New to this and already overwhelmed-Or a continuation of my timeline vent-Or HOW ON EARTH do you...

[Mackenzie]

Pick a title...

So thanks to all who inputted on my thread regarding what to do when application timelines have passed... I took the advice of, well, everyone and contacted the school dept regarding getting services... The woman (I spoke to the head of the gifted/talented program) was not pleasant at all she told me that:

1. they do allow late applications BUT

2. the only school that would be applicable to my younger son doe NOT do late applications AT.ALL. The reason that this is the only one applicable to him is because they don't start formal identification until 2nd grade and this school is a magnet school so is not an actual "gifted" program.

3. His teacher CAN seek services for him from the gifted staff person at that school but it would be within the context of his class. I have contacted his teacher and she is going to do this for him.


Okay so that is semi-resolved....

My older son though... ugh... I have been sooo torn on this the last week (I normally take a longer time to process these things and stress way less but I don't feel that is an option right now). He does.not.like independent reading much at all, especially at home. So I was thinking it might be better to hold off for him right now because, I am assuming, that any sort of services is going to require quire a bit of a reading increase. Then he comes home with his scores from last years annual testing. The four scores are "novice", "apprentice", "proficient" and "distinguished". He scored Distinguished in both Math and Reading. What gets me is that in reading, the area that we struggle to get him to ~DO~ he got the highest possible score. Out of a possible 380, that is what he got! Now I really have no clue what to do. I don't want to get him into a situation that is over his head, but I don't want him to be working significantly below his potential either.

Sigh... are there any (other) websites I should be looking at for advice? Books I should be reading? Do any of YOU have the magical answer?

[Linda on the move]

Originally Posted by Mackenzie

He does.not.like independent reading much at all, especially at home. So I was thinking it might be better to hold off for him right now because, I am assuming, that any sort of services is going to require quire a bit of a reading increase.

you are mixing two issues -- how much time he wants to spend reading and whether or not to ask for services for him. Most boys his age, even gifted one's, aren't crazy about reading. I wouldn't assume ANYTHING. We are in private schools now so it's a different deal, but when my DD was in gifted program at public, it didn't add much to her reading load at all. It was project/inquiry based.

Ask questions, assume NOTHING.

What gets me is that in reading, the area that we struggle to get him to ~DO~ he got the highest possible score.

So he reads well for his age, but you feel he should be doing more of it? What works for my kids is for me to read aloud to them. I read a chapter a night of a good book. They often pick up the book and finish it on their own because it just drives them crazy once they are really into it. If you'd like boy-friendly suggestions, just so say. There are so many good books out there.

[Mackenzie]

I guess that's what I needed to hear. I know I should not assume, I guess with the amount the push reading in school period, I had assumed the same philosophy would carry over to any more challenging program

[excitedtobeamom]

Not to change the thread but Linda can you please post a list of good boy books! My 5 year needs some different books than the ones his 7 year old sister loves. He is a great reader but doesn't want to read much at home either. He does LOVE being read to. So far his favorites have been The Trumpet of the Swan and the Mouse and the Motorcycle. We have read many others but they didn't interest him like they did his sister-Little house series, Narnia, Charlotte's Web,etc. He listened but he wasn't all pumped up about them is you know what I mean.

[Mackenzie]

Yes, book suggestions are very welcome!

[Linda on the move]

Originally Posted by excitedtobeamom

Not to change the thread but Linda can you please post a list of good boy books! My 5 year needs some different books than the ones his 7 year old sister loves.

Oh my! 5 is A LOT younger than my kids. I think someone else could give you more titles, but you might take a look at:

Hank The Cowdog by Erickson. This is a series told from the point of view of a cowdog who believes he is such smarter and more important than he is. VERY funny. I read these just for fun myself.

Deltora Quest by Emily Rodda. This is a science fiction/action series. I really don't get what is so great about them, but one of my kids LOVED LOVED LOVED this series. Might be scary for a 5 year old, but it might be scary in a fun way like a roller coaster.

Both of these series are *boy* friendly.

I'm also a big Jean Craighhead George fan. There are zillions. My Side of the Mountain is the best known, but Water Sky is my current favorite, and they both feature male characters. Her books have actual literary merit.

