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

[PollyannaMom]

Part of my struggle is finding good books for boys. I'm not looking for great literature, but just books that don't encourage violence, rudeness or disrespect. We've done Magic Treehouse, A to Z Mysteries, Bailey School Kids, Hardy Boys...

Maybe "The Boxcar Children"?
...a classic children's literary franchise originally created and written by the American first-grade school teacher Gertrude Chandler Warner. Today, the series includes well over 150 titles. The series is aimed at readers in grades 2–6. (from Wikipedia)

There is also a series with titles "______ According to Humphrey" that my DS enjoyed as bedtime stories when he was younger. They're about a classroom hamster. I don't remember the exact reading level, though.

 

[QueenIsabella]

I'm a huge fan of the "Great Brain" series. They'll have you laughing one minute, crying the next.

Magazines can be a great choice, too--whether it's Boy's Life, Popular Mechanics, or National Geographic. All you're looking to do is find that spark that lights the match that starts the fire of a lifetime love of reading.

 

[DiaryofaDisneyKid]

I am a homeschooling mom of three and am a huge reader. My opinion is similar to many others as far as let them read what they enjoy and maybe they will expand their horizons. My 10 year old son LOVED the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. We own the books and he has quite literally read the entire series probably 20 times. When he was 8 and 9 he would finish all 13 books and then start over. He probably did that for almost a year. I would try to encourage him to read something else, but that is always what he chose. Fast forward to now and he is a more comfortable and fluent reader. He has read the entire Lemony Snicket series, the fantastic series by Suzanne Collins of Hunger Games fame called Gregor the Overlander series (this one is truly wonderful and not talked about as much), the Secret Series, and many more. He has also read many more of the comic/novel hybrid books such as the Origami Yoda series. My point is, let the kids read what they want, and hopefully they will learn to enjoy reading. While reading is not my son's favorite activity, he still does it and enjoys picking out new books and reading before bed at night.

This sounds like my 11 year old son! He did the same thing and read the entire Wimpy Kid series over and over again when he was younger. He would first read his required reading every night for school and then he would start reading his Wimpy Kid books. I think what Jeff Kinney gets right is knowing how to write a funny book that pre teen boys actually like! I always went over the books with my son and he understood they were funny stories, not the way he should behave. My son now has tested at a reading level Grades higher then he is actually in and is the politest kid ever. The key was finding something he enjoyed reading! He will still read a new Wimpy Kid book when it comes out, but has branched out to read many other different things. He especially loves anything National Geographic right now!

 

[NotUrsula]

In my days in public libraries, I found that the issue for most teachers in deciding whether or not graphic novels (which CU & DOAWK are, though not as pretty as some) met the reading time requirement was actually the number of words per page. It wasn't that they really objected to the content, it was just that they wanted the kids to get so many words in for their 30 minutes. Heavily illustrated editions draw your brain into looking at the pictures as much as you are reading the text, which means that you are not getting in as much actual processing of language in the same amount of time.

The average large-print paperback has about 250 words/page. I always found that that was a fairly good gauge for regular illustrated chapter books as well, because the usual average for non-illustrated paperbacks is about 400 words/page. By contrast, the average CU title is about 50 words/page, and DOAWK ranges between 50-125. I'm all for kids reading whatever will catch their interest, but check to see if this is part of the teacher's objection. If so, extending the time he spends reading each night (or each week, counting weekends) to somewhat equalize the word count should do the trick. So, 30 minutes of Artemis Fowl is equal to 90 minutes of DOAWK or 2.5 hours of CU. If he really likes these books, spending extra time reading them shouldn't be much of a hardship. Maybe you can also mix it up with some math-y titles such as Phantom Tollbooth and The Lemonade War.

BTW, he also might like Terry Deary's Horrible Histories series.

 

[BLAZEY]

In my days in public libraries, I found that the issue for most teachers in deciding whether or not graphic novels (which CU & DOAWK are, though not as pretty as some) met the reading time requirement was actually the number of words per page. It wasn't that they really objected to the content, it was just that they wanted the kids to get so many words in for their 30 minutes. Heavily illustrated editions draw your brain into looking at the pictures as much as you are reading the text, which means that you are not getting in as much actual processing of language in the same amount of time.

The average large-print paperback has about 250 words/page. I always found that that was a fairly good gauge for regular illustrated chapter books as well, because the usual average for non-illustrated paperbacks is about 400 words/page. By contrast, the average CU title is about 50 words/page, and DOAWK ranges between 50-125. I'm all for kids reading whatever will catch their interest, but check to see if this is part of the teacher's objection. If so, extending the time he spends reading each night (or each week, counting weekends) to somewhat equalize the word count should do the trick. So, 30 minutes of Artemis Fowl is equal to 90 minutes of DOAWK or 2.5 hours of CU. If he really likes these books, spending extra time reading them shouldn't be much of a hardship. Maybe you can also mix it up with some math-y titles such as Phantom Tollbooth and The Lemonade War.

