So, what is your 1st Grader reading independently right now?

[Osmosis Mom]

My almost-reading twin girls have each begun reading a Magic Tree House book. They read aloud while I patiently listen and help when needed. They have pretty much abandoned formal reading lessons and are learning while doing and actually loving it!.

[Snickerdoodle]

We are working through the collection of Usborne's Farmyard Tales.

[Karen in CO]

She is currently reading Baby Island, Falling Up, a couple of Magic School Bus chapter books, and William Shakespeare and the Globe by Aliki.

She is finally at that wonderful age where she is reading just about anything she wants. She tried Half Magic by Edward Eager which is one of her favorite read alouds, but it was "hard."

[Caroline]

My first grader is reading the second Harry Potter book on his own. As a family, we are reading Fellowship of the Ring outloud.

[King Alfred Academy]

My first grader is reading any Robin Hood books he can get his hands on! he is also reading the Thorton Burgess Books, the My Father's Dragon Trilogy by Ruth Stiles Gannett, and Mrs. Piggle Wiggle books by Betty MacDonald.

He always has his nose in a book! Maybe it's because that is the way he sees his mom and dad. Gee, Do ya think?

[KristineIN]

My first grader is not reading on his own yet. Some day! Both his brother & sister read late, but my dd is reading beyond the fourth grade level, so I'm not worried at all.

Kristine

[Plaid Dad]

She's just discovered Nancy Drew. I'm not sure how I feel about this, but I suppose, as escape reading goes, it could be worse.

[gratefulmother]

My dd has raced through all of the books she got for Christmas which were:

a couple of Magic Tree House books
American Girl "Samantha" and "Addy" sets
How to Be the Best at Everything (girl's version)
Daniel's Duck by Clyde Robert Bulla
Golly Sisters Go West
Boxcar children series

Sometimes I worry that she reads too fast to be thorough, but when I ask questions she seems to have good comprehension. Does anyone else worry about this?

[Kristiana]

Mine is reading The Borrowers this week.

[Peek a Boo]

My first grader is not reading on his own yet. .....I'm not worried at all.


This is where we are too. He's reading a LOT of words, but isn't quite ready to take off from phonetically-controlled readers. We are working through A Beka's Handbook for Reading and using SWR phonogram charts. I'm pleased w/ his progress --he just wants to play more than read!;)

[Mama Lynx]

My first grader is not reading on his own yet. Some day! Both his brother & sister read late, but my dd is reading beyond the fourth grade level, so I'm not worried at all.

Kristine

This is where we are, too.

[gandpsmommy]

this year she prefers picture books. So, I try to find some more challenging ones for her. Latley she has enjoyed some Jan Brett books. She has really been on a Laura Ingalls Wilder jag since she discovered some picture book versions of some of the Little House stories. We found one of the Little House chapter books at the library this week, and I think she might try it this week.

[RegularMom]

Mine is reading lots, too:

The Littles series, Black Beauty, and various nature encyclopedias we have here are the things that come to mind first. She also picked up James and the Giant Peach the other day, but she sort of lost interest in it in lieu of one of the "My Secret Unicorn" books. Not exactly one of the Good Books, but she finished it in a day and raved about it.

[Rhesa]

I think my son has grown bored of the Magic Tree House series- I haven't seen him pick one of those up for awhile! Lately, he's enjoyed:

Angus Lost series
Secret Agent Jack Stalwart
Star Wars Journal (Anakin Skywalker)
Frog and Toad series (loved these! we laughed out loud together)

not the most edifying of reading, but I'm not too concerned. Read-alouds are higher quality!

[6packofun]

My first grader just picked up The Aeneid yesterday and will finish it up sometime tonight.

Kidding! heehee! Just being a stinker.

He really just finished a hardback collection of Curious George stories. He's also getting into Magic School Bus books, Nate the Great and he likes magazines (Boys' Quest and Your Big Backyard) and the game Apples to Apples Jr. All counts as school to me! :p This is my ds who did not get blending or most other phonics concepts until late this past summer. He's having fun now! :D

[JWSJ]

ds6 has read many Magic TreeHouse books along with other read aloud books.

