My child and reading......teachers feel free to chime in

[Disneyhenry]

my son is in the 4th grade, he is crazy about math! Everything math all the time, has been since he discovered it at age 3. At his 1st conference in 1st grade I was prepared for his teacher to say he is ahead in math and behind in reading, nope she asked to put him in 2nd grade math and reading.
Last year he found reading the Diary of the wimpy kid and Captain Underpants series tolerable lol. His teacher wants him to read 30 minutes a day, of course he dreads it but then He just got a couple books in those series that he hasn’t read yet. However his teacher says these are not books! I have spent money on Harry Potter, Ronald Dahl, James Patterson (kid ones) and he has no desire to read them at all. I have even tried to read with him - boring, he will actually ask if we can do math. Of course I’m scared to teach him anymore because they changed math. He loves negativite numbers, division lol
So what do you think? Is diary of the wimpy kid a book? Captain Underpants?
What should I do?
Any ideas on what a good series would be great too - thx

 

[DisneySwede]

Hey! Not a teacher but a librarian here....the idea that "quality" books are the only ones worth reading has come and gone, reading period is the important thing, so if he likes Diary of a wimpy kid and captain underpants let him read those. Other series books that come to mind are Goosebumps or Narnia, Hunger Games or if he likes math why not read some nonfiction books that have to do with math or any other topic he is interested in. The important thing is reading isn't a chore.

 

[2DisPrincesses]

I also wouldn’t care what he is reading, as long as he is reading. What about those choose your own adventure type books?

 

[QueenIsabella]

If he has to read 30 minutes a day, then he needs to read 30 minutes a day. I would aim for subjects he likes, and let him pick the book, but he must do the reading. Take him to the library, let him decide which books--they can be fiction or non-fiction. If he wants to read a book on how to build a rocket or what it's like to live on a desert island or what breeds of cat there are--it's all good.

BTW, it's fairly well-known that kids should work on reading before math. That's because, for a lot of kids, math is much more interesting and logical--it's tough to get them to step back and work on the subtle quirks of the English language. There's nothing wrong with preferring math, but they need those language skills. I'm a reader, as is my entire family, but I'm also a total math-head. I have the same issue that you do with my DS12.

I have no issue with Wimpy Kid or Captain Underpants books. Other possibilities are the Magic Treehouse (on the simple side for 4th grade, but interesting), Series of Unfortunate Events, and Harry Potter. We have a deal in this house--you can't watch a Harry Potter movie until you've read the book--this was very motivating.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

I’d fight the teacher on that. He has to like what he’s reading, otherwise he’ll dread it.

Try breaking the 30 minuets down into smaller sections like 10 minutes after school, 10 before dinner, and 10 after bed.

Also... Try A Series of Unfortunate Events. My kids loved those at his age.

 

[HeatherC]

Let him read what HE wants. He will never love reading if he has books he has no interest in forced on him. There is nothing wrong with Captain Underpamts of Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

I am also sooo tired of every single teacher heralding the joys of Harry Potter. I am an avid, life long reader who can fly through a book in a day. Neither myself or my three kids (grown now) ...who also love to read have ever liked that series. Not everyone loves Harry Potter.

When my son was that age he also liked books by Mike Lupica. I forget some of the titles, but they were about sports and my son read everyone e of them.

Another series he liked was 38 Clues.

I would take him to Barnes and Noble and let him choose. He may choose a book about math or famous mathematicians. And that would be great!

 

[Marchand63]

He needs to find something he likes. What about autobiographies on mathematicians or scientists?

My DS was a struggle with reading until we found categories he liked, then he devoured books on his fave subjects.

 

[Lori74]

i have a hard time comprehending and retaining things im not interested in. by all means, he should read things he likes!

 

[quandrea]

Let him read what he wants! There will be plenty in his life that he has to read. I’m a reading specialist and I’m not fussy what a child reads on his own time. I use DI Reading Mastery for Instruction, which I am a huge proponent of. Grabbing his attention is what’s important for pleasure reading. My kids also love Archie comics—those count too! National geographic is great as well.

 

[barkley]

my son is in the 4th grade, he is crazy about math! Everything math all the time, has been since he discovered it at age 3. At his 1st conference in 1st grade I was prepared for his teacher to say he is ahead in math and behind in reading, nope she asked to put him in 2nd grade math and reading.
Last year he found reading the Diary of the wimpy kid and Captain Underpants series tolerable lol. His teacher wants him to read 30 minutes a day, of course he dreads it but then He just got a couple books in those series that he hasn’t read yet. However his teacher says these are not books! I have spent money on Harry Potter, Ronald Dahl, James Patterson (kid ones) and he has no desire to read them at all. I have even tried to read with him - boring, he will actually ask if we can do math. Of course I’m scared to teach him anymore because they changed math. He loves negativite numbers, division lol
So what do you think? Is diary of the wimpy kid a book? Captain Underpants?
What should I do?
Any ideas on what a good series would be great too - thx

i think both the titles you've listed are books that said-i went through this as well w/ ds's teachers. the kid was not a big reader and it was always a battle to get him to read UNTIL we found books that captured his interest-in his case it was the percy jackson books.

i just did a quick google search-try the site common sense media and search for 'books for kids who love math'. they've got a wealth of titles and their website says:

"Young science and math fans will feel right at home with these captivating stories spanning a variety of genres, including nonfiction, mysteries, fantasies, robot tales, and steampunk and graphic novels. In some novels, science or math is key to the plot. In others, the characters have a knack for math and/or science. Either way, there's plenty to choose from on our list.".

