One of my biggest concerns as a homeschooler is wondering if my kids are comprehending what they are reading. Once they become more independent with their reading and don’t need me by their side as they read, I feel a bit out of the loop. Do they understand what they are reading? Is it making sense to them? Are they learning anything from their readings? Are they even doing their reading assignments? When I inquire about the books my boys are reading, I get the very vague, “It was good,” “I liked it,” or “I don’t remember” answers. These encounters were beginning to frustrate this mom, so I was very intrigued when I learned about the READS Parent/Child Reading Comprehension System from EGM Educational Systems, LLC and was eager to try it out.
READS is an easy-to-use comprehension system that helps the parent verify, and build the reading comprehension of their 1st-4th grade student. It works with any reading material and aids the parent in creating a dialog with their child about what the child is reading. You don’t need to read your child’s entire book so that you can quiz them on it and be able to grasp their comprehension; you will be able to tell by their answers to the question cards whether or not they understood what they read.
The READS system includes:
- Parent’s Manual – The manual tells you how to use the program, the purpose of each question, examples of typical responses, as well as what to do if your child can’t answer the question or gives you an unexpected response.
- 30 Question Cards with ring
- Rewards Chart (3 months worth) with stickers
- Magic Finger & Reading Guide Strip – Both of these items are included to help your child with tracking and staying focused on their reading.
- Speedy Speller Handbook – The handbook contains over 1400 words. Anytime your child is having trouble spelling a word, have them look it up in their handbook. If the word is not already in the handbook, help the child spell the word and have them add it to their handbook. As your child’s Speedy Speller Handbook grows, so will their independence. The handbook also includes punctuation, symbols, abbreviations, and capitalization rules in the back.
- All of the above items come in a reusable vinyl pouch
Here is a small sampling of some of the question cards –
- Describe your favorite character.
- Tell about two important things you read. Be able to explain why they were important.
- Tell one way the main character is similar to you and one way the main character is different from you.
- Who is telling the story? Give an example that shows how you know.
I used READS with my eight year old son who is reading at a third grade level. The first day I used the READS system with my son, I reviewed the process with him and what my expectations were. I told him that everyday before he reads he needs to come to me to get his card for the day so that we can discuss the card and question before he reads. He was already half way through his current book when I gave him his first card. We went over the question on the card and he immediately applied it to what he had already read in his book so far; I was thrilled! He is not a kid that gets very excited about reading, but today, he eagerly took his book, card, and magic finger, and skipped off to his room to read. When he came back, he answered the question with an appropriate, more-than-3-word response. I could tell he had done his reading and he understood what he read.
After using the system for a little over a week, the excitement of it wore off for my son and our biggest struggle was him obeying remembering to come get a card from me. He would just take his book and go read. But he wasn’t off the hook; I would either pick a question card and have him answer it, or come up with my own questions. I found the Parent’s Manual very helpful in that it gave suggestions on how to pull the answers out of your child and get them talking about what they read. These suggestions were very beneficial and gave me more confidence when he would revert back to the vague, simple responses.
My son is a very good speller, so we didn’t utilize the Speedy Speller Handbook. He already has a spelling notebook to go along with our spelling curriculum where he keeps track of his misspelled words. The Speedy Speller Handbook looks like an excellent reading and writing resource, and if we hadn’t already started one at the beginning of the school year then I would have utilized the Speedy Speller Handbook for sure.
There were a couple of things I would have liked to have seen different with this product; for one, I wish there were more cards. I feel like we were already repeating a lot of them after only a few weeks. I would have also liked to have seen the cards broken down into the different levels of Bloom’s taxonomy.
Overall, I feel that the READS Parent/Child Reading Comprehension system is a beneficial resource to any parent (homeschooler or not). It gives you the tools you need to jump start a dialog between you and your child about what they are reading, giving you the assurance that they are growing in their comprehension and reading abilities. The price of $19.95 is well worth it for this resource.
Leave a Reply