Is there anything better than IXL English for improving reading and language art skills?

[Anonymous]

My kid does not receive an appropriate English education at her school.

So, we rely on IXL English to teach her critical reading and language arts skills. IXL is basically multiple choice questions, with limited explanations. Is there anything better than this?

She reads a lot, as it is.

[Anonymous]

Agree? Still level? What at you wanting to teach?

[Anonymous]

That should say age/skill level

[Anonymous]

Reading. Seriously. That’s the best thing you can do.

[Anonymous]

Ask your local librarian if there is an age appropriate book club? Or if you can start one? Tapping in to your child’s organic love of books and coupling it with peer enthusiasm can do wonders. Good on you for getting it done !

[Anonymous]

Good for you for taking some responsibility for your child’s education. I feel kids aren’t receiving appropriate instruction in all subjects, but maybe that’s a story for another time.

Does she take NWEA at school? If she does, it should give a Lexile reading level. Go to the lexile book finder website and plug in what reading level she is and select the type of books she is interested in. It will give you a list of books within her reading level that meet her interests. Unless your DD has a love for classics, chances are good she is reading a bunch of books that, while they may be age appropriate, are way below her reading level. Books written in the last 10 yrs geared for tweens/teens have markedly lower reading levels and difficulty than books we grew up reading. There are exceptions, but the lexile site helps you figure out ones that are in that range. Also, if ordering books on Amazon, many times it will list the lexile rating in the info (where it lists the targeted appropriate ages/grades).

I’ve dove into this recently because I’ve noticed this problem too. My 6th grader was reading books for class that seemed ridiculously simple- elementary level. I looked them up and sure enough, they had a lexile level of 300-500. That is the equivalent of a 2nd grade level, even through the books was written for kids grades 4-7. Then I looked up books I remember reading in small groups as part of 6th grade. These were books like Treasure Island, Julie of the Wolves, Island of the Blue Dolphin. Their level is 850-1000. Huge difference in literature quality being assigned and read now.

[Anonymous]

I'm a parent of teen boys. My sons were pretty good at reading and were hooked on a few series in elementary school. The Warrior Cats series was very popular.

They did not receive much grammar or spelling instruction. I was not aware about IXL until they became middle school aged children. I paid for it for 1 year to remedy their math deficits from the pandemic. My older son also used the English lessons and my younger son used Spanish lessons.

I explained the above so you'd know that I'm familiar with the program and the parent interface.

Also, I had a 780 verbal on the old SAT. My older son got a 750 verbal. I read a lot more than my kids. I think reading trains the brain on how to write with style. But you can't tell until late high school when style becomes more important.

I consider IXL an adequate substitute for the amount of grammar training I received as a kid (far more than my kids received). It's not a fancy program but drilling is the best you can hope for.

Bottom line, I think IXL is adequate and the price is reasonable. If you can get your kid to do spelling work/spelling tests with you, that might also help.

[Anonymous]

My DD's 4th grade magnet class did the Wordly Wise workbooks, and it's probably the only worksheet-type exercise she's ever actually enjoyed. She's a highly verbal, voracious reader, but has inattentive ADHD and generally hates worksheets and multiple choice. Somehow, WW just hit a sweet spot for her. She actually asked me to buy her the next level up after they stopped.

WW teaches vocabulary and grammar, along with extension exercises for reading comprehension. You don't say how old your child is, though, so you'd have to take a look and decide whether there's an appropriate level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DD's 4th grade magnet class did the Wordly Wise workbooks, and it's probably the only worksheet-type exercise she's ever actually enjoyed. She's a highly verbal, voracious reader, but has inattentive ADHD and generally hates worksheets and multiple choice. Somehow, WW just hit a sweet spot for her. She actually asked me to buy her the next level up after they stopped.

WW teaches vocabulary and grammar, along with extension exercises for reading comprehension. You don't say how old your child is, though, so you'd have to take a look and decide whether there's an appropriate level.

Sorry, just realized which forum I was in. But I think they do go up to high school level?

[Anonymous]

PP. You could try some fun books about grammar. Below is one example.

Also, I received a copy of "The Elements of Style" by Strunk and White as a kid and I did read it. In today's business world, you might consider "Smart Brevity" by Jim VanDenHei. That's for e-mail and internship skills. Not for writing college papers.

https://www.amazon.com/Eats-Shoots-Leaves-Tolerance-Punctuation/dp/1592402038

[Anonymous]

Thanks! Ordered Elements of Style.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid does not receive an appropriate English education at her school.

So, we rely on IXL English to teach her critical reading and language arts skills. IXL is basically multiple choice questions, with limited explanations. Is there anything better than this?

She reads a lot, as it is.

FWIW my son’s old writing tutor had him do a lot of ixl homework over the years. He also reads a lot. We weren’t at all thinking about standardized tests at the time, but he took the ACT and got a 35 in English and a 36 in Reading on the first try. I know the test isn’t the purpose of learning those skills, but it was a pleasant surprise.

[Anonymous]

Is Khan academy better?