Frustrating day!!
A.Y.
My son (6) and I have been doing "How to teach your child to read in
100 easy lessons". I like it. We don't do the writing part because it
was just too hard for him, and caused to much frustration and tears.
But, he really loves books, and being read to.
We have been doing it for about a month, every day. It only takes about
10 minutes each day. It is all phonics....
He is getting frustrated though. Today he even almost started to cry,
though he really fights that now. He is doing well. I think he would
be very excited to read, but maybe I just ought to forget it for now?
Should we just continue with the read aloud and forget the lessons? We
read alot of chapter books, even the first book of the Tales of Narnia,
which he enjoyed. They all loved Little House books, and we've read
lots of others.
Why do I want him to read so much? I love reading to them, so it's not
that.
I guess its just that all the 6,7 yr olds I know can read, and write
ect.... My son has no interest in learning to read or write. He can
barely write his name, and that's it.
Am I just getting into one of those "crazy Mom" times???
I need some words..........
Ann
100 easy lessons". I like it. We don't do the writing part because it
was just too hard for him, and caused to much frustration and tears.
But, he really loves books, and being read to.
We have been doing it for about a month, every day. It only takes about
10 minutes each day. It is all phonics....
He is getting frustrated though. Today he even almost started to cry,
though he really fights that now. He is doing well. I think he would
be very excited to read, but maybe I just ought to forget it for now?
Should we just continue with the read aloud and forget the lessons? We
read alot of chapter books, even the first book of the Tales of Narnia,
which he enjoyed. They all loved Little House books, and we've read
lots of others.
Why do I want him to read so much? I love reading to them, so it's not
that.
I guess its just that all the 6,7 yr olds I know can read, and write
ect.... My son has no interest in learning to read or write. He can
barely write his name, and that's it.
Am I just getting into one of those "crazy Mom" times???
I need some words..........
Ann
[email protected]
In a message dated 6/2/99 2:14:52 PM Central Daylight Time,
hooperck@... writes:
<< I need some words.......... >>
Words we got. :)
It's not true that all 6-7 year olds read. What they do is reading readiness.
You know the goal that the President set out was all kids reading by the end
of 3rd grade. What that really means is that by 10 most kids are reading, and
some of them are reading not even close to reading fluently. I have a son
who is 9.5, he's only been reading 1st grade material fluently for 3 months
or more. I have another son who is 7. That poor child couldn't care one whit
about words and letters. Give him a screwdriver and something to take apart
and he's in heaven.
Another thing to consider is that not all learning is on a steady uphill
curve. Learning is like physical growth, it comes in fits and starts.
Sometimes there is a very long down time, sleep time, right before a spurt of
understanding.
It's not worth tears. You can't make his brain comprehend until it's ready
anyhow. Put the book up and just read to him. Then get up and bake some
cookies. In 3 months it will dawn on you that he's reading much better, that
he has learned and he hasn't cried over 100 Easy lessons in 90 days. When
he's ready, he'll ask, either directly or indirectly for more info about how
reading works.
I promise.
LisaKK
hooperck@... writes:
<< I need some words.......... >>
Words we got. :)
It's not true that all 6-7 year olds read. What they do is reading readiness.
You know the goal that the President set out was all kids reading by the end
of 3rd grade. What that really means is that by 10 most kids are reading, and
some of them are reading not even close to reading fluently. I have a son
who is 9.5, he's only been reading 1st grade material fluently for 3 months
or more. I have another son who is 7. That poor child couldn't care one whit
about words and letters. Give him a screwdriver and something to take apart
and he's in heaven.
Another thing to consider is that not all learning is on a steady uphill
curve. Learning is like physical growth, it comes in fits and starts.
Sometimes there is a very long down time, sleep time, right before a spurt of
understanding.
It's not worth tears. You can't make his brain comprehend until it's ready
anyhow. Put the book up and just read to him. Then get up and bake some
cookies. In 3 months it will dawn on you that he's reading much better, that
he has learned and he hasn't cried over 100 Easy lessons in 90 days. When
he's ready, he'll ask, either directly or indirectly for more info about how
reading works.
I promise.
LisaKK
sandy keane
A.Y. wrote:
would try to get Neal to attempt to read the first sentence of every chapter
or whatever. He would deliberately read words incorrectly that I *Knew*
that he knew. It was just too much work, and he was losing the context
while doing the decoding. I would usually get the message and back off and
just read to him. Part of the problem was that we were also reading books
like the Narnia series and E. Nesbit books which had either difficult or
rather anachronistic language for a 7 or 8 year old. It's hard to puzzle
out words you have never heard before. OTOH, he was not at all interested
in the easy read stuff which was more at his reading skill level.
