Reading

Alicia · Senior Member

RE: Reading

daisy · Guru

R started reading single words a long time ago (maybe over a year ago) and in the past 3 mos she's putting together sentences. i let her do it on her own. she might ask to read together, but otherwise i'll just hear her reading a book in the other room. she likes to play on starfall too but has most of that memorized.
i bought her some new books that she doesnt know the words to and she can read them.
i was an early reader too - around the same timeframe. and i agree it doesnt mean much, but i'm glad it's somethign that wont have to be a challenge for her.

-- Edited by daisy on Thursday 21st of January 2010 12:43:51 PM

Sonya · Guru

I just did some research and it looks like they start in primary to read and do math (kindergarden).

It's probably different in all school boards.

CoffeeQueen · Guru

Sonya wrote:

I just did some research and it looks like they start in primary to read and do math (kindergarden).

It's probably different in all school boards.

I just found out her kids were in an immersion school, so that would be why. She failed to tell me that the first time around.

daisy · Guru

Sonya wrote:

I just did some research and it looks like they start in primary to read and do math (kindergarden).

It's probably different in all school boards.

in my school they do it this way as well. some moms have said they are expected to be reading before K, but i dont buy this for one second. all K teachers i have talked to say that this is absolutely not the case.

Sonya · Guru

CoffeeQueen wrote:

Sonya wrote:

I just did some research and it looks like they start in primary to read and do math (kindergarden).

It's probably different in all school boards.

I just found out her kids were in an immersion school, so that would be why. She failed to tell me that the first time around.

Ah yes, and to be honest, it is not unusual for kids in immersion to not be reading by the 3rd grade. that is reason number one why we are not doing early french immersion (maybe we'll do late immersion - they start that in 7th grade)

Sonya · Guru

i'm a little hesitant to teach charlie too much before school. he's a really fast learner and I know my nephew who charlie is SO much alike (though they are not really related) was BORED during primary. So bored that he got into A LOT of trouble. PJ knew all the things they learned in Primary before he got there and for that reason, I've been reserved in how much we teach him before he starts school.

Charlie is a total rule follower so I'm not too concerned about him getting in trouble like that but I don't want him to be bored.

CheleLyn · Senior Member

In Kinder they start getting weekly lists of Dolch words, so that's when I'll start working with Daniel.

He knows his stories though, so he recites them when he "reads" to me.

I love it.

CoffeeQueen · Guru

Sonya wrote:

i'm a little hesitant to teach charlie too much before school. he's a really fast learner and I know my nephew who charlie is SO much alike (though they are not really related) was BORED during primary. So bored that he got into A LOT of trouble. PJ knew all the things they learned in Primary before he got there and for that reason, I've been reserved in how much we teach him before he starts school.

Charlie is a total rule follower so I'm not too concerned about him getting in trouble like that but I don't want him to be bored.

I honestly agree with you. Like I said before I see no benefit in starting early in terms of pushing reading and math. I think exposure to things does allow for them to absorb it and have total recall later, but not actually sitting and formally teaching reading and math.

I see it a lot with young boys that learn with great ease. They do become very disruptive in the classroom because they are bored.

CheleLyn · Senior Member

muffy wrote:

we have a bunch of those early reading books - i read them every night with clara. plus our current fave book is chicka chicka boom boom.

she can "read" some of those books, but i am betting it is more memorising. but she is sounding out sounds with some books, so who knows?

i always have made a specific effort NOT to teach my children to read - they start kindergarden learning German, then add French a few years later - and i dont want to confuse them with attempting to teach them english as well. of course we speak english and i read to them every day... but i just have patience that the education system they are in is challenging them linguistically enough, i dont want to confuse the process.

also, if i want to teach them the letters and numbers, i need to do it in the "european" style which is very different from American (and i have to say my kids have beautiful cursive penmanship which i believe is somewhat lacking in US schools these days. - and they still have to write everything in real ink.)

ABSOLUTELY! I remember being in elementary and having pages and pages of penmanship practice...not now though...and they don't "teach" handwriting anymore either. The kids are taught to print and then they kind of figure it out on their own....very messily, I might add.

CoffeeQueen · Guru

CheleLyn wrote:

muffy wrote:

we have a bunch of those early reading books - i read them every night with clara. plus our current fave book is chicka chicka boom boom.

she can "read" some of those books, but i am betting it is more memorising. but she is sounding out sounds with some books, so who knows?

i always have made a specific effort NOT to teach my children to read - they start kindergarden learning German, then add French a few years later - and i dont want to confuse them with attempting to teach them english as well. of course we speak english and i read to them every day... but i just have patience that the education system they are in is challenging them linguistically enough, i dont want to confuse the process.

also, if i want to teach them the letters and numbers, i need to do it in the "european" style which is very different from American (and i have to say my kids have beautiful cursive penmanship which i believe is somewhat lacking in US schools these days. - and they still have to write everything in real ink.)

ABSOLUTELY! I remember being in elementary and having pages and pages of penmanship practice...not now though...and they don't "teach" handwriting anymore either. The kids are taught to print and then they kind of figure it out on their own....very messily, I might add.