 

[Happyinwonerland]

I see both sides. You are correct in that he is reading and that certainly is better than not reading.The teachers feel that his selections are not on par with his academic level, which I also understand.

One of the educational goals of reading is not just the act of reading itself, but to expand the reader's vocabulary and worldview. By reading only a couple of series by a very select few authors, he is not going to gain the most from his reading. I've not read either series, but from my understanding the Captain Underpants books are very silly and contain a lot of toilet humor, which does not exactly help academically.

My suggestion would be to let him read his fun books. Elementary age education is all about laying down the basics and instilling a love for learning. If the teacher wants him to read more advanced literature, then they should assign it. I know when I was in 3-5th grades, the teachers had books carts filled with a varirty of titles they felt was appropriate. We were required to pick a different book each week (or two weeks, I can't remember) and read it then write a short report on it for weekend homework. Maybe his teacher could do something like that, or give a list of approved literature for him to read/write about in addition to the reading he is already doing.

 

[smiths02]

I see both sides. You are correct in that he is reading and that certainly is better than not reading.The teachers feel that his selections are not on par with his academic level, which I also understand.

One of the educational goals of reading is not just the act of reading itself, but to expand the reader's vocabulary and worldview. By reading only a couple of series by a very select few authors, he is not going to gain the most from his reading. I've not read either series, but from my understanding the Captain Underpants books are very silly and contain a lot of toilet humor, which does not exactly help academically.

My suggestion would be to let him read his fun books. Elementary age education is all about laying down the basics and instilling a love for learning. If the teacher wants him to read more advanced literature, then they should assign it. I know when I was in 3-5th grades, the teachers had books carts filled with a varirty of titles they felt was appropriate. We were required to pick a different book each week (or two weeks, I can't remember) and read it then write a short report on it for weekend homework. Maybe his teacher could do something like that, or give a list of approved literature for him to read/write about in addition to the reading he is already doing.

Most Diary of a Wimpy Kid books are at a Lexile of 950-1060 (actually a little bit higher than the Harry Potter books which run 880-950) and Captain Underpants runs 630-850
740-875 would be a good reading level for most 4th graders.

The problem with going much higher in Lexile is that the books tend to then be about topics that aren't appropriate for 9-10 year olds.

 

[smiths02]

I should add, my son's teachers have been more flexible (mostly). A few things we did that helped...find a book with a movie and read the book and then get to watch the movie (PP suggested that with Harry Potter...we did it with The Hiding Place and the first Percy Jackson book as well). Also, research shows that being read to is still good even in later elementary school. When we started Harry Potter, my DS was capable of reading it, but he had a hard time being interested and paying attention. We took turns reading it aloud to each other and it was an activity for us to do together. Now that he is older, we still read books together in a book club kind of way.

 

[samheatherwhite]

Stuart Gibbs has some fun books for that age range and the Fablehaven books are nice as well. The Mysterious Benedict Society is my 11 year old current favorite.

 

[Happyinwonerland]

Most Diary of a Wimpy Kid books are at a Lexile of 950-1060 (actually a little bit higher than the Harry Potter books which run 880-950) and Captain Underpants runs 630-850
740-875 would be a good reading level for most 4th graders.

The problem with going much higher in Lexile is that the books tend to then be about topics that aren't appropriate for 9-10 year olds.

It is about more than Lexile though. It is about subject matter and maturity. Sure, toilet humor is fun sometimes. And I think comedic reading is very beneficial. But I think it is a bad idea to limit it to just a few series and styles. A 4th grader will gain far different lessons from Where the Red Fern Grows, The Watsons Go to Birmingham, Holes, The Call of the Wild, Matilda, James and the Giant Peach, Goosebumps, Percy Jackson, etc. All of these are great books for kids to read, and all of them will engage different emotions, use varied language and grammar, introduce characters from a multitude of times and places.

 

[quandrea]

It is about more than Lexile though. It is about subject matter and maturity. Sure, toilet humor is fun sometimes. And I think comedic reading is very beneficial. But I think it is a bad idea to limit it to just a few series and styles. A 4th grader will gain far different lessons from Where the Red Fern Grows, The Watsons Go to Birmingham, Holes, The Call of the Wild, Matilda, James and the Giant Peach, Goosebumps, Percy Jackson, etc. All of these are great books for kids to read, and all of them will engage different emotions, use varied language and grammar, introduce characters from a multitude of times and places.