BTW, he also might like Terry Deary's Horrible Histories series.

I have no problem with DD9 (also in Grade 4) reading graphic novels. It just got so that she could finish a whole book in less than an hour (Amulet series) She still reads the same amount of words, she just blew through the book so fast. I have her reading 45 minutes/ day (30 in French as per her teachers reading assignment and 15 in English for my own piece of mind) The key is finding subject matter that keeps them interested so we mix it up with the graphic novels and regular novels to keep the reading level up as well as keeping the material interesting. She is on the last book of the Ramona Quimby series(English) and read Mechant Minou (French "Bad Kitty" series and read these in English as well), Amulet graphic novels (1-3 in French), the "Bad Guys" series is also good as is anything by Geronimo Stilton. We started her reading the "Bad Kitty" series as she was bring home these photo copied and stapled books from the teacher and they were the same ones she had done in grade 1. We spoke with her teacher last year about her being bored with those photo copied learning materials and he was all for moving to real books and was able to recommend some that would interest her as he was also the librarian part time. Her teacher also suggested non fiction books and cook books for kids. Get them looking for recipes they may like to try and then have them help to make what they read about.

 

[SmallWorld71]

Haven't read all the responses, but has he tried the 'I Survived' series by Lauren Tarshis? It's like a more mature version of The Magic Treehouse. Very popular with the 3-5 graders where I teach.

The best way to get your child to vary what he reads, is to read with him and enjoy the books together. It's a great time to bond as well. Mine are older and fondly remember our shared reading. We continued to read together long after they could do it themselves. It's a great way to expand vocabulary and reading comprehension as well.

 

[shoney]

I teach HS English to students with autism so my perspective is different. I only ask for 15 minutes but let them pick whatever they want to read. I want them to read for pleasure and if that means political articles on the internet that is just fine with me.

I want to promote reading and not make it a chore. The things we read In Class are mandatory. At home students have a choice.

 

[SmallWorld71]

My daughter has been struggling with a language processing delay and absolutely hates reading. She is very good at math and enjoys it. At the end of the school years, she tested at a high second grade reading level. She just entered the 7th grade.

My struggle is finding books that are at a low reading level but interesting for a 13 year old. On the advice of the children's librarian, I ordered some books called "low level, high interest" but they were really, really not interesting at all.

I don't have advice for the OP but have tons of empathy.

I would encourage you to let her listen to books that are above her reading level. This is a skill in and of itself that she may need to utilize in the future. It would be good to balance that with whatever specialized reading program she is in. It can be a real challenge to keep reading interest alive in someone who struggles with a reading disability. I wish you well.

 

[starry_solo]

I loved Encyclopedia Brown books when I was young, Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Babysitter's Club (although that last one probably won't work for a boy)

 

[brooke789]

Didn't red all of the responses, but wanted to chime in. My 8 year old is dyslexic and below "grade level" in reading but for us reading is reading. At the library they even have signs that listening to audio books counts are reading. Here are some things your son might like: Plants vs Zombies series, Big Nate, Narwahl series, Who Would Win. All things that interest my son and not discourage him from reading.

READING is READING!

 

[#1hoosierfan]

I’m an elementary school teacher. I tell my parents that I don’t care if their child reads the side of the cereal box at home. I just want the kids to get in the habit of reading and hopefully enjoy it. I provide books on their level at school on a variety of topics and genres.

 

[tcufrog]

My perspective is that of a librarian and a parent of 2 boys, ages 7 and 11. I have a few suggestions:

1. Call the largest public library in your town and ask if you can schedule a time for you and your son to meet with the children's librarian on your staff who works best with boys your son's age for a reference interview. After talking with your son about his interests the librarian should be able to help him pick out library books that he'll enjoy. Don't just walk because you might get unlucky and there might be a paraprofessional who doesn't know how to do a proper reference interview and give appropriate recommendations.

2. Find other ways to get him hooked on reading. There are lots of great age-appropriate magazines out there about all sorts of topics. Cricket is one of my favorite kids' magazine publishers and they publish magazines about a variety of topics. DS11 has really liked Muse for the past few years. If he's into sports he might like Sports Illustrated Kids. I would also encourage you to check out audiobooks. There are wonderful ones available at public libraries and on the Audible website. Some kids like to read along to audio books. If you have a tablet or e-reader you might see if he prefers e-books to physical books. Some kids do.

3. Check out other genres of books with him. Some boys his age prefer nonfiction to fiction. National Geographic publishes a huge selection of awesome almanacs for kids that are full of amazing and crazy facts.

 

[Pembo]

I tutored a student that hated to read, until we found joke books. He read every joke book in the library and when I saw his mom a year later she told me that he now enjoyed reading.

My son had a teacher that said they can read anything...the comics, the cereal box, instructions in a game, doesn't matter as long as they are reading.

