Readers vs. Read Alouds?

[beth in md]

I have 10 year old twin girls and we are in our first year of homeschooling. At the start of the year they did not like to read at all. With encouragement, they select picture books at the library but mostly just look through the pictures. When they read aloud to me, they can decode very, very well, but struggle with comprehension. They hate independent silent reading and really just look at the pictures or flip through pages.

I have spent most of the year switching between reading aloud (to them) quality picture books and small texts (Beatrix Potter, original Poohs) and high interest chapter books that are above their own reading level (Dick King Smith, William Steig, the Doll People etc.) They have come to love read aloud time and sometimes will read to me a page or two, but struggle with many words and fluency. They do good narrations of the read alouds.

My question is, are readers at their own level (like McGuffey) necessary or is it better for them to hear me read books slightly above their own level of fluency? I hate to mess with a good thing since they now love to have me read to them, but wonder if they really need to do more independent reading or reading to me.

What readers would you recommend for this age? Thanks!

[one l michele]

I have my children do both daily. We've really enjoyed and look forward to the Sonlight Readers and Read alouds.

[Alanae]

I have a 10 year old son with a similar situation. He reads at a 5th grade level but remembering details of a story, or even character names seems to be an issue. Did I mention he is a VERY reluctact reader and pretty much hates to HAVE to read? What I have done with him is joint reading.

1. I read a page or two and then we talk about what we've read asking questions about the pages. Who are the characters? What do you think of the characters? What would you do? And I also ask him to think ahead and ask him what he thinks will happen next.

2. Then he reads one or two pages and again we go through the same process of "talking" about what we've read.

I've found that by breaking down 130 page book into smaller pieces has helped him to really understand the context of what he's reading. He isn't able to walk himself through the steps alone, but I've found that he really does enjoy our together reading time. He also is starting to put in input of his own as we read showing me that his little mind is starting on the right track of being able to comprehend things solo.

I think children need to read solo to become better readers but I also don't think it hurts to give them a nudge in the right direction. For us reading together has been the answer to solving our 2 main problems. 1. Him only looking at the picutres and pretending to read. 2. Not understanding what he has read even when he has read to me.

Hope this helps :D

[bodhi tree]

Hi Beth -

You should definitely do both! When the kids read *below* their actual reading level is when they gain fluency and confidence. So picture books and "readers" like McGuffy are fine for this. Mine went for graphic novels and comics for about a year straight (these are great for building comprehension skills, too, since there are many picture clues on each page). Now she's reading like a mad woman because she has found a genre that she is inspired by (fantasy) and I can't keep enough books in the house (and I'm a librarian that works at a bookstore!).

You can still give them books at their instructional level, which might be simpler chapter books broken down into small chunks. But let them read easy stuff for fun... that shouldn't be work, it should be enjoyable.

Best!

[WendyK]

I do both. Doing this stretches your child's abilities, and creates enjoyment for reading. I do this as an adult. Sometimes I want a deep challenging read, but other times I want something for fun.

[beth in md]

Boy, Alanae, your son sounds just like my daughters!

Thanks everyone for all the advice so far. Do you think structured, sequential readers are necessary, or just picture type books at their reading level?

Beth

[OhElizabeth]

Beth, I'm surprised nobody has mentioned yet that your girls were likely NOT TAUGHT PHONICS in the public schools. I'd take them through a program to rebuild their phonics foundation. SWR/WRTR would do it in the guise of spelling, and there are other age-appropriate programs people could suggest. I'd HIGHLY recommend you do this. Forced reading doesn't make up for a poor phonics foundation.

[beth in md]

They went to a public Montessori charter school for five years, so they were taught phonics. I think that is why they can decode so well. But just to be on the safe side, I am thinking about trying All About Spelling or your suggested programs to find out if there are gaps. Thanks!

Beth

[Ellie]

Beth, I'm surprised nobody has mentioned yet that your girls were likely NOT TAUGHT PHONICS in the public schools. I'd take them through a program to rebuild their phonics foundation. SWR/WRTR would do it in the guise of spelling, and there are other age-appropriate programs people could suggest. I'd HIGHLY recommend you do this. Forced reading doesn't make up for a poor phonics foundation.
:iagree:
Even though they might have been taught "phonics," if their comprehension is so poor, and they prefer to read books so far below their age level, it sounds to me as if they need something more (and better).

[mom2moon2]

For lots of multisyllable practice, use Webster Speller.

YOu can get info on this by visiting ElizabethB's site: www.phonicspage.org

Or search this forum for ElizabethB's post.

HTH

[Kayaking Mom]

As for books - I think the Little House series would be great for them. They are pretty easy reads (3rd grade-ish) but they likely will love the characters and stories. Others easier reads that they might like - Betsy Tacy, Encyclopedia Brown, Boxcar Children, Frindle, the Dish series (with some editing from Mom), etc.

[Alanae]

My son didn't get phonics in his public school. At least not a solid foundation. I'm using Phonics Pathways with him and we BOTH love it. It's the same book I am using to teach my 5yr old phonics for the first time. They both love the simplicity of the lessons taught in 10-15min. sessions so they aren't overloaded. Plus it's full of games to play using the skills they are learning. They both LOVE the games, and of course both being boys, the competition to get the answer correct first seems to make them want to work just that much harder (heheee). For me the price was right as well. I found the book new online for $20 but ended up buying it used on ebay for $15, which seems to be the norm for anyone selling a used copy. There is no real prep time except for copying and cutting out the game cards.

With my 10yr old we did the end of lesson reviews and he did start further into the book, but I was still suprised how early we hit stumbling blocks. I was shocked at the things I "thought" he understood since he reads ABOVE grade level. So don't take anything for granted where phonics is concerned. It can really mean the difference between success and failure. It's one mistake I certainly won't make again myself :D

[CKaye]

My ds 9 and dds 7 are progressing well doing both. My ds 9 was in public school a year ago and was reading at a 6th grade level. I didn't think he needed the readers because I thought he was advanced, but since last summer I have had him read out loud once a week and he stumbles over some words so it's a good challenge for him. The McGuffey readers contain a rich vocabulary that I feel will help prepare my kids to read classical literature.