Cram your "reading calendar" where the sun don't shine.

Excellent point!

Boomer--

How long does 'homework" take? A half an hour?

Could you set aside an hour and have ten minutes on, ten minutes off?

Perhaps music breaks?

Perhaps, gasp, a Music Log?

There is a parallel between reading music and reading words -- letters are like notes, words are like, I don't know, a sentence is like a verse or a song. (You can tell I never learned to read music.) I think you could get somewhere with that. It's a not-so-secret code and once you learn to break it you can find out anything you want to know.

How 'bout reading about music, or about the history of musical instruments or about singers or bands?

I like FreeDuck's ideas here.

Something just happened that made me think of this thread, I dunno if it will be useful or not. Sozlet just finished her book ("The Invisible Dog") and had to write this sort of summary of it. Where it was set, who the characters were, the beginning, middle and end, and what she liked best. She finished the first part of it with no problem but then didn't want to do the "liked best" part. That was fine, I told her she could come back to it later. That took the edge off. (She was getting whiny, then relaxed.)

After a while, I suggested she do it. She didn't want to. Fine.

Then it was about our last chance before bed, I said she should go ahead and do it now. More whining, more "but I don't know what to do," and generally kind of freezing up. I put the paper away and said, "So Janie got a real dog at the end, huh?" Sozlet said "yeah," warily. I said, "I loved how that kind of witchy lady seemed to know what was going to happen..." Sozlet said, "she wasn't a witch, she was just sort of magic." Then we started having a conversation about the book, just the way we usually talk about books -- it wasn't "homework." Eventually I guided it to what she liked about it, and she listed a few things, ending with her very favorite part. I said, "Hey, that'd work great for your homework," and whipped the paper back out. She brightened, and ran off to write that down.

Possible elements (maybe useful, maybe not):

1.) Even the kids who LOVE reading have their freak-out moments.

2.) Separating it from "homework" and making it more about just what you guys normally do can reduce the anxiety level.

3.) I had another idea but I need to get the kid to bed.

ooooo......reading about music.....about the history of how notes were first written down....

how to make a guitar....


Didn't you say in another thread how mo knows a lot about motorcycles?

He'll end up reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

since mo loves music , might he be interested to read music-related stories - anything from rock musicians to classical music and musical instruments ?
consider asking him if he would like to read about musicians , how to make and tune a guitar ... perhaps try tying it in with his music lessons .
might watching videos about the beatles or whatever musicians interest him ?
hbg

We were told to stop when frusration set in and come back to it later. No pressure. But you MUST come back to it. Mo needs to understand that there is no escape and it has to be done.

Yes it hard. How many times have I heard that from my own son. We also had the tears and frustration.

I like th idea of reading about motorcycles and music reviews.

Write down words he struggles with, even the simple ones. Enlarge them and stick em in a prominent position. Say... on the fridge. read the list periodically. once you have the words down pat make a new list. Keep the old list for review in a weeks time. periodically (monthly) review each list until you are sure the words are stuck. Words that don't "stick" or come unstuck can be transferred to a new list.

Heres some books for Mo
http://www.andygriffiths.com.au/The_day_my_bum_went_Psycho.html
http://www.middlemiss.org/lit/authors/wintont/bugabum.html

Got to the Amazon link (Home Page), select Books from the drop down box and paste this number in: 0689840519

That takes you to: The Stars that Shine: Based on Stories Told by America's Biggest Country Music Stars

Here's another number: 0152164367

That one takes you to: Lives of the Musicians: Good Times, Bad Times (and What the Neighbors Thought)

Etc. etc. you get the idea. You need not buy from Amazon but they are a terrific place to browse.

Cub loved reading and was doing so very early. He still reads a couple of novels a week.

However, when it became an assignment he no longer wanted to do it. We had a reading log, too. He was supposed to fill it in each day and turn it in on Fridays. He didn't do it, so I did. I knew he was reading and he always read waaay longer than required, he just didn't want it to be called homework. No one ever said anything about it being in my handwriting. I just told the teacher that was the way we were doing it at our house.

Before he could read well, if he wanted to "read" a story that was too difficult, Bear or I would read it to him. Bear spent a month reading Dinotopia to him. It still counted for the reading log. Is that an option, since some of the topics of interest to Mo I imagine would not be on his reading level?

Here are a couple of ideas you might consider to combine reading and music.

