Read more or do more comprehensions?

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nadkha
Posts: 52
Joined: Wed Jun 05, 2013 1:33 pm

Read more or do more comprehensions?

Post by nadkha »

My DD is quite weak in English. Her tutor told me she needs to read a lot more books and has given her a book list to go through. DD finds some of the books hard to comprehend. She is reading Northern Lights at the moment and not really enjoying it.

With only a few weeks to go until the exams dO you think it would be more beneficial for DD to use her time doing comprehension's or to spend that time reading through books?

She takes at least a week or so to get thorough one book!
Daogroupie
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Location: Herts

Re: Read more or do more comprehension's?

Post by Daogroupie »

I am not a supporter of the reading fixes everything mantra. With just a few weeks to go ploughing her way through Northern Lights is not going to help. There are much more lively books she could be looking at. A better approach would be to do a comprehension and then work through it and mark it critically and then have another go at it and see if she can improve. What is she actually doing with the tutor? DG
Ladymuck
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Re: Read more or do more comprehension's?

Post by Ladymuck »

What NC level is she currently working at?
I note that she has had more than 1 tutor. Do they feel that she is up to passing the exams? Ie she is very bright, self-motivated and will do well in that environment. At this stage merely reading a book will not help her so much in exam preparation. I agree with DG that reading doesn't always fix everything, especially in a short period, but many of the children she is up against will be readers.

I would get her to read to you out loud. Go through as many comprehension pieces as possible (the ISEB 11+ English papers is good for this - 25 comprehensions, as well as the Bond comprehensions, but there are also lots of free independent papers on the web too). Get her to read with meaning, and see if she can then understand better what she is reading.

You mentioned elsewhere that she isn't particularly motivated. Have you though about group lessons or a week's course at this stage? Or is she more comfortable with another school and isn't that bothered about the grammar?
nadkha
Posts: 52
Joined: Wed Jun 05, 2013 1:33 pm

Re: Read more or do more comprehension's?

Post by nadkha »

Thank you so much for the advice that was my gut feeling that reading those types of books at this stage would be far too time consuming.

I have told DD that there is only so much I an do. She does insist
That she wants to go to GS. I suppose she is one of those children that
you have to be on top off. I do believe if she applied herself a bit more
she would be capable of getting a place.

She is attending a 11+ centre in sutton for test papers, but as I might
Have mentioned her results have stagnated.

Thanks ladies I will definetly take your advice on board

X
southbucks3
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Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2012 11:59 am

Re: Read more or do more comprehension's?

Post by southbucks3 »

When I was in junior school mum always bought the woman's weekly summer reading special, which was full of short stories that we read together, some romantic, some thrillers, some spooky, a whole mix. They still publish it and peoples friend is similar too so have a look in the newsagents, instead of big books grab these, curl up together every evening and read one together. By asking inference questions as you go along you will help her and as they are simple adult literature they are great for sharing together. I still remember some, one in particularl about a robin that visited a lady in her garden every day, she chatted away to it as she was so lonely after becoming a widow, but it vanished and she forced herself to socialise as she realised how lonely she was without it. She then found the robin months later, it had nested in her shed in an old teapot and was with hatchlings.....awwww. I loved that story and checked the shed every spring for years!
Do regular comprehension with her too, but I am with the others, don't force heavy children's books on her, she will simply turn off from reading for pleasure and that would be a shame.
Last edited by southbucks3 on Mon Jul 28, 2014 6:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Tolstoy
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Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2008 5:25 pm

Re: Read more or do more comprehension's?

Post by Tolstoy »

We started a family book club this summer to encourage my DS2 to read some of the books from his book list. DS3 has dyslexia and reading is a chore but he wanted to join in so we took it in turns reading the chapters. We have only managed one book so far (life went a bit belly up) but he really enjoyed it because he was able to get through the book quicker it kept the momentum going to find out what would happen at the end.


.... and in addition the DS2 who won't read is the best of the lot in English :lol:
silverysea
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Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2011 3:32 pm

Re: Read more or do more comprehension's?

Post by silverysea »

Love your story Southbucks!!! Tolstoy book club a great idea-wish I could figure out how to do a math club with my 2-my math phobia doesn't help!!

I agree, just forcing your way through a heavy tome you don't even like is not the best use of time - I had to alternate with dd between things she liked doing on her own (in her case reading a novel) as a reward for things she found hard, with me watching over (in her case maths was the problem). Also lots of tests then correcting mistakes together, is a faster way to focus on problem areas. These can change as she forgot how to do certain things sometimes.
Yamin151
Posts: 2405
Joined: Fri Aug 30, 2013 8:30 am

Re: Read more or do more comprehension's?

Post by Yamin151 »

southbucks3 wrote:When I was in junior school mum always bought the woman's weekly summer reading special, which was full of short stories that we read together, some romantic, some thrillers, some spooky, a whole mix. They still publish it and peoples friend is similar too so have a look in the newsagents, instead of big books grab these, curl up together every evening and read one together. By asking inference questions as you go along you will help her and as they are simple adult literature they are great for sharing together. I still remember some, one in particularl about a robin that visited a lady in her garden every day, she chatted away to it as she was so lonely after becoming a widow, but it vanished and she forced herself to socialise as she realised how lonely she was without it. She then found the robin months later, it had nested in her shed in an old teapot and was with hatchlings.....awwww. I loved that story and checked the shed every spring for years!
Do regular comprehension with her too, but I am with the others, don't force heavy children's books on her, she will simply turn off from reading for pleasure and that would be a shame.
What a lovely idea southbucks! I love this. My boys are voracious readers, one of anything zombie (Charlie higson the fallen etc esp faves at mo) and the other fantasy (lotr, Northern lights etc), but they also love the commando comic books you can get in wh smiths, bottom shelf of story comics. Understand these are more 'boy' but just in case someone similar issue with boys and reading. They are very gung-ho, but good for encouraging reading none the less.
fairyelephant
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Joined: Wed Jul 18, 2012 9:59 am
Location: N London

Re: Read more or do more comprehensions?

Post by fairyelephant »

I agree that you need to really focus on comprehension skills now. Do some verbally with her with you doing the writing, to vary things if she's fed up.

Is it multiple choice or long form answers? If the latter there is a section in the How to do 11 plus Comprehension by Bond which helpfully shows a comprehension with top scoring answers, middling answers and low scoring answers, it really shows kids what they've got to do (and is the only useful bit of the book IMO).
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