My son is seven, in 2nd grade and still not reading on his own. Also he's real hesitant to sound out the words. Is that normal or are most kids reading by then?
I feel like I should get him a tutor. Two to three times a week, I feel like that person would be more capapble to teach him. I know the material, but I am not great with being patient the whole time.
In need of reading and homework help and advice, thanks again,
M.
Hi M..
I teach 2nd grade. He should definitely be reading by now. Try talking to his teacher and see what she suggests.
Where do you live? I tutor 2 other kids in reading and math right now. I live in Lakeview.
S.
Kids do learn to read at different times. So far I've had kindergarten, 1st grade, and end of second grade readers. I did get the child help in second grade when he couldn't read yet. Once it clicks for your son, he will catch up quickly.
At the beginning of the school year, teachers are typically evaluating how many words (in connected text) a student can read at their grade level (fluency), and those results are compared to the typical performance for that grade level. However, if you are concerned that he is not sounding out words or feeling confident with which sounds match the letters, there are a few things that need to be checked before working on his fluency.
Does he know all of his letters, or are there some that are confusing? You can mix up the letters in a list, upper- and lower-case, and ask him to read them to you. You'll be able to see what letters are easy for him, which ones he hesitates to read aloud, and which ones he might confuse (g and j, b and d).
Next, you can find out if he can tell you the individual sounds of common words. While driving around, ask him to sound out monosyllabic words like a game (i.e. "stop" or "sign"). He should be able to separate them by sound (i.e. /st/ /short o/ /p/).
The last idea is to have him read a list of made-up words. This will let you know if he really knows the letter sounds, or if he only knows words by sight/memory. For example, have "pel" or "bon" on the list. The tricky part is that he should be able to do the most common sound, so this means no long vowels or odd letter combinations (-ay, -ign).
If he is a slow or insecure reader, he may simply need practice. My nephew loves comic strips. He doesn't even know that he's reading! Perhaps your son will build confidence, and then he'll get to where you hope he can be with his skills. Also, there are books that he can choose the path of the story. Readers are moving around pages of the book, picking page 13 or page 46 for example. It's beneficial for kids who get intimidated about how big a book is; they will feel like they are making progress in the story without feeling like they just started.
I sent you a private message about doing an evaluation and coming up with specific ideas for helping your son. Please let me know if you want my help!
my son also had much trouble learning to read. Hooked on phonics is a wonderful program there are also many computer "game" programs. Phonics for kids is a pretty good one as well as reader rabbit. This way they can play and learn. Also the school zone products are very good... They have books, workbooks, flash cards as well as computer software games.
A tutor may be needed. I also wasn't patient enough. We found that the best tutors we actually teacher from his school. Our school has a reading program that helps with kids falling behind... he did that as well as was tutored by that teacher, then the special education teacher tutored him as well. She was great because she knew many different methods to get through to the kids with different learning styles. I would check at your sons school first before trying to hire an outside tutor.
But take heart... my son was a terrible reader (the school wanted to hold him back in kindergarten because of it but we tutored instead and pushed him through) we tutored until the end of 2nd grade. I was ready to pull my hair out! In third grade he just got it... it clicked and has been a great reader ever since. He also Loves to read! I think he appreciates it more because it was something he had to work really hard at to get! Good luck.
Hope this helps:)
I would talk to the teacher and ask why he isn't in the Title 1 Reading Program. It is a federally funded program and in my school district (202) it has a fantastic success rate. Two of my three girls were reading above grade level within a few months of being in the program. They loved it and I cannot say enough good things about the program (and the reading specialists that run it). All of my girls love reading and I owe that love in part to Title 1.
If that is not an option, by all means get him a tutor. Don't feel bad about not being able to teach him yourself. You're giving him support and looking to get him the help that he needs! That's fantastic, M..
I have been looking at phonics programs online today. I had parent teacher conferences and found out that my son is running a bit behind. The teacher told me to try and make it fun. So I am looking into all the sing-along phonics and some DVDs that are related to phonics and reading. I don't have a huge amount of time or a lot of patience when it comes to this sort of stuff, so I thought I could use some electronic help. I am also checking my library/librarian next week. If I find anything SUPER I'll be sure to come back to you. Good luck til then!
it really does vary a lot - but he should be reading at least short words by now.
get him some comics and cool reading stuff with a lot of pics, like bakugan or pokemon comics so he can practice without it seeming like work.
you can help him out, you dont have to be patient all the time lol!, just take it in a few five min increments a day, hooked on phonics is really good.
he could be bashfull about reading out loud - i know my 7 year old son is, but he likes to read silently
Ask your child's teacher if a tutor list is available. Look to hire a Reading Specialist 1-2 hours a week as a tutor and your son will get caught up quickly. The Reading Specialist / Interventionist will have all the materials to assist your son and help him to become a lifelong reader. I would do this before I would sign up at a tutoring center, whick I think is much more costly and not as effective.
I would talk to his teacher and see what she has to say about it. My daughter was reading by the end of kindergarten, but I know she has some kids in her class that are having a harder time with it. Maybe the teacher can give you a better idea of what she wants to see.
