First grade reading troubles....need some advice

[maylips]

My first grade DD was put in the resource program at school at the beginning of this 9 weeks because she's having some trouble reading. I know she's getting help at school, but I would love some advice on how to help her at home.

The two of us have personality conflicts at times and I want to be super careful that I don't deter a love of reading and instead end up making it a chore that she hates. She usually has at least 20 minutes of reading homework at night and it's beginning to be a fight to get her to do it. Once she finally does, it's hard not to get aggravated at her - she gets distracted easily, makes mistakes with words she JUST read, wants us to give her the word she's struggling with instead of sounding it out, etc. Then the homework usually takes so long that, by the time she's finished, it's so close to bedtime that we then don't have time to read her a book that she likes. She LOVES us to read to her, but hates to read to us, yet encouraging her to finish her homework so we can read to her doesn't seem to motivate her.

Any advice or suggestions? I think the overall problem may be that she gives up too easily on anything that is somewhat challenging for her. I don't know if that's an age thing (I would assume some of that is, some is innate) but I don't know where the line goes from encouragement to nagging, you know?

[egoldber]

I think she's probably tired. If it were me, I would consider doing the reading homework only certain nights of the week (no more than 2-3) and on weekends.

[anonomom]

I have not BTDT, nor do I have any education background, so please feel free to take my input with a grain of salt. But, she's getting help with the decoding stuff at school. At home, could it maybe be enough that she loves to read with you? That time together with you reading is great -- it gives her vocabulary and encourages a love of reading itself, even if she's not the one sounding out the words. If you really feel that she needs to be doing the actual reading, maybe alternate pages with her? Or check out some of those "read together" books that have alternating text for the adult and the child?

Also, maybe she's just not ready to read? Both of my DDs have developed similarly to what you describe with your DD. When DD1 was learning to read, she would completely shut down if I pushed her even a little bit, but once she clicked she really clicked. At present, DD2 is similar (will read a word and still won't recognize the same word a moment later) and I'm trying hard to keep my distance and trust that it will come when she's ready.

[belovedgandp]

I am so not patient with beginning readers. I found that we both needed to be in a good frame of mind and just work on it for a set amount of time. Not trying to get through a certain book.

I was much more patient when the reading was not the only thing my brain was doing. I'd get impatient with them. I did much better when I sat on the couch next to them so I could see the pages but I was knitting or making a grocery list or just about anything (couldn't be a screen b/c that distracted them).

[abh5e8]

I would suggest the book The Read Aloud Handbook, by Jim Treallese, for you to read. Then I would work only a few minutes on the homework (like say, 10 or 12), do it at the best time for her. maybe right after school and a snack, so she is more fresh. The save a nice time before bed for reading aloud. I agree that she is getting the reading instruction at school and the most important part is to love to read and be read too. the vocab and other literacy skills she gains by you reading aloud is actually the most important at that age.

eta; if you WOTH and don't have that afterschool time, maybe consider a tutor that could work with her on the homework, so its finished before she is home and has dinner?

[BabbyO]

We're only in 4k, but the kids do get some read aloud homework occasionally. It is always a book that they've read at school. And I KNOW that 99% of it is memorization and repetition at this age, but it is teaching the fundamentals of letter groupings = words, etc.

Anyway, when this task gets pushed to bedtime (DH and I both WFT) Stachio is almost ALWAYS resistant. He is tired. Right when he gets home is not much better because he is hungry...so I feel your plight. Would it be possible to do 1/2 of her homework in the evening and 1/2 in the morning when she is rested (I can see 20 min in the AM being a bit tough). If you're able, I'd try to get it done as close to after school as possible or as far from bedtime as possible. Good luck!

[nfowife]

20 minutes of reading "homework" sounds like a lot for a first grader. I would do less (like 10 minutes), and do it earlier in the day if possible. Then do the more fun reading together/aloud before bedtime. The getting words wrong that were just read right and wanting to be told words she can sound out are pretty typical of beginning readers IMO.

[Simon]

I agree with Pp to focus on the joy of reading at home, and maybe reserve extra practice for weekends plus 1-2 weeknights. I have my own thread, or two, on the BBB about my concerns for Ds1's slow start as a reader. I also found it very frustrating that he couldn't remember a word from one page to another. I backed off, kept reading to him and playing audiobooks in the car just for pleasure, and then kept the at home reading to short bursts weeknights with longer (20 min) sessions on weekends. I honestly think he was just one of those kids who wasn't really ready to read on the school's timeline. Eventually, something just clicked and he suddenly took off reading. I know that won't be the case for all kids, but if she is already getting more intensive help at school, I would focus on practice over the weekends and reading aloud at night. Another way to motivate may be for you to read aloud for 2 minutes from a fun book then she reads 2 pages of her school book, alternating.

