Julie Biro

Hi all,

My name is Julie and I have been a member here for a long while but had to
go no e-mail because of time constraints. However, I am in need of some
help and I knew just where to go to get it.

My dd is 7 and we unschooled in K last year and I was pretty happy with the
results. Even though my hubby has tons reservations about unschooling.

The teacher that does our evaluation is supportive and I was told
understands the unschooling concept. She does a variety of methods with
her children, including some unschooling (if it is possible to do just
some?) and unit studies with her children. She was kind and offered a
couple of suggestions for me to read about teaching language skills,
reading and beginning math stuff for ideas to mull over. Of course after
reading this information, I got a little panicked but tried (still trying)
to keep a handle on it.

When my dd suddenly decided that she was ready to learn to read and was
desperate for me to "teach" her because she wants to "be able to stay up
all night to ready as many chapters of her chapter books as she wants" : D,
we began a phonics workbook and sight word workbook to get started as I
hadn't a clue where to begin to "teach" someone to read. My thoughts are
once she gets the basics, she will take off on her own. Most days she
really enjoys doing the workbooks and asked to do them first thing in the
morning before she "gets too tired" and they start making her "frustrated"
was her word, which she seems to have a low frustration tolerance and wants
to give up easily.

She IS learning both the sight words and getting a firm grasp on the
phonics of words with what we have done so far. She was thrilled to read
her books.... even though they aren't chapter books and took her "forever"
as she puts it : D

However, I can see some of her enthusiasm going down hill : * ( We
talked about it today. I told her my goal was for her to love to learn
things. However sometimes I can see that she is not enjoying learning and
ask what she thought the problem might be. She told me it was her little
brother (4.5) being to noisy while she is trying to work then we
brainstormed some ways to get around that issue.

But I am having a nagging feeling that it is the more the method (even
though she does seem to be enjoying the workbooks most days) than anything
else. My goal still is to have her LOVE to learn, but I want to help her
get where she wants to go as well. Does anyone have any thoughts or
suggestions? Ideas in helping her "learn" to read?

Thanks so much for being here for a place for me to turn!
Julie Biro
jaam1224@...
Memory Keeping at Its Best
Don't your priceless memories and photos deserve
more than a shoe box? I can help quick and easy.
Just ask, "How?"!

Heidi Wordhouse-Dykema

Reading:
Tell her that some of the most important ways to learn to read is to WATCH
people reading, have them read to you and even watch the page as they read
to you. Then settle her in your lap, haul out her favorite book and read
it to her. If you can manage it (with a lapful of kid/s) glide your finger
underneath each word as you're reading it.

She can either relax and just listen to the story or she can watch your
finger go across the page as she hears the words.

Frustration-free and she's still 'working on reading'!
HeidiWD

Get all the fools on your side and you can be elected to anything. - Frank Dane

Dawn Adams

Julie writes:
>But I am having a nagging feeling that it is the more the method (even
>though she does seem to be enjoying the workbooks most days) than anything
>else. My goal still is to have her LOVE to learn, but I want to help her
>get where she wants to go as well. Does anyone have any thoughts or
>suggestions? Ideas in helping her "learn" to read?

The joy my daughter gets from learning comes, I think, from being able to discover, sound out and read words on her own. I don't do any work with her on it other than reading to her or answering questions. This makes it slower than what public school kids might do but think of it (and explain it to DH) this way. In school it's as if they're building a foundation for a building. They hand out shovels to the kids (maybe miss a couple). Tell them to quickly dig. It's a haphazard hole when it's done but nevertheless they are ordering to build the foundation really fast. When it's done, most of kids have an ok idea of what a foudation should be but for some it's not strong enough to build further on. And nevermind the few kids still stuck down in the hole. At home your daughter is building her own understanding of words and reading. If left alone she'll experiment with sounds, likely write out a lot of gibberish, use logic to deduce what signs say. She's building her foundation one step at a time and she not only understands every step but thouroughly enjoys it. It took me a long time to catch on to this but I can see my daughter work through it all the time on her own. She may be a late reader when it comes but her understanding and love of words, reading and languagewill likely be more complete than most PSers. You're unschooling and this is why...To give her the joy of learning that most kids are denied. Sit back, relax and enjoy the show. :)

