Reading Comprehension - Book Adventure and Other Tips

Year round I get this question every so often. The asking becomes be more prevalent when school is wrapping up and will be out for the summer. Parents will come in and ask:

What can I do to test my child's comprehension of the books he/she reads? 

Typically, in the past, my answers always consist of the strong suggestion of having the parent be involved with their child's reading. Read along with them (by using the same book or by checking out a second copy) and ask them questions. If one can't read along, one can still ask questions:  What is the story about? What character do you like? and so on.

Now, after being an alligator in a vest (an investigator!) I've come across some more helpful resources for the parents who need assistance in working their young readers.

BOOK ADVENTURE
One of the popular questions is if we have quizzes for the books or if we have access to the AR or Lexile quizzes that their child's school has. Answer: No, we don't. Some books have questions in the back and sometimes there are other resources available at the library that one can use. But actual quizzes that maps the progression of the reader's comprehension? No, not really.

Now, here is my new discovery: Book Adventure. This is a Sylvan Learning Center sponsored reading comprehension quiz program.

The Perks 

• Free(!) login profils for students (grades K-8), teachers, and parents
• Students can created reading lists to take to libraries
• Students can take quizzes on the books they read.
• Each quiz completed is graded and student can earn points 
• Points can be redeemed for prizes (such as a three-month free subscription to Highlights magazine as an incentive) 
• There is a Reading Level system set up that is similar to AR 
• Teachers/parents can create classroom settings that can keep track of their student/child's progress 
• Teacher/parents have access to the quizzes with the answers provided
• There is a large database of book quizzes that can be on a K - Grade 12 reading level and is searchable and can filtered for interests and the likes. 
• Many more

I've played around with the site under two test logins (a student and a teacher) and so far the sight is pretty awesome for a free resource. The quizzes are developed by volunteers, but I have the feeling that these are verified questions that were developed by the teachers who participate (I was asked to join as a volunteer when I registered).  I will definitely be recommending this to parents in the future.


MORE RESOURCES AND TIPS 
There are other resources that can be found other places:

• Book Publishers may have quizzes available among their games and activities site for children. HarperCollins, for example, have some. 
• Workbooks. Some schools will provide copies of their text books for patrons to have reference access to at the public library. Some libraries may also have workbooks in a Parent/Teacher collection. My system has both options and with a little thinking and prepping activities can be set up for working with reading comprehension.

The last tip I can never not provide:

Be Involved!

You, as parent/guardian/caregiver, are an important part of promoting reading for a child. Be involved by sharing the book and reading together. 

WP-CC EXTRAS 
For those who would like more ideas on Reading Comprehension, check out the list available under related tool bar tab with the same name. There you will find:

• Reading Comprehension for Homeschoolers that will have recommended tips for families (not just for homeschoolers!) 
• Reading Comprehension - The Questions that will have recommended questions to ask your reader. 

If you would like more information about reading as a family check out WP-CC's page about R.A.D. - Reading Aloud Daily. Reading Aloud, individually or as a family, has good benefits for comprehension too!


P.S. ~ FELLOW BLOGGER RECOMMENDATION 

A fellow blogger Superbrarian (Observe, Analyze... Blog) also posted on her blog information about the same topic at her library that has quick information. From her post, I learned about two websites: Reading Rockets and Start with Reading that have a wealth of information and resources, such as their Reading Adventure Packets that parents, teachers, and librarians have access too. 

Do you have any recommendations for working on reading comprehension with your child(ren)? 

Reading Comprehension for Homeschoolers

On the occasion I receive questions from new homeschooling parents about how to monitor the progression of their child(ren)'s reading. Many public school districts will use a system like AR and Lexile to measure the reading comprehension and advancement. Book levels are available online through their  respected websites. However, homeschoolers are generally not able to have access to the testing resources that come with these programs. How is a homeschooling parent to know how well their child is doing one may ask?

I am sure that many homeschooling families already know this, so this post is probably geared towards the new-to-homeschooling families. Either way, I want to point out that homescoolers have the wonderful freedom, in comparisons to many public schools, in what the children can read! Families, never take that for granted!


Here are a few of my recommended tips for the parents who want to see how their children are doing in reading and comprehension:

1. Let your child read whatever he or she wants. If child picks up a graphic novel, that is OK because GNs do require reading comprehension, but they will generally not appear on a AR and Lexile list. That is OK too! I generally tell parents that let them pick a graphic novel and then another "serious-yet-fun-and-interesting" chapter book of their choice (but, also, of your suggestion). This concept works for all levels with the exception of high school students. Compromise is a good term to use here. You do not know how many times I see disappointed looks on the faces of children who cannot read an awesome looking book only because it is not have the correct AR level and they "can't" read it. It actually hurts to see it. Trust me.

2. Be familiar with the books that your child is reading. Why? Because then you can ask them questions about it. What was it about? Who is the main character? What happened at the end? Did you like it? Why? Why not? Now, this is not the time to get every single detail and make you child feel like they must know everything. That's too much pressure. You just want to know how they are doing and if they're comprehending it.

3. If you want to test your child, check with your local public library to see what they have to offer. The State of Texas has the Texas STAAR for grade-level students and are for subjects like Reading, Mathematics, and Science. It just so happens that there are Texas STAAR coach books. The library system that I work for has these test guide books and the answer keys. I recommend these to a lot of students and parents because they can see and practice what the state requires students to know by a specified grade level. 

4. Look in to getting some SRA (Science Research Associates, Inc) Kits. As a former homeschool student (completed grades K-12), my siblings and I did SRAs. For those who are familiar with the older versions, we would pull out a card with a narrative on it, read it, and answered the questions then graded ourselves. We had two box kits: One that was really easy then another that was huge and color coded. The latter was especially meant for us when we were in middle school and high school. I may or may not have liked them back then, by I can definitely appreciate their value now. Publisher McGraw-Hill provides SRA Kits via their website. You can also check out your local homeschool curriculum sales to look into getting your hand on some of these! 

More Tips

If you would like some information on improving reading comprehension check out the WP-CC's page about R.A.D - Reading Aloud Daily. Reading Aloud has good benefits for comprehension!

Looking for example questions to ask about the book your reader just read? Look the post about Reading Comprehension - The Questions!

These are just a few tips that homeschoolers can take to mapping reading comprehension. Check with your local library to see what the children's librarian has up his or her sleeve to help you in your schooling.

Does anyone have other recommended tips for new-to-homeschooling families?