Quote:
Originally Posted by 6charlong
I worded it badly. What I had in mind and misspoke as ‘classics’ I was really thinking about the ‘children’s books’ I was given as a child. They were not literature. They were boring and put me off reading anything except comic books for many (lost?) years.
I’ve been surprised at B's reading skill and by the fact that her reading is way ahead of her understanding. She sat down next to me and started reading The Hobbit aloud, with very little help from grandpa, but she didn’t follow the story very well.
She is a bright child and curious about the world, and I hoped to use a book reader to help hold her interest long enough for her comprehension to catch up to her reading skill. We used to take her to a bookstore to choose any book she wanted, starting when she was three. Not surprisingly at first she went for the gimmick books (things with little toys attached, etc.). Her father takes her to the library regularly and her taste in books has improved a lot but it’s still the same problem, basically, as when she was three: she is confronted by too much selection, the books all jumbled together.
I thought it possible that a book reader might act as a kind of database for her so that in ten years she would have her best books from her childhood all under a single cover. Even if she goes through three batteries to get there, or has to load them on a replacement reader, it might give her a way to go back over old favorites.
Thanks to all of you for your suggestions.
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Your idea of a reader is an excellent one and the reasons for getting her one are very sound.
I also taught elementary aged children (I'm on a break right now raising my "surprise" child
). It is better to get her books that hold her interest and are not too advanced or mature for her if you want to help increase her comprehension skills. Narnia is a fabulous series and my older two children devoured them when they were in 4th/5th grade. I tried to read it aloud to Ryleigh and she lost interest fairly quickly even though she loved the movies. The best thing you can do to help increase comprehension is to read the same story that she is reading and then talk about it. It helps her to think more deeply about the story and she feels like you value her enough to discuss it with her.
Oh, and always ask her, "What comes next?" at the end of the story to get her thinking about possibilities!