The Grade Four Reading Slump – parental awareness and action can have a huge impact
Children, when they reach about grade four, are vulnerable when it comes to reading. Typically, the books grade four children want to read are longer, the print may be smaller, there are fewer illustrations and readers may encounter tougher and/or altogether unfamiliar words.All of these factors may deter these children from wanting to read.
To avoid having middle grade children stop reading (or choose to read books that are meant for younger children), remember that it is best for you to continue reading books aloud even when your child is eight, nine or ten years old. Find an exciting children’s novel to share with your child and either alternate reading with your child or let your child sit back, listen, relax and savor the story. Drawn in by a great book and your enthusiasm for it, your child will be motivated to read increasingly challenging books. Series are especially great choices because children will often decide to read subsequent books independently. To a parent, the choice for a child to pick up book 2, 3 and 4 of a series signals, “Mission Accomplished.”
I once shocked a group of parents when I said that if I had a choice of reading to my child or listening to my child read, I would choose reading aloud to him (fortunately, the choice should never be necessary). The fact is, if we read aloud to our children, we will foster an appetite for great books and we will introduce fascinating characters, unusual settings, little-known historical and/or scientific facts and spectacular new vocabulary that will serve our children well. Also remember, the more your children observe you reading, the greater the likelihood that your child will reach for a book when he has an opportunity, successfully avoiding the dreaded Grade Four Reading Slump.
ABC Canada Literacy Foundation has identified ‘three potential reading slump times that can hinder a child’s reading development. ‘ Grade four is one of those times. Grade four is just about the time that readers encounter longer chapters, smaller print and more complex vocabulary.
We lose some readers in the transition. My two boys are nine and twelve – one loves to read and one loves to “do” so I know that finding engaging books is critical for this age group. As well, I probably read more kids’ books than most moms so I’m often asked for book recommendations for middle grade boys. Many of the best series for this age group are funny (occasionally rude), action-packed, irreverent and some are very generously illustrated. The books often feature kids who find themselves in trouble – at school, at home, sometimes even in the library.
With nine, ten and eleven year old reluctant readers, we need to keep our goal in mind: get books (almost any books!) into their hands and encourage them to read.
Concurrently, in an ideal world, parents will continue to read aloud more challenging and diverse books – but that is for another day.
Sideways Stories from Wayside School – Written by Louis Sachar (author of Holes) I have had great success with this book. The wacky humor and very short chapters are very appealing to kids. Each chapter tells about one student at Wayside School – you don’t have to read them in order so kids can jump around the book if they wish.
Books in the Wayside School Series Sideways Stories From Wayside School Wayside School is Falling Down Wayside School Gets A Little Stranger
The Adventures of Captain Underpants– written by Dav Pilkey Have you ever met a boy who didn’t enjoy the ‘Action, Thrills, and Laffs of a Captain Underpants book? With rude humor and tons of illustrations, this series is great for even the most reluctant reader. Just don’t tell your kids that the series is mom approved – that would spoil the fun!
Books in the Captain Underpants Series silliness and rudeness are perfect for middle grade readers The Adventures of Captain Underpants Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets Captain Underpants and the Invasion of the Incredibly Naughty Cafeteria Ladies from Outer Space (and the Subsequent Assault of the Equally Evil Lunchroom Zombie Nerds) Captain Underpants and the Perilous Plot of Professor Poopypants Captain Underpants and the Wrath of the Wicked Wedgie Woman Captain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy, Part 1: The Night of the Nasty Nostril Nuggets Captain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy, Part 2: The Revenge of the Ridiculous Robo-Boogers Captain Underpants and the Preposterous Plight of the Purple Potty People Captain Underpants and the Terrifying Re-Turn of Tippy Tinkletrousers Captain Underpants and the Revolting Revenge of the Radioactive Robo-Boxers Captain Underpants and the Tyrannical Retaliation of the Turbo Toilet 2000
The Legend of Spud Murphy – written by Eoin Colfer (author of the Artemis Fowl series) When Will and Marty Woodman are told they must spend the summer in Spud Murphy’s Library, they know it will be a dangerous assignment. They’ve heard about the ‘gas-powered spud gun she keeps under her desk.’ Really good fun and a positive message about books and reading!
Books in the Legends of Series – popular with grade four boys Eoin Colfer’s Legend of Spud Murphy Eoin Colfer’s Legend of Captain Crow’s Teeth Eoin Colfer’s Legend of the Worst Boy in the World
Horrid Henry’s Wicked Ways – written by Francesca Simon One of my nine year old’s favorites, Horrid Henry really is ‘awesomely wicked.’ It is the perfect antidote when you’ve had a rough day and you long to hear about someone who can relate to your troubles.