So I backed off. He started reading on his own just before his 10th
birthday and was reading high school level books and technical manuals
within months. He needed to wait until his cognitive readiness caught up to
his taste in reading material.
With son #2, I had learned my lesson, and didn't press him. We just kept
reading to him. One day I had a bad cold and finally said that if he wanted
to finish the chapter he would have to read to me. He looked at the page
for awhile and then slowly and haltingly sounded out the whole first
sentence! I asked him why he hadn't told me he could read and he replied,
with great surprise "I only just discovered it myself!" This was at about 7
years of age, and he too refused to read aloud or on his own until he was 9.
The interesting thing is that while these kids both read late, their
comprehension is excellent. I'm convinced that they could have decoded the
words earlier, but not without losing the context and this was
counter-productive to the whole purpose of reading, nu?
I hope this is reassuring to you, Ann.
Sandy <skeane@...> http://mypage.direct.ca/s/skeane/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Summer Haiku
Smell of glove leather,
grassy stains and diamond dust,
green cathedrals......life. -sk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> <snip>.Been there. While we didn't attempt any actual learn to read programs, I
> Why do I want him to read so much? I love reading to them, so it's not
> that.
> I guess its just that all the 6,7 yr olds I know can read, and write
> ect.... My son has no interest in learning to read or write. He can
> barely write his name, and that's it.
> Am I just getting into one of those "crazy Mom" times???
> I need some words..........
> Ann
would try to get Neal to attempt to read the first sentence of every chapter
or whatever. He would deliberately read words incorrectly that I *Knew*
that he knew. It was just too much work, and he was losing the context
while doing the decoding. I would usually get the message and back off and
just read to him. Part of the problem was that we were also reading books
like the Narnia series and E. Nesbit books which had either difficult or
rather anachronistic language for a 7 or 8 year old. It's hard to puzzle
out words you have never heard before. OTOH, he was not at all interested
in the easy read stuff which was more at his reading skill level.
So I backed off. He started reading on his own just before his 10th
birthday and was reading high school level books and technical manuals
within months. He needed to wait until his cognitive readiness caught up to
his taste in reading material.
With son #2, I had learned my lesson, and didn't press him. We just kept
reading to him. One day I had a bad cold and finally said that if he wanted
to finish the chapter he would have to read to me. He looked at the page
for awhile and then slowly and haltingly sounded out the whole first
sentence! I asked him why he hadn't told me he could read and he replied,
with great surprise "I only just discovered it myself!" This was at about 7
years of age, and he too refused to read aloud or on his own until he was 9.
The interesting thing is that while these kids both read late, their
comprehension is excellent. I'm convinced that they could have decoded the
words earlier, but not without losing the context and this was
counter-productive to the whole purpose of reading, nu?
I hope this is reassuring to you, Ann.
Sandy <skeane@...> http://mypage.direct.ca/s/skeane/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Summer Haiku
Smell of glove leather,
grassy stains and diamond dust,
green cathedrals......life. -sk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
sandy keane
A.Y. wrote:
:-) #1 son would dictate wonderful, long, creative stories from the time
he was four but would not put pencil to paper. He would run back and forth
and do sommersaults while dictating. It was as if he would have to put all
his energy into staying still and this would block the creative flow or
something. He only printed out messages on birthday cards. He eventually
started to used a keyboard, but what kicked the writing thing in was when
he joined a creative writing circle with some other unschoolers who wanted
to push themselves and share their writing. They would do excercises, and
one day after having hastily scrawling his contribution but not being able
to decipher his own letters, he came home and said he thought it was time to
learn to write cursive. He finally had a reason. We decided together that
we would take a half an hour a day for as long as it took. He kept at it
for an hour the first day, and we worked again the next day for a shorter
time and that was it. His handwriting is more legible than his father's
(okay, so this doesn't take much :-) but the point is that when they decide
it's worthwhile, they do it quickly and well.
My 10 year old wrote a postcard last spring where the printing was large and
uneven and crowded, and again, all capitals. This was the *only* thing he
had written up until then other than "happy birthday" on cards, at least
that I knew of. I was so impressed that I scanned it and kept a copy before
he sent it. This past fall he wrote a wonderful paragraph on the 1998 Major
League Baseball season and the improvement in a couple of months without
ever having done a lick of work on it, was truly amazing. He's still
printing, but suddenly using both capitals and lower case letters
appropriately, and the words were quite even and well spaced on the page.
His sentence structure and grammar, and punctuation were impressive too.
Go figure.
