Name: CHEC Rocky Mountain Homeschool Conference
Start: 2025-06-12T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-06-14T23:59:59-05:00
Location: Denver, CO

This topic has 4 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 8 years, 1 month ago by Regan.

Viewing 5 posts - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)

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May 4, 2017 at 5:23 pm
Regan
Participant
My oldest child will be in 4th grade this upcoming year. I will be assigning some independent reading for the first time. He does check books out at the library and he also reads to me multiple times a week. However, this will be my first experience assigning him to read on his own and then come back and narrate to me. When you introduce a child to independent reading, how often are they reading independently in this way and how much do you assign? He is a good reader, although not advance and not behind. I appreciate your feedback ladies.
Regan
May 5, 2017 at 5:13 am
Tristan
Participant
When I first make this move I have a child read either a set number of pages per day or a set amount of time. For example, read for 10 minutes or read 5 pages. As their proficiency increases we move up to 1 chapter or 20-30 minutes, but we move up slowly. And I don’t hand all their books over for this, we start with one book (literature) and then when they are comfortable with that we move to 2 (could be literature and nature lore or literature and history). It goes from there as they get older.
May 5, 2017 at 5:57 am
Michelle
Participant
Thank you for this question. I’m moving in that direction next year as well. DD9 had been reading her literature reads on her own this year, but I plan to add history and/or science next year. Adding written narrations is kind of making me nervous as well. She’s a great oral narrator, but isn’t as confident using pencil and paper.
And thankyou, Tristan for your answer! Very helpful.
May 5, 2017 at 5:58 am
Melissa
Participant
I agree. A set amount of pages helps–even if it’s just 5 pages they will start to add up. My 10yo son read Black Beauty and My Side of the Mountain this year a little at a time. Or a set amount of time, such as 20 minutes. I would ask him to come tell me about it after he read or sometimes draw a picture of something that happened and do a written narration once/week but I would not correct this for spelling/punctuation.
May 6, 2017 at 9:38 am
Regan
Participant
Very helpful. Thank you Tristan! I must say, he is very attentive during read alouds and gives great narrations. I think he is ready. Tristan, I like the idea of just starting with 1 book for literature and eventually adding another in for nature lore or history. I am working my way through Hearing and Reading, Telling and Writing as I try to get some specifics as well as the big picture. Michelle, I understand what you mean by “written narrations make me nervous”. We will be taking the leap this year in that area as well. Melissa, thank you for sharing your experience. I also think My Side of the Mountain would be a great book for my son as well. Thank you ladies! Very helpful.