Help with Struggling Reader(s)

[aggieterpkatie]

DSS (8- 3rd grade) and DSD (6=1st grade) are new readers and I'd love some tips on how to help them. DSD has struggled with reading the whole time in school. He has worked with a reading specialist/teacher all through school so far, and he has really come a long way. Last year it started "clicking" for him and he is more capable than he realizes. He quickly gets overwhelmed when he has to read long passages. We had a talk the other day about how a three or four paragraph story is the same as one of his books, except all the words are on one page. I told him to break it down into paragraphs, then sentences, then words. As long as he can read one word at a time he can read the whole story! It helped a bit, but he still gets overwhelmed and says he hates reading. My sister had the idea to ask the librarian at our public library for suggestions on good series for young boys...something that will really get him interested in reading. Aside from that, are there any tips on how to help him not hate reading so much?

DSD isn't quite struggling as much as her brother did, but now she has the same attitude of "reading is hard." I think much of that attitude she has picked up from her brother, and I'm going to talk to DH tonight about having a talk with DSS and his mom, so we're all on the same page. We need to explain to him that he is not allowed to say he hates reading, or reading is hard, when he's in front of his sister. Monkey see, monkey do, and we don't want her giving up on reading before she really even starts.

It doesn't help that the school sends so much homework home with them. They each have math every night, plus 20 minutes of reading and a "book log" they have to fill out (title, date, sentence about the book), plus DSS has a reading packet every week where he has to do several workpages answering questions about the story, and then read the story aloud to an adult three times. I'll agree that doing work at home is good to help them learn, but GEESH after 8 hours of school do they really need to spend another 1-2 hours a night doing work? And if you don't get all the homework done you feel like a lazy parent.

Really I'd just love some tips on how to get them to like reading more! I think it they both just gave it a chance they'd love it. I love to read, and it makes me sad to think they are starting to hate it!

 

[savingdogs]

Yes! Buy Hooked on Phonics. We had the hardest time getting our youngest to read. Or finding books in his grade level that were catered to his attention span.

We bought a used version of Hooked on Phonics and he went from the worst reader in his class to one of the best.This child still struggles in school, but not in reading. We used their program to select what his reading material was,he just followed along on their program, 20 minutes a night. When the program was done, he was an excellent reader.

I cannot say enough about Hooked on Phonics. It was 100 percent successful for us.

 

[Leta]

I am a very Type A, assertive person, so I know that this may not work for other people, but if it were me in this situation, I would put the kibosh on homework. As in, no homework for these children at all until further notice. The magic words needed for this are "IEP" or "homeschooling" or "school of choice". If your DSS has been struggling with reading all along, getting him an IEP is not out of the question. Teacher's can compute grades as if homework doesn't exist. It may well be that the district has a policy that X amount of homework must be assigned per night/grade level/curriculum. If that's the case, go to the admin- school board, superintendent, whomever- and just tell them they either make exceptions for your kids or they lose them as students, and their per pupil funding goes elsewhere. Most places are so broke that they will go along. And you may not even have to take it that far. You saying, "No more homework" might be enough. At our school, whenever I have said, we don't do fundraisers, hand sanitizer, whatever, their pat response has been, "That's understandable." I think that the rise of the homeschooling movement has really pushed schools toward individual solutions, and that's a great thing for those of us who don't homeschool. (I'd homeschool, but my kids love school, primarily because their peers are there. I am too boring. :/ )

My DSS loves to read, and he also had to do that stupid reading log. He reads daily, and doesn't do much else all summer. I just put down that he's read whatever time they want. Prorated, he certainly has. Watching him panic, skim, and glance at the timer seems very counterproductive to me. He loves to read, and he's great at it, and the reading log turns that into a chore for him. I cannot even imagine how much it sucks any pleasure out of reading for someone who struggles.

I agree about "monkey see, monkey do". Try to insulate your DSD from her brother's troubles if you can.

To me, it sounds like these kids are burned out and need a break. If the goal is to produce confident readers, it must be pleasurable, and no one is going to get there by forcing reading down your DSS's throat.

Also, 8 is not that old. Better late than early applies especially to boys, but my homeschooled female cousin didn't learn to read at ALL until she was nearly eight. She just graduated with a Master's at age 23. I wouldn't stress if he's not meeting every milestone, but I would stress if he's not meeting milestones and falling further behind due to frustration and burnout.

