Independent Reading Middle School

[alisha]

I need some suggestions for how to get my currently 6th grader (boy) to read more independently.

There is no way I can assign him to read books that are suggested at the 6th grade reading level such as Harry Potter. We have 2 issues going on here. First, he has always been a sensitive child, so when anything gets climactic, it needs to be resolved fairly quickly, or he gets agitated and scared and has nightmares. We've been working on it, but is still not going to read "scary" books. Second, he prefers books he can read in one sitting-so the shorter ones. He CAN read books like the Who Was series, but prefers books such as Mr Putter & Tabby. If it's too long or doesn't have any drawings, he just puts it right back down. (I'm not sure what books would be the next step up from the Who Was series-anyone know?) He reads aloud well and with feeling, and his comprehension has always been superb.

We read aloud every day, and this is where I try to get into slightly harder topics of books-for us that is books about orphans, or suspenseful mysteries-we're reading the Boxcar Children next. But I'm hoping by high school I can assign him to read some classics and we can talk about it-like Treasure Island or Kidnapped. But how do I get there? Maybe I need to find a test to figure out what level he is actually reading at-are there any free ones online? And then choose appropriate books from there? 

[HomeAgain]

Are you open to using literature guides?  I'd start with ones that have him on the upper age of a range and are within his interest level.  With my oldest, I used Moving Beyond The Page.  I picked one of the 8-10yo guides, one or two from 9-11yo, and then a few from 10-12yo guides.  They have some there that he might enjoy that are not scary and do have pictures (Hugo Cabret is one, I believe).  But I made him read the 1-2 chapters each day or so on his own, discuss, do the projects, do more projects that centered around the same science or geography...I didn't care if he read on his own, but I wanted him to read good books and be able to discuss them.

[wendyroo]

I have a sensitive, autistic 9 year old boy who is diagnosed with and medicated for generalized anxiety disorder.  He doesn't handle suspense or scariness well at all, but that said, even for him The Boxcar Children would be way, way below his listening ability.  That book is written at a low third grade level, meaning that is the level of vocabulary and language sophistication that one is exposed to while listening to it.

We stick with pretty tame read alouds around here, partly due to my 9 year old's sensitivity, and partly due to the fact that my 7, 5, and 3 year olds also listen.  Since the beginning of the school year, we have read aloud or listened to the audio books of The Black Stallion, Understood Betsy, most of the Thornton Burgess animal stories, Alice in Wonderland, The Little Princess, Anne of Green Gables, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Uncle Remus, The Just So Stories, several American Girl books, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, My Side of the Mountain, etc. 

I'm not saying all of those books have been completely smooth sailing; there have indeed been some tense moments.  But, with plenty of reassurance and discussion, we have made it through all of them relatively unscathed, and I think that strategically choosing stories that push my 9 year old just a little outside his comfort zone has really helped him grow and develop self-confidence...along with exposing him to sophisticated language, classic stories, enriching themes, etc.

Wendy

[Lori D.]

We did a lot of our Literature -- even all the way through high school -- as out loud together reading ("you read a page, I read a page") or as audiobooks, which was fantastic for discussing/analyzing and learning vocabulary in the midst. (We also really enjoyed doing a couple of plays as "reader's theater" in high school.)

Another idea for getting him over the hump of tension/stress in reading longer books is to make sure to end the reading session at a place of resolution in the plot line, rather than at the end of a chapter if the chapter is a cliffhanger.

Edited February 8, 2019 by Lori D.

[HomeAgain]

One more thought: picture books are okay.  I mean, we have tons on our shelves that are illustrated editions of classic books:
-The Secret Garden
-The Wind In The Willows
-Harry Potter (book 3 illustrated was hard for my kid to stomach.  The chapter on Aragog was very....well drawn 😄 )
-Treasure Island
-The Lion The Witch And The Wardrobe

I just go onto amazon and type in the title I want + "illustrated" and I've gotten to know some of the publishers we gravitate to.  If they help my kid get into the story, I am all for the addition of pictures.  There's one series called The Whole Story that does illustrated, unabridged classics, but with additional drawings/pictures to help kids be able to picture the vocabulary better on the side.  So while they talk about the trunk in the house in Treasure Island, a sidebar would have a picture and extra information about seafaring chests.  Or a whole panel page in the next chapter about different types of sailing vessels.  The Whole Story books are out of print but can be found used pretty easily still.

[Farrar]

I'd try to gently steer him toward more of the chapter book level stuff (Who Was is that level, intended for grades 1-4ish) as opposed to the easy reader level stuff (Mr. Putter and Tabby is that level - intended for grades K-3ish). Not all the time. But trying to do maybe four or five at least a year would be good. I agree with the above that having his primary literature experience be with read alouds is totally fine for now. See if he can get into some more audiobooks as well.

I'd look at super easy books with gentle plots that are still complex enough to push him a little. Maybe... The Lemonade War, Frindle, The Homework Machine, The Toothpaste Millionaire...

You could also try books that are a little different... like graphic novels like El Deafo or image intensive books like The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Or books in verse like Love that Dog or The Crossover.

A 6th grader who still likes to read books intended for 1st or 2nd graders does stand out for me a bit (I mean, I love Mr. Putter and Tabby) does make me wonder though. Do you suspect a learning issue? Have you had him evaluated? Did you do an intensive phonics program with him or are you concerned about his decoding skills?

[Lori D.]

Love the suggestions by HomeAgain, Wendyroo, and Farrar.

