wondering about my stepson

[silly]

Okay, another question

My stepson always comes and stays with us over the summer. He is in public school through the year, and will just be finishing 3rd grade. He's always had trouble with reading (in school, he does well at home) and so each year, I try and work with him on reading.

Well, my dh talked to his mom the other day and she said she wants to keep him over the summer so he can take some remedial reading classes. We do not get to see him at any other time of the year because of the distance. Dh told her that I'd be more than happy to work on his reading here.

And, so, the first thought that came to mind was Drawn into the heart.... I will only have three months with him, but could this be useful? She can't tell me exactly what it is he's having trouble with, personally, I think he just gets bored. Still, if I used a "program" then she'd be happy.

How do you think that would work? I was thinking that if we used this program, I could continue to email him "lessons" when he got home, but I don't know if that would work well. Of course, I'll be using this for my other boys as they get to that level, so it won't hurt to get the guide and all, but I'm just wondering if it would benefit dss at all.........

[joyfulheart]

As a mom of a 8 year old currently IN Public school remedial reading, and I have a sister who IS a remedial reading teacher-- I DEFINATELY KNOW you can do it at home!

My 8 year old goes and spends 45 minutes a day reading out loud. It's usually simple books, a grade below his level. He reads out loud, then has to tell (in complete sentences) the main charachter of the story, the problem in the story, the solution in the story, and the funniest/scariest part of the story. (for comprehension which is a problem for him)

If he misses the comprehension, he reads the story again.

Now, for my son, he is required to readout loud. This is for many reasons. 1-- he will "pretend" to read, b ut he's not. 2-- to see what types of words trip him up and work on those words 3-- to time his speed.

The biggest game that he loves is his speed. They time a text of book the first time he reads it. For example-- 1 minute timed, 10 mistakes, XX words total.

Every day he reads the same paragraph. As soon as he beats his time with 0 mistakes, he gets a prize. And they make a BIG deal out of it!

Also he is sent home with a book he has to read for 20 minutes every night. He gets to choose the book. Right now, his favorite is Professor Poopypants (not as nasty as it sounds, LOL definately a BOY book!)

That's it.

That's what the lovely Public School system considers Remedial reading.

[joyfulheart]

Ok, just re-read and realized you're trying to make the mom happy!

DEFINATELY use HOD.

Then, you provide her copies of progress.

Show her a clip of text that you timed him on.
Show her his progress on the same text.

Show her his level of comprehension, and how that improves.

Show her the list of required reading books (and their levels)

Tell her it is a curriculum provem to improve reading in children. She'll be happy. Oh, and remind her that with you doing the program, the student to teacher ratio is 1:1, instead of 20:1

[kerby]

Sasha, I think having a program to do w/ him would definitely be a plus. It would provide his mom something specific that you are doing w/ him. Who knows, because you are only focusing on his reading, you may even cover more than you think.

I also like the ideas that joyfulheart mentioned, too. You could even send her "progress reports" every so often to help put her at ease. And the set-up that joyfulheart mentioned sounds like it would fit the bill. I'm sure that DITHOR has things you could share w/ her, too, but I haven't used it so I can't share specifics.

K

[silly]

Thanks, ladies! Previously, I had just made sure he read, read, read while he was visiting us, he has a library card and we'd take advantage of the summer reading program there, etc.

However, this year, his mama feels he needs to do something more structured, and that's why she wanted him doing the remedial reading class. She's *not* into homeschooling in the least. But, since summer is basically the only time we have with him, we really needed to come up with a compromise. I know that I could do just fine with him on my own, but I think that chosing a reading program will make her a little happier. Plus, it's something she can show to his teacher next year, to let her know that actually, he reads just fine (and he does, he really hates homework and that's what drags his grades down).

Personally, I have problems with the amount of homework he gets, too. And, I think it's ridiculous to have a perfectly fine reader take a remedial reading class in order to be able to advance, but I'm not his mama (obviously, it wouldn't be an issue ).