All About Grooming & Encouraging Good Reading Habits

[mummy of 2]

jedamum:

RE toddler books

my younger boy likes me to read and re-read Alphabet Books (Alphabet Adventure, Mystery, Rescue) by Audrey Wood. he likes PD Eastman's books. i did get only a few of Usborne First Reading books in the library (eg http://www.amazon.com/Wish-Fish-First-Reading-Level/dp/0794516971/ref=sr_1_33?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1274367466&sr=1-33, and he likes it for the illustration and few words. surprisingly, while he likes the cartoon Harry and the Bucketful of dinosaurs, he did not quite like the books...(like as in will read over and over again). recently borrowed the Dr Seuss ABC (after chancing upon the Youtube version) and he likes it - i borrowed the one with chinese words too, which he likes me to read too.

\"The Napping House\" by Audrey Wood is also a good read. Beautifully illustrated, with many repetition, the book is simple enough for toddlers to understand.

[JJmom2008]

Hi mommies,


Glad tat i come in the right time when u mommies r discussing abt Dr Seuss

My little gal juz fall in love with Dr Seuss's 'Hop On Pop' & so not wanting to miss the train, i tot i shd get my hands on his other titles ASAP. But was shocked to realise from the -ve reviews tat the board books & beginner series r the abridged version, vy much altered from the original

M vy confused & worried on how to tell from so many different versions? Pls advise. TIA.

Example : How to tell is this collection original?
http://www.amazon.com/Seusss-Beginner-Collection-Green-Socks/dp/0375851569/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1284706833&sr=1-1-fkmr0}

[Blobbi]

So sorry to hear about that, JJmom!


I thought the books are classics? I’m not an expert but all abridged books should have the words "Abridged" written somewhere, so study the cover with a magnifiying glass! The ones you posted actually look alright for this reason (and its not in the product description).

[optimistforum]

tamarind:

optimistforum:

Dear Tamarind, Clarbella, Cafelatte, Blobbi et al


Firstly, Tamarind - in answer to your question, about comparing UK state schools to Singaporean state schools; there is no comparison. Singapore is far superior!!! It is a shame that we (in the UK) who are the mother country, have the poorer literacy and numeracy levels. Our Year 2 SAT Papers in English and Maths are weak compared to equivalent papers at the end of P1. :oops:

Secondly, after seeing the Stellar Program PDF, can someone please have a look at the English Practice Book (by Jean Chua), that I mentioned earlier. I would like to know if I can use this as a standard now.

Finally, what is the school year in Singapore? I understand it starts in January. (Here in the UK, school starts in the first week of September, and finishes around the third week of July. The age cut-off date is 31 Aug. So DS1's current cohort in Year 2 (your P1) had to all be 6 years of age by 31 Aug 2009. My DS1 was 6 in July, and so is a very young six.)

Our kids go to P1 in January in the year that he turns 7 years old. For example, a 2003 child goes to P1 in 2010, even if he is born on 31 Dec 2003. My son is born in Sep, when he enters P1 he will be only 6 years 3 months old.

However, most families who can afford it, send their kids to playgroup from as young as 18 months old to start learning ABCs. It is very rare to find a child who has not gone to nursery at 3 years old. Many parents start to read English books to their babies since birth

When my girl was in kindergarten K2 (the year before P1), her kindergarten taught the Rigby Rocket turquoise series :
http://www.edventurebooks.com/Rigby/Rocket/turquoise.htm
Click here to see the words :
http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=PqBQJ1i

Roughly equivalent to Peter and Jane level 4/5. Though she has already read Charlotte's Web, Little House on the Prairie, the original Alice in Wonderland, etc, at home.

Kids who can read very well at a very young age, all learned to read at home, taught by their mommies

I taught my boy http://tamarindphonics.blogspot.com/2008/08/how-to-teach-phonics.html at home, and let him read the http://tamarindphonics.blogspot.com/2008/12/key-words-with-ladybird.html from 3 years 3 months old, he completed book 11a and is able to read Roald Dahl's books before he turns 5 years old.

