"hey mom i passed kindergarten!" ..

[lauren grier]

lol this is what ce said the whole way home. hah.
so woo. We survived.. he pulled through.. stuffz great.. rarah.. but i still have some concerns/questions..

He's *barely* below benchmark now (literally.. by 2 pts- but obv that's the low end).. and his main weakness on his report card was Reading Comp (and some social stuff he's still having issues with.. like.. talking to people. Ce actually had a "special" rule in class that he's to use his playground voice instead of his inside voice hah. if only they came and hung out with him at home )..
Anyway..
his teacher is awesome and gave me a huge packet of stuff to work with him on during the summer to hopefully get him up to where he needs to be for first grade so he doesnt' spend the first few months struggling again..(mostly math and writing stuff) BUT.....
what on earth do i do to help with reading comp? I mean, we already practice all the goals whenever we read (you know, retell beginning middle end, predictions, relating to self (i am 99% sure this is where his main struggle is), i ask him questions about things that happen etc etc.
Are there any other .. tips/things i can do to really reinforce that. It's not that he's not paying attention- he memorizes books but he doesn't.. soak it in I guess. The relating to self is a big struggle because he's rather detached from the world still. Don't know how to encourage that either.
I told him he gets a little break and then we have to dive in and start working again.. haha. he wasn't impressed. summer break isn't really a break when yer behind

[SmallMoments]

I don't have any suggestions aside from what you're already doing for reading comp. But I did want to say that you are an AWESOME mom for caring so much and doing so much about this!! You don't see that very often anymore.

[gchristyng]

Yay for making it through kindergarten! Your motivation to do everything you can to help him is awe inspiring! It is so hard to figure out how to help make those things easier for kids. It makes sense if he is working really hard decoding words that he would not necessarily be connecting with the text. It can take a while to make text-to-self and text-to-other connections. I am not a teacher, but my "mom" suggestions are: (1) while you are taking your break take note of things that he is really interested in right now. On trips to the library let him pick out books about things that really interest him - non-fiction, biography, fiction - even if he can't read them himself yet - it is easier to build connections when there is something about the text you love and (2) look for a book series that is above his reading level and fun that you can read to him this summer - Geronimo Stilton, Ready Freddy, Flat Stanley (just a few of many, many choices). If you can spend sometime reading where he doesn't have do the work - it might give him the space to make connections with characters that he gets to know over time (why a book series is good). Hope that is at least a little helpful

[jacinda]

Good on you for being such an involved Mom. The only advice I have to give, is over the summer break, try to make reading FUN for him. Let him read and then maybe give him an M&M for each point he can remember from the story. No pressure if he can't remember. Help him to enjoy reading, and the comprehension will hopefully follow.

[laurabobaura]

yay for passing i'm not sure how to help with the reading good luck, lady! i KNOW you'll figure something out. you always do.

[Misty Cato]

I'll ditto the advice about letting him pick the books, or you pick books you know might interest him. Also, if you can create 'real life' experiences that correspond to what you are reading about, that might jumpstart the comprehension and make books seem more relevant to him. We've been reading about frogs while raising a tadpole and it's been really effective. You could do the same thing with reading about certain animals and then visit them in the zoo. Heck, read about pirates and then put on a pirate play modeled after the book. Anything to keep it fun while making the book/story more meaningful.

[jaylensmom]

Congrats my little guy graduated kindergarten too...I would say work with him everyday...maybe not for long periods of time because hey they're kids and they get bored and frustrated...try 2 or 3 pages in the beginning...for my son's school reading they would assign him 3-5 pages each day...sometimes he read the same pages for 3 or 4 days before he was tested and passed to the next pages...also in his books they would have a page with about 20 words that would repeat throughout the book so he would see those words over and over...we went to the library the other day and we got some books and he's reading 3-4 pages a night since I got more advanced books...

[Ainwena]

Ditto again on having him choose books he is interested in, even if they are above reading level. When you read them together, you might want to model reading comprehension strategies just like you ask of him. Talk about what is at the beginning, middle, and end (so he can hear you do this too). Make sure to make connections with the books and his life/experience.

i.e.: If you are reading a non-fiction book about cold weather, you as a parent discuss what you are thinking about as you read. Perhaps it made you think about a time when you went sledding, or built a snowman. Discuss your feelings, what you were thinking at the time, etc. That way, you are modeling how you make connections with the text, one of the big steps for reading comprehension. Then, when you read about something that he has experienced, ask him if he remembers the event, what he felt, how much fun/scary/sad, etc.

One of the biggest issues I have for reading comprehension (and I teach 7th graders) is that students are unable to make personal connections with what they read. So, demonstrating how you make connections with the text (doesn't matter if fiction or non-fiction), will eventually help him to start making connections, thus improving comprehension.

[lauren grier]

thanks girlies :] I def let him pick his own books @ the library (ok.. I veto sometimes hahaha) .. he's picked some interesting things. Wandering into non-fiction is dangerous ^_^ .. but I'll keep that up fer sure. We're going to totally rock 1st grade I just know it :]

[neenee]

Yay for CE! I am so happy that he made it through and has such an amazing Mommy helping him get through.

[breakingbrie]

Yay for passing! I don't have any ideas for you, but I like Misty's ideas! But, keep it up and stay positive and yes, you WILL rock first grade!!

[scrap2day]

I don't know if this has been suggested but I would also sign him up for every reading program at your local bookstores and library you can find to keep him encouraged. Usually you sign up and then he has to read a certain number of books and then they give him a reward/let him pick out a book to keep when he turns in his list of books he has read. I know the children's librarians are usually very encouraging. Even used bookstores sometimes have programs for kids.

Borders: http://www.borders.com/online/store/..._doubledogdare

If you have a TDBank near by it looks like they even have a summer reading program for kids.
http://www.tdbank.com/summerreading/

This site also has some fun ideas:
http://www.bookitprogram.com/SummerBreak/

I also love Misty's idea of choosing books about a zoo animal and then visiting that animal at the zoo. That could help with comprehension because you would have a lot to discuss before the trip to the zoo and then when you're there.

[[michele]]

Would it help if you and he wrote some stories together?

[Sharon Kay]

how about making some "hybrid games" to help with his reading??

[4noisyboys]

Just YAY!!!!! Way to go Ce!!!!

keep on doing what you're doing La, and if your library is close by, do their summer reading program. My boys LOVED participating in those.