<p>My freshman son, 14, took the ACT for the first time earlier this month. He did not do any prep/practice tests ahead of time. We simply wanted to gage where he is academically while also satisfying our state's yearly homeschooling requirements.</p>
<p>He received an overall score of 30, but his reading score was only a 27. My husband and I have differing opinions (although the final decision is mine :-)) on how we should structure his English program moving forward. My husband feels that we should continue with the current program, which is letting him choose the books that he wants to read based on his interests (which end up being mostly science/science fiction) and using Write at Home for his composition assignments. </p>
<p>I am leaning more toward forcing him (and it would be forcing him- although he would do it) to read mostly novels/poems from the AP reading list (he has read only a handful so far.) I think this would help improve his reading score since some of the passages on the ACT/SAT are taken from the books on the AP list. I also think this may help him in the long run in college since he won't always be reading something he enjoys.</p>
<p>My husband feels that my son should simply work through some of the SAT/ACT prep books to help raise his reading score. </p>
<p>Hate to say it, but I vote with Hubby on this one. [ul][<em>]Sure, he won’t always be reading something he enjoys in college, but to some extent he’ll have the opportunity to choose classes of interest even in his weaker departments.[</em>]27 isn’t bad for a freshman.[*]The purpose (IMO) of homeschooling is to find something that a) fits the child’s interests, b) plays to the child’s strengths while developing competency in weaknesses, and c) doesn’t turn him off of learning. Don’t change it so that the purpose of homeschooling is to score well on the tests.[/ul]</p>
<p>I disagree just a bit! I would force him to read books he doesn’t want to. I sure had to read books i hated (like Emma), but this is exactly what will happen when he gets to college. Now don’t be concerned with a 27, that’s a great score for a freshman. I would start giving him classics to read, though.</p>
<p>Why can’t he do a mix? Every other book… and due to the educational value of both, not due to scores, etc.</p>
<p>The reading score can also be a factor of time. I suspect he will naturally improve as the years go on. Middle son got a 27 on Reading the first time he took the ACT. The next two times he got a 35 and 33 respectively. Once he figured the timing out he did well.</p>
<p>Thanks for all of your responses. Doing a mix may be the way to go. Also, Creekland, you have a point about the time issue. S took the SAT in middle school and never had any problem finishing the test. S said he ran out of time on the reading section, and he had to hurry up and just skim the last two passages.</p>
<p>Middle son needed to work on timing for both Reading and Science. As a sophomore he got a 34/33 on math/English, but just a 27/25 on Reading/Science - the main difference being that he didn’t finish the latter two (other than bubbled in guessing - and he’s apparently not a great guesser). He went in cold to the test. As a fall junior he worked through some practice tests on both of those sections using Barrons 36 book and Kaplan. His composite score that time was a 33 with Reading at a 35 and Science a 30. This past April he took the test again. Reading dropped to a 33 (bummer), but his composite moved up to a 34. In all of that, English and math didn’t waver much (well, he maxed English this last time, but in general, it didn’t move as much). Reading and Science improved quite a bit comparatively.</p>
<p>It’s worth it to prepare specifically for the test when it comes to timing. The education behind it all leads to the scores, but timing helps with the fine tuning.</p>
<p>Why would you force him to read books he hates reading just because he might have to do it later in college? One of the main reasons people leave regular school is so they don’t have to read the things teachers force them to read like the so called “classics”. If he doesn’t have any interest in it, he probably won’t learn much anyway. I agree with your husband.</p>
<p>Is there a class that your son could take? Studying literature with other students whether online or in person might make the literature more relavent or interesting. My son’s a math/physics kid but he’s had two years of honors literature via a local homeschool class and he loves it. The teacher requires tons of reading, writing, and analysis. He’s never taken the ACT but he did score a 790 on the CR section of the SAT I and got a 730 on the Lit SAT II. I think all the analysis paid off and he’s reading books he would never have picked up on his own. He enjoys most of them and some are just so-so, but he finds a humorous way to deal with the ones he doesn’t find that appealing. He’ll take the AP Lit exam next year after one more year of either honors lit or college lit.</p>
<p>Nanner and Geekmom, My husband has said almost the exact same words to me,and up until now, I have agreed with him 100%. My concern is that if I don’t force him to read some classic books, his reading skills will not be where they should be. But like Creekland said, timing comes into play as well on the ACT.