DISCLAIMER it's been a long time since I had a 5 year old and I don't remember what they were exactly like at that age.

[LynnS6]

First, I wouldn't really worry about what level he's reading at. As long as he's reading something, it'll be OK. Our kids have to do reading for school (20 minutes a night for 1st grade, 30 for 4th grade), and so it's part of the bedtime routine. They read independently for part of the time (10 minutes for the 1st grader, 20 for our 4th grader), then we read a chapter together. They usually then spend time reading before they go to sleep.

A lot of what we find is trial and error. I'd say we get about 10 books out for every 3 that ds reads these days.

If it helps, our 4th grader never chooses to sit down and read, unlike our 1st grader. If it's a choice between staging a game of 'animal ball' (stuffed animal baseball) or reading, guess which wins? He does read between 30 and 60 minutes a day with his bedtime reading.

One thing that has helped a ton this year is that our ds is doing "Battle of the Books" through school. There is a set list of books chosen by somebody (librarians?? other??) and kids in teams read the books and then answer questions about them. The more of the books you've read, the better your team will do, obviously. The books are really varied in terms of both style and content, and it's expanded his repertoire a ton! They're all pretty good.

Does your school district/state have something like that? There are lists for 3-5th, 6-8th, and 9-12th grade that might be of interest to people here:
Oregon Battle of the Books

Finally, series that appeal to advanced boys are sometimes harder to find than ones for girls, IMO. Most boys aren't going to get into fairy books or princess books! And there seem to be a ton of those (princess horsecamp fairy meets the vet, etc.) That being said, there are some 'gender neutral' series and there are some ones that tend to have more boy characters than girls.

Ones to appeal to younger kids
A to Z mysteries
Cam Jansen mysteries (the main character is a girl, but my son liked these, and they're not particularly 'girly')
Magic Tree House
The Secret of Droon
Dragon Slayers Academy
Time Warp Trio
Geronimo Stilton
The Boxcar Children. (Ds spent all of 2nd and much of 3rd reading these, even though they were below his reading level by 3rd grade.)
Matt Christopher has a whole series of sports stories that I find blech but did get ds reading when we were between other series.
The Mouse and the Motorcycle
Henry Huggins books
Ramona books

For slightly older kids
A Series of Unfortunate Events (yes, they're unfortunate, but written with a really wry sense of humor that ds (9) loved)
Guardians of Ga'hoole
Narnia Chronicles

We've recently discovered:
The World According to Humprhey -- a cute, funny story (actually there are 5+ in the series) about a classroom hamster. I think it's about a 3rd grade level, but it's appealing to both my 6 and my 9 year old.

The mysterious cases of Mr. Pin -- about a penguin detective (ds loves penguins and mysteries -- too bad there are only 4 books in the series!

I'm sure there are more but dd just got up and I need to go!

[Mackenzie]

Thanks for the list. There are a few there that we are going to check out... Some we have trial and errored . We went to the library yesterday after voting (my spouse and I) and picked up about 10 books because we have a bit of an arrangement with Dami right now. He reallllly wants a video camera and so we offered an exchange. If he reads a book a week for 3 months, we will get him one (with exceptions made for longer/harder books...) Well, he normally does not care for graphic novels but Sean found one he thought he might like so we got it anyway and he read the whole thing yesterday . Yeah, its a graphic novel but honestly, I am not picky on *what* he reads at this point and it is classified at a 7th grade level so I accept that it was challenging enough. He is several chapters into Harry Potter (SS) and is looking forward to reading the book that Marley and Me was based off of (which I didn't know was based on a true story), so I think we are making some "progress". Admittedly, I do know this whole reading hangup is my issue, well and Sean's really as well. We just want him to be prepared and when he does find something that interests him, he is hooked so we know the potential is there.

A couple of other concerns I have are that his spelling is not so great and he does not have math facts memorized. Should those things deter me from seeking services for him? I am leaning toward no (that they shouldn't) because his writing is pretty good, as far as content and structure go. We have learned with our daughter that is not terribly significant nor indicative of overall capability. With math, he already has a good understanding of most concepts and grasps new ones with ease, so I am thinking that I should not allow the math facts to hold him back, but instead work with him on getting the ones down that he does not know... I'm just not sure...