This first one is a book of songs and has a tape to go along with it. The book has the words to the song and funny pictures to go along with it. You could use something like this as a break between the reading chores. You and Mo could read the book to learn the words and figure out what the song is about according to the pictures, then listen to the song on tape to hear the tune and how the words are sung. Then you and Mo sing it together without the tape while reading the words along in the book.

http://www.amazon.com/Book-Kids-Songs-Holler-Along-Handbook/dp/0932592139


This second one is a terrific website with related music and books. The website itself even has musical piano keys to play with the mouse pointer. Also have coloring book pages based on the stories so Mo can express himself that way too, if he wishes.

http://www.lindabook.com/meetlinda.html

Mem Fox's 10 Reading Aloud Commandments


1. Spend at least 10 wildly happy minutes reading aloud.
2. Read at least three stories a day. It could be the same story three times. Children need to hear a thousand stories before they learn to read.
3. Read aloud with animation. Listen to your own voice and don't be dull, flat or boring. Be loud, have fun and laugh a lot.
4. Read with joy and enjoyment for yourself and the listeners.
5. Read stories that the kids love - over and over again - and always read the same "tune" for each book: ie. with the same intonations on each page, each time. Children learn by mimicking and rhythm.
6. Let children hear lots of language by talking to them constantly Sing any old song. Say nursery rhymes in a bouncy way. Or be noisy together doing clapping games.
7. Look for rhyme, rhythm or repetition in books for young children and make sure the books are short.
8. Play games with the things that you and the child can see on the page, such as finding the the letters that start the child's name and yours; remembering that it's never work, it's a fabulous game.
9. Never, ever teach reading or get tense around books.
10. Read aloud every day because you love being with your child, not because it's the right thing to do.

!Mem Fox celebrated childrens authour

100 most used words
http://www.sttherese.sand.catholic.edu.au/parents/read/100words.html

500 most used words
http://www.sttherese.sand.catholic.edu.au/parents/read/500words.html

Cool, dadpad..

Interactive:

The word appears. You type in the word.
http://www.esldesk.com/esl-quizzes/most-used-english-words/index.htm.

Mum and dad can help by saying the word. and getting child to repeat.

Word appears, mum says the word, child repeats the word, then types it in.
then spells the word out loud and repeats the whole word.

A most excellent list! Thank you, dadpad. I might just have to print this out to discuss with Mo's teacher.

Number 9 -- never ever teach reading seems to be right on target.

Number 10 might get tattooed on my body.

An academic look at boys and reading.

Reading dont fix no Chevys

The excerpts take a while to download.

This list was written by Mem Fox, one of Australia's most respected and acclaimed childrens authours.
Her premier work, Possum Magic is the most recognized picture book within Australia, has sold over 3 million copies world wide.

Mem Fox

I wonder if our esteemed rabbit may actually know Mem personally

I took SonofEva to Borders every few weeks. It was a special treat. First we went to the cafe', and he got to choose a treat we would share. (I had to eat half of whatever he chose.) Next, we went to the children's books (the section on his reading level), where he got to pick out whatever book he liked best. (It had to be a paperback, and if he really had trouble choosing, I'd buy two.) He generally wanted to read them on the drive home, but I wouldn't let him. I told him he had to save them for our reading time.

Our reading time was our special time, just the two of us. Thirty minutes before bedtime, both of us would put on our pajamas and climb into his bed together with his book (finally!) and snuggle. Sometimes he wanted me to read to him, and sometimes he wanted to read to me. Either way, I got to hold him until he fell asleep. Then I'd gently take the book out of his hands, put it on the nightstand, and slip out of bed. Unless I fell asleep first. (Hubby would come and wake me later, and I'd go to my own bed.)

We did this every night until he was 11 or 12, because he insisted. Now that he's a teenager, that sort of thing isn't "cool" anymore. Which is sort of sad to me. I miss having our special time.

It did teach him that reading was something to look forward to, though. The very best part of the day. I hope that lesson sticks.

Reading Calendar Update?
Hello,
I stumbled across this post while I was actually looking for a reading log to use for my K students because I am a kindergarten teacher. It was really interesting to read a parent's view about this topic. It has made me re-think the reading log thing. Unfortunately, in most schools, the reading log has become a part of the state standards. Students are required to keep a list of the books they read to help them determine what types of books they are reading(ex. all mysteries, etc.). Like a few posters mentioned, this has also become a way for schools to monitor whether students are in fact reading at home because some just won't if it isn't "required."
That being said, this conversation really enlightened me as a teacher. I can understand the feelings of each poster. I have never fully embraced the whole reading log. I have also always been one that loves reading and I was a voracious reader as a child. I was never required to keep a reading log, but we did the Book It program when I was in school. I never participated. I don't remember if I was required to or not, but I thought, even as a child, that the whole program was stupid. I could not understand why I should read just to get a pizza certificate. I read because I loved reading not because I was going to be rewarded for it.
I can also see the point that what students read is their business. Just like library records should not be public information. However, as a teacher, I also use that information to help stock my classroom library with books that I know my students will enjoy. I stock the library with the titles or with titles of the same subject that my students list on their reading log.
I am curious to see how this situation ended. If it was me, I would be more than willing to work with the parent to find a solution for the reading calendar that works for the child. Not doing it may not be an option because I am required by the state to teach that standard, but I would always be willing to acommodate for the needs of that child.
What did this teacher end up doing for your son?
I hope it worked out and that your son is able to be successful with and to love reading!

Welcome to A2K, teach. I understand what you say about standards and the value of knowing what your students are reading.

What if it was a classroom log? What if each week you had reading show and tell where each child got to bring in something they read and talk about it? I have a daughter in kindergarten and she loves to blab on and on about things we read together.