dd having a hard time with learning to read

HindaRochel

Fri, Feb 19 2010, 3:28 am

amother wrote:

Hinda Rochel, I don't understand something. If she can't read then how will wordless books help her? She can't write down the story and to tell a story won't help her read at all? She loves to draw and could do that all day but that won't help her read?

Thanks for answering me so far.

She "reads" the story, means she speaks out loud and hears herself "reading" and gains confidence in hearing herself (which can be part of the problem). She also learns the way a story proceeds.

You either write or unobtrusively record the story (so you can write it later without interrupting her) and so she can have a written copy of it. She doesn't need to necessarily read that, it is, again, a confidence builder. Children love to see that you think their words are important. However, many children will want to learn to read their own words. They said the words, so it is of interest to them. You can suggest that she reads the story to her father or grandparents or whatever relative or friend she looks up to and enjoys being with (and who'll give her lots of positive feedback. What is wanted here is "wow, what an interesting story. I liked how Miriam stopped said "these flowers are so full of color that they'll cheer grandma up" or whatever. But NOT "now try and read this word sweetie..." or even correcting the errors.

You can use wordless books to help them increase their vocabulary. (Oh, you know another word for happy is elated. Which is the pretty word do you think?) You can show them how the word looks (you write it and you read it.) Another idea is to write the word, as an outline, have her trace it, read it, and then color and decorate it. Make a game of that as well. She'll tell you the word, you write it, read it, then have her read it and color it in. Those become HER words.

I blogged about the issue, just today. Your post made me think, and as I had that issue in the past just gave my not so humble opinion on it. If you like, ask and I'll send you the link.

All of which is important in learning to read.

amother

Tue, Feb 23 2010, 5:38 pm

different amother here:
I'm following this thread closely since my 7 yr old son doesnt like to read and reads at a maybe first grade level, and he's in second grade.
he's not learning english in school, so I have to give him whatever he'll get, and I guess I'm not practicing enough with him.
my problem is that he's not interested in learning to read.
I've managed to get him to the level where he can read basic easy words, but not fluently.
I clicked on that link, marina with jack is 6 and printed it for him. he read the whole paragraph in 3 minutes 10 seconds with about 5-10 mistakes.
he loves computer games, does anyone have any suggestions for online games that encourage reading?
not starfall since he learned how to play without reading a single word.
something that he must choose the right word for what is being said lets say, or matching the word to the picture.
I've been searching, and cant find anything good.
I've done readingeggs
its a great program, but he's finished it and once your kid knows the letters and basic sounds there's not much left to learn, though they are constantly updating it. maybe for my next kid they'll have the next levels ready.

HindaRochel

Wed, Feb 24 2010, 4:20 am

amother wrote:

First if he is in 2nd grade and reading at first grade level, he really isn't all that far behind. Boys especially sometimes need more time to develop fluency.

I don't know any specific games, but here is scholastic listing of various games/reading fun.
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/learn.jsp

and another site that looks good.
http://www.woodlands-junior.ke......html

Set yourself a half an hour, look through and see if anything hits the target for your son. If so, lmk and I'll try and find more for you.

amother

Wed, Feb 24 2010, 3:30 pm

I'm the op. Thanks everyone for your advice. I printed Marina's Jack page and we did it. She was able to read the whole paragraph but it took forever. I'm not ready to time her yet because she is not up to that right now I just want her to learn how to read I'm not ready for accuracy or fluency yet. Starfall wasn't right for her I don't know she just didn't like it and in order for her to do it I had to sit with her which defeats the purpose. She is getting better at reading. The fact that she could read that Jack page is amazing because two weeks ago she never would have been able to.

I'm wondering if there is a way that I can explain to her all of the rules and if there is a website that explains it because I don't know them all myself either.

Thanks again Hinda Rochel for all of your help.

pecan

Wed, Feb 24 2010, 3:44 pm

Definitely check her vision. Sometimes, all a child needs is reading glasses.
You may want to take her to a good reading specialist, if for no other reason than to set your mind at ease.
Practice reading every day. Do not skip a day. I give chocolate chips for every two lines.
I sometimes read while my child points. That way he will hear how fluent reading should sound.
Is there progress? Some kids take longer than others, but it's important to see progress. If you're not seeing any progress, those are big red flags.
Jumpstart and reader rabbit and arthur are all very helpful, if you make sure to get the right one.