We are working on The Wizard of Oz together. But even with this he reads well only stopping on the unfamiliar words. The story is great to ask him questions about the content. It's so fantastic he has to really think about what is going on.

Content questions on Magic Tree House books are rather simple.

[Linda]

It's posts like these that get me doubting my abilities as a homeschooling mom. DS 6.5 is not reading independently. And, frankly, shows little interest in starting. Throw in my mother's "His cousin in kindergarten is reading and reading and reading!" and I'm ready to flog myself.

Just needed to get that out.

It will happen, I know.

[KristineIN]

It's posts like these that get me doubting my abilities as a homeschooling mom. DS 6.5 is not reading independently. And, frankly, shows little interest in starting. Throw in my mother's "His cousin in kindergarten is reading and reading and reading!" and I'm ready to flog myself.

Just needed to get that out.

It will happen, I know.

Linda, don't beat yourself up over it. That's exactly why I posted that my 6 year old is not reading yet. Every child is different. Both my dd & ds read later than most kids, but my dd blows me away with the amount that she reads.
http://smilies.vidahost.com/contrib/sarge/BrokenHeart_anim.gif
Kristine

[cin]

Linda, don't worry, I'm sure there are plenty of kindergarteners that are NOT reading. And WHAT kind of twaddle is his dear little cousin reading? It will happen. Keep exposing him to good books and he will do it.

This post encourages me that I've made the right decision. I see WHAT these kids are reading as opposed to Junie Jones and Babysitter's Club stuff. I SERIOUSLY doubt you'd hear Wizard of Oz in a public school, no matter WHAT the grade!!

[Jami]

I have two first graders, dd (5.5) is my crazy reader...she's reading Baby Island, Ramona, Betsy-Tacy, Fairy Realm and other things I can't really keep up. She hops from book to book, sometimes reading the whole thing, sometimes re-reading favorite sections. Ds (6.5) decodes well-enough but is still intimidated by bigger books. He's read Flat Stanley books lately, various Usborne science and history books, Secrets of Droon, DragonSlayers Academy, things like that.

Current dad read-aloud is The Neverending Story which they're really loving.

Jami

[JWSJ]

I'm ready to flog myself.

Hold off on that.

Once they start reading (it's like talking) they'll never stop.

[SnowWhite]

I have to say, my ds has been reading for over a year, and will be seven in March, so maybe he should be considered a second grader?

Berenstain Bears books
Hardy Boys (with dh ;-D)
Magic Tree House
Star Wars children's books
Spiderman children's books

Yep, mostly twaddle. But for instructional reading we do good living books.

[momtolgd]

It's posts like these that get me doubting my abilities as a homeschooling mom. DS 6.5 is not reading independently. And, frankly, shows little interest in starting. Throw in my mother's "His cousin in kindergarten is reading and reading and reading!" and I'm ready to flog myself.

Just needed to get that out.

It will happen, I know.

I know what you mean...my ds is almost 7 1/2 and is just now starting to read some things independently, and hasn't tried a chapter book yet. His confidence held him back until very recently. I too worry when I read things like this or see other younger children reading better than he is, but then I try to remember that like everything else he will read in his own time and will be fine. He will, right?

[PamInMN]

It's posts like these that get me doubting my abilities as a homeschooling mom. DS 6.5 is not reading independently. And, frankly, shows little interest in starting. Throw in my mother's "His cousin in kindergarten is reading and reading and reading!" and I'm ready to flog myself.

Just needed to get that out.

It will happen, I know.

That's okay...... my 7 year old isn't one of the "he read in utero" either. He's just getting the concept of CVC words.....

[KristineIN]

I know what you mean...my ds is almost 7 1/2 and is just now starting to read some things independently, and hasn't tried a chapter book yet. His confidence held him back until very recently. I too worry when I read things like this or see other younger children reading better than he is, but then I try to remember that like everything else he will read in his own time and will be fine. He will, right?

Yes he will be fine. My son who was 8 in November just finished his second chapter book and it was My Father's Dragon. His first one was Stone Fox. Just say...Lalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalala to everyone else that has bragging rights. Your son probably walked before theirs! :D

Kristine

[susie in tx]

My almost 7 yo is not reading independently. I'm not incredibly concerned. Her oldest sister did not read until she was almost 9. We're working on short vowel words and practicing 4 letter words. Yee haw. Initial blends with a second letter of l and r are very difficult for her. She doesn't hear the l sound very often and the r is just tough.

