reading as hard work?
One of the Wechts
If someone could wave magic wand, I am sure that my 10yod would want to be able to read like some (even younger) kids she knows.
But I think it is not fair to her to say she is just not working hard enough. She came out of K where she basically "read" an easy reader weekly and "moved up". She was memorizing. The phonics and other "tools" made no sense to her. This frustrated her.
We stopped doing any "required" stuff and it was 3 years before she would "try" to read. Phonics still doesn't make any sense to her but...
This year she WILL try to read (instructions, notes, recipes and even books :) and WILL write notes and WILL play with words. She is no longer intimidated by written symbols.
I read to her and she listens to tapes/CDs with the family. Still, this is not her favorite information resource.
She can now read a "Little Critter" book. She reads large words but mainly in context. I know that she would likely not get half of them on flash cards. She uses picture clues and guesses and sometimes tries to sound things out, but not much.
Should I sit her down and make her memorize a list daily? NO!
I tell others "her reading skills are emerging".
I have 3 kids. 2 are reading. 2 learned while they were "in school".
I can see the methods/tools which they used most. My oldest son came through a "whole language" program, with us sneaking in the phonics part. He still just mainly memorized words. Much of his class had "remedial training" when they were in 4th grade. He did not need it. He is very visual with an almost photographic memory, so he could do this.
My middle son (who is very auditory) depended more on the sounds/pattern/flow of the words. He is very "verbally aware". Not sure which Gardner intelligence that is : )
I know that my daughter will just continue to gradually add more words to her list until it clicks. She will "hit the ground running" with a huge vocabulary from the world around her.
"She was supposed to read early like I did and like other girls do."
****I have gotten over this. Not ALL do!
"She is supposed to love reading like I do."
****She still may. She has a better chance now than when she was in school.
She is her own person, learning in her own way.
She can add numbers in her head that many adults can't.
She loves Shakespeare movies and has no trouble understanding the original prose.
She knows people learn in different ways and on different time tables.
My job is to help her when she wants help and otherwise, stay out of her way.
My job is to provide her with a rich environment.
Support HER! Encourage HER! Celebrate HER!
I will do NOTHING to make her hate reading. I will do NOTHING to harm our relationship
Beth (learning from my kids) in MD.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
But I think it is not fair to her to say she is just not working hard enough. She came out of K where she basically "read" an easy reader weekly and "moved up". She was memorizing. The phonics and other "tools" made no sense to her. This frustrated her.
We stopped doing any "required" stuff and it was 3 years before she would "try" to read. Phonics still doesn't make any sense to her but...
This year she WILL try to read (instructions, notes, recipes and even books :) and WILL write notes and WILL play with words. She is no longer intimidated by written symbols.
I read to her and she listens to tapes/CDs with the family. Still, this is not her favorite information resource.
She can now read a "Little Critter" book. She reads large words but mainly in context. I know that she would likely not get half of them on flash cards. She uses picture clues and guesses and sometimes tries to sound things out, but not much.
Should I sit her down and make her memorize a list daily? NO!
I tell others "her reading skills are emerging".
I have 3 kids. 2 are reading. 2 learned while they were "in school".
I can see the methods/tools which they used most. My oldest son came through a "whole language" program, with us sneaking in the phonics part. He still just mainly memorized words. Much of his class had "remedial training" when they were in 4th grade. He did not need it. He is very visual with an almost photographic memory, so he could do this.
My middle son (who is very auditory) depended more on the sounds/pattern/flow of the words. He is very "verbally aware". Not sure which Gardner intelligence that is : )
I know that my daughter will just continue to gradually add more words to her list until it clicks. She will "hit the ground running" with a huge vocabulary from the world around her.
"She was supposed to read early like I did and like other girls do."
****I have gotten over this. Not ALL do!
"She is supposed to love reading like I do."
****She still may. She has a better chance now than when she was in school.
She is her own person, learning in her own way.
She can add numbers in her head that many adults can't.
She loves Shakespeare movies and has no trouble understanding the original prose.
She knows people learn in different ways and on different time tables.
My job is to help her when she wants help and otherwise, stay out of her way.
My job is to provide her with a rich environment.
Support HER! Encourage HER! Celebrate HER!
I will do NOTHING to make her hate reading. I will do NOTHING to harm our relationship
Beth (learning from my kids) in MD.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]