--
Sandy <skeane@...> http://mypage.direct.ca/s/skeane/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Summer Haiku
Smell of glove leather,
grassy stains and diamond dust,
green cathedrals......life. -sk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> My son has no interest in learning to read or write. He canI forgot to mention the writing thing in my response to the reading thing
> barely write his name, and that's it.
> Am I just getting into one of those "crazy Mom" times???
> I need some words..........
> Ann
>
:-) #1 son would dictate wonderful, long, creative stories from the time
he was four but would not put pencil to paper. He would run back and forth
and do sommersaults while dictating. It was as if he would have to put all
his energy into staying still and this would block the creative flow or
something. He only printed out messages on birthday cards. He eventually
started to used a keyboard, but what kicked the writing thing in was when
he joined a creative writing circle with some other unschoolers who wanted
to push themselves and share their writing. They would do excercises, and
one day after having hastily scrawling his contribution but not being able
to decipher his own letters, he came home and said he thought it was time to
learn to write cursive. He finally had a reason. We decided together that
we would take a half an hour a day for as long as it took. He kept at it
for an hour the first day, and we worked again the next day for a shorter
time and that was it. His handwriting is more legible than his father's
(okay, so this doesn't take much :-) but the point is that when they decide
it's worthwhile, they do it quickly and well.
My 10 year old wrote a postcard last spring where the printing was large and
uneven and crowded, and again, all capitals. This was the *only* thing he
had written up until then other than "happy birthday" on cards, at least
that I knew of. I was so impressed that I scanned it and kept a copy before
he sent it. This past fall he wrote a wonderful paragraph on the 1998 Major
League Baseball season and the improvement in a couple of months without
ever having done a lick of work on it, was truly amazing. He's still
printing, but suddenly using both capitals and lower case letters
appropriately, and the words were quite even and well spaced on the page.
His sentence structure and grammar, and punctuation were impressive too.
Go figure.
--
Sandy <skeane@...> http://mypage.direct.ca/s/skeane/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Summer Haiku
Smell of glove leather,
grassy stains and diamond dust,
green cathedrals......life. -sk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[email protected]
In a message dated 6/2/99 7:38:24 PM !!!First Boot!!!, KaeKaeB2@...
writes:
<< Put the book up and just read to him. Then get up and bake some
cookies. In 3 months it will dawn on you that he's reading much better,
that
he has learned and he hasn't cried over 100 Easy lessons in 90 days. When
he's ready, he'll ask, either directly or indirectly for more info about how
reading works. >>
This has been our experience -- my daughter sometimes says: "No, Mom, I don't
want to learn anything today. Let's read a book." Sometimes I think she
gets more on those days.
Nance
writes:
<< Put the book up and just read to him. Then get up and bake some
cookies. In 3 months it will dawn on you that he's reading much better,
that
he has learned and he hasn't cried over 100 Easy lessons in 90 days. When
he's ready, he'll ask, either directly or indirectly for more info about how
reading works. >>
This has been our experience -- my daughter sometimes says: "No, Mom, I don't
want to learn anything today. Let's read a book." Sometimes I think she
gets more on those days.
Nance
Kim
It is all phonics....
grade to be unable to grasp phonics. Although as time went on she did get
better she still does not sound things out.
Some children just have some sort of block in their minds that keeps them
from being able to grasp phonics.
Maybe trying sight reading will make all the difference. I tried that with
my daughter and it was the best thing we could have done. Children can
remember words from their looks so easily. If you think about it, that's
the way we read too, when we already know the word. Noone who knows a word
sits there and sounds it out, you know it by sight.
I can't remember what resources we used except a couple of workbooks by
Frank Shaeffer and some early reading books that concentrated on sight
reading. If you go to a large bookstore or an educational store you will
surely find some of these materials.
Goodluck, Kim from Pa
> He is getting frustrated though. Today he even almost started to cryMy 11 year old daughter was determined by a special reading teacher in first
grade to be unable to grasp phonics. Although as time went on she did get
better she still does not sound things out.
Some children just have some sort of block in their minds that keeps them
from being able to grasp phonics.
Maybe trying sight reading will make all the difference. I tried that with
my daughter and it was the best thing we could have done. Children can
remember words from their looks so easily. If you think about it, that's
the way we read too, when we already know the word. Noone who knows a word
sits there and sounds it out, you know it by sight.
I can't remember what resources we used except a couple of workbooks by
Frank Shaeffer and some early reading books that concentrated on sight
reading. If you go to a large bookstore or an educational store you will
surely find some of these materials.
Goodluck, Kim from Pa
Thomas and Nanci Kuykendall
>Am I just getting into one of those "crazy Mom" times???Ann,
>I need some words..........