For determining Reading Level, check out this article from A to Z HomesCool on "Reading Level Assessment Tests" -- some are free, quick, and can be done informally at home.

Another thought: An older child preferring books several grade levels below their grade level can sometimes be a sign of struggles with eyesight or vision tracking  -- it is much easier on the eyes to read books with illustrations and widely-spaced/bigger type, and to be able to complete a short book in one sitting. So getting his vision checked out might rule out some possible issues.

But more likely, as you mentioned the stress and high sensitivity to tension in stories, you may be looking at a child who is emotionally young for his age and needs some extra scaffolding -- like Wendyroo described.

Or, try doing some of these longer books aloud together, and in the midst of a tense situation, stop and talk it through:
"What are some of the character's options?"
"Can we brainstorm some creative ways out of this situation?"
"What would help this character walk through to the other side of this predicament?"
"What would help you or me in real life handle a stressful situation?"

And then read on through the tense situation in the story until it resolves, and then discuss again about what did the character do to help get through the situation. Use the story to help model and scaffold how to deal with tension that doesn't resolve immediately. Because that's a fantastic tool for real-life!

Teach him relaxation techniques of deep breathing, and how to "back out" a bit emotionally so he's not overly-identifying. Perhaps look through some of these books for tips/techniques that might help him:
- What To Do When You Worry Too Much
- What to Do When Your Brain Gets Stuck
- What to Do When You Dread Your Bed

BEST of luck to your both! Warmly, Lori D.

Edited February 8, 2019 by Lori D.

[wendyroo]

3 minutes ago, Lori D. said:

But more likely, as you mentioned the stress and high sensitivity to tension in stories, you may be looking at a child who is emotionally young for his age and needs some extra scaffolding -- like Wendyroo described.

Or, try doing some of these longer books aloud together, and in the midst of a tense situation, stop and talk it through:
"What are some of the character's options?"
"Can we brainstorm some creative ways out of this situation?"
"What would help this character walk through to the other side of this predicament?"
"What would help you or me in real life handle a stressful situation?"

And then read on through the tense situation in the story until it resolves, and then discuss again about what did the character do to help get through the situation. Use the story to help model and scaffold how to deal with tension that doesn't resolve immediately. Because that's a fantastic tool for real-life!

I also try not to see it as all or nothing. 

When we read the Black Stallion, the storm and ship wreck started to become overwhelming.  So I skipped it.  I just plain old skipped over that entire, major, dramatic event.  I told the kids that we would just have to be extra good listeners for the following chapters so that we picked up clues as to any plot details that we missed.  And if I had never gone back to it, if the kids had never heard that part of the story, I still would have viewed reading the book as completely worthwhile.

But I did decide to go back.  Once we got all the way done with the book, and the kids had enjoyed it quite a bit, then I picked my moment very carefully and went back and read the storm scene while they were sitting at the sunny kitchen table eating lunch (and therefore had something else to focus on).  Even at that point, getting through the scene was stressful, but 1) they already knew the outcome, so it was easier to handle the suspense, 2) I didn't have to worry about that one scene turning them off from the book entirely since we had already read and enjoyed the rest of it, and 3) when we got to the end of the scene, and my 9 year old realized he had faced the gauntlet of stress and anxiety and found the fortitude within himself to prevail, he just lit up with pride.  That evening he told DH all about the storm scene, I think as a way of once again proving to himself that he was the master of those scary ideas and feelings.

Wendy

[alisha]

Wow! You guys are full of ideas! Thank you SO much! I will begin making plans to implement pretty much all of these. Thanks!

59 minutes ago, wendyroo said:

The Boxcar Children would be way, way below his listening ability.  That book is written at a low third grade level, meaning that is the level of vocabulary and language sophistication that one is exposed to while listening to it.

Wow, I never thought that read alouds would be for more than a good story. But it totally makes sense-thanks for bringing that up!

Thanks for the book suggestions-I have most of those on my list, but my list is long, so I'll move them to the top. And I love your ideas about how to deal with the tense situations, because I know he needs to be able to read and deal with those in the future. I have to admit-when I read a book, I get totally into it also, and when I'm done, it's like I have to get back to normal life, so I understand what he might be feeling. And going back to the tense part after finishing the book-EXACTLY what we need to do, as that's how he watches movies-has to know how it will end first. 

And I don't suspect any vision or learning disabilities. We've had his eyes tested for years since both his dad and I got glasses about kindergarten age. 

Thanks! So, so much!

[Lori D.]

That is awesome, Wendyroo!

That's exactly what I was trying to get at, but didn't say very directly, lol -- with an anxious child or highly sensitive child, scaffold how to *persevere* through a situation that is stressful (but do-able), or how to "build grit".

[wendyroo]

5 minutes ago, Lori D. said:

...scaffold how to *persevere* through a situation that is stressful (but do-able), or how to "build grit".

I also explicitly teach recognizing anxiety, and choosing to detour around whatever set it off, but then to keep going.  My son will pick up a book, read half the first chapter, get spooked by something very minor, and want to drop the book entirely.  Instead, even though it is far from ideal, I coach him to just flip to the next page and keep going.  Really, sometimes he gets nervous just running into the name of a new, unfamiliar character.  The only way to get past that is repeated exposure to the new name, and the only way to get that is to keep reading.

I try not to let the perfect be the enemy of the good.  I figure it is better for him to read 90% of the book, skipping random pages as needed, then giving up after only reading 5% of the book.

Wendy