How do you introduce & monitor independent reading?

[Surfside Academy]

I want to introduce independent reading time to my ds who is 7 1/2. He's definitely in the "reluctant" reader category but he reads well aloud and its time. Should I give him books that are a little easier to start unitl he gains some confidence? I was thinking of having him start with about 10-15 minutes of reading. How then do you follow up to make sure he's actually reading the book?

[Beth in Central TX]

I would definitely start with easier books to build confidence. To check for reading comprehension, I usually have my boys narrate back the book they've read or I'll ask the 5 reporter's questions; something quick and easy so that it doesn't become a chore, but I know they've read the book.

To encourage reading when my older boys were just starting out with independent reading, I would set a weekly goal for them to reach; at the end of 2 weeks, if the goals were met, then each boy could have an individual Donut with Dad Saturday. Both boys loved this and valued their time alone with Dad. I bumped up the goals each time a new one was met, and gradually stretched out the time frame to a month. It was a great plan for our family, and my boys are still avid readers to this day.