Help! My Child Reads Above Grade Level
From the desk of Alice…
I recently had a conversation with a friend who told me her first grader had scored well above average on his reading test and she wanted some suggestions for summer reading. She clarified her child’s test results indicated that he was reading on a 5th grade level at the end of 1st grade. For many people this may seem like a laughable problem, but in all seriousness, his reader needs a certain kind of support that looks different from the child who is struggling with reading below grade level.
So- what’s a parent to do? The first thing is to know that no matter what the test results are, this reader is not D.O.N.E. He is 8. He has a lot of things to learn about the world, life, and not to mention types of texts. It can be very tempting to think he is “all good” and let things go for the summer and possibly 2nd grade. In this era of having everyone proficient and being laser focused on students who are falling below grade level (as well we should!) it is just as important to remember our highest readers still need support.
A few things to keep in mind for this particular student. When test results show reading levels in terms of 5th grade/2nd month, that’s like reporting the temperature of a person, but not giving any real symptoms. If we get under the actual level and look at the reading behaviors, we will be able to support this reader more efficiently.
My guess is this high level reader is a masterful word caller but most likely has lots of room for improvement in comprehension as well as critical thinking. If he only reads texts that he is great at reading, the areas of need will never be noticed. One way to expose the areas of need is to adjust the types of texts he is reading. I suggested to this mom that she immerse this reader in non-fiction print and poetry for the summer. Newspapers and magazines not only offer a variety of text structures, but they also are sources of rare words (vocabulary) that we often read but never speak. They are perfect resources to tap into interest levels but continue to stretch the reader. National Geographic for Kids, Time for Kids, and even the local sports page can be a nice source of information to promote conversations and expand this little reader.
When I told this mom to go with poetry she raised an eyebrow and looked at me like I was crazy. I followed up with, “yes- poetry. Go there.” I cannot emphasize enough that as parents (and teachers) we tend to read aloud to our kids the stories we love. We don’t always read poetry to our independent readers and for some of us, the last time we read poetry it was actually a nursery rhyme. (I am guilty, too!) This means that our little readers hit the upper grades with little poetry experience and they can flounder.
So dust off the Shel Silverstein and go on Amazon (search children’s poetry) and you will find there are some fantastic poetry books out right now for all ages of readers. Poetry FORCES the reader to infer- you often cannot get past the first few lines without having to reread, ask questions and think beyond the words on the page. A super way to combine fiction and poetry is Sharon Creech’s texts Love that Dog and Hate that Cat. These are chapter books that tell the story through poetry. From page one, it requires the reader to infer and while reading these with my own child at home, I noticed she wasn’t savvy with the nuances of poetry despite her amazing test scores. We read in a partner format at night where I read a poem and then she read the next. Then we would discuss what we were thinking with each other in a conversation format- NOT a worksheet format. There is a discussion guide on Sharon Creech’s website that I highly recommend for getting at the critical thinking involved with these books.
A word of caution- a rising second grade student should not be reading tons of 5th grade (and above) materials just because he or she can. It isn’t really appropriate for this student to read popular upper grade texts like The Hunger Games and I have seen this scenario play out many times. The second grade student needs to stay in content that is appropriate for an 8 year old. There will be plenty of time to read more provocative texts as he or she matures. In the meantime, follow the interest of the reader in the non-fiction arena and surround them with poetry. The results will be a well-rounded reader who can not only call words, but think deeply about text!