Question about keeping a reading notebook

[HeatherM]

I want to start a reading notebook for my 8.5 year old son. Should he make a reading page every day or is 3 times a week enough?

 

I'm unsure how to do this. For instance, currently he is reading a book I have not read. How am I to check if his summary is correct?

I also think it would be quite difficult for him to summarize in a few sentences after he has read 7 or 8 chapters. That's requires quite a bit more skill than summarizing one of Aesop's fables.

 

Should we begin doing reading pages only on stories he has read aloud to me or I have read aloud to him? Then I would be sure to know if he is leaving out important info.

[Friederike in Persia]

This might not be what you're looking for, but some time back I asked how other people kept a record of what their dc were reading. I liked Kate in Arabia's approach best, and it's worked well for us.

Each book my dds read, they have to write the title and author down. Then they can write a few sentences-long summary, or a quote they liked. Sometimes they can just write one sentence and draw an illustration.

I also tend to require more detail when they've read the Iliad (retold) or Mary Poppins, than when they've gone through the umteens Enyd Blyton book.

Finally, my dd 8 reads a lot, but doesn't like writing much (yet :glare::glare:), so when more than 5 books have piled up I sometimes have mercy on her and have her dictate her summaries to me.

[HeatherM]

Thank you, Friederike, for that information. That's a really good idea!

Heather