>Ann
>
Read my message about Reading in Good Time if you want my opinion about
when kids "should" read and write. But as to the frustating day, I am
having one myself. The baby did not sleep well last night (we are trying
to teach him to sleep through the night,) which means that nobody slept
well last night. My husband was late for work and I did not get a shower
this morning. My toddler would not eat his breakfast but made a big mess
with it instead. The baby has been wandering around crying all morning
because he is so tired and is already taking his second nap today. My
toddler then cut his foot and refuses to keep his bandage on, despite my
telling him that he needs it (cut was bloody and on the bottom of his
foot.) Then he started hitting his brother, probably because he is
annoying him as much as he is me, which redoubled the crying.
So I tried seperating them and having my toddler play in his room with his
leggos for a while, but when I was upstairs getting them out and getting
him interested in them, the baby dumped my entire can of pepsi all over
himself and my light colored rug. Now I will have to shampoo the carpet or
we will all be stuck to the floor. Baby then had to get a change of
clothes and a good wiping down, and into bed he goes for that second nap.
When I am coming out of the hall my toddler practically throws himself in
front of me and I come very close to having a very bad fall.
I am counting to ten, and waiting patiently until their father gets home
and can take over, as I need a break! Hang in there, we all have those days!
Nanci K.
[email protected]
<< It's hard to puzzle
out words you have never heard before. OTOH, he was not at all interested
in the easy read stuff which was more at his reading skill level. >>
This is my almost-7-yr-old son exactly!!!!
We did Calvert 1st grade this past year and are trying to loosen up
considerably from here on out. Mike reads at the
end-of-first/beginning-of-second grade level, which (I keep telling myself)
is right "on schedule."
I have lots of problems finding stuff for him to practice on because most of
the stuff that's written at his level doesn't especially interest him. He has
enjoyed a few of the step-into-reading books, like Purple Pickle Juice (a
Mercer Mayer Critters of the Night book) and Bully Trouble and The Missing
Tooth (about 2 kids who are best friends). But a lot of the things my friends
recommend like the Bernstein Bears just don't turn him on at all!
He wants to read Jurassic Park and Goosebumps and Animorphs and seems to feel
demoralized that he's just not ready yet!
I try very hard not to show my own anxieties about it. But I must admit that
I would feel better about unschooling if his reading skills were more
advanced. :(
Bonnie Taylor
out words you have never heard before. OTOH, he was not at all interested
in the easy read stuff which was more at his reading skill level. >>
This is my almost-7-yr-old son exactly!!!!
We did Calvert 1st grade this past year and are trying to loosen up
considerably from here on out. Mike reads at the
end-of-first/beginning-of-second grade level, which (I keep telling myself)
is right "on schedule."
I have lots of problems finding stuff for him to practice on because most of
the stuff that's written at his level doesn't especially interest him. He has
enjoyed a few of the step-into-reading books, like Purple Pickle Juice (a
Mercer Mayer Critters of the Night book) and Bully Trouble and The Missing
Tooth (about 2 kids who are best friends). But a lot of the things my friends
recommend like the Bernstein Bears just don't turn him on at all!
He wants to read Jurassic Park and Goosebumps and Animorphs and seems to feel
demoralized that he's just not ready yet!
I try very hard not to show my own anxieties about it. But I must admit that
I would feel better about unschooling if his reading skills were more
advanced. :(
Bonnie Taylor
[email protected]
In a message dated 6/2/99 7:25:02 PM Central Daylight Time, Bonald@...
writes:
<< try very hard not to show my own anxieties about it. But I must admit
that
I would feel better about unschooling if his reading skills were more
advanced. :( >>
There is an essay in the back of one hsing book called of Daisy's and
Diesel's, or something close to that. The point of the essay is to examine
just what the kids are doing instead of reading, what would reading replace
in their day?? Instead of saying he's just not ready to read fluently, look
for what he IS doing developmentally and ask yourself why giving up those
skills in order to read is important.
Children who aren't reading yet spend more time reasoning than readers. How
do I do this......well a reader just goes for the directions or resource
book. A non-reader has to think it through.
Why would you push the children to stop thinking for themselves and instead
inform themselves of what other people thought out?????
Lisa
writes:
<< try very hard not to show my own anxieties about it. But I must admit
that
I would feel better about unschooling if his reading skills were more
advanced. :( >>
There is an essay in the back of one hsing book called of Daisy's and
Diesel's, or something close to that. The point of the essay is to examine
just what the kids are doing instead of reading, what would reading replace
in their day?? Instead of saying he's just not ready to read fluently, look
for what he IS doing developmentally and ask yourself why giving up those
skills in order to read is important.
