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Primary education

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Original poster

Reluctant reader 8yr old - need some advice

46 replies

ggirl · 09/08/2011 20:05

Ds is fine at reading but hasn't made great progress in yr 3.

The main problem is he doesn't really like reading for pleasure.

When he reads to us he often gets the little words wrong . He'll say 'in' instead of 'and' or similar .

It's almost like he's reading it too fast because when he slows down he's better.
My question is should I make him slow down and read it properly or just leet him get on with it.

No problems understanding what he reads

He does read to himself as well and I do realise that reading aloud is somewhat harder.

OP posts:
mrz · 09/08/2011 20:23

Would he be more interested in comics graphic novels or manga type books?

Original poster
ggirl · 09/08/2011 20:26

well he's not thrilled with comics
he's currently enjoying the diary of a wimpy kid books ,
what is a manga book?

OP posts:
mrz · 09/08/2011 20:32

manga are a Japanese book written very much in a comic book style

clubs-kids.scholastic.co.uk/products/76728 lots of boys like them because there isn't much text.

MigratingCoconuts · 09/08/2011 20:33

Its a form of japanese cartoon art...their version of the graphic novel.

Does he like football? what about a football annual?

Original poster
ggirl · 09/08/2011 20:40

yes he has football books
he'll read them but I was wondering about the correcting him reading the llittle words wrong
should I bother or not

OP posts:
zorgmoid · 09/08/2011 21:57

ggirl my DS1 does that. He goes so fast he reads "a" instead of "the" and skips over the little words. I thought it was just him. I'm relieved he's not alone in this and hope someone else will post on here that this is a phase which sorts itself out. (And "and" instead of "said" is another common error. And altering the order of words slightly so that the sentence still makes sense but is not as written.)

emkana · 09/08/2011 21:59

My dd does this, same age, but I don't make her read out loud anymore, she just enjoys reading to herself more and more and had a very good report about her reading.

Original poster
ggirl · 09/08/2011 23:32

good to know he's not the only one

emkana wish ds would read for pleasure more

prob don't need to hear him read really anymore but we still read to him at night and he reads to us-just to encourage him

don't think he'd pick the book up otherwise

OP posts:
Chandon · 10/08/2011 08:54

I correct my 8 yr old, as it's a kind of laziness, and not reading the words properly, and I know he COULD. So I do correct, but in a friendly way.

My 8 yr old is amused by captain Underpants and Mr Gum books.

After years of resisting and struggling to read, he picked up Rudyard Kipling's Just So stories (which are a bit odd and dated and hard to read) and read them immaculately.

So miracles do happen Grin

we read 10 minutes every day, and after 10 ticks on his chart he gets some Pokemon cards. Cheaper than a tutor.

Chandon · 10/08/2011 08:55

(I do all this because he's on an IEP for literacy and he needs the extra help, not cause I'm an obsessed mum)

elliott · 10/08/2011 09:00

I don't get my kids to read to me anymore- personally, if he CAN read, I wld just leave him to it- you cld let him choose Reading material from bookshop or library- more likely to be motivated if he is actually interested imo

mrz · 10/08/2011 09:11

Lots of parents stop listening to their child read aloud once they get to a certain level however research suggests that it is important to continue

zorgmoid · 10/08/2011 09:16

mrz is this a normal phase that learner readers go through? You seem to have seen plenty :)

mrz · 10/08/2011 09:42

Yes I think it's normal and sometimes it's just a case of finding the type of text that renews the child's interest. My son preferred non- fiction (as do many boys) and would spend hours pouring over instruction manuals but wouldn't read stories. Personally I don't think it matters what someone reads as long as they are reading.

Original poster
ggirl · 10/08/2011 10:29

thanks for your replies

mrz-good to know we are not wasting our time reading to him and listening to him read, I'll continue to correct him as long as it doesn't piss him off and put him off all together.

