I am homeschooling a 16 yr old neice who is troubled by reading comprehenson....?

Question

...Other than a dictonary anyone have ideas?
She is 16, in her 9th and 10th grade, has a 5mo old baby. Was labeled as a troublemaker when she tried to tell her teachers she did not understand what she reads. Her father is blind and her mother is not a good role model for anyone. If I can not help this child, she will most likley fall through the cracks of society. My children never had this problem. I have told her to keep a dictionary by her side and even bought her a paper back one to use in her school work. I only have this child two days a week. Anyone have any sugestions as to how I can help her comprehend?

Answer 1

When I was 16 I was probably labeled as a trouble maker too.... well ok, there's no probably about it. My problem was slightly different but I have some thoughts. My problem was boredom. I could ace the test but I refused to do homework, including reading. Eventually I said screw it and quit school. Luckily I did go back to college and now have 2 degrees.



First of all if she's gong to increase her comprehension she has to be interested in what she's reading. I hate reading. I only do it when I am in search of specific information and then I stop. Does that mean I'm stupid? No, I'd tell you my IQ but it would just demonstrate all my lost potential :-p However, if I'm not motivated to read I'm not going to. So you need to find things she's interested in reading.



Go back to the basics of paragraph construction and structure. Focus on simple root words. Teach her how to identify the method of organization the author has used. Is the material organized chronologically, serially, logically, functionally, spatially or hierarchical? Teach her to anticipate and predict what she's reading. If she's reading a romance novel, for instance, by the time she's half way through she may be thinking how its going to end. Reading something once does not usually develop clear understanding, to develop a clearer understanding you would want to highlight, summarize, and review the important facts.



She will also want to increase her vocabulary. Vocabulary and spelling are two areas us "non-readers" suffer from the most. I had a natural interest growing up. When someone would use a word I didn't understand I went in search of it's meaning. Select a word of the day, use it with her in conversations all day. Make a game of it and have fun, people tend not to learn when their bored out of their mind. Another tool maybe the "Word Smart" CD's. Their mildly entertaining and can be listened to when performing other task. As for the cure for bad spelling, I call it spell check :-)

Answer 2

That sounds tough. If you are not home, how will you know what he does, where he goes etc??? Your options are this: Online classes, or video classes, with some sort of correspondence school which demand work be submitted on time. This way he will have to do the work, or you would soon be notified. If you make enough money, hire a tutor for just 2 subjects (his weak ones) to come in. The rest have him do on his own, assign the homework and review when you get home. Allow him his hobbies and his time out of the house, to play baseball, take karate class, go swim or attend a concert. For a homeschool to work, you have to be organized and in full control of what goes on at any point. You also have to be able to trust your child that he will take this seriously and do the work! Now you are the teacher and principal. If he does not listen now, he will not listen later. If it is possible take time off to do the first week or two once the curriculum arrives. Introduce him to the routine, be there and answer question, call for help if need be...then go back to work. Legally, your homeschool can be closed if they know you are a single parent and you are not "home" when the homeschool is in progress. So get some advise for your situation with the HSLDA. Other options: Move! Get a better job somewhere else where the schools are better....or at least where you have new options! Other option: Work odd shifts so you can be there in the AM, ie work 2-9PM Mo.,Tue. Thu. Fri. and Sat. this gives you 7AM-almost 2PM free for school with a wednesday and a sunday off. More option: Find a job that allows you to work some from home (ie transcriptionist) Be sure you enroll him in worthy activities in the afternoon so he does not get bored or do "wrong" or get lost in his free time. Be sure he reads some books by homeschool parents/students that show him that homeschool is not some wiredo thing but a viable solution that can bring success.

Answer 3

I know one thing they told me in school was to underline words that are important while you are reading. Maybe you could try to show her things that she is reading that pertain to the moral of the story or whatever other parts of the story you are concentrating on. Is she reading and then having to answer questions about the story? Tell her to read the questions first before she reads the story so she knows what she's looking for. Or, if the questions are in order, have her read the first question and then start reading the story until she feels like she found the answer to that question. Then read the second question and continue on with the story and so forth. It might also help to have a highlighter handy and she can highlight words that she doesn't understand.



What level books is she reading? Maybe she should go down a level or two if she is finding it hard to understand the books she is reading. Maybe you could make up a list of words that she has trouble understanding and get her to do a spelling/definition list/test every week. Have her keep her lists and definitions in a notebook.



Good Luck! I hope she is able to make it through school. Congratulations to you for not wanting to give up on her.

Answer 4

Take her to your local library and find out at what level she is reading.



Just because she is 16 does not mean she can read at the expected level.



