Tell me about your 1st grade reader

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Age and birth order makes huge difference OP.

My current 1st grader is reading simple chapter books like Half Magic. He also reads a lot of Dog Man graphic novels and Who would Win. He’s above grade level - but he also turned 7 in November and has an older brother which adds to the availability of books at higher reading levels.

My older child is identified as gifted and was reading things like Step into Reading Level 1 and 2 books in 1st grade. He turned 7 in July after 1st grade. He also had remote school for all of 1st grade and I used “Teach your child to read in 100 lessons” when covid ended kindergarten for him in March and he was just starting to sound out CVC words.

I try to be careful with Dog man books because the English is broken. My kids love them but we sometimes go over it and explain when there are English errors

Thanks for the advice, but both my kids are identified as gifted and strong readers for their age. They understand the difference between humorous or colloquial dialogue and standard English. The older one complete the Mensa reading list for K-3rd in 2nd grade and the younger one is on pace to do the same, so they also get plenty of exposure to “classics”.

My mom was school librarian for 30 years and she feels strongly that the best books for kids to read are the books they WANT to read. Just because kids CAN read harder or more sophisticated books, as long as they are on grade level, it’s more important to develop a love of reading.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand all the Harry Potter responses. I don’t feel like the Harry Potter series is appropriate for 6 year olds.

It's definitely not. My 8 year old can read HP, but is a little hesitant because she thinks some of the content is too scary. When it comes up, I still encourage her to wait a bit longer to start the series. Just because they can, doesn't mean they should. Both because of the content, and because of the gap in comprehension. They'll get a lot more out of it if they wait until they're more mature.

If they are like my kids they’ll read them hundreds of times between 6 and 16, so if they miss things the first time it doesn’t matter.

The first few books are also not that scary. The first 3 books, and especially 1 and 2, are written to a level that early elementary kids can understand and will not find too scary. Actually, at that age my kid was totally unfazed by the kind of fantasy elements you find in the first Harry Potter (a troll is loose in the school, a wizard is trying to steal a stone that makes you live forever, a goofy caretaker discovers dragons don't make good pets). But I remember trying to read the book Fringle to my kid in 1st grade and she made us stop because the idea of kids who seemed realistic and familiar trying to test a strict teacher hit too close to home for her -- it was like her worst nightmare come to life (she's a huge rule follower and hates being scolded by authority figures). Harry Potter was not scary to her -- it was exciting and fun.

I would not let a kid under around 3rd grade read past book 4. I think it would be too upsetting for kids that age to read about the deaths in those books, and there's also a teacher who is straight up abusing children and a lot of scary political themes about fascism. I think those subjects all require a kid mature enough to be able to discuss those real life subjects, and the vast majority of 1st and 2nd graders can't do that.

Sure. But my 8 year old is afraid of death so the idea of dead parents for Harry would be very disturbing for her.

My almost 8yo doesn’t want to read them or watch the movies yet either. He knows enough about them and thinks they’d be scary. I was reading home the lion, the witch and the wardrobe and he asked me to stop reading a couple chapters into that one too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is in 2nd now, when he was in first he was reading on the 5th-grade level. He loves to read and we started reading to him every night since he was 2 weeks old. He does read chapter books but prefers graphical novels. To check for understanding we make him write a paragraph about the books he read.

Is this is a troll post, it's good, because it's just right on the line of what someone might actually say in this area.

Def, not a troll... Mind you we do not make him write the paragraph unless it is like summer when he's on break. But you have to understand I am an immigrant and we both were teachers in Title 1 schools at one point. Also, we do not force him to either read or write... the only thing we force him to do in life is to get off his iPad if he's on there too long. I am unlike most parents, I do understand that he might be a bum when he grows up but the main thing is to be a well-rounded bum. At his age, STEM was pushed on me by my engineer father to the point, that I was doing calculus in the 9th, but I know how it affected me and my sibling so he does what he enjoys which is reading.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand all the Harry Potter responses. I don’t feel like the Harry Potter series is appropriate for 6 year olds.

It's definitely not. My 8 year old can read HP, but is a little hesitant because she thinks some of the content is too scary. When it comes up, I still encourage her to wait a bit longer to start the series. Just because they can, doesn't mean they should. Both because of the content, and because of the gap in comprehension. They'll get a lot more out of it if they wait until they're more mature.

If they are like my kids they’ll read them hundreds of times between 6 and 16, so if they miss things the first time it doesn’t matter.

The first few books are also not that scary. The first 3 books, and especially 1 and 2, are written to a level that early elementary kids can understand and will not find too scary. Actually, at that age my kid was totally unfazed by the kind of fantasy elements you find in the first Harry Potter (a troll is loose in the school, a wizard is trying to steal a stone that makes you live forever, a goofy caretaker discovers dragons don't make good pets). But I remember trying to read the book Fringle to my kid in 1st grade and she made us stop because the idea of kids who seemed realistic and familiar trying to test a strict teacher hit too close to home for her -- it was like her worst nightmare come to life (she's a huge rule follower and hates being scolded by authority figures). Harry Potter was not scary to her -- it was exciting and fun.

I would not let a kid under around 3rd grade read past book 4. I think it would be too upsetting for kids that age to read about the deaths in those books, and there's also a teacher who is straight up abusing children and a lot of scary political themes about fascism. I think those subjects all require a kid mature enough to be able to discuss those real life subjects, and the vast majority of 1st and 2nd graders can't do that.

