Question about reading
[email protected]
My 3yo son has shown no interest in reading yet, and I'm not concerned at
all. I was just wondering about something. Sorry if this was dealt with in an
earlier thread.
With reading, is it something for them to just pick up entirely on their own,
or should I point stuff out? I mean we read a lot of books, but I don't
really try to focus on him getting the words or reading or anything. I've
sort of been of the opinion that when he wants to or is ready, he'll start on
his own. It just hit me tonight that maybe I should be pointing out words
more or 'trying' to get him to notice small words. I think I may have just
answered my own question :-), but I could still use a bit of feedback.
Brenda
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
all. I was just wondering about something. Sorry if this was dealt with in an
earlier thread.
With reading, is it something for them to just pick up entirely on their own,
or should I point stuff out? I mean we read a lot of books, but I don't
really try to focus on him getting the words or reading or anything. I've
sort of been of the opinion that when he wants to or is ready, he'll start on
his own. It just hit me tonight that maybe I should be pointing out words
more or 'trying' to get him to notice small words. I think I may have just
answered my own question :-), but I could still use a bit of feedback.
Brenda
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Pam Hartley
----------
made any major "ah ha!" decode on reading yet, she's 6) -- when reading to
her, she pointed out at some point which words were "the end" in a couple of
favorite stories, so I flipped back through the book and we took turns
identifying the other "the" words in it, too. I think this game lasted, oh,
I think probably four or five the's and then she was off talking about the
color of the rabbit's fur or some other thing.
My husband is a lot more likely to play more kinds of obvious "learning
games" with the girls, but somehow when he does them they really ARE games
and everyone involved is having a good time and he doesn't sound like
Central Casting's version of "Now class. Class. Shut up!" <g> -- both our
daughters are fascinated (still, after years) with the 30' tape measure he
uses and learned to count largely from reading the numbers on the tape with
him as he went about projects.
But I think in many cases it's just dropping bits of information that they
might find useful and can take or leave. While reading, I don't feel like a
fake if I point out that "Bat" starts with a "B" just like "Brittany" does,
any more than I find it fake to point out that the house in the book has two
stories like ours, or a fireplace like ours does not. And of course the
girls are right there telling me what they find interesting about the book,
too.
A couple of weeks ago Mikey (4 in a few weeks) was drawing and brought me a
picture. She'd written, for the first time ever, a few letters of the
alphabet. Three times each in "words" read YIM -- knowing my little
left-hander as I do <g> I readily decoded this to spell "Mikey" (backwards
and missing a few letters <g>) and she was delighted that I was bright
enough to get it. ;) I can only imagine the blow to my image if I'd made the
mistake of trying to correct it, however gently, to my way of spelling Mikey
at that point.
Basically, I think there's a lot less danger and damage if when-in-doubt I
hush up and see what the kids have to say about it all first. If I try an
experiment and I feel goofy or they seem bored or overwhelmed, retreat is
IMHO the best strategy.
Pam
>From: [email protected]I noticed there was a little spark of interest with Brit (who hasn't really
>To: [email protected]
>Subject: [Unschooling-dotcom] Digest Number 1485
>Date: Tue, Sep 18, 2001, 4:02 AM
>
> With reading, is it something for them to just pick up entirely on their own,
> or should I point stuff out? I mean we read a lot of books, but I don't
> really try to focus on him getting the words or reading or anything. I've
> sort of been of the opinion that when he wants to or is ready, he'll start on
> his own. It just hit me tonight that maybe I should be pointing out words
> more or 'trying' to get him to notice small words. I think I may have just
> answered my own question :-), but I could still use a bit of feedback.
made any major "ah ha!" decode on reading yet, she's 6) -- when reading to
her, she pointed out at some point which words were "the end" in a couple of
favorite stories, so I flipped back through the book and we took turns
identifying the other "the" words in it, too. I think this game lasted, oh,
I think probably four or five the's and then she was off talking about the
color of the rabbit's fur or some other thing.
My husband is a lot more likely to play more kinds of obvious "learning
games" with the girls, but somehow when he does them they really ARE games
and everyone involved is having a good time and he doesn't sound like
Central Casting's version of "Now class. Class. Shut up!" <g> -- both our
daughters are fascinated (still, after years) with the 30' tape measure he
uses and learned to count largely from reading the numbers on the tape with
him as he went about projects.