I wouldn't force him to read 30 mins of a book he doesn't like or has no interest in. That sounds like torture to me.

One of my sons dislikes reading, always has. He can read and graduated 3rd in his class. He'd much prefer to do math or biology any day and is excelling in college. My other son only read Harry Potter. He would take the AR test on them and never read another book the rest of the year. He's in grad school.

I say as long as he can read....it really doesn't matter.

 

[disykat]

I'm also a teacher (recently retired) and say anything he likes should be fine. My younger son was not a reader and his "books" of choice were books of floorplans. His new vocabulary words were things like "portico" and "suite." LOL! For some reason he LOVED those. We often did family read aloud chapter books (often old favorites from DH and my childhood - the Great Brain mentioned above was a series we read aloud. I think DH enjoyed it more that the kids did!) with our kids and that's how he got some extra exposure to literature. Let him read what he enjoys.

The teacher is making a suggestion that could be seen as educationally sound, however you know your child best and you letting him read what he enjoys is also educationally sound. Yes, it's a good thing to read good literature, but the reality is it's even better to enjoy reading.

One of my sons loved to read, one didn't. They both did very well in school and have college degrees and good jobs.

Oh, and for another suggestion for high interest reads for boys that age if you're still looking, try "pick your own ending" stories.

 

[gotomu212]

On top of the great suggestions tcufrog made, I’d also suggest you request a teacher conference and find out what the teacher’s goal and requirement are for reading. We’ve had years where the teacher just wants the kids to read-anything, everything. We’ve also had years where the teachers are using the homework reading to go through different genres and challenge the kids current preferences and I know we struggled with a few of those! My son was 4th grader last year and the DoAWK and Cap Underwear came up at a parent meeting. The teacher wanted to get the kids away from graphic novels for awhile because she found that after 30 minutes many kids hadn’t read many words and they weren’t meeting their vocab goals.

So a conversation with the teacher may help understand how she’s grading this and her expectations too...plus she should have appropriate suggestions too. Good luck!

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

I was once a home schooling Mom. But my son loved books. And math.

But I was thinking what about non-fiction. Maybe a biography on a Sir Issac Newton?

I don't know the reading level, but there is a book related to the old TV show called Numb3rs. It was a crime show, where the FBI used a Math professor to help them solve crimes.

And I think there is a series called Math Inspectors. A short mystery where they use math to solve the problem.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Let him read what he wants. Better than forcing him to read something he doesn't like -- that just will make him hate reading.

 

[Pamlur]

When I discovered reading, I couldn't get enough! But I wanted to pick the subject matter, and I loved fiction (what kid wouldn't?) In early high school years, my English teacher knew my mother and she suggested strongly that my parents steer me to the classics. Mom told her that she thought I would be just fine, reading what I wanted to. My granddaughter reads the classics as light reading, so it just took two generations.

 

[gotomu212]

I am a little confused by all the people who say let him read whatever he wants. If his teacher has given him an assignment to read and has set criteria and specifically said these certain books aren’t okay is everyone just saying ignore the yearlong assignment?

I guess everyone’s mileage is different but my son’s school has never been flexible with the we just don’t do the homework thing (and we’ve had parents that took the idea of not doing any homework, not doing any homework on screens, and having longer due dates to accommodate sports all the way to the school board who basically said ummm teachers are free to assign work within the guidelines and grade against those).

I also get that a lot of parents here homeschool, but if you’re enrolled in a school you don’t have the same option to set your own education criteria- or maybe some schools do?? Just wondering

 

[disykat]

I don't think anyone is saying not to have him do his minutes of reading or to totally ignore the teacher, just to be a bit flexible vs. rigid about the criteria. It didn't sound like the teacher assigned specific reading, but rather suggested he try different genres. I am a teacher and I didn't follow every teacher suggestion nor did I expect parents to. I did make my kids do required reading minutes and then I found a way to expose them to different genres (read alouds or one book his choice/one book my choice, etc.) that was more palatable to my reluctant reader.

If he were assigned a certain book or even a certain genre for a class assignment, of course he should read it. We're talking about a generic "read x number a minutes a night" thing. With younger kids, that assignment is pretty much parent driven. The parent is the one who has to lay down that law and enforce it, so IMO they get to have some flexibility. As a teacher, I was thrilled if the parents encouraged them to read ANYTHING. If I made educationally sound suggestions (which I believe encouraging more challenging genres was) it doesn't mean I didn't want the parent to make their own equally educationally sound decision (which I believe letting a reluctant reader choose their own books is.) Parents know their children and if they are fighting about reading vs. peacefully reading I expect them to know what works for their family.

Trust me, as a teacher I truly was THRILLED if the kids were reading and the parent wasn't just signing the paper so their child would appear to have read. Kids tend to tell the truth about that so we hear a lot of "I didn't have time to read, mom just signed it!" I've always hated those accountability sheets that require parent signatures!