I am not planning on doing a formal reading program with my girls next year. It will be our first year HSing and they will be in 3rd and 5th. My 2rd grader is a very advanced reader and reading on about a 6th grade level and my 4th grader also reads on about a 6th grade level. We will be doing a lot of actual reading, read alouds and grammar. A formal reading program really isn’t necessary at this point right?
I 100% agree with you!! 
I don’t think so - I don’t have a reading program. If you are still doing actual reading - why have a reading program? I have been in the K12 online schools for 5 years and they always do all these “deibel’s” tests to make sure the kids can read! I am thinking - can’t you just listen to them? These tests are so useless! So - no I don’t think you need to test reading and have a reading program! Let reading be fun and free- they will get more out of it anyway - and it’ll be a life-long thing they do for fun, instead of knowing they are being tested on it, or that it is a program.
Lol - I love reading if you can’t tell -
love your post
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That crap is EXACTLY why I am taking them out!! I am so over deibels and benchmarks and all of it! Me and my husband also love to read, as do my kids so I don’t fee like it will be an issue
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I think formal reading would be most necessary for younger grades in order to teach phonics and fluency. I have been doing a reading program since K to 4th Grade and at this point I feel like I waste money on formal reading so this year we will be doing lots of read alouds like you and a grammar program and writing program. During read alouds and when the children read aloud to me we will discuss what they are reading and discuss vocabulary words to ensure they understand what we have read. If we have time I all also do note booking/unit studies on some books. I don’t think a formal program is necessary at this point. We currently use Abeka’s Read and Think Skill sheets however which I love and you can use it separately from the Abeka program 1 per child, you just read the instructions and go… (They are comprehension checks)
@Lindsay - That is why I withdrew my kids from K12 as well - so over all the benchmarks and tests Best wishes to you on this new great adventure!
We have a similar situation. My 6 year old is a very advanced reader. I don’t do formal reading with her. She reads to me daily with read-alouds, science, history, etc. I do have a jar with about 25 popsicle sticks with various questions (what is the setting, who is the main character, compare/contrast, etc ). One end of each stick is painted green, and the other end of each stick is painted red. A few times each week I’ll have her grab a few sticks and answer the questions she pulls out. Then she puts the sticks back in the jar with the red side pointing up. Next time I have her grab sticks, she grabs green ones (when she’s done with these - they go back into the jar red side up) - this way she’s always getting different ones she didn’t recently answer. Hope this makes sense. Anyway - long answer short - no, I don’t think when your child can read well you need to do formal reading. I do believe it’s important to discuss comprehension different ways, but it doesn’t need to be done formally.
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@triton17 that is a great idea!! Mind if I copy it😉 can you elaborate more on the questions you wrote on them? I’d love for you to private msg me with a list:)
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Very cute idea. I would love to see the questions also.
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I would love that list too!
I agree, awesome idea, post your questions!
@Luvmyboys @krau @Proverbs31 @Merry
YES! I will absolutely share the questions with all of you! We are on our way to the airport to pick up some visitors, but I just made a note in my calendar. I will 100% get back to all of you with a list in the next few days
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Thank you! I can’t wait to make these!
I love the stick idea!
Thank you! Looking forward to this.
I would also love that list!
I agree with the other moms, this is a great idea to help with reading comprehension. Thanks for sharing it with us. 
I love that idea! Looking forward to seeing your comprehension questions!
@Luvmyboys @krau @Proverbs31 @Merry @Lindsay @NicoleB @Forchristandkids @sonrisemom @MrsKinsey … and anyone else who wants a starter list
Here is a list to get you started - it’s an old list from my classroom days - I’m sure we could Pinterest more ideas. I hope this list helps you get started. I use the wide craft sticks (as opposed to the thin popsicle stick craft sticks) so I can fit the question on the stick. Children can answer verbally, written on paper or even with pictures. Let me know if you have questions for me or if you think of other of questions to add In no particular order…
Compare an event in the story to your own life
Explain why you did or did not enjoy the end of this story
What is your favorite part of the story? Why?
Compare and contrast this book to the last book we read. Alike? Different?
Was there anything you would change in this book?
Have you read any similar books? Would you want to read something else like this? Why?
Pretend you are a character in the story – what do you do? Why are you important?
Compare yourself to the main character – alike? Different?
Compare/contrast two different characters in the story
Did the main character make good/bad choices? What could he/she have done differently?
How do you feel about the characters in this story? Who would you choose as your friend? Why?
How does the character change from the beginning to the end?
Did anything surprise you about the characters?
What do other characters think about the main character?
Do the characters change or evolve throughout the story?
Write interview questions to ask the character(s)
Describe the plot of the story
Would the story be different if set in the past or future?
Retell an event in the story from a character’s point of view
Describe the setting of the story
How is the setting of this book important to the flow of the story?
Summarize your book – including the setting, plot, characters, ending, etc
Write a summary in 30 words or less.
What is your overall feeling of the story.
What is the most important event in the story?
What is the best reason to read or recommend this book?
What is the problem (conflict) in this story?
How was the conflict in this story solved? Can you think of another way to solve the problem?
How did this book make you feel? What was funny? Sad? Happy? Upsetting? Exciting?
Favorite part of the story? Least favorite part?
Has the story made you curious about anything?
What do you think the author was trying to teach with this story?
Did you learn a lesson from this story? What was it?
If you could write one more chapter for the story, what do you think would happen next?
Make up a new ending to the story
Write 2 questions you have about this book
Did your feelings change from the beginning to the end? How
What three words would you use to describe this story?
If you’ve read this far, I have another suggestion. We use a scholastic resource called Independent Reading Management Kit (they have a grades 1, 2-3 and 4-6). The grade 1 book has 10 “kits” in it - we do one kit each month. Each “kit” has a series of 9 activities to do that can be used with any book. The “activities” focus on comprehension, grammar, spelling/vocab, etc. Technically, it is “busy” work, but we do it with one book once a month. I tear out the 10 page kit, staple it and give it to her. It’s fun for my daughter - she’ll choose a chapter book and do the activities throughout the week as she reads the book. I’m happy to help, but it’s very age appropriate so she’s able to complete it independently. I plan on using these “kits” each year as she gets older - it has some cute ideas that I wouldn’t think of or feel like putting together. At $10, I’ve found it worth the price. Here’s the scholastic link: http://shop.scholastic.com/shop/en/teacherstore/product/SearchCmd?NEW_QUERY_PARAM=true&storeId=10751&langId=-1&catalogId=10051&viewParam=Search&N=0&searchDropDownFilter=All+Products&Ntt=ready+to+use+independent+reading+management+kit
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Thank you! Love this list. I wouldn’t think of asking some of these questions and I ask a lot of questions!
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