What can your first grader read independently?

[Anonymous]

In addition to decodable books… what about just getting books that are more advanced that you think she will really enjoy? Eg my kid is level G and often huffs at the school assigned leveled readers, but I read Ronald Dahl’s Esio Trot aloud and he was jumping in to read some words and got excited about it. He got a lot of practice and more joyfully than with the boring readers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In addition to decodable books… what about just getting books that are more advanced that you think she will really enjoy? Eg my kid is level G and often huffs at the school assigned leveled readers, but I read Ronald Dahl’s Esio Trot aloud and he was jumping in to read some words and got excited about it. He got a lot of practice and more joyfully than with the boring readers.

Roald Dahl, sorry!

[Anonymous]

You could also get a set of short books and let her earn a sticker to put on the cover when she finishes. Or a longer book but she picks out a sticker to mark each chapter she reads.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sometimes all it takes are the right books for a kid to click. Try isadora moon series or kitty series.

I’m the Geronimo Stilton PP and my daughter also loves these! Both are very cute.

Also OP what about graphic novels? My kid loves Dog Man and Cat Club or whatever it’s called.

Just an FYI Geronimo Stilton is Scholastic level O. Dog Man is level S. OP's DD reads levels F and G.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here. There are some funny responses, but thanks to those who answered the question. I was asking not because I’m super worried but because her teacher is pretty vague and I can’t seem to get a sense of whether my kid could benefit from some focus on reading to build her confidence. My kid reports that she’s a “bad” reader and I want to help her develop confidence. It’s just good to get a sense from other parents as to what other 1st graders are doing. I don’t want to ask parents I know because it’ll come across as either competitive or insecure when it’s really just curiosity/information gathering.

I totally get it, OP. My kindergartener will often report that she's "bad" at a subject, or that she "hates" it, but I've discovered that it's always a highly subjective opinion and can change quickly. Like a couple months ago she said she "hated" reading because "everyone else is better." But just last week she told me that she's changed her mind, she likes reading and thinks she's good at it. I happen to know that she is in the most advanced reading group in the class, but also that she's probably the weakest reader of that group at the moment. So I think her perception is influenced by comparing herself to the very top readers in class and feeling likes she's struggling by comparison. The teacher's choice to put her in the group indicates that a lot of confidence in her skills, but she's too young to really understand what that means.

(Oh, and for reference -- the kindergartener doesn't read anything independently yet! This was not a humble brag about how she's more advanced than a 1st grader. I was reading this thread for general information.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sometimes all it takes are the right books for a kid to click. Try isadora moon series or kitty series.

I’m the Geronimo Stilton PP and my daughter also loves these! Both are very cute.

Also OP what about graphic novels? My kid loves Dog Man and Cat Club or whatever it’s called.

Just an FYI Geronimo Stilton is Scholastic level O. Dog Man is level S. OP's DD reads levels F and G.

Good point. Elephant and piggie look like the right level—these were huge hits with my kid. She still loves to read them (and we act them out together at bedtime).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Literally anything she wants. She has read the entire Percy Jackson series and series made for kids mythology chapter books.

BUT THIS IS NOT NORMAL.

How are her reading test scores/what level does it say on her report card?

Cool

OP, you are fine. I had one of these first graders like the Percy Jackson mom. Guess what? By 2nd or 3rd grade, most everyone knows how to read, and nobody cares that your kid used to be the first one reading chapter books.

[Anonymous]

My first grader was exactly where yours is...he wouldn't read anything with "too many words."
Now he is in second and though he scores 99th percentile on standardized reading tests he's still not much of a reader. He reads comic books and storybooks about things he's interested in (Pokemon etc.) but no interest in books without pictures.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mine has read most of the classics. He’s starting to translate them into Greek now for a hobby

Ancient Greek or Modern Greek? Mine did both and then discovered a passion for Cuneiform. The clay tablets take up so much space in the study. Ugh. #dcumproblems, amirite?

My first grader just embarked on Mahabharata, but only because she so enjoyed working through translating Bhagavad Gita first.

Had she not been asking me for more epics on and on after devouring all of the classics back in K, I never would've moved on to the translations. I want her to be self-motivated, of course.

Sheesh this joke is getting old. I'm sure PP learned her lesson.

Nah, it's still funny. Back when my daughter ran the Thucydides book club (both the English section and the Greek section) she always joked about the kindergarteners still struggling with Herodotus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Literally anything she wants. She has read the entire Percy Jackson series and series made for kids mythology chapter books.

BUT THIS IS NOT NORMAL.

How are her reading test scores/what level does it say on her report card?

Cool

OP, you are fine. I had one of these first graders like the Percy Jackson mom. Guess what? By 2nd or 3rd grade, most everyone knows how to read, and nobody cares that your kid used to be the first one reading chapter books.

Barring the true cases of 99th percentile IQ highly gifted children who go to special schools for the highly gifted, the 7 year olds supposedly reading Percy Jackson and Harry Potter aren't fully understanding it all. My DD could also "read" such books, as in open the page and say the words without stumbling. But the vocabulary and the situations and the subtle humor went over her head many times. I've only met two kids who really could read-read these books in 1st grade without needing someone to re-explain anything in simpler terms. Always take the anonymous stranger anecdotes with a grain of salt when it comes to these 'what is your child reading?' threads.

[Anonymous]

Small chapter books like Owl diaries, Kitty Magic, Pizza and Taco, Cat Kid, Narwal and Jelly.

[Anonymous]

The first book each of my children could read independently was Green Eggs and Ham. Easily decodable words. Confidence building. Leveled readers are a total crock and recent research has said that the "tests" that show which level your kid is on is as accurate as guessing.

Say what you want about him but Dr Seuss understood reading.

[Anonymous]

My DS can read anything since his levels are high. But he loves to read graphic novels, he wants to read my Waking Dead and Roots series but I pushed him to more his age. Any suggestion?

[Anonymous]

I would let your child read whatever books they want as long as they keep reading! Take them to the library to explore all different books. Try taking turns reading every other sentence.

[Anonymous]

My 1st grader can read the Dory books on her own. She enjoys reading to me. When she gets tired, i take over. I also read more complex things to her.