Children who aren't reading yet spend more time reasoning than readers. How
do I do this......well a reader just goes for the directions or resource
book. A non-reader has to think it through.
Why would you push the children to stop thinking for themselves and instead
inform themselves of what other people thought out?????
Lisa
Lois Hoover
>From: KaeKaeB2@...That was in the back of Homeschooling for Excellence. Great story. It
>>
>There is an essay in the back of one hsing book called of Daisy's and
>Diesel's, or something close to that.
really showed me how buying into the schools attitudes was so very wrong
for my hand on learner.
Lois
[email protected]
I like this line of reasoning! I know that there is so much that he does
really, really well. Thanks--
Bonnie
<< There is an essay in the back of one hsing book called of Daisy's and
Diesel's, or something close to that. The point of the essay is to examine
just what the kids are doing instead of reading, what would reading replace
in their day?? Instead of saying he's just not ready to read fluently, look
for what he IS doing developmentally and ask yourself why giving up those
skills in order to read is important. >>
really, really well. Thanks--
Bonnie
<< There is an essay in the back of one hsing book called of Daisy's and
Diesel's, or something close to that. The point of the essay is to examine
just what the kids are doing instead of reading, what would reading replace
in their day?? Instead of saying he's just not ready to read fluently, look
for what he IS doing developmentally and ask yourself why giving up those
skills in order to read is important. >>
[email protected]
Bonnie,
I don't know if this would help, or be what you would want, but I used
Learning Language Arts thru Literature to teach my oldest to read. My
youngest had two years of listening to his brother learn phonics and play the
games, one day he just walked up to me with a book in hand and read it to me.
I really like LLATL and adapted it to what I wanted, it has lots of site
words that we just played concentration with. But, they couldn't get the
match if they couldn't read the word.
Teresa
I don't know if this would help, or be what you would want, but I used
Learning Language Arts thru Literature to teach my oldest to read. My
youngest had two years of listening to his brother learn phonics and play the
games, one day he just walked up to me with a book in hand and read it to me.
I really like LLATL and adapted it to what I wanted, it has lots of site
words that we just played concentration with. But, they couldn't get the
match if they couldn't read the word.
Teresa
[email protected]
In a message dated 6/2/99 4:21:43 PM Central Daylight Time,
tn-k4of5@... writes:
<< So I tried seperating them and having my toddler play in his room with his
leggos for a while, but when I was upstairs getting them out and getting
him interested in them, the baby dumped my entire can of pepsi all over
himself and my light colored rug. Now I will have to shampoo the carpet or
we will all be stuck to the floor. Baby then had to get a change of
clothes and a good wiping down, and into bed he goes for that second nap.
When I am coming out of the hall my toddler practically throws himself in
front of me and I come very close to having a very bad fall. >>
Nancy,
I remember days like that! Hang in there! One of these days, you will
look back on those days fondly, even the bad ones. Now that my kids are
older, we still have bad days sometimes, but they are just different!
However, I miss the baby days!!!!
Tami in IN
tn-k4of5@... writes:
<< So I tried seperating them and having my toddler play in his room with his
leggos for a while, but when I was upstairs getting them out and getting
him interested in them, the baby dumped my entire can of pepsi all over
himself and my light colored rug. Now I will have to shampoo the carpet or
we will all be stuck to the floor. Baby then had to get a change of
clothes and a good wiping down, and into bed he goes for that second nap.
When I am coming out of the hall my toddler practically throws himself in
front of me and I come very close to having a very bad fall. >>
Nancy,
I remember days like that! Hang in there! One of these days, you will
look back on those days fondly, even the bad ones. Now that my kids are
older, we still have bad days sometimes, but they are just different!
However, I miss the baby days!!!!
Tami in IN
A.Y.
Have you tried First Steps? They seem great, and many of my friends have used
them. The early ones are very easy readers, with parts for the parent to read
too, so the story moves along. They have a nice feel to them too. They have
them from first grade up to 8th. They are published by Pathways. Timberdoodle
has them, and at a great price. Just a suggestion. We haven't tried them yet,
because we aren't up to that reading level. I wish! But! I'm being patient.
Ann
BI have lots of problems finding stuff for him to practice on because most of
them. The early ones are very easy readers, with parts for the parent to read
too, so the story moves along. They have a nice feel to them too. They have
them from first grade up to 8th. They are published by Pathways. Timberdoodle
has them, and at a great price. Just a suggestion. We haven't tried them yet,
because we aren't up to that reading level. I wish! But! I'm being patient.
Ann
BI have lots of problems finding stuff for him to practice on because most of
> the stuff that's written at his level doesn't especially interest him.