Sbjdorlo, Unfortunately, homeschooling is rare in our area (even more so for high school), and there aren’t any local homeschooling literature classes.</p>
<p>I guess part of this depends on why someone chose to homeschool. Our main reason was that our local ps wasn’t up to par with what we wanted for an education. Middle son was in ps through 6th grade. We started homeschooling in 7th. He’s far outshined his peers and has had a much more thorough education IMO. By his junior year he was in a sophomore level science class at our local community college leading the main study group for the class. It’s not that the other kids around here are that below his capability. It’s mainly that the school doesn’t give them the education they need to be at his level. Reading classics is part of that. Other than a Shakespeare selection or two, little (if any) is read for classics around here. Middle son just finished Les Miserables. Before that he read Crime and Punishment. He enjoyed both. Granted, they aren’t likely to be up on his favorites level compared to sci fi books, but he didn’t hate them. Jane Austin books he hates. I only had him read one… Our local ps reads none of those types of choices.</p>
<p>In life there are many things people have to do that they don’t care to do (housework comes to mind as a biggie, but there are several things on a job too). Reading a few books outside of ones interest isn’t at all out of line. (Reading 100% out of interest would be.) Who knows? It could also spark new interests.</p>
<p>To add onto what Creekland said, reading classics are an important part of a good education. That’s why every top university forces you to do classes in the humanities that will look at the classics and other similar works. </p>
<p>Also, if you ever want to do AP Literature, you’ll have to have read classics. I honestly don’t think your son would get into a top school if they look at his reading list and just see sci-fi. I have read so many classics that my book list looked very legit. And I read a TON each year, around 40 books.</p>
<p>There are some good online sources. I’m not sure what your budget is, though. It sounds like self-study might not be motivating here. I suggest you look into some of the literature classes online. They really can be fun; even interaction over the internet gives the kids some sense of classmates. One of my sons had an online class through The Potter’s School several years ago and five of the kids had a reunion here in our city. It was amazing! Some subjects are easier studied in a group setting and I happen to think literature is one of them but that’s just my opinion. :-)</p>
<p>The lists I have seen of AP recommended books are pretty extensive. I would go through the list with your son and together pick out some he would like to try out. My kids and I recently did this with the top 100 books recommended to college bound students. Some of the books they read, some they get audio books for and listen in the evenings, and some we have supplemented with cliffsnotes, sparknotes and/or online study guides. </p>
<p>I’d also suggest looking at your library for some of the lit video courses from The Teaching Co.</p>
<p>Yes, audio is fine, IMO. My middle son has a severe convergence issues with his eyes. He’s been listening to advanced literature for many years and his vocab is better than mine or my oldest’s.</p>
<p>I googled “AP booklist” and looked through the suggested reading material. I was happy to see that S has read a handful of the books that are listed. I will go through the list with him and get him involved in the selection process. </p>
<p>Honestly, do you think he will get the choice of what to read in college? Make him read the books he doesn’t want to - I was forced too and i’m glad i did. Also, audio books do not teach you to read and comprehend. Advanced reading comprehension is extremely important and listening to a classic will not help you with this.</p>
Yes, as far as literature is concerned since he’s a math and science kid. He will have the choice of whether or not he wants to take Brit Lit as his required literature course (unless he goes to St John’s or UChicago or one of the few remaining schools with an actual core).</p>
<p>He will not have a choice about everything but he will have a choice about how to fulfill distribution requirements, which have replaced a core in most schools.</p>
<p>I respectfully disagree. If someone was blind, would you argue the same point? For people with visual disabilities, there has to be a way for them to get the same information as print. My son is now capable of reading smaller print but will always have issues with small print and too many words on a page unless he has surgery on both eyes. His ability to analyze literature is naturally better than my oldest son who is a very high achiever. I am not penalizing him because he has a disability. His college list will just look different than oldest’s.</p>
<p>Sure, if you have a disability, then listening is fine! But if you can read, then that’s important to do so. </p>
<p>And Geek Mom - I’m going to be a math/engineering kid at Stanford, but Stanford requires all students to go through rigorous humanities courses for good reasons. Mark Zuckerberg was a techie, but he is known for his love and appreciation for classic literature.</p>
<p>My oldest son’s a math/physics kid but he’s loved his honors literature course for the past two years. It’s been more challenging than his community college courses and he’s learned to write really well because of the class.</p>