24hrmom

I thought I'd post a follow up to the reading discussion we had (was it really 3 weeks ago?!). I had discussed my daughter's path to reading and mentioned that although she is not yet reading books I had noticed a mind-shift for her about a month or so before (I pasted in the previous email below).

The last 3 weeks have brought big changes. She was continuing to listen to her Harry Potter audiobooks when she decided to start writing some stuff down while listening ... her favourite scenes, character speeches, lists of things related to the book etc. She filled up a notebook she had laying around and I surprised her with a new one I brought home one evening when I was out.

A few days later she started looking up a few words in the books here and there when she could not figure them out from the CD. She came down and mentioned to me that the words in the books didn't seem as hard as she remembered (from a year or so ago when she looked as I was reading them aloud).

And a few days after that she started occasionally following along in the book with the CD.

And then 3-4 days ago she had finished listening to all the books on CD and started reading book 1 on her own! She came down from her room one afternoon to show me that she had read the first 2 chapters. That's so cool! So since then she's been reading in bed every morning and at various times during the day and night. The other night she brought her heating blanket in the backyard to the swing, ran the extension cord, brought out her pillows and a flashlight and settled in to read ... until it started to rain. LOL! She's so excited, she brings the book everywhere and is constantly saying, "I want to read!" and finding a quiet place.

And I am happily, and quietly, finding a moment here and there to sneak away and find where she's holed up to catch a glimpse of her engrossed in a book!

Pam L

----- Original Message -----
From: 24hrmom
To: [email protected]
Sent: Wednesday, September 10, 2003 3:28 PM
Subject: Re: [UnschoolingDiscussion] Re: Intro + Reading Q

<< As I mentioned in my previous post, I do point out to my son the words he does read and understand now that he's interested, mostly I think because this was (and still is in a way) a big issue with my 9yo daughter. She came home and we started unschooling in the middle of grade 2 and she was convinced she couldn't read and that it was too difficult. I didn't push it at all, just dropped it altogether and we all got into the Harry Potter series, she especially, and I read aloud regularly for the next year.

I eventually came to realize that her definition of being able to read was to be able to sit down and read a large chapter book (like Harry Potter). And she disliked the early readers and such intensely. She would tell anyone and everyone who mentioned it that she couldn't read, and nothing I said would convince her otherwise. I occasionally pointed out to her that she could read quite a few words and that she just hadn't met them all yet. I mentioned that I was still coming across new words, nobody knows them all! I told that if she was interested in reading a book herself, she could just ask me any words she came across that she didn't know yet and I'd tell her. No thanks, was her reply.

After a few more months I noticed that she was reading signs while we were driving, commercial stuff on TV etc that she wasn't before. I just continued to point this out to her every so often. Lo and behold about a month ago she was chatting/teasing with her older brother about something and I heard her say "I can read, you know!". Woohoo!!! It may not seem like much, but I feel like she has turned a corner. It's no longer about her "being a reader", it's about her being interested in reading. And I didn't "do" anything except occasionally point out to her what reading she was already doing.

After me reading Harry Potter aloud very regularly over the past year (books 1-4 four times each, and #5 once), we have gotten them on CD and she is listening to them often (she just spent the last 3 days in her room listening to book 5 again .. she loves when I bring food & drinks up to her). I know she loves a good story. And although she hasn't ventured to pick up a book on her own yet, I know now it's just a matter of time and finding something interesting enough. >>


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[email protected]

In a message dated 9/30/03 7:13:33 AM, 24hrmom@... writes:

<< And a few days after that she started occasionally following along in the
book with the CD. >>

Very cool!!

Thanks for the follow-up!

I'd like to add it to the reading page at some point, if you don't mind.

Sandra