Sure. But my 8 year old is afraid of death so the idea of dead parents for Harry would be very disturbing for her.

My almost 8yo doesn’t want to read them or watch the movies yet either. He knows enough about them and thinks they’d be scary. I was reading home the lion, the witch and the wardrobe and he asked me to stop reading a couple chapters into that one too.

+1. My 8 year old doesn't want to watch the movies or read the books yet either. Lots of gore in other books she reads (Wings of Fire, anyone?), but I think it's too easy for kids to imagine themselves AS Harry Potter to separate it mentally like in other stories. YMMV.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oy. This is stressing me out. My fall birthday and 1st grade 7 year old can read all of the words in Frog and Toad, but doesn't even have the stamina for that. She literally will not read on her own--not even things on cereal boxes. Her teacher says that she *can* read and is just reluctant so she's above grade level. My kid tells me that for group work in 1st grade, they're still doing CVC words and some sight words, but that reading actual books is not expected.

My first grader is similar but not above grade level, so I feel you. She’s in the lowest reading group and has no confidence about reading - I guess because all her peers are writing dissertations on Harry Potter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mine has devoured all the Harry Potter books so far this year

Pfft mine is voraciously reading War and Peace and Ulysses

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Age and birth order makes huge difference OP.

My current 1st grader is reading simple chapter books like Half Magic. He also reads a lot of Dog Man graphic novels and Who would Win. He’s above grade level - but he also turned 7 in November and has an older brother which adds to the availability of books at higher reading levels.

My older child is identified as gifted and was reading things like Step into Reading Level 1 and 2 books in 1st grade. He turned 7 in July after 1st grade. He also had remote school for all of 1st grade and I used “Teach your child to read in 100 lessons” when covid ended kindergarten for him in March and he was just starting to sound out CVC words.

Your child turned 7 in Nov, and is in the first grade? Please sit down, you do not count in this discussion.

NP but what are you talking about? School cut off is Sept 30th around here. Kids can turn 7 as early as October 1st. Kids turn 7 in first grade. That's a thing. You sound insane.

[Anonymous]

One kid was reading Magic Treehouse type books. The other was refusing to things like a stop sign. Stop comparing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand all the Harry Potter responses. I don’t feel like the Harry Potter series is appropriate for 6 year olds.

Absolutely agree

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand all the Harry Potter responses. I don’t feel like the Harry Potter series is appropriate for 6 year olds.

Absolutely agree

My kid liked fantasy-type books and loved Harry Potter in 1st grade. Actually a pretty sensitive kid generally, but something about a story with fantasy elements made it feel safe to her. Kids are just different. What bothers one kid won't bother the next. You have to know your kid.

[Anonymous]

My 6yo first grader is a good reader. He can read a whole dog man book in a sitting. He also likes magic tree house. I don’t love dog man as a parent but he is so entertained by the books and I want to encourage the love for reading. There are a lot of difficult words in those books so I think it’s good for him. He was reading the early readers level 1-3 in kindergarten.

[Anonymous]

Mine tested 99th percentile and can read simpler chapter books.

[Anonymous]

My young first grader is reading guided level books in the J-M range. So he is a bit past elephant and piggie and fly guy but not really doing chapter books. He won’t yet pick up a book and read independently but is starting more and more to read things on his environment. Each night he reads to me and I read to him. His DCPS does a lot of phonics and he is a bit above grade level. Some kids read early but being able to read full chapter books is not a grade level expectation for 1st grade!

[Anonymous]

Ability and range varies a lot at 1st grade. If your kid is soundings out words, able to read some small guide readers independently and move on from where they use to be, they are doing fine. Reading is not a race or a competition. Most kids are not reading the Harry Potter novels. Of those who do, many are glossing over some bigger words, nuance, and themes in the books. This is also fine. When they reread them later in life they’ll pick it up.

Again I emphasize this is not a race or a competition. Keep reading to them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Age and birth order makes huge difference OP.

My current 1st grader is reading simple chapter books like Half Magic. He also reads a lot of Dog Man graphic novels and Who would Win. He’s above grade level - but he also turned 7 in November and has an older brother which adds to the availability of books at higher reading levels.

My older child is identified as gifted and was reading things like Step into Reading Level 1 and 2 books in 1st grade. He turned 7 in July after 1st grade. He also had remote school for all of 1st grade and I used “Teach your child to read in 100 lessons” when covid ended kindergarten for him in March and he was just starting to sound out CVC words.

I try to be careful with Dog man books because the English is broken. My kids love them but we sometimes go over it and explain when there are English errors

Thanks for the advice, but both my kids are identified as gifted and strong readers for their age. They understand the difference between humorous or colloquial dialogue and standard English. The older one complete the Mensa reading list for K-3rd in 2nd grade and the younger one is on pace to do the same, so they also get plenty of exposure to “classics”.

My mom was school librarian for 30 years and she feels strongly that the best books for kids to read are the books they WANT to read. Just because kids CAN read harder or more sophisticated books, as long as they are on grade level, it’s more important to develop a love of reading.

I agree that kids should read what they want with the caveat that adults should also help them to discover a range of books and genres.