But I think in many cases it's just dropping bits of information that they
might find useful and can take or leave. While reading, I don't feel like a
fake if I point out that "Bat" starts with a "B" just like "Brittany" does,
any more than I find it fake to point out that the house in the book has two
stories like ours, or a fireplace like ours does not. And of course the
girls are right there telling me what they find interesting about the book,
too.
A couple of weeks ago Mikey (4 in a few weeks) was drawing and brought me a
picture. She'd written, for the first time ever, a few letters of the
alphabet. Three times each in "words" read YIM -- knowing my little
left-hander as I do <g> I readily decoded this to spell "Mikey" (backwards
and missing a few letters <g>) and she was delighted that I was bright
enough to get it. ;) I can only imagine the blow to my image if I'd made the
mistake of trying to correct it, however gently, to my way of spelling Mikey
at that point.
Basically, I think there's a lot less danger and damage if when-in-doubt I
hush up and see what the kids have to say about it all first. If I try an
experiment and I feel goofy or they seem bored or overwhelmed, retreat is
IMHO the best strategy.
Pam
[email protected]
In a message dated 9/18/01 1:04:59 AM, brendaclaspell@... writes:
<< With reading, is it something for them to just pick up entirely on their
own,
or should I point stuff out? >>
We played games with words and letters. He'll probably start noticing words
with the same letters as are in his name, but it might not be on books. Mine
noticed stuff on cardboard shipping boxes, billboards--places where there
were just a few big words. Large masses of words (even in kids' story books)
they tended to glaze over.
Mine liked multiple choice kinds of games, like picking their names out of
words that looked like their names. When they started asking questions about
how people read I would write down lists of easy words like at, hat, bat,
cat, mat and they'd look for the ones that started like words they already
knew. Of that list, "hat" and "mat" would have been Holly's first picks
because of "Holly" and "Marty." Those games never lasted much longer than
the few seconds or minutes it took them to find the ones they knew. Then
either they'd ask another reading question or they'd take off to do something
different.
Holly asked me once before she was reading whether when I looked at a word I
read it all at once or sounded it out. We were driving. I read some signs
and business names to her and told her some, like "restaurant," I just saw as
one big thing. But others, like people's last names that weren't really
familiar, I sounded out. To her, that was total news and really useful.
We've had fun with sticky notes and labelling things, mixing them up and
having the kids restore them to the right objects. Floor, chair, TV, bowl,
lamp... Another quick game without pressure to do it "right," and done
because kids wanted to play a game, not "to teach reading."
Sandra
<< With reading, is it something for them to just pick up entirely on their
own,
or should I point stuff out? >>
We played games with words and letters. He'll probably start noticing words
with the same letters as are in his name, but it might not be on books. Mine
noticed stuff on cardboard shipping boxes, billboards--places where there
were just a few big words. Large masses of words (even in kids' story books)
they tended to glaze over.
Mine liked multiple choice kinds of games, like picking their names out of
words that looked like their names. When they started asking questions about
how people read I would write down lists of easy words like at, hat, bat,
cat, mat and they'd look for the ones that started like words they already
knew. Of that list, "hat" and "mat" would have been Holly's first picks
because of "Holly" and "Marty." Those games never lasted much longer than
the few seconds or minutes it took them to find the ones they knew. Then
either they'd ask another reading question or they'd take off to do something
different.
Holly asked me once before she was reading whether when I looked at a word I
read it all at once or sounded it out. We were driving. I read some signs
and business names to her and told her some, like "restaurant," I just saw as
one big thing. But others, like people's last names that weren't really
familiar, I sounded out. To her, that was total news and really useful.
We've had fun with sticky notes and labelling things, mixing them up and
having the kids restore them to the right objects. Floor, chair, TV, bowl,
lamp... Another quick game without pressure to do it "right," and done
because kids wanted to play a game, not "to teach reading."
