06 Nov My child reads all the time but does badly on reading tests 046
This is a relatively common situation but quite puzzling for parents. When teachers check the facts they may find that the child is obsessed with reading and reads at every opportunity, perhaps even at 4.00 am when they should be sleeping. Probably the child is just skimming over the surface, skipping sections, searching for particular sections, daydreaming or otherwise disengaged. The act of reading could even be to avoid doing something else. Almost always such a child reads only one type of book.
The solution is to ensure that your child receives a balanced and nutritious diet of reading, with some choice, but no over eating. Food certainly tastes better if one is not eating all the time. In practical terms then monitor your child’s behaviour and restrict total reading time to say one-and-half hours a day, in addition to doing school homework and projects. This is plenty of reading.
But more than this, you the parent needs to have an input into what is being read. Your child can read the books of his or her choice, but in addition must read a variety of books, some of which you may choose. Keep a reading log, that is a record of the number of books read in each category. A sample list of categories appears below. Over a period of at least six months a balance should be evident.
The reading log should be marked up for each new book. Note that each week a new book should be at least started, although it does not have to be finished. What counts is the exposure to a balanced variety. Of course you are free to use any recording system you like but you should always include the balance between fiction and non-fiction.
Fiction
Non-fiction
School book
Aborigines
adventure
agriculture
airplane
animal
architecture/building
art
art/craft/hobbies
Australia
Australian identity
bikes
birds
body
botany/biology
business
careers
cars
celebrations
cities
classics
clothing
coins
comics
communication
computers
cooking
countries
country life
crime
crime fiction
dance
design
dictionary
dinosaurs
disability
disasters
disasters at sea
dragons
education
encyclopaedia
energy
English
entertainment
environment
espionage
ethics
exploration
fable
fairytale
family
famous person
fantasy
fashion
finance
fishing
food
games/puzzles
gemstones
geography
gothic/ghost
government
health
health policy
history
home/house
interview
invention
jokes/humour
law
legends/myths
leisure/entertainment
literature, about
magazine
marketing
mathematics
monster
movies
music
mystery
mythology
natural world
navigation
navy
Neanderthals
newspaper
opera
pets
picture book
poetry
proverbs
psychology
real estate
records
religion
restaurants
romance
royal family
school life
science
science fiction
sea
self help /motivation
Shakespeare
ships/boats
short stories
society/culture
space
speeches
sport
supernatural
suspense
technology
teenage life
tourist attraction
trade
travel
vampire
war
weather
women
This is a good start but we haven’t finished yet. From time to time talk with your child about the book that is being read. Examples of questions, for older children, could include: what is it about, what happens, good things about the book,
things you think could have been better, what you think about the book, and what type of children would be interested in this book. Sometimes, and only sometimes, your child could provide written answers to such questions.
All content copyright—Mark Thackray—Australian Educational Services