I think that the majority of kids who attended kindergarten(not compulsory) are able to read at about Peter and Jane level 4, but there are also many kids who can only read at level 1 by the time they enter P1, usually in neighbourhood schools.

Those kids studying in the top primary schools in Singapore, are the ones who are best prepared by their mommies , that is why the schools need to set test papers of very high standards.

I don't have the book by Jean Chua, I will take a look when I go to Popular bookshop.

Hi Tamarind you mention that Ladybird Level 4/5 equate to Rigby Rocket Turquoise.

Can you please advise what level the Peter and Jane Keywords Books 10a, 10b through to 12b equate to in the Rigby Rocket series?

Thanks
Optimistforum

[tamarind]

Optimistforum,

The highest level of the Rigby Rocket series is only equivalent to Ladybird Peter and Jane level 4 or 5. They do not have books of a higher standard than this level.

[optimistforum]

tamarind:

Optimistforum,

The highest level of the Rigby Rocket series is only equivalent to Ladybird Peter and Jane level 4 or 5. They do not have books of a higher standard than this level.

Hi Tamarind

I hope you are well.

I would like to know how books 8a to 12b correleate with Ladybird Level 4/5, please? I.e is 8a the same as Level 1/2 ..etc. At school, he is now on Rigby Rocket Orange Level (which here is the level for the beginning of Year 2, or your P1). It then progresses to Turquoise, Purple, Gold, White and then Lime,

A quick question, please. I asked the above questions as I wanted to gauge how DS2 (dob July 2005) was doing. Since Boxing Day he's read Peter & Jane 1a, 1b through to 8b now. I expect him at this pace to have completed 12b by the Valentines Day.

It is my opinion, he may well be on course to become an independent reader - infact he already reads by himself and we do sample reading with him to validate his progress.

His teacher eulogises about his ability to understand and recapitulate what he has just read.

I need to now think of the next level of books for him. Any ideas please?

[tamarind]

optimistforum:

I would like to know how books 8a to 12b correleate with Ladybird Level 4/5, please? I.e is 8a the same as Level 1/2 ..etc. At school, he is now on Rigby Rocket Orange Level (which here is the level for the beginning of Year 2, or your P1). It then progresses to Turquoise, Purple, Gold, White and then Lime,

Hi,
I am fine

I don't quite understand your first question. When I said Ladybird level 4/5, I meant the Peter and Jane books 4a,4b,5a,5b. I refer to books 8a to 12b as levels 8 to 12. These books are far more advanced than books at level 4 and 5. Hope this clarifies your first question.

I have only seen the Turquoise and lower levels of the Rigby Rocket books, I have not seen the levels higher than Turquoise, so I cannot comment on those.

Once a child has completed books 12a and 12b of the Peter and Jane books. There is no need to read any other graded readers. He should start to read all the wonderful children's classics.

Check this page in my blog :
http://tamarindphonics.blogspot.com/2010/03/picture-books-from-my-home-library.html

I have listed many excellent books, and I have indicated the reading level of each book. For example, a book with reading level 10 means that a child who has completed Peter and Jane books 10a and 10b, should be able to read most of the words in this book.

All the books in my blog are wonderful, especially Lafcadio The Lion Who Shot Back and Three Tales of My Father's Dragon which must be read by every child.

The books in this page are for kids who are very advanced in reading :
http://tamarindphonics.blogspot.com/2010/03/importance-of-reading-books.html

[optimistforum]

Hi Tamarind


I am in need of help with DS1 and reading. He is 7 years and 7 months. When I started this post a year ago, I mentioned he was great at MCQ comprehension, but poor at O/E. He is now very good at both - scoring full marks in P3 comprehensions.

He has, however, admitted he hates reading. He reads to decode but not understand. When he comes across difficult words he uses the dictionary and tries to remember the definitions rather than understand them (in the context they were used in the story). This manifests itself in his poor speaking and writing ability. He is great at cloze only when word options are given, but would struggle if he had to come up with words. How can I enthuse him with reading? I have tried all genres to appeal to him. He just wants to watch TV or play the Wii.