Sandra
Tia Leschke
>I did this a bit with my son, pointing to words or using my finger to
>
>With reading, is it something for them to just pick up entirely on their own,
>or should I point stuff out? I mean we read a lot of books, but I don't
>really try to focus on him getting the words or reading or anything. I've
>sort of been of the opinion that when he wants to or is ready, he'll start on
>his own. It just hit me tonight that maybe I should be pointing out words
>more or 'trying' to get him to notice small words. I think I may have just
>answered my own question :-), but I could still use a bit of feedback.
follow along. Then I'd look at him and he was very obviously looking away
from the book until I stopped. <g> He read at age 12, and then only
because I slipped away from my unschooling ideals and made him. (He still
doesn't read very well at 13, likely *because* of the pressure I put on him
earlier.)
Tia
Tia Leschke leschke@...
On Vancouver Island
**************************************************************************
It is the answers which separate us, the questions which unite us. - Janice
Levy
[email protected]
My soon to be 5yo just started getting interested in letters and
numbers, and I think he's coming to realize their meaning. He is
just starting to recognize the letter J(his name is Jack) and though
he has been able to spell his name(outloud) for a while, I'm pretty
sure it was meaningless to him. I got him a wipe off book with the
letters of the alphabet in them to practice and some dry erase
markers. I got my 7yo a cursive one and my 11 yo a multiplication
one. I figured they might like the dry erase part of it, and I was
right.
There are pictures in this book, with the words right next to them.
Jack covered up the pictures with his hands and said, "mom, what do
these letters say.?" I read "owl" and "lamp". He uncovered the
pictures in amazment and said "how did you know that?!"
I think we both had big moments of realization at that point.
Joanna
numbers, and I think he's coming to realize their meaning. He is
just starting to recognize the letter J(his name is Jack) and though
he has been able to spell his name(outloud) for a while, I'm pretty
sure it was meaningless to him. I got him a wipe off book with the
letters of the alphabet in them to practice and some dry erase
markers. I got my 7yo a cursive one and my 11 yo a multiplication
one. I figured they might like the dry erase part of it, and I was
right.
There are pictures in this book, with the words right next to them.
Jack covered up the pictures with his hands and said, "mom, what do
these letters say.?" I read "owl" and "lamp". He uncovered the
pictures in amazment and said "how did you know that?!"
I think we both had big moments of realization at that point.
Joanna
--- In Unschooling-dotcom@y..., SandraDodd@a... wrote:
>
> In a message dated 9/18/01 1:04:59 AM, brendaclaspell@a... writes:
>
> << With reading, is it something for them to just pick up entirely
on their
> own,
> or should I point stuff out? >>
>
> We played games with words and letters. He'll probably start
noticing words
> with the same letters as are in his name, but it might not be on
books. Mine
> noticed stuff on cardboard shipping boxes, billboards--places where
there
> were just a few big words. Large masses of words (even in kids'
story books)
> they tended to glaze over.
>
> Mine liked multiple choice kinds of games, like picking their names
out of
> words that looked like their names. When they started asking
questions about
> how people read I would write down lists of easy words like at,
hat, bat,
> cat, mat and they'd look for the ones that started like words they
already
> knew. Of that list, "hat" and "mat" would have been Holly's first
picks
> because of "Holly" and "Marty." Those games never lasted much
longer than
> the few seconds or minutes it took them to find the ones they
knew. Then
> either they'd ask another reading question or they'd take off to do
something
> different.
>
> Holly asked me once before she was reading whether when I looked at
a word I
> read it all at once or sounded it out. We were driving. I read
some signs
> and business names to her and told her some, like "restaurant," I
just saw as
> one big thing. But others, like people's last names that weren't
really
> familiar, I sounded out. To her, that was total news and really
useful.
>
> We've had fun with sticky notes and labelling things, mixing them
up and
> having the kids restore them to the right objects. Floor, chair,
TV, bowl,
> lamp... Another quick game without pressure to do it "right," and
done
> because kids wanted to play a game, not "to teach reading."
>
> Sandra
[email protected]
In a message dated 9/18/01 9:44:35 AM Mountain Daylight Time,
Wilkinson6@... writes:
or five and so she conducted a scientific experiment to see if we were
fooling her and just joking about cursive. (Born in 1991, she hadn't seen a
lot of cursive writing--I was just looking at my birth certificate this
morning and it was filled out in cursive.) She told me something to write,
made me stay in my chair and be quiet while she carried it to the other room
to see if her dad could actually read it. He could!
