Kids read and then they take a test. Picture books have 5 questions. Chapter book tests have 10 questions.
Our challenge is reading chapter books. I tried finding books that would be of interest to Hannah based on topic (e.g., books about dogs, for example). But clearly I did not choose the right book since the Puppy series is at a higher level of proficiency. We also tried expository textbooks, example, books on science like the life on penguins in the Antartica. Way tooo difficult.
Hannah likes Ivy and Bean the series on the two friends who are very different from each other. It's a wonderful series. But getting her to read several chapters on one day is the challenge. So what to do? I decided that besides working with her wonderful tutor, she needs more support, like Kumon. We went there today and Hannah had no trouble concentrating. She was focused. Should we try it? I know it is drill and kill, but they will also work on the basics to give her some confidence, which is what she needs. Any feedback? Any thoughts?
I am a firm believer that the basics are essential and should never be underestimated. It's amazing (and overwhelming) to read my students' papers (college level) and see how much of the basics they lack. Kumon seems like a very structured program and perhaps there is not much creativity in it, but sometimes we need that structure to practice and help build a stronger foundation. It will definitely help with academic skills she will need later, like paragraph writing and test-taking. Hannah seems, from that one time I met her, like a very creative being. Plus, she has a supportive mother who is a teacher and she also has a tutor, so she is going to get creativity and other types of reinforcement outside of Kumon, which is good. I say despite the "drill and kill," try it!
ReplyDeleteAlso, on another note, I have a friend who is a writer and she has talked to me about Chapter Books. I didn't even know what they were until she explained them to me. She is actually writing her own chapter book and hoping to publish it at some point because she says there needs to be some Latino representation in that particular genre.
ReplyDeleteThat is something I have been thinking about! Let me know when your friend publishes the book!
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