[acmom]

I taught first grade for several years and now have a kindergartener learning to read. My daughter gets really frustrated much quicker with reading when she is tired. My advice would be to try to continue reading at home as the daily practice can be crucial to progress, but as others suggested, I would try to move it away from bedtime if possible, either giving it a try right after school or after a little downtime. If it gets pushed to bedtime and it is a real battle that night, maybe try alternating pages, or possibly read in the am before school? My daughter is an early riser and this is one of the best times I have found to have her read to me. (But I know that time can be challenging if you are time crunched to get out the door!).

I also would remember that you don't have to correct her on every word she misreads. I would let all the little errors (come for came or play for played) go and I would help right away with difficult words like names or words that might not follow phonetic rules. This might ease the frustration level some. I would also talk to the reading specialist she is working with at school to see what their advice for home is...there might be specific strategies they are using that you could be supporting and focusing on at home, while not worrying about other parts of the process. If the books that are coming home now seem too challenging, you might talk to the teachers about sending home some books that a step down in difficulty (maybe a reading level below) so that she can have more success and work on fluency at home without so much frustration. Then when she takes off a little more and reading at home becomes easier, they can go back to sending the next level.

And I would definitely try to squeeze in time for reading aloud! Hearing stories and talking about them can be a huge help to the reading process as well as a wonderful time to spend together and encourage love of reading.

[scrooks]

I think a pp said this but with my Dd (learning to read in K) she does much better when we alternate reading pages.

[HipMama]

Yeah, 20min a night of just reading homework is a lot. My DS is also in 1st grade and he only has assigned reading 1-2x a week. We are encouraged to read on our own the other nights but it is not required. I feel that school is so much "work" these days anyway that I don't feel like I need to make him do more at home.

[cuca_]

Others have suggested reading to her, and I think that is a good alternative if she is struggling with reading right now. IME at that grade level having a parent read usually counts towards reading homework. Since she is struggling a bit, I would put off forcing her to read aloud until she is more confident in her own reading. As others have said, you can also take turns reading with her. There are a great set of books called I Read to You, You Read to Me, that my kids love.

[zag95]

DD1 is in K and is on the 3rd tier of the Bob books (for her class at home reading program); DH and I read each night to her- we try to practice the new at home book earlier in the day (she attends 1/2 day K in the morning) so she is not too tired. I do this strategy: if she hasn't read it before, I read it to her; then she reads it. If there is a section she has trouble on, we finish the book and then go back and focus on the section, so she feels more confident. She takes the book back and reads it to a grownup at school to get a new one.

I would try to have reading be earlier, when your DD isn't so tired. If she is resistant, maybe try this strategy: have her pick out 2 books that she wants to read- one that you could read "together" and one you could read to her. Some of the early reader stories (the short 32 pagers) have words that my DD knows- so I read along and point to ones she either knows or might be able to try. That way she is reading. I also point to the words as I go- so she can follow and hear/see what the words are.

Whatever you try- focus on encouraging her reading with you- if that means less reading by her and more by you, that might be OK. She will still benefit from being read to.

[inmypjs]

You've gotten some good advice here. Did either you or her father, or anyone else in the immediate family, have trouble learning to read or spell? I am asking because dyslexia can be identified quite easily in first grade. It would be a good idea to learn if there are any signs and symptoms. Most people have very little understanding of what dyslexia is, and teachers, including reading specialists, receive hardly any training on it. To summarize, dyslexia is neurologically based, runs in families, and is a processing style that makes reading and spelling difficult. It is not a vision problem, dyslexics do not see backwards, and 1 in 5 kids have some degree of it. Here is a video and a list of things to watch for. If it doesn't sound like your child, then the school-based services should be fine. If you can see your child in it, there are more specific things you need to be doing.

Could it be dyslexia video - http://www.dys-add.com/videos/dyslexiaCouldItBe.html
Dyslexia signs and symptoms: http://www.bartonreading.com/pdf/Dys%20warning%20signs.pdf

[pinay]

Can you read the book to her first, then have her read it to you? Maybe she would benefit from hearing the words first and then trying it herself.

[ahisma]

20 minutes of reading aloud is a lot at once. I have a 1st grader as well. I'd say he's a pretty average reader, but he gets really wiped out from more than about 10 mins of reading aloud. We did start with alternating pages and still do that sometimes. Or, sometimes I just take a passage when I sense that he's getting wiped out or when a long page pops up. We've gradually shifted to him reading more than I do, which seems to go well.

[Snow mom]

My DD is learning to read but doesn't typically work well with me on it. Honestly my parents are working with her most days via Skype. She doesn't resist reading with them as much and they are more patient since they don't deal with all the parenting bs that I do ;). I do think finding someone that she is less resistant to read with could help if its an option.

