The reading challenge...

[RayinPenn]

Scenario: Our son is a sophomore in HS, I'm sixty she's fifty seven (Yeah we got a late start). Education is a priority in our home - daughter goes to a name university (applied mathematics / computer science) and is on the Deans List.
I've got a couple of graduate degrees.

The wife informs me about week ago that a that my 'reluctant' student son scored in the top 25% for math and the bottom 10% for reading (essentially a past practice college entrance exam) My first reaction was to be shocked as his grades are quite good in the academic college bound level course load (including english).

So to get a sense of his reading skills I have him read to me for 1/2 hour each night (the Hobbit). Oddly there doesn't seem to be any issue with his reading skills. He who 'hates reading' actually said he likes the book. At first when we got to a word I suspect he doesn't know I have him use built in dictionary. Now he does it on his own. I ask him occasionally about passages to validate his understanding.

I googled "books every HS student should read before they graduate". It is my intention to have him read Uncle Toms Cabin next. I can't trust him to read on his own and I'm confident this will help.

Anyone have any constructive thoughts...

[Bogie Shooter]

What do the professional teachers have to say? Wouldn't they have some good ideas to help him improve?
They would know the situation better than posters on some blog..........

[graciegirl]

I am very puzzled. A high school sophomore should be reading all kinds of things just because he likes to read. Have you talked to the school guidance counselor? He may be dyslexic. Many bright kids are. It is the most common learning problem. They see letters scrambled and often need to" HEAR" their books.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyslexia

[RayinPenn]

No he doesn't appear to have any physical reading limitations.

Also, I am wondering how do you live here in The Villages with an underage child?

Relax I am a village wanna be for exactly that reason..

[Madelaine Amee]

Scenario: Our son is a sophomore in HS, I'm sixty she's fifty seven (Yeah we got a late start). Education is a priority in our home - daughter goes to a name university (applied mathematics / computer science) and is on the Deans List.
I've got a couple of graduate degrees.

The wife informs me about week ago that a that my 'reluctant' student son scored in the top 25% for math and the bottom 10% for reading (essentially a past practice college entrance exam) My first reaction was to be shocked as his grades are quite good in the academic college bound level course load (including english).

So to get a sense of his reading skills I have him read to me for 1/2 hour each night (the Hobbit). Oddly there doesn't seem to be any issue with his reading skills. He who 'hates reading' actually said he likes the book. At first when we got to a word I suspect he doesn't know I have him use built in dictionary. Now he does it on his own. I ask him occasionally about passages to validate his understanding.

I googled "books every HS student should read before they graduate". It is my intention to have him read Uncle Toms Cabin next. I can't trust him to read on his own and I'm confident this will help.

Anyone have any constructive thoughts...

I'm going to suggest you try to relax on the reading issue. My very successful son only read what he wanted to read; i.e. comic books, books on music and the musicians he was interested in, books on snow machines, jet skis, motor bikes, cars ............... but, I never, ever saw him read the classics. I will add that his spelling leaves much to be desired and his English writing skills are not too hot .................. but, boy can he make money!

Your son will be just fine - he has two parents who appear to be good role models!

From a young age I loved to read, but only books and magazines I wanted to read. I did my classical reading later in life.

[tomwed]

It's great to read you are getting involved.

Did you speak to his counselor? You want to see all his standardized test scores since grade 1.

Do you have any teacher friends in the district who know the expertise of fellow employees? They can provide insight.

Do you have a reading specialist in the district?

Does your child have an EIP? Educational Improvement Plan

In New Jersey you can put in a request to meet with the Child Study Team.

Try this test out to corroborate your school report. https://www.englishclub.com/reading/test.htm

Something doesn't seem right to me, good grades and poor test scores.

I wouldn't feel so confident this is something that you can fix with a handful of books in a DIY approach. He is already a sophomore. You need an educational improvement plan prepared by professionals that includes prepping for the PSAT if college is an option.

Uncle Tom's Cabin is probably not the best choice.
Reading Level :
high interest, readability grades 4 to 5
Vocabulary
Challenging words:
writing, ex-slave, cruelty, slavery, based, runaway, totally, entire, preacher, lasted, important, narrative, false, cruel, praise, impact

This might be a better fit. It’s a fun read too.

Joseph Heller Catch 22 or One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey
Reading Level grades 9 to 12
Flesch-Kincaid grade level:
10.24

There are good lessons about dealing with authority figures.

Of course the biggest problem is the lack of trust problem. How do you know he is taking the test seriously? Some kids get bored, don't care or are tired and just bubble in anything to finish the test.

Why are you just finding out there is a reading [learning] problem?

[RayinPenn]

Thanks for the advise
I'll pay more attention to the reading levels..
I'll see what his advisor has to say..

[Laurie2]

If your son were truly in such a low percentile, you would have known he had a problem before now.