OP posts:
mrz · 10/08/2011 10:56

You might be interested in this approach sometimes used in schools if it is becoming a battle for you www.tracksliteracy.co.uk/ydiyreading.html

basically say
"ggirl jr , I want you to read 5 pages, either aloud or silently. If you come across a word that you don?t know, you can either ask me or point to the word and look at me and I will tell you what the word is. You must ask, and when you have read the 5 pages I will check that you know the words you did not ask for.?

schroeder · 10/08/2011 11:15

Is he keen to read to you? If not I really would not push it, reading aloud feels so slow once you can read to yourself.

Instead of getting him to read to you what about just talking to him about what he has read to himself. Ask him questions about what happened in the story, but don't grill him. Grin

The last thing you want to do at this age is put him off reading altogether and sadly this is the age where boys do often lose interest. Let him read what he fancies even if you think it's rubbish or too easy, bite your tongue.

Take him to the library and encourage him to take out as many books as they allow, maybe explain to him that sometimes you choose a book for yourself and don't end up enjoying it, it's normal you have a look, think it sounds good, only to find it's dull and hard to get onto. Children can sometimes think that this is because they are stupid and the book is too hard and this puts them off iykwim.

It's also good if he can see you reading and enjoying books and magazines too. If you can get his Dad to read to him and to be seen reading for his own pleasure too, that can really help; sometimes boys can get the idea that reading and learning is a 'girl' thing.

hth

Original poster
ggirl · 10/08/2011 12:38

thanks
his dad reads to him every night , and is an avid reader
I check his comprehension and he's understanding what he reads.

Will maybe get dh to ask him to read 5 pages tonight and discuss it with him afterwards.

I really want him to be an avid reader as we all are in this house but I am conscious that some people just aren't ,like some people aren't sporty

OP posts:
mrz · 10/08/2011 12:40

Would he read a page if your DH read the next ? and work through a chapter that way

Original poster
ggirl · 10/08/2011 12:45

thanks for the link mrz
very interesting
ds can essentially read anything I guess what I was worried about was the little words that he gets wrong , almost like his eyes are going too fast across the page so he makes up the little words.
When we ask him to slow down or follow the words with our fingers he's fine , but this is a little tedious and off putting .
As for his reluctance to pick up a book for enjoyment I'm going to do as suggested and find some sporty stuff for him, maybe even the sports section fo the paper Grin

OP posts:
Original poster
ggirl · 10/08/2011 12:46

xpost-yes that's what they do atm

OP posts:
mrz · 10/08/2011 12:48

I wouldn't worry as long as he reads

schroeder · 10/08/2011 15:30

It sounds like you're doing all the right things.

Just be careful not to push him, it might backfire. Smile

sarahfreck · 10/08/2011 15:54

I do think it is important to hear him read still.
Does he do a lot of "look and guess" with unfamiliar words?- ie he'll look at the first few letters and guess the rest so he might read diagram for diagonal for example. How is he with spelling? does he mis-spell familiar words? Does he mis-spell the same word in different ways on the same page? I'm just wondering since, in my experience, these situations together with reading the "sense" of the sentence but not the exact words and the mis-reading of little words, can mean a child has mild dyslexia, even if their reading level is above their chronological age. This may be something to keep an eye on if he doesn't grow out of the mis-reading little words thing.

It think it is important to teach different types of reading for different tasks, so for example, when reading a story for pleasure, it is OK to read really fast and accuracy is not so much of an issue as long as you get the sense of the story.

However at other times it can be important to read the whole thing carefully (for example an exam question - mis-reading diagram for diagonal in a maths question can mean you answer entirely the wrong thing, even if you could actually do the question easily.). I get my students to practice identifying key words in the sentence with a highlighter and then read the question out again slowly to help combat this!

maizieD · 10/08/2011 20:31

"Is he keen to read to you? If not I really would not push it, reading aloud feels so slow once you can read to yourself. "

I found this a bit sad. I really treasure the memory of my mother reading aloud to us (which she did long after we were comptent readers) because she did all the characters with different voices and read with excellent expression. I tried to do the same for my children. If children don't get the opportunity to read aloud they lose an opportunity to be daft and dramatic!

I would try to make the reading aloud more amusing by treating stories as dramatic opportunities, and, trying to find little playlets (like hen's teeth, I know, but I do know that the children I work with love to read a play and take 'parts')

On the other hand, your child (or you) might find this all deeply embarrasing...