Posted in Homeschooling: Independent summer reading program/software for a 9 year old struggling...

[IdentityCrisisMama]

I never know where to post questions about teaching my public school child in the home setting.  I opted for the homeschooling forum this time because I feel like I may get more suggestions from parents who teach in the home full time.  But, I know all of us "learning at school" families also teach our kids at home.  

If you have any suggestions for independent/child-guided summer reading programs please see this thread: 

http://www.mothering.com/community/forum/thread/1314687/independent-summer-reading-program-software-for-a-9-year-old-struggling-reader#post_16465840

Thanks!  

[hakeber]

I think the key at this age is to make the reading as fun as possible and as interesting as possible.  If what your kid is reading is on a topic of interest, she will be more motivated to read it.

I don't have 9 year old at home yet but I do work with 11-12 years olds who struggle with English reading and we use the Tell Me More software series in our language lab, and with the slightly younger kids we use the Uptoten websites for reading skills.

What interests your DD most?  I think providing her with books about things she loves is a good idea.  DS came home and announced he was done with reading he hated it and it was boring, then he went into his room took out one of his books on Insects from DH and read a chapter on metamorphosis and how beetles protect their young.  So...it's not so much that he hates reading as much as he hates the See Spot Run books they keep trying to get him to take home and do reports about.  This might not be your DD's case, I assume that's not what we're talking about...but maybe catering to what she cares about might be a good start.

The advertising of late on Poptropica.com has gotten OUT of control, and it is annoying, but as long as you are willing to make her aware of that and discuss it, Poptropica is a great problem solving game that requires reading.  It's not too complex, but it does require reading to solve the puzzles.  The clues stay up for a long time and you can read them as many times as you need to.  It's a lot of fun.  I have even set up a character for myself to play when my nieces and my son are not even around...so it'd be a fun thing to do together.

[ollyoxenfree]

I read your thread in LAH, and your DC is:

- 9 y.o. and in 3rd grade

- reading for pleasure

- reading Percy Jackson and The Lightening Thief, but skipping some words

- finding books that are easy to read aren't interesting enough

According to Lexile, Percy Jackson has a reading level for 10 to 14 y.o.'s. It seems like your DC is starting to read above age level and is doing well. I understand that you would like to keep her momentum going.

I don't have a computer program recommendations for you, but I have a couple of suggestions that I don't think I've seen mentioned yet:   

-My kids loved the summer library program when they were that age, but if there isn't a good one near you, then how about creating a book club for kids? You could set it up with her friends or have one for parents/children. It turns reading into a social occasion. 

-The librarian can offer suggestions for high interest/low readability books in genres that she prefers. The library may even have a list already prepared, since this is a fairly common request. I'd encourage her to keep reading a mix of easier books and more challenging books. With the easier books, fluency will improve. The challenging books will help her stretch and develop. 

[Linda on the move]

My advice is to take the time to read one chapter a day to her from a good series. When my kids were at the stage where she is now, once they got interested in a book or series, they would make the effort to read it to themselves, but the effort it took to read when they weren't already into the story was too much so they couldn't get started.

Although you said in the other thread that you were told that she benefited from explicit instruction, that doesn't mean she ALWAYS needs explicit instruction. Kids get to a point where reading is a better teacher.

However, if you want something work bookish, check out Explode the Code. There are several levels, and they are very solid instruction, and inexpensive.

For a good series, I suggest getting her started on Warriors. It's about a bunch of cats that live in clans in the forest. My DDs loved them. And there's about a zillion so it will keep her busy for awhile.

I truly believe that the 15-20 minutes a day it takes to read a chapter of a book to a child is the best investment we can make in their reading ability.

[IdentityCrisisMama]

Thanks everyone!  I posted a response in the other thread.  Would you mind replying there so there is just one discussion?