Dawn (Awestruck by what my daughter learns on her own)


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[email protected]

In a message dated 11/29/03 5:58:57 AM, Wishbone@... writes:

<< She's building her foundation one step at a time and she not only
understands every step but thouroughly enjoys it. It took me a long time to catch on
to this but I can see my daughter work through it all the time on her own. She
may be a late reader when it comes but her understanding and love of words,
reading and languagewill likely be more complete than most PSers. >>

This is SOLID!!!
<g>

Very clear and true in my experience.

My three learned to read differently, but solidly, and with more clarity than
kids get who are swept along the stream with the rest.

Last night a big group of kids played Quiddler, a spelling game with cards.
I was glad they were letting Holly play. There were seven kids, all
homeschooled, most unschooled. Holly was youngest at twelve and the rest ranged 14-19.

They had my favorite college edition "American Heritage" as reference, and
except for passing through once in a while, and them calling out to me "Isn't
[whatever] a word?" and I'd spell it well enough for them or tell them what the
word was they were thinking of if I could tell.

After a bit I asked one of the boys whether they were letting Holly spell
however she could and letting it count. This was overheard in the next room,
though, and they laughed. Marty said, "Holly has called ME on a couple of
things." So to cover my overcompenstation for what I thought would be Holly's
"behindedness," I said in the same tone and for everyone, "So are you letting
Marty spell as well as he can and giving him a break?"

Turns out they were NOT giving people breaks for invented spelling, but
neither did anyone seem to be grumpy or frustrated, so I didn't mess with them any
more.

Professionals wouldn't think Holly's spelling should be that good after only
a year and some of real reading, but her vocabulary was already big before she
could read, so she didn't start with the one-syllable stuff, neither in
reading or spelling.

Sandra

Betsy

** When my dd suddenly decided that she was ready to learn to read and was
desperate for me to "teach" her because she wants to "be able to stay up
all night to ready as many chapters of her chapter books as she wants" : D,
we began a phonics workbook and sight word workbook to get started as I
hadn't a clue where to begin to "teach" someone to read. My thoughts are
once she gets the basics, she will take off on her own. Most days she
really enjoys doing the workbooks and asked to do them first thing in the
morning before she "gets too tired" and they start making her "frustrated"
was her word, which she seems to have a low frustration tolerance and wants
to give up easily. **


When my son was at the approximate age and developmental stage I turned
the Between the Lions TV show on a lot. (It was on every M-F morning.)
Sometimes he watched and sometimes he did his own thing. I think the
show is enjoyable and presents reading and literacy stuff in several
good ways. (For instance: combining sounds, stories with little words,
compound words, sounding out really big words, what it's like to be an
author.) My son is really attracted to anything with music and jokes
and pretty much repelled by worksheets. Other kids love worksheets and
hate puppets or thinly disguised educational content. <g>

YMMV,
Betsy

Betsy

Tia Leschke

> If you can manage it (with a lapful of kid/s) glide your finger
>underneath each word as you're reading it.
>
>She can either relax and just listen to the story or she can watch your
>finger go across the page as she hears the words.

Be careful with that one. Some kids love it, but some hate it (mine did.)
Watch for signs that she doesn't like it, like moving your finger or
pointedly looking away.
Tia

kayb85

--- In [email protected], Tia Leschke
<leschke@s...> wrote:
>
> > If you can manage it (with a lapful of kid/s) glide your finger
> >underneath each word as you're reading it.
> >
> >She can either relax and just listen to the story or she can watch
your
> >finger go across the page as she hears the words.
>
> Be careful with that one. Some kids love it, but some hate it (mine
did.)
> Watch for signs that she doesn't like it, like moving your finger
or
> pointedly looking away.
> Tia

Sometimes when I move my finger under the words my kids say, "Move
your hand,you're blocking the pictures!" lol

Sheila