How to help a poor reader?

[ihvnangel]

I am unsure what to do with my older son. I am not really sure what level reading he is at. We have been reading through "The Whipping Boy" and quite a bit of it has been hard for him. We are going to be doing Bigger this year. I will combine him (he is 11) and my just turned 10 year old, who reads about on level, but could still use more practice to get faster and more fluent. So what can I do?? Should I buy some intense phonics program? Should I take them both through the reading lesson? Should I just continue reading to them and with them? Add in extra? They aren't able to do a whole lot of extra reading on their own becuase they just aren't that sure of themselves yet. Help, any advice greatly appreciated. At the rate we are going now, I am afraid their younger sister is going to pass them in reading. She is flying through TRL, and loving it.. I am amazed at how quickly she is getting this whole reading process down. Why do my boys have to struggle so much with all the reading/spelling type things? I know when I was in school, I was a later reader and the teachers had wanted to put me on the drug for adhd, but my mom said no. Once I finally caught on I loved reading and loved school, I am hoping it will be the same with the boys, but wonder when it will happen??!

[water2wine]

One of the best things I have found to do is to let them read to themselves first, have them narrate or answer questions orally to you and then have them read aloud back to you. It does take time but it really produces results. I do this with all my kids who are learning to read or needing more fluency. I have one with cerebral palsy and this works especially well with her. The books need to be a challenge but not too far of a reach. Lots of times they trick themselves into believing a word is something other than what it is. This helps them to really read every word. HTH.

[tnahid]

This does help my 10 year old to read the assigned section to himself first and then I let him choose which three pages he wants to read aloud to me. He is an okay reader, but is very blah when reading and has a hard time inflection. It is so montone and he skips little words here and there! (Just like my hubby, BTW, an engineer, very math oriented). Anyway, my youngest who is 7 really reads better than he does already, soooooo...

I think listening to books on CD or live action dramas might help. My 10 year old loves those.

Just some thoughts!

Tina

[4Hispraise]

And what helped my struggling reader was DITHOR 2/3 (he was 10, and at a beginning 2nd grade reading level). I did the same as the pp. I let him read assigned pages on his own first, and then had him read 2-3 pages aloud to me. Two times a week, we would complete the assignment together, taking turns reading (I would read a page, he would read a page) and then completing the DITHOR pages together. By the end of the year, he was in DITHOR 4/5 and reading at or above grade level by himself(amazingly, he was eating up The Chronicles of Narnia - whew!). Our first book was The Whipping Boy...and I really thought we would never make it through. BUT, the way DITHOR is set up really built his comprehension and reading together really built his confidence. Praying God gives you the wisdom to know what will help your ds.

[my3sons]

Such good ideas here already! I had my ds silently read before reading aloud to me too. That really helped him work through words on his own first, so by the time he read it to me, he could do better with it. I also kept the DITHOR readings very short, like 4 pages a day. I love what the pp had to say about DITHOR 2/3, and I agree, I think doing it in that manner would really work well. DITHOR helps dc make gains in their reading slow and steady. It's an excellent reading program. I would also get audio books if you can, from your library, or Amazon carries some, as does Blackstone Audio. Studies have shown that dc's reading comprehension can improve by as much as 2 grade levels just by listening to audio books WHILE FOLLOWING ALONG WITH THE BOOK for at least 10-15 minutes a day. Here's a pp with some audio book ideas:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=5249&p=38480

In Christ,
Julie

[1shortmomof4]

I have an 11 year old that has struggled to learn to read but finally, finally, he is making the progress in faster increments than over the past years while learning to read. He has handwriting issues, too, but those are much easier to accommodate but reading is a much bigger challenge. I've used the SL readers from their Reads 2 Reg/Intermediate and now starting the Advanced level list for the past three years - it gradually increases in reading level in small bits rather than bigger jumps. I've also used the lexile website to find books at his reading level for more ideas (some books were a bit "girlie"). I have also used books-on-tape and we've sat side-by-side and took turns reading opposite pages. I also encourage a time each day for personal reading and for those books I choose ones that are BELOW his reading level - this builds speed and confidence and enjoyment. That for me was the biggest key - I wanted him to enjoy the reading and not find it a chore. When the child has to really work at reading and comprehending the story it begins to turn reading into a chore rather than a pleasure. Another key thing I've been using is All About Spelling because it gradually reviews the phonics as it related to spelling but he's getting a second review of phonics which shores up the skills, too. He loves AAS and has remarked that he never thought he'd ever be able to spell "those words" (his words, not mine). I am hoping to start DITHOR a little later this year but I won't press too much. He has a younger sibling (3 years younger) who seems to be a natural reader and that pressure is enough to keep him working at the reading, rather than anything I can say or do.

Hope that helps or encourages you.
Heidi

[lmercon]

I pm'ed you!