Reading Comprehension and Writing

BeanTownGirl
Fri, 07 Dec 2012 14:03:41 +0000

Have you met with or even emailed his English teacher(s) with your concerns? They may have specific suggestions for him.
Encourage your son to READ as much as possible! If classroom literature is not his thing that is fine. Focus on hot contemporary authors, especially if you can find some genre that will appeal to him (Steampunk is the rage now). Your school librarian is a good resource as well as the town library especially if there is a teen section and librarian.
My math/science-oriented son started reading more in middle school when discovered a genre he liked based on a recommendation from a friend.

Here is an excellent resource:
[GUYS READ](http://www.guysread.com/)
Also http://www.teenreads.com/ is good though not focused on guys.

Find reading based on his interests. I started getting books and subscribing to magazines that are science, nature and technology oriented such Scientific American (when he decided Popular Science was too easy!), Wired, National Geographic. We always watch lots of science documentaries on tv so if there was something that really interested him I would find related books (Stephen Hawking, Neil deGrasse Tyson etc.).
Non-fiction reading is a great way to get boys to read more. It will help their critical reading skills, vocabulary, and pique their interest in potential careers as well.