Still seeking some guidance

Hi Amy,

I don’t think you sound whiny! I think you sound frustrated and so does your daughter. My suggestion would be to take a break and don’t push the reading. If it isnt be pleasant it won’t kindle that love of reading that you really are looking to develop. Reading depends on many leanred skills, but also on having reached certain developmental milestones that aren’t always apparent. Givve it the time necessary and build the motivation to read and I think you will get there when she is ready.

I think that Delightful Reading sounds like a good idea because it is totally different from what she has done before. I would go ahead and continue reading books with her and read every other word, or sentance or page if necessary- do whatever she is able without becoming frustrated. Make it fun, make it a game. Make language something fun and interesting and it will help her persevere until it “clicks” for her. Choose books that really interest her. My 6yo is really into Amelia Bedelia right now because of the humor, and it really motivates her to try to read, even though Hop on Pop is more her level at this point.

HTH

Hi Amy,

I’m running today, but saw your post!  Sorry you (and your DD) are feeling this frustration.  Please know that what you are describing is so very normal for end of 1st grade/beginning of 2nd grade reading level.  What you (and she) are seeking is reading fluency.  It just takes more time.   The point where figuring-out-new-words comes naturally (or is at least not overwhelming) happens differently for every child, but it definitely takes a lot of time and practice.  With this, too many unknown words in the books you are trying = frustration. 

My kids (now voracious readers at age 9 and 10 and reading at 6-7th grade level) could NOT read anything beyond “graded readers” at 1st and 2nd grade.  I couldn’t even hand out a Henry and Mudge book without my one son facing struggle.  Going to the library was no help because everything we picked up had my son okay with only 8 words on a page of 30 words.  In the end, I bought a lot of different graded readers!  I remember worrying and stressing because I so much wanted my boys at the level of nice “real books” and “good literature”….but while waiting for that level of fluency to arrive, having lots of different graded readers meant that at least they were looking at words quite often. 

So, IMO, on a program, there is no big answer.  You could go with DR or Pathways or RLTL (or whatever you think will be best within your teaching style/her learning style).   My guess is that the results won’t differ all that much … perhaps one program will get her to reading fluency in 4 months and another one in 5 or 6 months.  It may be that she takes another year and that is totally normal also.  But no reading program turns on the reading lightbulb in a way that replaces time, regular practise, exposure to books and most importantly a positive attitude about books.  I’ll stress the latter most of all.  As soon as my DS started with the frustration and crying, I completely backed off with ME trying to get him to enjoy books.  I just didn’t want him to associate book time with yuck time.  He abandoned his attempts at leisure reading for about 4 or 5 months and fell in love with lego again.  Climbed a lot of trees and became an outdoorsy kids.  Around month 5, after having ONLY done his short, daily reading program for those four or months, 10-15 minutes/day (at that time we used ETC workbooks and and another very basic phonics reader program called Little Angel…nothing grand), suddenly he was devouring books, or at least, had the patience to sit and try and try and try before giving up.   The lightbulb had come on, but I truly feel it was not the reading program, but just time, patience –  and during the “waiting-for-fluency” stage, the graded readers:  ALS, McGuffey, Pathways, and many other free on the internet – I kept them all within his reach.  Many other beginning books (Billy and Blaze, Amelia Bedelia, Little Bear, Frog and Toad) that I thought were non-twaddle, but the only ones he really read with ease were the graded readers.  In the meantime, all the “good books” and “great literature” (Charlotte’s Web, Stuart Little, Little House) I read aloud, or had it read to him via audiobooks and had him follow along as best he could in the hard copy.

HTH, blessings to you!  Angie

I will second the taking a break from reading instruction. My 5yo daughter made some progress with reading, then we hit a wall and we were both frustrated. Though it seemed unintuitive, I felt peace about stopping reading instruction entirely with her. We did no reading for probably 2-3 months or so. A few weeks ago I was listening to her reading aloud for fun (she was reading to a sibling) and noticed that she was able to read more words than I expected. I decided to try a Pathway Reader with her again this week, and she is now reading the mid-2nd grade book! Taking a break is good for both of you to not get frustrated, and to allow her to develop more. Just leave “laying around” interesting books for her to want to practice on in her free time, and don’t push it.