[OneRoomHomeSchool]

My DS 6 is not reading independently yet either...so your not alone Linda! ;) I think he CAN read very easy readers IF he WANTED to. sigh

Wish he loved reading as well as he loves math! :rolleyes:

[K&Rs Mom]

Hold off on that.

Once they start reading (it's like talking) they'll never stop.

Yep. You will have no rest (or secrets). Mine is constantly asking me about the captions on the news, the notes on our calendar, signs we pass on the road, the back side of the newspaper I'm reading the front of..... I really try to screen what goes into their little heads, limiting media exposure, but have lost a lot of that control now that she's fluent.

She's reading everything she can get her hands on. I brought home a new Henry & Mudge today and that lasted maybe 5 minutes. She got 2 American Girl books at the library sale, has gone through the first couple Betsy-Tacy books again, Magic School Bus, and the Lets-Read-And-Find-Out archaeology book. She's totally crushed now that the librarian has told her you have to be 6 to get a library card (I was told first grade, so let her ask recently) and this is getting expensive even though I buy almost all used books.

[KristineIN]

My DS 6 is not reading independently yet either...so your not alone Linda! ;) I think he CAN read very easy readers IF he WANTED to. sigh

Wish he loved reading as well as he loves math! :rolleyes:

My 6 year old love math too and he loves doing Sudokus. He can do them better than his brother & sister.

He loves it when I sit with him and we work together. He's a smart one! ;)
Kristine

[tess in the burbs]

mine was reading The Boxcar series, but right now is reading A sword in the tree. Next will be The Littles.

[Darcy from LWM3B]

My 6 yo can do Henry & Mudge-type, and readers level 1 and 2. He also does pretty well in 3s and 4s, needing a few prompts. I tend to be anti-twaddle, but he is head over heels excited about the Star Wars and the Lego readers by DK.

He isn't ready for chapter books beyond the very introductory ones yet. He is a young 1st grader, he turned 6 at the end of Sept. If in public school, he would be a older Ker.

He also tends to be the type who won't try unless he's sure he'll succeed. He's not a risk taker. It's going to take a bit of confidence building before he'll pick up a thick book.

I too am looking forward to independent and confident readers.

[Jennefer@SSA]

These are the series that ds6 is in love with right now... they are all below his reading level but right on with his social/emotional level so I am great with that! He has ADHD and mild autism so he isn't willing to sit still for much longer than any of these books take to read! :p

Poppleton
Mr. Putter and Tabby
Henry and Mudge
Nate the Great
Frog and Toad
Magic Tree House
and tons and tons of non-fiction

[WriterGirl]

Dragonslayers Academy, Bailey School Kids, Judy Moody, Magic School Bus, and any science book she can get her hands on. She loves mysteries and I keep meaning to get Encycl Brown, but haven't done it yet. And she loves the B. Granville Nancy Drew movies, so I figure she'll discover my old collection pretty soon.

[Snickerdoodle]

Well, the Usborne books that my son is reading are very short little stories. I notice that even with these short stories his eyes and powers of concentration get tired. That signals to me that he isn't really ready for too much reading.

I think it's normal.

[Osmosis Mom]

My first grader just picked up The Aeneid yesterday and will finish it up sometime tonight.

Kidding! heehee! Just being a stinker.

He really just finished a hardback collection of Curious George stories. He's also getting into Magic School Bus books, Nate the Great and he likes magazines (Boys' Quest and Your Big Backyard) and the game Apples to Apples Jr. All counts as school to me! :p This is my ds who did not get blending or most other phonics concepts until late this past summer. He's having fun now! :D
Love this reply!!! Oh, the competitor in me - I had already pulled out Moby Dick for my 1st graders so they could beat your kid!!:D

[Osmosis Mom]

[QUOTE=Linda;19358]It's posts like these that get me doubting my abilities as a homeschooling mom. QUOTE]

Oh Linda, what an honest post, but please, everyone moves along differently. My 9 yo barely lifts a book and if he does then he talks more as he reads than the words he reads....