DS2 on the other hand is 5 years 7 months, and just now reading Peter & Jane 11a, and reads to decode and understand - in fact he is an erudite and enthusiastic reader! Should I reign in DS1, and get him to re-start his reading with similar level books as DS2?

[tamarind]

optimistforum:

Hi Tamarind


I am in need of help with DS1 and reading. He is 7 years and 7 months. When I started this post a year ago, I mentioned he was great at MCQ comprehension, but poor at O/E. He is now very good at both - scoring full marks in P3 comprehensions.

He has, however, admitted he hates reading. He reads to decode but not understand. When he comes across difficult words he uses the dictionary and tries to remember the definitions rather than understand them (in the context they were used in the story). This manifests itself in his poor speaking and writing ability. He is great at cloze only when word options are given, but would struggle if he had to come up with words. How can I enthuse him with reading? I have tried all genres to appeal to him. He just wants to watch TV or play the Wii.

DS2 on the other hand is 5 years 7 months, and just now reading Peter & Jane 11a, and reads to decode and understand - in fact he is an erudite and enthusiastic reader! Should I reign in DS1, and get him to re-start his reading with similar level books as DS2?

Hi optimistforum,
One suggestion is to let him watch a movie, then read the book.
For example, both my kids loved to watch \"Charlie and the chocolate factory\" by Johnny Depp. They were also very enthusiastic when I asked them to read the book by Roald Dahl.

I also tried to act out the story with my kids when possible :
http://tamarindphonics.blogspot.com/2010/02/developing-love-for-reading.html

My boy especially really enjoyed it.

My boy actually prefers non-fiction books. He likes to read children's encyclopedia. You can try to find books on topics that your son is interested in. For example, if he like dinosaurs, then get him lots of books about dinosaurs.

I don't think you should let your DS1 read the same level of books at DS2. Instead, keep trying to find books that will interest him.

One suggestion is the Fog mound series :
http://www.amazon.com/Travels-Thelonious-Mound-Susan-Schade/dp/0689876858/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1297572380&sr=8-1

Written in chapters that alternate between traditional prose and comic-book format, these books are good for encouraging kids to read.

I have compulsory reading time everyday. My kids can read independently since 5 years old, but now I still ask them to read out loud from a book of my choice everyday, usually 5 to 10 pages (about 200 words on each page). They are also free to read any other books they like on their own. My kids enjoy reading out loud to me, and I think this is an excellent way to develop a love for reading.

Note that I ban all computer and electronic games at home. Without such games, the most interesting thing to do is read

Check out my blog for other suggestions :
http://tamarindphonics.blogspot.com/2010/07/how-to-motivate-your-child-to-read.html

[DC Mummy]

Hi Tamarind


I have reading your post about teaching a preschooler to read with great interest. However, I am not a diligent mum who can prepare the phonics materials as you did. I put my DS in ICR (nearly 10 months) and also bought some ready materials from popular store to teach him in the evening.

Presently, my 4 year old DS (born Jan’07) is able to read the P&J series quite well with understanding and not much help needed so far. He had started with P&J book 2a (about 6 months ago) till now at 7a. I will also make it a daily routine for him to read aloud 2 to 3 pages every day. However, I realized that he is good and fluent in reading P&J series as those are simple, repeating and common wordings. Thus, I would like to expose him reading in some other short stories, just to increase his learning of new words through phonic decoding + sight reading. Having this thought in mind, I have been reading to him a page or a short paragraph and then ask him to repeat reading to me again. I am just wondering, if this an effective way or should it be the other way by asking DS to read to me first?

My DS loves reading books but I have to be the one reading to him instead of the other way…Whenever I ask him to read first, he will hesitate and give excuses or exchange terms with me eg you read this paragraph first, then I will read the other paragraph.