You might have to go back to the 4th grade section in the library and find a very thin book. Preferably about something she is actually interested in.



Make this her reading subject for the two days a week you have her. Don't overdo it. Have her read 4 pages and then tell you in her own words what she just read about.



Double check and make sure she does actually read the pages.



Once she read the whole book... get another one... when she is bored with the offered fare then advance her to the next reading level.



She has to experience success.... so start out with something easy and then slowly advance her to get her back up to her level.



Forget the dictionary... It is more effective if she reads at the level she can comprehend and then works her way up.

Answer 5

Has she ever been tested for her learning strengths and weaknesses?



I am a visual learner. I have difficulty during lectures and need to ask professors for an outline that I can review and ask questions about later if necessary.



My son's English teacher thought he had a comprehension problem because he had difficulty with essays. We talked with his teacher, and she asked him one question about the book they were currently reading...Not only could he answer the question in full, but went beyond...from that point on he took essay tests after school orally.



Has she been tested for vision problems? Some kids would rather deal with vision problems than wear glasses....



In the short term, read along with her and ask questions, and then have her re-read the passage again. If there are questions to be answered at the end of each section have her read then first so she has a heads up as to what to look for as she reads. {I also found reading the chapter out loud to my son helped him.}



What subjects specifically is she having trouble comprehending. If she is havin difficulty comprehending in math then dyslexia may be an issue.

Answer 6

That’s an old joke with teachers of reading but it contains much truth. Anything you can do to interest her in reading and increasing the time spent reading will help. It’s difficult to suggest specifics without having seen the child but helping her find the main idea of a paragraph is a start. Practice and training in outlining can be useful.



It sounds like you have your hands full with this girl. I admire your trying. She can be helped and sometimes all it takes is a caring adult. Good luck.

Answer 7

Tying her reading comprehension to stuff about the baby will probably be a big hook for her. Most moms are interested in reading things that have to do with their kids. (Baby care books, magazines, etc. )



Is her reading fluent? Can she sit down and read (decode) a whole page of words out loud to you, and then announce that she had no IDEA what she just read? Or does she have trouble with the decoding part as well?



Reading Rockets Comprehension:

http://www.readingrockets.org/article/3479



This is software designed to help with reading comprehension, and has a free trial. Maybe you could try it and see if it's effective at all, then copy what they do:

http://www.meritsoftware.com/software/developing_critical_thinking_skills_for_upper_grades/index.php



Teaching Tips: Reading Comprehension Strategies:

http://www.emints.org/ethemes/resources/S00000737.shtml



Now someone else mentioned learning disabilities, and that's a good thing to think about, too. Smart kids who have LDs VERY often learn how to game the system, and squeak by in their classes by using coping methods that they come up with. They are often labeled as "lazy" or "not trying hard enough" by their teachers, especially if they make good grades in other subjects. There are also a good number of teachers out there who really don't "believe in" LDs, who think that just a little more peer pressure or a little more effort will bring the kid around...which is perfectly ridiculous, that's like saying that the kid who needs glasses will see the board just FINE as long as his neighbors ridicule him for poor eyesight, or if you keep him in from recess for failing to see well enough.



LDs and Reading Comprehension:

http://learningdisabilities.about.com/od/learningdisabilitybasics/p/rdgcomprhnsn.htm



Even if you're homeschooling, you can ask to have your child tested for LDs. This may not result in any kind of treatment, however. We had our son privately tested by a pediatric neuropsychologist, which gave us an official diagnosis and list of accommodations to help him with his education. In a school setting, the recommendations would be sent to the school, and in the best scenario the school would work with the psych in order to create an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) and the school would modify their approach to best fit the student. That often doesn't happen, however, which is why you'll find a lot of kids with LDs being homeschooled. :-)



If you wonder what accommodations might look like, you can Google "Barton Reading," and get a ton of information about dyslexia and all its little sub-components (dysgraphia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, etc). LDs also have a high co-morbidity with AD(H)D, so it might be worth it to look up that sort of thing, too. One such book is "Late, Lost, and Unprepared: A Parents' Guide to Helping Children with Executive Functioning:"

http://www.amazon.com/Late-Lost-Unprepared-Executive-Functioning/dp/1890627844/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1281899689&sr=1-1-fkmr1



Also good for you to watch might be "How Hard Can This Be?", a video by Richard Lavoie. It gives you a really good feel for how your niece feels if she does indeed have some sort of LD.



Good luck!