[kathymuggle]

5 is still so young...I am not sure out of picture books, really....

There are some gorgeous well written picture books.

Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watts
Most things by Munsch.

Lots of people dislike Captain Underpants - but those people are not 6-8 year old boys. Honestly, I work in a library and boys love them.

Junie B Jones, Geronimo Stilton, Frannie K. Stein and Time Warp Trio (which I prefer to Magic Treehouse books - funnier, and better writing) are popular easy readers with young kids.

Do not neglect non-fiction. Lots of males of all ages love non-fiction.

Good luck.

[Mackenzie]

My boy is 10... unless that was for the PP...

He actually prefers nonfic, so definitely agree with that!

[Linda on the move]

Originally Posted by Mackenzie

Thanks for the list. There are a few there that we are going to check out... Some we have trial and errored .

What do you mean "trial and errored"? Are you reading to him?

The core piece of advice I have for any parent whose child doesn't like to read is to read out loud to them. Every day. From now until they leave home.

We read after the kids are ready for bed. The TV is off and we read a chapter of a book out loud in the living room. It's a family activity and there's really nothing else to do at that time. The kids can color while they listen if they want to. After that, we tuck them in, and they can read in bed for a little bit before lights off. Again, there's really nothing else to do at that time, though my younger child has been known to just play with stuffed animals rather than read!

[excitedtobeamom]

Thanks for the suggestions! My 5 year old of course still loves picture books but I am looking for good read aloud books. His sister is seven and since she was 3 we have read and read tons of really fun books. Granted I am a girl as well so I tend to be excited about a bit more "girly" books if there is such a thing. He keeps wanting me to read and reread Magic Treehouse books to him which drive me crazy after the first couple read throughs and he can read them himself just fine. He did love The Trumpet of the Swam, The Mouse and the Motorcycle and The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe so I was just looking for more books that might get him very excited again.

My daughter and I are reading Fablehaven right now. Fun stuff! I bit dark though. I don't know if some kids could handle it.

The gender things with reading is so interesting. My son does love to be read to and he reads well himself but he will almost always choose doing something active over reading. Not a bad thing but so different from my daughter who since 3 would sit until I couldn't read anymore and listen to long chapter books. Of course at night he we ask him to lie down and listen and he does. I have heard that publishers publish more books written for girls since more girls read more often and that it is harder to find books that boys will be really excited about. I am finding this true. Also my daughter LOVES history and my son loves geography.

[Linda on the move]

Originally Posted by excitedtobeamom

I have heard that publishers publish more books written for girls since more girls read more often and that it is harder to find books that boys will be really excited about.

I think this is less true that it used to be, and I think Harry Potter is one of the reason why.

Look at Percy Jackson, Gregory the Overlander, etc. There is really big market for action/adventure books with male leads.

(still not as many as "girly" books, but better than it used to be.)

[sewchris2642]

I found this website helpful: http://www.guysread.com/ A lot of information about boys and reading, book lists for boys, etc. Dylan had a problem with learning to read as all the reading material were geared toward girls. There wasn't much that interested him. He was (and still is) interested in facts and information about military stuff. What there was available at his reading level in early elementary school was so watered down that what there was was frequently wrong. He would get mad when the book about tanks had a picture of one tank but the caption and text was talking about another tank, for example. Now that he's in 7th grade, it's better because the books have caught up with his personal knowledge.

[kathymuggle]

Originally Posted by Mackenzie

My boy is 10... unless that was for the PP...

He actually prefers nonfic, so definitely agree with that!

10, oh!


In addition to non fiction....

How about Magna or graphic novels? They are quite popular with this age group (and older)

Bone, Warriors, Dragonball Z

Funny works well with boys -Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Dear Dumb Diary, Gordon Korman books. Eric Wilson and Gary Paulsen are good bets for action.

[Mackenzie]

Well, he was calming that he did not like graphic novels, but his only experience with them was like Dragonball Z and the like. We picked up some ghosty time travel thing at the library and he read it all in one night. He has started the Marley book but is finishing Harry Potter for an assignment. I think we have made some progress, even in the last couple of weeks...

[Mackenzie]

On another note, his teacher thinks that seeking gifted identification is a good idea for him. She is going to talk to that teacher the next time she can. Unfortunately she is only at the school once a week...