Agreed. This is where I see the place for rich language instruction. If the teacher’s reading program is robust, what the child reads in his off time is less important. We homeschool and my reading program is full of rich texts with excellent character and theme development. We spend about two hours a day on reading. What my kids read in their off time is less important to me. I do find that they have moved away from Wimpy Kid and crave better writing. I think that comes in time with solid reading instruction. I’d turn it around and ask what texts the teacher is teaching. It’s not enough to ask a student to read thirty minutes a day, a book of his choosing. The teacher needs to select texts and build a reading program. When I was in the classroom, that unfortunately was not happening.

 

[smiths02]

It is about more than Lexile though. It is about subject matter and maturity. Sure, toilet humor is fun sometimes. And I think comedic reading is very beneficial. But I think it is a bad idea to limit it to just a few series and styles. A 4th grader will gain far different lessons from Where the Red Fern Grows, The Watsons Go to Birmingham, Holes, The Call of the Wild, Matilda, James and the Giant Peach, Goosebumps, Percy Jackson, etc. All of these are great books for kids to read, and all of them will engage different emotions, use varied language and grammar, introduce characters from a multitude of times and places.

I think this can be done in class; there should be a literature focus in class. This can also be done as parent reading to child (I have a friend who just read her 4 year old James and the Giant Peach). The independent reading 20-30 minutes per night should be something the child ENJOYS reading. Great literature is important. In elementary school, though, it is more important that the child learns to read and LOVES to read. Book reports and forced reading does not help that in 4th grade.

 

[Happyinwonerland]

Agreed. This is where I see the place for rich language instruction. If the teacher’s reading program is robust, what the child reads in his off time is less important. We homeschool and my reading program is full of rich texts with excellent character and theme development. We spend about two hours a day on reading. What my kids read in their off time is less important to me. I do find that they have moved away from Wimpy Kid and crave better writing. I think that comes in time with solid reading instruction. I’d turn it around and ask what texts the teacher is teaching. It’s not enough to ask a student to read thirty minutes a day, a book of his choosing. The teacher needs to select texts and build a reading program. When I was in the classroom, that unfortunately was not happening.

I guess that's what I was describing earlier in my post regarding the reading carts. It allowed the student to choose what they read, but limited the choices to various books the teacher felt would be beneficial.

I also homeschool (our homeschooler is only 6 though, so language arts still consists of reading simple books together and me or DH reading chapter books to her) and one of the reasons we homeschool is that we don't feel effective learning is happening in today's classrooms. So you are probably correct that the teacher in question hasn't bothered to/or likely doesn't have the authority to design a language arts program tailored to the students.

 

[Happyinwonerland]

I think this can be done in class; there should be a literature focus in class. This can also be done as parent reading to child (I have a friend who just read her 4 year old James and the Giant Peach). The independent reading 20-30 minutes per night should be something the child ENJOYS reading. Great literature is important. In elementary school, though, it is more important that the child learns to read and LOVES to read. Book reports and forced reading does not help that in 4th grade.

I think both are beneficial and both have a place in the 4th grade cirriculum. Children should be leisure reading 30 mins a day. They should also be reading for education and comprehension, and the book reports absolutely help to accomplish that. It doesn't have to be either pleasure reading or assigned reading, kids can do both.

 

[Hrhpd]

If he has to read 30 minutes a day, then he needs to read 30 minutes a day. I would aim for subjects he likes, and let him pick the book, but he must do the reading. Take him to the library, let him decide which books--they can be fiction or non-fiction. If he wants to read a book on how to build a rocket or what it's like to live on a desert island or what breeds of cat there are--it's all good.

BTW, it's fairly well-known that kids should work on reading before math. That's because, for a lot of kids, math is much more interesting and logical--it's tough to get them to step back and work on the subtle quirks of the English language. There's nothing wrong with preferring math, but they need those language skills. I'm a reader, as is my entire family, but I'm also a total math-head. I have the same issue that you do with my DS12.

I have no issue with Wimpy Kid or Captain Underpants books. Other possibilities are the Magic Treehouse (on the simple side for 4th grade, but interesting), Series of Unfortunate Events, and Harry Potter. We have a deal in this house--you can't watch a Harry Potter movie until you've read the book--this was very motivating.

My kids are grown now. Our whole family are scientists and engineers, so math was a big part in our household. My boys were much like yours, they preferred to do math problems than read. I gave in to some extent and now I absolutely regret it. I am an avid reader and I regret not pushing the 30 minutes of reading a day. Neither my sons nor my husband ever learned the joy of reading. They did go into well paying science based engineering jobs, so the math helped, but I do regret that they won't pick up a book for pleasure.

Luckily, my one son did get into the Harry Potter books at that age. He read all of them starting in 2nd grade. The other series you might try that he enjoyed were the Red Fern books. My other son actually enjoyed the Animorphs series. All old series, but they appealed to their science minds and I didn't have to pull teeth to get them to read.