These first graders of mine "read" picturebooks all day long, but have refused to read words, saying they are still too young. However, they are getting curious as to what is actually happening on the pages and we can't read to them constantly so thus the internal push.

My oldest was reading Little House on the Prairie at this age while these girls are struggling through each page of MTH, but that's OK. They are enjoying the process -slow as it is- and no tears are shed.

[Bee]

Father Bear Comes Home as a read-aloud to me.Ramona and her Father to herself very slowly, about 8 pages a day, and she doesn't read it every day.She is also listening to it on cds.She chose the book and said she wanted to read it to herself.

[Brigitte]

We are working through the collection of Usborne's Farmyard Tales.

This book is what gave one of my twins the confidence she needed to read on her own. She knew that the top line is 1st grade level, she would read those only, and the bottom two lines are second/third grade level (although I would say and easy 2nd/3rd). As she grew confident with the top lines she would venture down to the bottom two on occassion and find that she could in fact read them. After she made her way through that book, she was willing to try anything. Before that she claimed everything was too hard.

I have one twin who can read pretty much anything she puts her hands on, which tends to be any book she finds that is about taking care of horses. Most of her reading is nonfiction. But in the fiction section her recent reading has been Amelia Bedelia, Freddie Play Football, Black Beauty, anything Dr. Seuss, and everything in my inventory.

My more reluctant reader has read Amelia Bedelia (with a little trouble on some word), many Dr. Seuss, lots of Usborne abridged versions of Aesop's Fables, and anything about cats.

We are reading Bobbsey Twin books as our bedtime reading. They adore those books.

[Jennifer]

Sometimes I worry that she reads too fast to be thorough, but when I ask questions she seems to have good comprehension. Does anyone else worry about this?

I have a dd (8) who I call a "book gobbler". She goes through books so fast! I ask her to tell me the story or ask some questions based on what I know about the book and she seems to have good comprehension like your dd. I try not to worry too much about it-but I think I will have to find her something a little more challenging where she has to slow down and take her time.

Jennifer

[prairiegirl]

I have been avoiding this thread because I thought it would make me feel worse than I already do about my ds's reading, or lack of it. I am glad that I sucked up my courage and opened it anyway. I have been very enouraged by the posts of moms whose chldren are not reading yet.

My ds turned 7 on Thurs. He is not doing well with reading and is not interested in it at all. He can read the cvc words but if you put another letter in there it messes him up. I have been thinking about having him assessed, but after reading these posts I think I will wait until next year before I start thinking seriously about this.

It is so funny to me that my ds is having difficulty with reading but is a whiz at math. My dd, on the other hand, is a beautiful reader but math is a form of torture for her.

Thanks for the encouragement.

Julia
mom of 3 (8,7,5)

[CalicoKat]

and the like.

I'm thrilled. I didn't think she'd get the hang of reading so soon.

Unfortunately she's learning slowly but her 4 yo db is learning quickly. He's reading at the same level as she.

She is a bit delayed. We've done testing and she's now making progress finally. But it's taken a bit. She's got ADHD and we're using focalin. Our plan is to catch her up by next fall. She's about a 2nd semester Ker right now.

[erica471]

Independently she is reading lots of Henry and Mudge. She still loves for me to read her picture books. She also loves the Phonics Comics series. She also "discovered" audiobooks and is burning through those. I am so pleased because as a pre-5 yr old she just wasn't interested in being read to. Once she learned to read it was like a light turned on and now can't get enough.

[pamjk]

She will be 8 in April and we are currently working thru Frog and Toad together. Audio books have helped her confidence, but she won't try to read a whole book on her own yet. Almost 11yo DS didn't read alone til he was close to 9yo. He still doesn't love to read, but is now reading The Whipping Boy for schoolwork and enjoys TinTin before bed.

I'm always shocked at how early some WTM kids are reading. Neither of my kids were developmentally ready to read in 1st grade. But their comprehension from all of our read-alouds was off the charts. I just add my two cents here for reassurance for those who are stressing over this early/late reader thing. :)

Pam K in NC