Thoughts on reading level and dithor...

[hollyh]

So, I'm wondering how many of you are addressing issues like this, as I'm sure I am not the only one. My dd is in Kinder, and although I started the year with the ERs at her instructional level, she quickly outgrew them and we haven't even finished them. She is now reading and completely comprehending at least 7th grade material for her leisurely reading. I feel awfully lame (although she doesn't care) going back to books at the end of the ERs for her instruction as I'm not really helping her, except maybe correcting the pronunciation of a word every once in a while. She reads aloud with complete expression and comprehension - so although I am asking questions, she GETS it. **Please do not read this as a brag, I know my kid is advanced in this area and I'm well aware that she is not the only one.

So here is where I am wondering if I am essentially just doing busy work with her. I have Dithor 2 & 3 waiting for her... I'm thinking though that I can do them with her and they would of course be enjoyable and memorable stories... however, if she is reading (let's say) 7th grade material on her own (with comprehension), shouldn't I be finding books to read with her on THAT level in order to challenge her/instruct her?

Thanks for your thoughts.

Holly

[LynnH]

I have a dd that also was always very advanced in her reading. Here are my thoughts for what they are worth. Just because she can read at that level doesn't mean she should. I made the decision that the content of books that were at a 7th grade level was not something I wanted my daughter exposed to at such a young age. I didn't want her to miss all those wonderful books that were at a younger level. The books at a younger level are written for the maturity level of a younger student. They capture the wonder of childhood. The older level books deal with more mature themes as appropriate for a middle schooler. With DITHOR it is usually recommended that they read a book pack that is at a lower level anyway since they are being asked to think about the book in a more challenging way. The activities in DITHOR are very different than just answering comprehension questions. They are things like looking at a characters motivation for doing things, looking for biblical character traits, and analyzing a setting.

Since she already reads well then in my opinion your goals change from reading instruction to helping her get the most out of what she is reading. You want her to fall in love with books and not get burned out on reading. I have witnessed kids that did just that. They were allowed to read much older books than their age and because they couldn't really relate to the characters or fully appreciate the depth of the book they decided they hated to read. I think the best way to build a life long love of reading have her read books that were meant for a child that is at her maturity level.