Allyson,
Yes! We completely agree. Thank you.

Crystal,
Have you listened to your son read aloud? Often it is only after listening to a student read aloud for 10 minutes or so can we get a good idea of where they are struggling. Typically, comprehension issues are caused by other reading issues, such a not being able to read smoothly and fluently, or not having the stamina for reading well for longer periods. Listening to him will help you to hear if it is something like this.

Have you seen our article on Is the Matthew Effect Affecting Your Child’s Desire to Read? In it we discuss that good readers read more which makes reading easier which makes it more enjoyable so they read more in an ongoing upward spiral. Struggling readers find reading hard so they read less which makes reading more hard in an ongoing downward spiral. Because of the Matthew Effect, you may find it beneficial to simply require your son to read for 20 minutes or so every day, whether he wants to or not. Allow him choice in reading material, even allowing “easy” or below grade level reading, but require the reading. I have seen this daily required reading to make a big difference in my own sons’ desire to read, but it took over 6 months of requiring reading approximately 5 days a week to see this difference.

Let me know what you find after listening to your son read.

Leslie,
It could be that reading on or above your grade level is hard work for her, so while she can do it she doesn’t enjoy it nearly as much as lower level reading. This is normal human nature; I am very capable of reading The Illiad, but instead I enjoy young adult fiction much of the time. It is a lot of work to read The Illiad, and a pleasure to read Under the Never Sky.

How you are deciding what reading level the books are? Did you know that The Hunger Games and Kirsten Saves the Day (an American Girl book) are both listed by Scholastic as 5th grade reading level? As someone that has read both books, I can tell you that they aren’t on the same level at all. I am not sure how grade level for books is determined (and there is a lot of contrary information about that online), but obviously there is a flaw in the system if these two books are ranked similarly. For one thing, the content and interest level of one is at a much higher level than the other. Kirsten Saves the Day seems very appropriate for a 5th grader; The Hunger Games does not. I have seen this sort of problem in grade level listing for books a lot, and it makes me leery of choosing my children’s reading material by it.

Have you listened to your daughter read aloud the kind of books that you want her to read but she is resisting? You may find that her reading isn’t as fluent at that level as you thought. Or, you may find her fluency is fine, but the smaller print of higher level books troubles her. Or she sees the thickness, with few to no pictures, and her confidence is shaken. It is very difficult to determine what the issue is without sitting with her and hearing her read it.

I have made the mistake of requiring my children to read books that I felt they were ready for, but they felt were too hard. It never ended up with them being motivated to read more, and at times it ended up with them wanting to read much less. It is a much better tactic to encourage them to read a lot on a level they are comfortable with, but to keep offering suggestions for books they may enjoy. Sooner or later they will move to a higher level and start to enjoy reading there. If you feel the need to require her to read a book of your choosing (which I do occasionally, such as historical fiction that goes along with our studies), set a timer and allow her to stop at 20 minutes no matter how far (or not far) she gets. Another useful technique to encourage higher level reading is to buddy read the book with her.

I hope this helps some, Leslie. Let me know if we can help further.

Laura,
Yes, reading to younger kids is a great motivator for reading. And, if you don’t happen to have younger kids in the house, many kids enjoy reading aloud to pets or stuffed animals. (Or you can “borrow” a young cousin or a friend’s younger sibling.)

Christina,
Thank you for sharing how your children are doing. Let us know if you ever need more help for your struggling learner, although it sounds like she is off to a good start.