child is not up to reading the books on their own and that is pretty much what I've done. They read at the level they can and I add in RA's of classics at a higher reading level.

[nixpix5]

Depends on the kid. I do not give reading assignments until they are very solidly reading, even then for the first year or so I just give them free reading time to build fluency. So, they have 30 minutes a day they have to read but it is their choice of what they read (although sometimes I direct them to a shelf of books I've chosen around their level). After a year of so of free reading then I start assigning literature books at whatever level they can read. I continue to do read alouds of higher level books.

 

I think ds and dd1 were both around 4th before they had any assigned reading. Dd2 will start assigned reading in the 3rd grade (and is doing a tiny bit now in 2nd), she is a much stronger and earlier reader.

 

In SWB's lectures she suggests an hour a day of lit time but to do read-alouds or audio books as needed if the child is not up to reading the books on their own and that is pretty much what I've done. They read at the level they can and I add in RA's of classics at a higher reading level.

This is exactly how I do it too. Instead of typing that all out I am going to cheat and piggy back ;)

 

My DD, who is in 2nd this year, is reading fluently so she received assigned reading this year. She spent all of last year reading what she wanted and building up that fluency. My assigned reading for her this year is mild. Two day a week she reads in a leveled history book that matches where we are at in our read aloud. Two days a week she reads in a book from her Veritas Press lit guide. She is working through the "More Favorites" guide right now. One day a week she reads a chapter out of her health book (this semester) and next semester it will be a leveled science reader.

 

I continue to reader higher level classics historical fiction and so forth out loud.

Edited September 12, 2017 by nixpix5

[Farrar]

I'm finding it depends on the kid. Assigned reading never worked well for one of mine. We're trying it again this year... grade 8. But for the other one, it was a useful thing by grade 2 or 3.

[2_girls_mommy]

at 6 for one of mine. Her "great books" were picture books or reference books listed in SOTW AG. She would be assigned those, or to read a page from one aloud to me. 

 

As for novels, they both started getting short chapter books assigned in 2nd grade at some point. 

[newhsmom]

I start assigning novels that I want them to read independently in third grade.  These are in addition to family read alouds and their own free choice reading.  

 

[CadenceSophia]

Thanks everyone! This really helps. I think fourth grade is the time when kids take over a little of their reading in Ambleside Online too, so it looks like it might be time to try a list and see how it goes. I didn't realize TWTM had a reading list starting in 4th. I just bought it this year actually for the first time so I haven't read it cover to cover yet. I'll go give it a look!

Edited September 12, 2017 by CadenceSophia

[Julie of KY]

It very much depends on the child. Generally at young ages I've let them pick anything to read and done very little assigned reading. My boys had assigned literature, but they'd fly through that and then most of their reading was free reading.

 

My daughter has assigned reading assignments that she LISTENS to, but actual reading herself has been very slow to develop. She is dyslexic and at first I just let her read anything as long as she was developing into a reader. She has been very slow in learning academic reading and still listens to most of her textbooks. I have to be careful of how much academic reading to give her, but I keep pushing a little more at a time.

 

I'd follow your instincts if they are saying that you are assigning too much or it is too hard for the child. On the other hand, just because it's easy or quick doesn't mean they need to do more.  :closedeyes:

[hollyhock]

It does depend on the child. For my oldest loves-to-read son, it was this year for 10th. Until now, he's read so much on his own, including all the ones I wanted him to read for school, that I've never felt the need to assign books. Now he's getting busier, so I've worked them into his schedule and officially assigned them.

 

But I am also assigning books this year for my 8th grader, because he does not read as much, and when he does read, it's always the Hardy Boys (old ones) so I'm trying to expand his horizons a little. :)

[MerryAtHope]

I just let our phonics/learn-to-read time naturally develop into "daily reading" time and then "here's today's assignment" time. 

 

When they were reading on their own, I had a book basket that they could choose from for a daily reading time of 30 minutes (of course they could read outside of that time, but for "reading" time, they chose something from the basket.)

 

We've always used Sonlight (though some years more eclectic!), so when the literature started integrating with the history (Core D, or 3rd and 5th grades for my kids), I transitioned from the "book basket" to a choice between 2-3 books at first and then eventually just "here's your next book." 

[lllll]

nm 

 

Edited September 21, 2017 by lllllll

[blondeviolin]

My kids have half an hour of assigned reading and then half an hour (or so) of free reading. The assigned stuff happens when they're fluent. My current six year old is very fluent so he's got assigned books. Others haven't been as fluent so they read leveled books to me as their assigned stuff.

[Ivey]

We've started assigned reading as early as 1st grade and as late as 7th, depending on the child. Usually 1-3 chapters per day.

 

My current 3rd grader likes to read a variety of genres and listens to most of my suggestions, so I haven't started assigning him reading yet. I just ask him to read until lunch is ready, and take my time preparing it.