The light bulb moment
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It seems that everyone I talk to can remember a light bulb moment in the
process of learning to read - that AHA where you went from painstakingly
sounding out words to actually GETTING it. It's as if the code is finally
broken and you're seeing the words on the page for what they really are.
Mine came while I was reading a Family Circus comic strip. Thelma (Mom) is
standing in the bathtub holding a part for the plumber, who is working on the
faucet. Dolly comes in and says, "That was [so and so] on the phone. I told
her you couldn't talk right now because you are in the bathtub with the
plumber." I sounded it out, then again, and suddenly I could just READ the
whole thing without sounding it out at all! I just looked at all the words
on the page at once, and they stood on their own, as if they had come to
life. I was 4 at the time, I think. We were on vacation in Kansas City, at
a hotel with a pool on the roof, and my sister threw up in the hallway on the
way back to our room after dinner that night. She'd had fish.
Can anyone else share their reading epiphany? I'm still waiting for that
moment in my younger son. Last night I bought him a look-and-find book (like
Where's Waldo) without picture clues. It only has written clues. He
LOOOOOOVES look-and-finds, so I think he just might do it. I didn't make a
production of it, just handed him the book and said "Here, I thought you
might like this". He opened it up and when he saw that the clues were
written his forehead kinda wrinkled up and he took a quick, secret glance at
me to see what I was going to do. I pretended I didn't notice and kept
unloading my shopping bags. He didn't say a word. He left the book on the
table, but when I got up this morning I found it peeking out from under his
pillow. Hmmmm.
*** KiM ***
runs with scissors
process of learning to read - that AHA where you went from painstakingly
sounding out words to actually GETTING it. It's as if the code is finally
broken and you're seeing the words on the page for what they really are.
Mine came while I was reading a Family Circus comic strip. Thelma (Mom) is
standing in the bathtub holding a part for the plumber, who is working on the
faucet. Dolly comes in and says, "That was [so and so] on the phone. I told
her you couldn't talk right now because you are in the bathtub with the
plumber." I sounded it out, then again, and suddenly I could just READ the
whole thing without sounding it out at all! I just looked at all the words
on the page at once, and they stood on their own, as if they had come to
life. I was 4 at the time, I think. We were on vacation in Kansas City, at
a hotel with a pool on the roof, and my sister threw up in the hallway on the
way back to our room after dinner that night. She'd had fish.
Can anyone else share their reading epiphany? I'm still waiting for that
moment in my younger son. Last night I bought him a look-and-find book (like
Where's Waldo) without picture clues. It only has written clues. He
LOOOOOOVES look-and-finds, so I think he just might do it. I didn't make a
production of it, just handed him the book and said "Here, I thought you
might like this". He opened it up and when he saw that the clues were
written his forehead kinda wrinkled up and he took a quick, secret glance at
me to see what I was going to do. I pretended I didn't notice and kept
unloading my shopping bags. He didn't say a word. He left the book on the
table, but when I got up this morning I found it peeking out from under his
pillow. Hmmmm.
*** KiM ***
runs with scissors