Again, if it were me, I'd read aloud to him every day. Pick something he'll love, even if it's a little old for him. Little Britches by Ralph Moody is good for an outdoorsy kid, as is Hatchet, the River, and Where the Red Fern Grows. No reason DSD can't be included in this, too. If your DSS is only into video games, read him video game magazines, they print 'em.

Just dial down the pressure and make it as enjoyable as you can, that's my tactic.

Good luck to you!

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Again, if it were me, I'd read aloud to him every day. Pick something he'll love, even if it's a little old for him. Little Britches by Ralph Moody is good for an outdoorsy kid, as is Hatchet, the River, and Where the Red Fern Grows. No reason DSD can't be included in this, too. If your DSS is only into video games, read him video game magazines, they print 'em.

Just dial down the pressure and make it as enjoyable as you can, that's my tactic.

Good luck to you!

Yes, they're getting reading shoved down their throats by all this homework and they're choking on it! We had been reading the Little House series, which everyone loved (I want to read Farmer Boy again!) but then we stopped when we got busy with other stuff. I'll have to pick up those books again, because they really enjoyed those books and it's a way for them to realize that reading IS fun. I'll look for Little Britches too! He's not a video gamer here, but he does play them at his mom's.

Thank you! We'll definitely try to dial down the pressure. It's no fun doing something if you're forced to do it!

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Savingdogs, I really don't know much about Hooked on Phonics but we'll look in to it.

 

[JRmom]

I don't have any advice really, but just wanted to comment on the homework. That's a whole lotta homework! The only homework my daughter had in the 3rd grade was spelling words. I agree with Leta about seeing what you can do to cut it down, and out completely in the case of your youngest.

Maybe fun trips to the library and let the kids pick out books that appeal to them?

Good luck!!! My husband HATES to read, and I think that's a HUGE shame. If he doesn't see it on the news, then he knows nothing about it. Books open up the whole world to you.

 

[old fashioned]

I agree about the amount of homework. That is alot. My boys in elementary school usually have the week to complete about 3 or 4 pages of spelling work to be turned in on Fridays (Thursdays on short weeks), one page of math each day and are supposed to read atleast 30 minutes a day. Plus any work not completed in class. And that is for grades 1 thru 5. I have a hard enough time getting DS10 to do his spelling & math each night & he hasn't been doing any extra reading. My boys don't like reading either & have struggled with it. Even DS30 never liked reading much. I think boys would rather be 'doing' something than having to sit looking at a book.

 

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

My kid refused to learn to read. He knew his ABCs and so forth but didn't want to put them together. Various reasons. Finally, when he was about 7 1/2 y.o., I told him I didn't want to read any more dinosaur books to him unless he started learning to read himself. Within a month, he was pronouncing even the most difficult dinosaur names.

Find something they absolutely love.

Might help.

 

[Bimpnottin]

My daughter, 8YO, isn't a very confident reader, so whe tries to use a bookmark. She gets so stuck on going word to word that she has no comprehension, at all. She loves it when I read to her, but she needs to work on her fluency and her reading comprehension. It really has helped to be able to know what level the school considers her at and let her pick out her own books at that level. I've tried to tell her that names can almost be skipped over. Don't get stuck on names - you need to have an idea what they are, but as long as you can tell person A from person B, that's good enough.

Probably didn't help at all, but you aren't the only one. I'll keep thinking on it.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Well, we took both kiddos to the library yesterday and they finally got their own library cards. They also picked out a few of their own books. We got a couple off the "third grade favorites" reading list they had, one was The Chocolate Touch and the other was Mr. Popper's Penguins (both books were favorites of mine as a kid). We found a really cool looking series called Andrew Lost which looks like a really cool science type book, where the kids get shrunk down and explore their world. It reminded me of The Magic Schoolbus, and I really hope he enjoys reading them. And I kinda want to read them too. He was pretty hesitant to get ay chapter books, but I told him only little kid books were not chapter books....all the other good books from now on will be chapter books so he better get used to it. DSD got some Junie B. Jones books, which I've heard are funny. We also got the next in our LHOTP series to read together.

Last night at bedtime we told them they could stay up reading for a while and they both did. DSS thought it was awesome, he had a book light under his covers and was reading The Chocolate Touch. He read more this morning. Hopefully we're on the right track.....we just needed more FUN books!