Books in the Horrid Henry Series – Horrid Henry Horrid Henry and the Secret Club Horrid Henry Tricks the Tooth Fairy Horrid Henry’s Nits Horrid Henry Gets Rich Quick Horrid Henry’s Haunted House Horrid Henry and the Mummy’s Curse Horrid Henry’s Revenge Horrid Henry and the Bogey Babysitter Horrid Henry’s Stinkbomb Horrid Henry’s Underpants Horrid Henry Meets the Queen Horrid Henry and the Mega-Mean Time Machine Horrid Henry and the Football Fiend Horrid Henry’s Christmas Cracker Horrid Henry and the Abominable Snowman Horrid Henry Robs the Bank Horrid Henry Wakes the Dead Horrid Henry Rocks Horrid Henry and the Zombie Vampire Horrid Henry’s Monster Movie Horrid Henry’s Nighmare Horrid Henry Krazy Ketchup
The Time Warp Trio by Jon Scieszka Featuring time travel, adventure, humor and a touch of fantasy, The Time Warp Trio is a great pick for middle grade readers. Sam, Fred and Joe use The Book to travel through time from one exciting adventure to another. I’ve had very good success drawing boys into this series. There is something for everyone: pirates, knights, neanderthals and Egyptians.
Books in the Time Warp Trio Series – Knights of the Kitchen Table The Not-So-Jolly Roger The Good, the Bad, and the Goofy Your Mother Was a Neanderthal 2095 Tut Tut Summer Reading Is Killing Me It’s All Greek to Me See You Later Gladiator Sam Samurai Hey Kid, Want to Buy a Bridge? Viking It and Liking It Me Oh Maya Da Wild, Da Crazy, Da Vinci Oh Say, I Can’t See Marco? Polo!
Though children have to read, they don’t have to love reading. In fact, I have at least one student every year that insists they do not love it. Some even tell me they hate it. This is my favourite challenge of the school year. Watching a middle grade reader make the transition from reading for necessity to reading for pleasure is, quite simply, awesome.
With the school year fast approaching, I’m wondering who that student will be this year? Which books will hook him/her? What made him/her dislike reading? How difficult will it be to change his/her mind?
Maybe it’s my own love of reading, of character rich stories, that makes me need to see this transition take place. I want all of my students to enjoy books, to learn from them, and to feel connected with them. But it’s those kids that think they can’t find enjoyment in a book, that see reading as a chore, that intrigue me.
I am very fortunate that my own daughters have inherited a love of literature.
We foster that love by having books everywhere in our house, reading on our own and with them, and taking them to the library and book stores simply to browse. It must be something more than this, however, that hooks children on reading because I have many friends and colleagues that do the same with their children, yet reading is not their child’s first choice of activity.
For me, books are about the characters and their journey.
If I don’t connect to the characters, I’m likely to give up on the book. Children are no different; if we cannot find something that captures their attention, almost immediately, they are likely to give up. If we want to engage children in reading for pleasure, we have to know them well enough to push them in the right direction. To me, this means two things: finding books that interest our children and finding books that are at the correct reading level.
Finding interests is fairly simple because you can talk to kids and easily get a sense of what excites them. Our school librarian is fantastic for helping me find certain “types” of books that I know will appeal to different kids. What I find can be the most challenging, is getting books that interest kids, are at the appropriate level, and look like a book a grade five student should be reading. This is the age where what friends think really matters. My students don’t want to be reading some ‘babyish’ book while their friends are pulling out The Lord of the Rings
and Harry Potter . So to this end, I am eternally grateful for the graphic novel.
Vivid, bright pictures appeal to most people. Graphic novels remind me of great advertisements; they are designed to draw you in and make you feel like you need to know more. They capture the reader’s attention quickly, move at a fast pace, and yet they still retain the story elements that are part of regular novels.
I am amazed by the amount of graphic novels available in a variety of age ranges.
There are so many great series, such as Nancy Drew, Bone , Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and Amulet. You can find graphic novels that teach history and science or tell tales of favorite super-heroes. This is a huge market and it gets bigger every day. Kids are drawn to the way stories are told in speech bubbles and brief text boxes. For the reluctant reader, this genre can make reading at a lower level more appealing and less intimidating, while still managing to fit within socially acceptable appearances. That is not to say this is the best or the only form of getting kids on board with reading. In fact, it’s important to remember that getting a kid to love reading is going to depend entirely on the child in question. If the interest starts with reading the subtitles in non-fiction while looking at pictures or flipping through Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, so be it. Once they begin gravitating toward reading and changing their feelings toward the activity, making further inroads becomes easier.
It’s not always the case that students that don’t like to read are ‘low’ in this area. They may read quite well at grade level or above and simply not enjoy the task. Regardless of the ability or background reasons, I still feel compelled to at least try to change their minds.
I guess it’s natural that when we really love or enjoy something, we want to share it with others. Equally natural, is the desire to become involved in activities that excite others. The students can’t help but sense my enthusiasm for reading and perhaps, that in itself, is the hook.
I hope I haven’t generalized too much or made it sound easy to engage students in areas they’d rather avoid. It’s not easy. But if it works, if you can really hook them you get to be a part of a wonderful transition that can, quite literally, change lives.
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