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I have been using BLHFHG with my 7 (nearly 8yo ds) with the emerging readers. There are a few things that I seem to get "stuck" on and suppose I would like some direct answers for me to focus on. I have tried all of the options and am left more fuzzy. I also have a 6.5yo who is doing phonics/learning to read so she needs the 1:1 bringing me to this place of flopping around with my boy and his need for 1:1 with reading.

Anyhoooo...

Do your kiddos read silently and THEN you ask them the questions to develop the thinking/comprehension etc.
OR
do you do side by side reading asking questions as you go along
OR
do side by side asking questions at the end
OR
Do this in a sort of progression?

Also...

What if they want to read more in their book and/or want you to read more in the storytelling sections? Do you read more?

I tried to make the question simple and sweet. Any advice would help me.

I have my girls read out loud to me and then I ask questions after they are finished. As far as reading ahead, my kids rarely ask me to do this but when they have I usually do. My oldest will occassionally get really into a read-aloud and I tell her that once we are finished with all of our school work we can go back to the book and read as much as she wants. We both really hate to enjoy a good book all morning only to find that we still have more school work to do!

Blessings!

I like the idea of using reading more as an incentive and "reward" for after the rest of schoolwork is completed.

We do side by side reading with questions at the end. My ds is usually too excited about what he's reading and has to explain to me ( ) what is happening in the story as he's reading. We are now working on trying to read the entire lesson before expounding on it.

For storytime, we only read what is scheduled. That leaves them excited about our next reading time!

It sounds like your child is a beginning reader, if that's the, case I wouldn't concentrate so much on reading comprehension as I would reading capabilities. When I was first teaching ds to read, I would have him look at the picture on the page we were about to read and have him tell me what he thought the story was going to be about then I would ask him if the passage matched the picture. That's a great beginning to learning reading comprehension! I also read somewhere that it helps to get boys to concentrate on what they are reading if you have them look at the picture first. It's also good for visual learners, the pictures can distract them when they are reading so by having them look at the picture first, that's out of the way and they can concentrate on the words.

Summer... you hit the nail on the head with the visual and pictures. He is actually a rather proficient reader. But chooses to just look at the pictures and ask a ton of questions about what is this? Why did that? etc. But then isn't motivated enough to READ to get the answer. Therefore, the majority of the time I am side by side prodding him along to read and not just look at the pictures. Glad to know this is "normal" but man it can get frustrating. It takes 30 minutes to read one chapter because of his narrations and picture observing. Even when I give him the time to look it all over beforehand. None the less, I think that I need to just have the idea of questions in my head and be mentally checking whether or not he is "getting" those points instead of asking questions directly. You think?

Thanks for your comments.....

Evergreen Mama wrote:Summer... you hit the nail on the head with the visual and pictures. He is actually a rather proficient reader. But chooses to just look at the pictures and ask a ton of questions about what is this? Why did that? etc. But then isn't motivated enough to READ to get the answer. Therefore, the majority of the time I am side by side prodding him along to read and not just look at the pictures. Glad to know this is "normal" but man it can get frustrating. It takes 30 minutes to read one chapter because of his narrations and picture observing. Even when I give him the time to look it all over beforehand. None the less, I think that I need to just have the idea of questions in my head and be mentally checking whether or not he is "getting" those points instead of asking questions directly. You think?

Thanks for your comments.....

I'm glad my comments helped! With my son, I have covered the pictures with a large index card or cardstock paper (so he couldn't see through it) while I had him read. I would give him time to look at the picture, tell me what he thought the words were going to tell him then I would cover the picture. After he was done reading it then I would ask him if he thought they matched. Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't, that's how I tracked what he was comprehending.

It can be VERY frustrating! But just allow him an allotted time limit on looking at the picture and talking about it. A couple of minutes is plenty! Tell him that if he wants to talk more about it then he can after all his other school work is completed. Maybe he can talk about it with his siblings or his dad. Hope that helps you! At least you can know that yes, it is "normal" for the visual learners and that you are not alone in your frustration!!!

Davena,

All of the things the ladies suggested are wonderful helps and good answers to the questions you asked. With my little guy, who loves to stop and discuss as he goes, I always let him read the assigned pages on his own first off in a quiet area. That way he can pour over the pictures and think through all his questions as he's doing his first read.

Then, I call him and have him read it to me, without stopping to discuss until the end. That helps the flow of the story move better, and keeps him from losing his train of thought. Right after the story is over, I ask the questions as is. Then, we can discuss after that if needed. Usually by answering the questions, my little guy would bring up what he wanted to share anyway as he was answering. That left much less of my time spent waiting on him and much less wasted time for both of us.

Blessings,
Carrie

Thank you! It is such a blessing to have this board to get some nudges into the right direction and some encouragement. Thanks!