All About Grooming & Encouraging Good Reading Habits

[Busymom]

EN


Yes, for Harry Potter, the first 2 books are very thin and should be easier to read than the next 5 (the 3rd one starts to get thicker).

How about also trying the Chronicles of Narnia? Each of the 7 books aren’t very thick and a little mysterious, I would say.

[Busymom]

I would also recommend Adventures of the Little Wooden Horse by Ursula Moray Williams. My DD loves it. You could check out Amazon.com for a review of the book. It is suitable for children age 4-8.


http://www.amazon.co.uk/Adventures-Little-Wooden-Kingfisher-Classics/dp/0753405946/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1260235660&sr=1-1

[en107rn.01056yahoo.01056com.01056sg]

Thanks Busymom


I now have array of authors for ds to check out. These will help to balance the number of fictional versus non-fictional books that he likes better.

[The Alternative Story]

Hi everyone,


I am an educator at The Alternative Story and I am not a parent. However, as a teacher, I have found these books rather good. I hope it helps.

1) Magic Treehouse series

This series follows a brother and sister as they travel through time to events such as man's first landing on the moon, the destruction of Pompeii etc. The vocabulary used is quite good and it helps the child to pick out words that describe action. It is appropriate for children aged 7 - 9.

2) Tremors (only available at Borders)

The stories are rather exciting and although the books are thin (aboout 15-25 pages), the sentence structures used are varied and the vocabulary is also rich. This is especially useful for reluctant readers who are aged 10- 12.

3) Books by Anthony Horowitz

He has a series that is based on a character, Alex Rider, who is a 14 year old spy. This book is action packed and has extremely rich vocabulary that can be used to aid in writing. He uses a lot of personification in the stories that help make the stories come alive. The books are suitable for children aged 10 - 13.

I would update you if I find anything else that is good.

[Chengg]

Hi The Alternative Story,


What books are good for non-fiction for a primary 6 level, books to inspire them to want to read more?

Chengg

[Yong HL]

Hi all


i am somewhat glad i am not alone in this. I am facing the same problem as Optimistforum with my 5yr old daughter. I have just started her on book 6 of Peter & Jane series. She can read fluently but cant remember the story (or couldnt understand? i dont know how to tell the difference). And yes, she clams up too when i start quizzing her on the story. Just this afternoon, i screamed at her coz i am really frustrated that she cant even tell me who said this & that, when the story is pretty straightfoward on that. I really regret that. I know she is struggling but i cant help but to really scream and also mention the word \"stupid\" to her which i really really really regret now. i know i shldnt say the \"stupid\" word but somehow it just....

I need advise..

1. how do i know whether i am expecting too much from her? or that by giving her MCQ, if she can answer, means she is ok? or she must be able to answer open ended questions then considered as \"normal\"?

2. how do you keep your cool when teaching homework? somehow parents do expect high standard from own kids, thats y we lose our cool easily? i am really in a regret mode now. i really hate to scream at her but i am already at my boiling tip.

Thanks in advance for all the help...

[radiantmum]

I will go according to the kid's speed and readiness and remind myself that at this age, it is NOT IMPORTANT how fast the kid can read and understand but rather how to get him/her interested in reading ... Personally, I never read Peter n Jane to my DS 'cos I find the series so boring myself.


I heard a piece of advice from someone before, which I think makes sense ... if we find that we as a parent cannot control our temper or emotions in teaching our kid - - OUTSOURCE ... husband, enrichment centre, tuition centres etc ... :love:

[tamarind]

Yong HL:

Hi all


i am somewhat glad i am not alone in this. I am facing the same problem as Optimistforum with my 5yr old daughter. I have just started her on book 6 of Peter & Jane series. She can read fluently but cant remember the story (or couldnt understand? i dont know how to tell the difference). And yes, she clams up too when i start quizzing her on the story. Just this afternoon, i screamed at her coz i am really frustrated that she cant even tell me who said this & that, when the story is pretty straightfoward on that. I really regret that. I know she is struggling but i cant help but to really scream and also mention the word \"stupid\" to her which i really really really regret now. i know i shldnt say the \"stupid\" word but somehow it just....

I need advise..

1. how do i know whether i am expecting too much from her? or that by giving her MCQ, if she can answer, means she is ok? or she must be able to answer open ended questions then considered as \"normal\"?

2. how do you keep your cool when teaching homework? somehow parents do expect high standard from own kids, thats y we lose our cool easily? i am really in a regret mode now. i really hate to scream at her but i am already at my boiling tip.

Thanks in advance for all the help...

Actually for kids below the age of 6, we should focus on inputs only. We let the kids read out loud, then act out the story with them to make sure that they understand, or explain it to them. Don't try to test them by asking them too many questions. Encourage them to ask questions instead.

What I did was to just let my kids read the Peter and Jane series, I answered any questions that they ask. If they didn't ask, I assumed that they know. If I think that they may not understand any parts, I explained it to them. I did not test them at all. Both my kids finish reading level 11 of the Peter and Jane series this way. Then they start to read many other books.

My girl's level of understanding is very good, she can remember many details of the books that even I have forgotten. My 5 year old boy's understanding is not as good as my girl. He has just finished reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He asks many questions as he reads, and I spend most of my time answering his questions, instead of asking him questions.

Reading should be fun and interesting for the child. If we put too much pressure on them by testing them every time they read, they are going to feel so stressed and may dislike reading. I try my best to make it fun for my boy. For example, tonight when reading the original Winnie-the-pooh by A. A. Milne, I explained the word \"aimed\" and the phrase \"did I miss\". We played a game of throwing things at each other, and there was so much fun and laughter.

It takes a lot of time for a child to learn to read and to really understand what they are reading. We have to be patient. The child may have to read many other books after the Peter and Jane series in order to have a very good level of understanding.

When I lose my patience, I ask my hubby to take over

[tamarind]

radiantmum:

I will go according to the kid's speed and readiness and remind myself that at this age, it is NOT IMPORTANT how fast the kid can read and understand but rather how to get him/her interested in reading ... Personally, I never read Peter n Jane to my DS 'cos I find the series so boring myself.


I heard a piece of advice from someone before, which I think makes sense ... if we find that we as a parent cannot control our temper or emotions in teaching our kid - - OUTSOURCE ... husband, enrichment centre, tuition centres etc ... :love:

I absolutely agree with you that it is most important to get a child interested in reading. The trick is to find interesting books for him, books that will make him want to turn the pages to find out what happens next.

BTW the Peter and Jane series is designed for kids to read out loud, it is not meant for parents to read to kids. If parents know how to use this series correctly, it is the best series for teaching kids to read, and it has worked wonders for both my kids. After completing the series, kids can read the newspaper and any English book fluently.

As for sending to enrichment classes, my girl has attended phonics class before. After every lesson, the teacher came out and showed the parents how to revise with the kids at home. Parents still have to teach the kids at home everyday, one hour a week at the enrichment class is definitely not enough.

Both my kids attend Berries class. I often hear the teachers telling some parents that their kids are weak, and they must make the kids practice reading the lessons everyday.

Sending kids to enrichment class does not mean that parents can relax at home.

[sleepy]

optimistforum:

Hi


My son is 6, born July 2003. He is good at reading, but no so much at understanding what he has read. Presently, he is reading Roald Dahl's Esio Trot. He can read a page, but never understand nor remember what has happened in the story.

If I let my girl read Harry Potter, I believe she can read but I doubt she would understand the story. Merely reading the words or sentences versus truely understand the story require different level of literacy.

I attended a talk last year. The speaker mentioned in situation like this, that book is too difficult for the child.