Yet another reading question!

[julybutterfly]

DS is on gold band books. The trouble is he's started reading in his head. This means I have no idea if he is stuck with any words - I don't think he is but if he is then I don't want him skipping past them.

He always tells me what the story was about once he's finished so I know his comprehension is fine. He just wont read to me! I have told his teacher in the hope he would actually be listened to at school (I think he'd listen to the teacher tell him he had to read aloud) but they tend to miss him out because he can already read.

Does it really matter if there are a couple of words he can't read if he is understanding the story?

I tell DS that it's just tough, he has to read his school reading books out loud or else no [whatever it is he wants to do afterwards]. So far it has worked, although he grumbles.

I think the couple of words they can't read (and working on them, and learning how to read them) are important in extending the boundaries of what they can read -- in terms of being able to read those particular words, of being able to read other similar words they may encounter in future and developing strategies for tackling unfamiliar words in general.

I mostly leave my 10yr-old to read in his head as I know that he can read and understand the text properly.

My 7yr-old still has to read out loud to me because he doesn't always know how to pronounce words correctly and is still learning how to use things like punctuation to give clues on how to read the sentences. So things like how to put the emphasis on the words in italics, making a question sound like a question, not having sentences running into each other etc.

Is there a particular reason why he doesn't like to read out loud? If it's because it takes longer to finish the book then it can help speed things up a little if you take turns reading paragraphs or pages. Would he be okay with recording himself reading?

I make both of mine, yr1 and yr4 read to me every day, even though they are both very good readers and read loads of books quietly to themselves in bed.

As coppertop says, even though a child can decode well, punctuation and pace are harder skills to learn. I alternate reading a page or two with them, firstly to maintain the momentum of a story or text, and secondly (Not boasting but I have been reading for longer than them, obviously!) to show them how much they can get out of the text in terms of using different voices, rhythm, punctuation etc. If he doesnt like reading aloud use bribery, always works here, and as coppertop suggests recording himself.

Of my three two still read aloud to me, dd1 aged 11 really doesn't need to. I get the youngest two yrs 3 & 2 to read to me while I'm cooking supper. They don't need me to sit looking at everyword and help them sound out any longer, but they do still sometimes need help. Rather than sitting together on the sofa reading, this way they feel more grown up, but I can still tell if they are struggling with a word, miss pronounce something and help with intonation.