She was in awe of us both. <g>
I was impressed that she figured out a quick way to test it that satisfied
her doubts.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Wilkinson6@... writes:
> Jack covered up the pictures with his hands and said, "mom, what doHolly doubted the ability of humans to read cursive writing when she was four
> these letters say.?" I read "owl" and "lamp". He uncovered the
> pictures in amazment and said "how did you know that?!"
> I think we both had big moments of realization at that point.
>
or five and so she conducted a scientific experiment to see if we were
fooling her and just joking about cursive. (Born in 1991, she hadn't seen a
lot of cursive writing--I was just looking at my birth certificate this
morning and it was filled out in cursive.) She told me something to write,
made me stay in my chair and be quiet while she carried it to the other room
to see if her dad could actually read it. He could!
She was in awe of us both. <g>
I was impressed that she figured out a quick way to test it that satisfied
her doubts.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Johanna SanInocencio
Holly sounds like a pretty sharp kid.
Johanna
Life is the ultimate learning experience!
Johanna
Life is the ultimate learning experience!
----- Original Message -----
From: <SandraDodd@...>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, September 18, 2001 10:51 AM
Subject: Re: [Unschooling-dotcom] Re: Question about reading
> In a message dated 9/18/01 9:44:35 AM Mountain Daylight Time,
> Wilkinson6@... writes:
>
>
> > Jack covered up the pictures with his hands and said, "mom, what do
> > these letters say.?" I read "owl" and "lamp". He uncovered the
> > pictures in amazment and said "how did you know that?!"
> > I think we both had big moments of realization at that point.
> >
>
> Holly doubted the ability of humans to read cursive writing when she was
four
> or five and so she conducted a scientific experiment to see if we were
> fooling her and just joking about cursive. (Born in 1991, she hadn't seen
a
> lot of cursive writing--I was just looking at my birth certificate this
> morning and it was filled out in cursive.) She told me something to
write,
> made me stay in my chair and be quiet while she carried it to the other
room
> to see if her dad could actually read it. He could!
>
> She was in awe of us both. <g>
>
> I was impressed that she figured out a quick way to test it that satisfied
> her doubts.
>
> Sandra
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
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[email protected]
In a message dated 9/18/01 12:05:07 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
brendaclaspell@... writes:
<<
My 3yo son has shown no interest in reading yet, and I'm not concerned at
all. I was just wondering about something. Sorry if this was dealt with in
an
earlier thread. >>
I am sitting here just smiling. I am not at all surprised that you have a 3
yr old
not showing interest in reading yet. He is probably still just trying to
figure
out the language <g>. Take it easy, he's just a baby : ) The unschooling.com
website has some awesome threads on reading, one I believe under Sandra's
folder. I went there when my dd was 7 and it calmed me down thankly
before I started forcing her to do phonics. I am so glad I didn't do that.
Just
the other day she made up a list of American Girl things she wants, copied
from the catalog. The next day she is looking at her list (which she really
can't read, but recognizes some of the letters and sounds they make) and
tells me she thinks she can write a poem from this list. She asked for my
help and I helped her string together a few sentences. She was delighted
and memorized it and read it over and over again. I am so glad I didn't force
her to learn to read and that she can happily pick up a pen and paper and
say, I think I'll write a poem today! What a joyful way to discover the power
of reading and writing.
Kathy
brendaclaspell@... writes:
<<
My 3yo son has shown no interest in reading yet, and I'm not concerned at
all. I was just wondering about something. Sorry if this was dealt with in
an
earlier thread. >>
I am sitting here just smiling. I am not at all surprised that you have a 3
yr old
not showing interest in reading yet. He is probably still just trying to
figure
out the language <g>. Take it easy, he's just a baby : ) The unschooling.com
website has some awesome threads on reading, one I believe under Sandra's
folder. I went there when my dd was 7 and it calmed me down thankly
before I started forcing her to do phonics. I am so glad I didn't do that.
Just
the other day she made up a list of American Girl things she wants, copied
from the catalog. The next day she is looking at her list (which she really
can't read, but recognizes some of the letters and sounds they make) and
tells me she thinks she can write a poem from this list. She asked for my
help and I helped her string together a few sentences. She was delighted
and memorized it and read it over and over again. I am so glad I didn't force
her to learn to read and that she can happily pick up a pen and paper and
say, I think I'll write a poem today! What a joyful way to discover the power
of reading and writing.
Kathy