[BunnyBee]

My dyslexic DC would read aloud similarly when she was gaining fluency. She fits more closely in the "stealth dyslexia" checklists than anything, and her early teachers thought we were nuts for thinking something was wrong.

Edited to add advice: let her read to a stuffed animal and don't correct her if you're already butting heads a little. Sounds like she may be choosing books that are too difficult for her. Reading at home shouldn't be painful.

[bw52]

I taught first grade and was a reading specialist for first graders struggling. In my first grade class, we also had 15-20 minutes of reading homework assigned a night. But that was supposed to be reading with your child, reading to your child, and your child reading to you each night. The parents decide how much time you give to each of each of these. Basically, the point is the point is to instill a love of reading in your chlld, but they also need to practice some each day.
Are the books your daughter is reading at her level? They sound like they may be a little to advanced for her. I like to have them read an easy book--to gain their confidence and then they read a "just right" book. We always said no more than 5 words/page that were tricky. Of course, with books with fewer words/page that had to be adjusted.

Hth! I'd be happy to answer any specific questions. I loved being a reading specialist for first graders!

[Gracemom]

My son is in first grade too, and is in tutoring once a week for extra practice with his teacher. We read at home, but only about 10 minutes at a time. I really don't think there is any benefit to doing more. I make sure that the book is not too hard for him, or he will get frustrated. He has increased his fluency a lot this year, but still struggles, even with sight words he should know. It can be frustrating, so I usually read a magazine or my phone while he practices. I only jump in when he asks for help. Does your town's library have a Reading to Rover program? My son loves dogs, and it's great practice.

[elephantmeg]

DS is in second. He is supposed to do 10-15 min a day. I'd say 20 is too much! He's enjoying garfield comics right now...

[ang79]

My DD1 is in first this year. She is supposed to do 10 min. a night, or 50 min. a week. Her teacher sends home a book most evenings for homework. It is a book that is in her level that she picked out from school. We do homework right after school (first a quick snack, then homework, then she knows she can play with her sister the rest of the night). She often does fine w/ the book she brings home from school, but then doesn't want to read the rest of the 10 min. Her teacher said the 10 min. can include parents reading with the child, so we sometimes take turns reading a book from home, or I let her pick an easier book to read to her younger sister and I listen while I prep dinner (sometimes she does better if I'm not sitting down next to her but just listening in the same room). We also do a lot of read alouds. Both my girls (5 and 7) are loving the short chapter books: Cam Jansen, Magic Treehouse, Junie B. Jones, The Never Girls, etc. So I usually try to find time before bed to sit down and read a few chapters with them as well. Its a relaxing way to end the day and gets them excited about books. If she is working on the decoding and other reading skills at school, I would just work on fostering a love of books and reading at home.

Just thought of something else that might help motivate her to read either by herself or with you. My DD1 got super excited about reading this past summer when we participated in the summer reading program at our library and she had to record the number of minutes she read to get tickets for prizes. Between that and going to the library once a week to pick out new books, she really started to pick up an interest in her own reading.

[maylips]

Thanks so much for all of the replies....I was reading them, just on my phone where it's hard to reply!

I probably should have said that the book usually isn't 20 minutes of reading to someone who is a pretty good reader....it just ends up being a minimum of 20 minutes once she starts (often more). However, as one poster mentioned, I was correcting every single word she mispronounced....and now I won't do that anymore! That was super helpful.

You guys have all given great suggestions. Thanks, too, ang79, for mentioning other chapter books to read. DD likes Junie B but will often pick books at the library that are too deep for her age. I didn't know other books to steer her towards and now I do! That's great.

Plus also (Yay, Junie B!) thanks for the dyslexia information. It does not run in our family; however, there are a few checks on the list you sent over. I'm going to watch DD more closely.

[Percycat]

We changed our timing for both reading activities.
I had my reluctant reader read while I was preparing dinner. It was helpful that sometimes her older brother was in the room and could help her, instead of me. It became more of a way for her to read to me (for my enjoyment) while I worked and less about her having to do 'homework'. (I think she may now -- a year later -- actually like to read because she has started reading the American Girl Kit books HOURS on end!!!!!)

Also, my kids take FOREVER eating dinner. So, I now read out loud to the family when I am finished eating dinner and waiting for them to finish. This has been great on so many fronts --- I get less impatient and frustrated with them taking so long to eat; it prolongs the time our who family spends together at meal times; I can tease them into eating the next bite by stopping in mid-sentence until they have eaten the next bite or the vegetable or what ever; and all of us are less tired and can enjoy the story better at dinner time than later in the evening.