Things can happen during the testing situation itself, causing scores to be skewed. Sometimes it can be as simple as the student somehow getting the lines on the answer sheet incorrectly matched to the question numbers.

Also, sometimes teenagers do not take those tests seriously (imagine that) and just take a random approach to coloring in those circles. It even can be a planned move. -- My daughter, who is now a responsible adult with two degrees, told me that when she was a sophomore, she and her friends shifted answer sheets for one of the sections. (They don't call them sophomoric for nothing.) -- Now, please do not get upset, thinking that I am saying your kid would flagrantly mess with the test. I am just telling you that mine did. :22yikes:

I am very familiar with a situation when standardized state tests were incorrectly scored on a large scale. Aware teachers knew the scores had to be wrong. It was an across-the-board mistake. Caught and corrected. (That is not the norm. But it did happen.)

I am not trying to minimize your concern. I am simply sharing situations I have known.

Now, back to the concern about his not being a reader. . .

If I were you, I would find out if your local library has a Teen Librarian. . .

Teen Librarians specialize in what the library biz calls YA books. (Young Adult) Parents are often familiar with Children's Librarians but might not know that there are also Teen Librarians. Find one.

Teen Librarians (sometimes called YA Librarians) know what teens are reading now. The librarian should have a little conversation to try to establish interests and then will find some titles that might be a fit. Take home more than one so there are choices. Maybe you could read the same ones so the two of you can discuss the books a bit.

Do not torment him with required reading lists. Help him find books he will like reading. And you can do that by finding a librarian who knows the territory. Good librarians stay current. And I think you will be surprised at the number of books out there for teens -- and you will like them, too, I bet.

And, yes, I just might know what I am talking about. Now, get thee to a library. :) -- It might turn out to be a really good low-key way to show your son the joy of reading for fun. And with that will come comprehension and concentration skills that can translate to his studies.

[pqrstar]

Standardized tests are designed for understanding main points and drawing conclusions.
Practice with short articles such as newspaper editorials and current magazine articles.

[Kirsten Lee]

I don't know where you live but in the midwest it is common for kids to take the ACT not the SAT test. You can go online and look for free ACT test. Have him redo the reading part and see if he scores about the same. If yes request his reading be evaluated by the school. When my son was a sophomore in high school it was finally discovered that he was dyslexic. Spanish 3 and Geometry were very hard. As I was told by the reading specialist, "English is a foreign language to your son." If there is a problem, get documentation. AJ was allowed extra time on his ACT and scored a 30. He has always hated to read. He did take a few college classes during his high school senior year and that helped him realize what college was like. He is in his second year of college. Business-IT major with a minor in Computer Science. On his own AJ got a paid internship last summer and they have kept him on for the school year. He is very hard working. He really struggled with Calc 1 in college (the English is a second language Professor did not help) but has done well in the English classes.

I am hoping your son just skipped one question and filled in many wrong circles. Good Luck.

[gomoho]

My son hated to read - told me in 2nd or 3rd grade he didn't need to learn 'cause he would just have his wife read to him - not sure what that was all about. To make a long story short he managed to graduate from the University of North Carolina with honors and we learned through this process he has an incredible mind for science - reading just doesn't turn him on. He is now enjoying a very successful and fulfilling career working for a corporation that does clinical research trials for the big pharmaceuticals. Allow him to be who he is, not who he is expected to be.

[DruannB]

As a university English professor, I can offer quite a bit of advice, but I will stick with this. Your son should be reading and you should encourage it. Don't let it go. It is necessary. We deal every day with a new generation that is computer savvy but doesn't read. They struggle in college. Not necessarily because of reading comprehension. It's more a lack of context that they get from reading. Books are where a deeper understanding of various values and cultures are developed. They have a broader understanding of many subject areas. I teach at a private university where 50% of our students came from the top 10% of their classes--schools from around the world. We push our students, and yet are constantly reminded that these brilliant students don't read. Many tell us that there is minimal reading required in high school, even in the AP classes. I made my children read. One loved it. The other thought I was killing him. But when he got to the University of Texas-Austin, he sailed through his English classes, even Shakespeare. There are many high-school suggested reading lists available online. Go for a variety, covering different topics and time periods. Some fiction and some non-fiction. I wouldn't choose Uncle Tom's Cabin, although some schools do teach it. And don't go for strictly popular literature literature, either. No Harry Potter. Some of my favorites, and students' favorites, are A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines and Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. I'm currently teaching Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and Bailey's Cafe by Gloria Naylor. These all score highly with the students, particularly my general education students (not English majors). I hope this helps and I am so thrilled to see a parent who cares. I wish there were more of you out there.