Answer 8

Not sure how a dictionary would help her comprehension. She may have a learning disability that makes comprehension complicated (e.g., dyslexia?) or attention deficit issues (reading requires patience ...) I'd try to find her some assistance to really unpack what the comprehension issues are - there are many reasons why people have difficulty reading. I'm not sure how that works in home-schooling situations - public school systems usually have someone who is trained to diagnose learning disabilities and provide coping mechanisms.



I'm really not sure your niece is a great candidate for homeschooling - sounds like her home life is a large reason why she was having trouble in school in the first place, and spending even more time there isn't going to be very helpful.

Answer 9

Try here: http://www.thephonicspage.org/

If you have any questions, email the author. She's very helpful. She also hangs out on the Well Trained Mind forum, so you'd be able to find her, and others using her material, there too.



Unless your niece is dyslexic, her problems probably stem from being taught poorly to begin with, and she isn't the type who can intuitively figure it out without direct instruction. These lessons are for adult learners, so aren't going to be too babyish. Although, as others have pointed out, reading baby books to her littlie will be good for her fluency.

Answer 10

She needs to read more, suggest she read to her child. This way she can improve her reading skill by reading simple books and moving up to more complicated things. I think a nice issue of fairy tales would be a good place to start. And crosswords puzzles are a great way to increase vocabulary. Try writing haiku. It's simple but it does teach some basic grammar skills.

Answer 11

First of all, make SURE that you are reading material with her that is on an appropriate level (or just a little above). If you are unsure where her reading level lies, try a couple of the online tests found here: http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/articles/060899.htm. I especially recommend the San Diego Quick and the Reading Level Estimator. Don't focus too much on the test results, none of these tests are perfect and students scores often vary from day to day, but this should at least give you a basic idea of her comprehension level.

...

It can be tough to find books that are simple enough to tackle with low level readers but still interesting to them as young adults. Below are some that I have found that my students (about the same age as your niece) especially like:

...

Bluford High series, by various authors (Eye of the Tiger, etc.)

Hoops, by Walter Dean Myers

Monster, by Walter Dean Myers (or, really, pretty much anything by this author)

Goosebumps series, by R.L. Stein

Tears of a Tiger, by Sharon Draper

...

Once you have a good book to read together (your local library or her school library should hopefully have at least some of these if you are cash strapped) take turns reading out loud. You read a little, let her read a little, etc. Generally I have found that my kids with lower level reading skills really like to be read to, even though they won't always admit it. As you read, try to stop every so often and model for her what is going on in your head as you read a story. Reading comprehension is a way of thinking and of processing material. Showing her how you read will (hopefully) help her learn to go through the same process in her own head. Some of the things I focus on when reading with my students are:

...

* Good readers make predictions. Stop reading every so often and ask her what she thinks will happen next. Will the main character get into a fight? What will Sara's mom say when she gets home? How will he ever get out of this situation!?

...

* Good readers visualize. Depending on what type of artist she is you can either stop every so often and ask her to draw something (small) or just ask her what her mental picture is of the scene just described by the author. Do you think it is loud in that room? What color do you think his bedroom is? Ooh, I bet it is cold out! What kind of jacket is she wearing?

...

*Good readers make connections. When you come to a point in the story, a word, character, phrase, image that reminds you of something let her know. You know what, this is like that time Jessica went to the park and fell off the slide! Remember how scared we were that she had broken her arm? Yuck, I bet it smells really gross in that house! Remember that time I left the pizza in the refrigerator for so long it started to smell? I bet that is what it smells like. Wow! I would be scared if I were there. I bet I would run away. Etc.

...

The key here is to get her mind to process text, and not just let it slide by her eyes. A dictionary (for difficult words I presume) is a great tool for those school textbooks and assignments she has to read but doesn't understand, but a dictionary alone will not ever help her reading level increase. I suggest at least half an hour of reading something fun, both of you reading together whenever you have a chance. The more you model good reading strategies (out loud!) hopefully the more she will internalize. As she is reading, don't jump in right away with the words she stumbles over, let her puzzle through them. When she gets stuck, help her, but try giving her syllables instead of the whole word. If she is stuck on "challenged", for example, say, "It starts with 'chal-'" instead of giving her the whole word.

...

I really admire you for what you are trying to do. Too often, these kids are given up on and then the problems simply pass on to the next generation. The suggestions I have given may seem simplistic, but if it is truly reading comprehension that is the problem, they should help her analyze a text.

...

Please feel free to PM me if you would ever like some materials, book suggestions, or anything else. Good luck to you!

Answer 12

especially made me not be able to think. When I stopped eating cereal with millk in the morning, my grade went up. I was a very slow learner. I did go to college and get a master's degree, but if I had kept eating these things, I would have had a different future. Blood tests don't find celiac very well. www.enterolab.com stool sample and cheek genetic test, does.