[Loudoll]

I have a theory and it goes like this: No one really knows what causes a kid to latch onto reading and love it or to have no interest in books at all. It's like fishing. We have kids in our family who love to fish and those who don't. Doesn't seem to matter if the parents fish or not. Kids in the same family with the same environment and influences have different "obsessions". I can't even remember when my son learned to read, he's just always loved books and has always read voraciously. My sister has six kids that she took to the library regularly, etc. but ended up with only one book "nut". (Boy, for a reader I'm not expressing this very well. lol) My dad's formal education ended at grade 6 but his reading was sophisticated and ongoing. My mother graduated high school with a science major but she couldn't readand was diagnosed with dyslexia later in life. Anyway, my point is I think it is good to book! book! book! as much as possible when the child is young, but you can't force the magic spell of reading.

[Loudoll]

[QUOTE=Laurie2;988349]If your son were truly in such a low percentile, you would have known he had a problem before now.

Enjoyed this advice and comment.:angel:

[Loudoll]

My son hated to read - told me in 2nd or 3rd grade he didn't need to learn 'cause he would just have his wife read to him - not sure what that was all about. To make a long story short he managed to graduate from the University of North Carolina with honors and we learned through this process he has an incredible mind for science - reading just doesn't turn him on. He is now enjoying a very successful and fulfilling career working for a corporation that does clinical research trials for the big pharmaceuticals. Allow him to be who he is, not who he is expected to be.
From his remark to you when he was so young I thought he might be doing Stand Up Comedy now. lol He sounds like a great person and you sound like a wise parent.

[Halibut]

Since context is important in reading, would listening to books on tape provide the same benefit? Sincere question; I'm not being snarky.

Personal anecdote: I took an IQ test* as part of a college psychology class in the 70s and found out that my verbal score was very high and non-verbal was barely average. The instructor pulled me aside and said that much of a difference between the two (I want to say 20+ points) was indicative of a learning disability. I subsequently found out that I do have a central auditory processing disorder. It was interesting because I always did very well in school and was considered to be one of the "smart" kids. Goes to show how skewed education was at the time in favor of verbal skills. God forbid anyone ask me to multiply in my head or do anything mechanical/spatial, though.

At any rate, Ray, it might be something to think about for your son. As others have said, special accommodations can be given in class if needed. But then, some people are movers/doers and just find reading boring.


*WAIS-R, I believe.

[pbkmaine]

A few thoughts. First, let him read anything he likes, including comic books. If he likes the Hobbit, try Lord of The Rings. If he likes sci-FI and fantasy, there are great authors like Heinlein and Asimov. My parents, who were teachers, limited my TV time but never my reading, and my verbal standardized test scores were always 99th percentile. Second, if you try this and nothing improves, he may simply be wired for STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). My dear goddaughter is like this, and we steered her towards engineering schools, where verbal scores were not as important. She is now finishing her senior year in engineering at Cornell. Think college grads have trouble finding jobs? She's not. Companies are lining up to hire her.

[RayinPenn]

Thanks for the many thoughtful responses - you have given me much to think about. I will let him choose what we read next but I'll provide the choices; I've found some diverse book lists that are recommended for HS students.

He and I both can spare 30 - 40 minutes each day; it's true I do have to wrestle him off his games but it hasn't been to bad - apparently Tolkien provides some interest. The trick will be to keep that interest going.

I don't think he has any disability - prior reading test have been fine. So did he just color in Christmas tree in the boxes? I'll never know.

I've always felt read, read then read some more but I like to read.

[2BNTV]

He is so lucky to have a parent who cares so much. You have received wonderful suggestions. I thought maybe he might be a person who has a hidden talent for something and gets bored too easily. Albert Einstein flunked math, because he was so advanced in his thinking.

FWIW - You might want to be aware of a subject/s, he does have an affinity for. Some kids are so bright, and maybe that needs to be, explored.

[graciegirl]

Thanks for the many thoughtful responses - you have given me much to think about. I will let him choose what we read next but I'll provide the choices; I've found some diverse book lists that are recommended for HS students.

He and I both can spare 30 - 40 minutes each day; it's true I do have to wrestle him off his games but it hasn't been to bad - apparently Tolkien provides some interest. The trick will be to keep that interest going.

I don't think he has any disability - prior reading test have been fine. So did he just color in Christmas tree in the boxes? I'll never know.

I've always felt read, read then read some more but I like to read.


I HATE the word disability. People who know me well, know why. I think that we all learn differently. Our oldest daughters closest childhood friend was discovered to have Dyslexia and she added listening to tapes of her books from then on. She has two degrees and is currently working on her third at the age of fifty. She is an intensive care nurse at Christ Hospital in Cincinnati and she is not only brilliant but so emotionally perceptive

It isn't that you can't read at all when you have Dyslexia. You just see and process the letters differently.

Young people learn in so many ways.

But if warmth and caring is involved...they all do a better job.