They are taught cursive here in our school. However, it is not the norm in most schools.

daisy · Guru

CoffeeQueen wrote:

CheleLyn wrote:

muffy wrote:

we have a bunch of those early reading books - i read them every night with clara. plus our current fave book is chicka chicka boom boom.

she can "read" some of those books, but i am betting it is more memorising. but she is sounding out sounds with some books, so who knows?

i always have made a specific effort NOT to teach my children to read - they start kindergarden learning German, then add French a few years later - and i dont want to confuse them with attempting to teach them english as well. of course we speak english and i read to them every day... but i just have patience that the education system they are in is challenging them linguistically enough, i dont want to confuse the process.

also, if i want to teach them the letters and numbers, i need to do it in the "european" style which is very different from American (and i have to say my kids have beautiful cursive penmanship which i believe is somewhat lacking in US schools these days. - and they still have to write everything in real ink.)

ABSOLUTELY! I remember being in elementary and having pages and pages of penmanship practice...not now though...and they don't "teach" handwriting anymore either. The kids are taught to print and then they kind of figure it out on their own....very messily, I might add.

They are taught cursive here in our school. However, it is not the norm in most schools.

is it really not the norm? that's nuts.
i was taught formally (my penmanship is CRAP though anyway) - i hope they work on that at R's school. i agree it's very important. if they dont do it through school, i'll be sure to do it at home with her when she's older. when did most of you learn cursive, in 3rd grade? that's when we learned.

Supafly · Guru

Anna is not reading. She knows a couple words, but anything she "reads" is purely by memory.

We read a lot, but we don't work on their reading. Maybe I should though-but she doesn't seem too interested at this point, so I don't.

I was the same way as a kid, from what I remember. I didn't read particularly early, but I LOVED listening to stories and books my mom read to us, and by the time I was in later elementary school, I was reading far above my age (as was my brother). So I am not too concerned at this point-hopefully that is not too lax a position to take!

daisy · Guru

Supafly wrote:

Anna is not reading. She knows a couple words, but anything she "reads" is purely by memory.

We read a lot, but we don't work on their reading. Maybe I should though-but she doesn't seem too interested at this point, so I don't.

I was the same way as a kid, from what I remember. I didn't read particularly early, but I LOVED listening to stories and books my mom read to us, and by the time I was in later elementary school, I was reading far above my age (as was my brother). So I am not too concerned at this point-hopefully that is not too lax a position to take!

i dont think it's lax at all. i dont think it's something a kid is going to grasp until they're ready to grasp it. right now i think it's just all about the building blocks. they really do just figure it out all of a sudden and youre like "wow, she's reading."

i have noticed a difference now in the way R "listens" to stories. she's now looking at the words, and not the pics. she'll ask if she can read the next sentence or whatever. she asks what every sign says, or tells me what they say and then says "did i read it right?" - she also asks a lot of questions about individual words.

it really does just happen naturally. i think youre right on the money. i think like everything else, they do it when they're ready. meanwhile R still wont pedal a bike - it's all uneven still.

i have tutored kids in 1st grade and 2nd who are still not reading, and in those cases, it's a different ballgame - but at this age i dont think it's at all necessary.

happylib · Guru

E is sounding out letters and can read some words. She has an interest and will ask, so we do it then. We read to her a bunch. At this age I am more concerned that she develops a love for reading.

FWIW, reading is not just being able to decode letters and recognize words. Story plot, sequencing, vocabulary, and so many other things go into reading that even though a child may not be looking at words on a page and pronouncing them, they may still be learning reading. Each child develops various areas at different times, just like anything else. (I am not saying those that are reading are not doing this too, just that there are many aspects to "reading".)

Here it is pretty standard to start reading in kinder. Also from the testing I have had to do with kids, generally around age 5 kids are considered emergent readers, which means that they are on cusp of being able to read independently. Some of the things that they will look for in kinder screening are:

does the child hold the book in the correct position (not upside,etc.)
Can the child tell which is text and which is print?
Does the child follow the left to right progression in reading?
Can the child point to a word?

That is what I can remember off the top of my head. I am sure some of the others here that teach little ones can better fill in the blanks. But if your little one is doing those things (which obviously some are way beyond this), then they are most likely sitting pretty for kinder.

Alicia · Senior Member

I think it was 3rd when Stephen learn cursive. Can't remember when I did. As far as I know it is still the norm around here. Norm to teach but not to use. I remember having to write in cursive in highshcool but Stephen always prints.

daisy · Guru

Alicia wrote:

I think it was 3rd when Stephen learn cursive. Can't remember when I did. As far as I know it is still the norm around here. Norm to teach but not to use. I remember having to write in cursive in highshcool but Stephen always prints.

oh really? fascinating that they dont have to use it - i wonder if that's how it is here too. does he just type most of his written assignments?

happylib · Guru

daisy wrote:

Alicia wrote:

I think it was 3rd when Stephen learn cursive. Can't remember when I did. As far as I know it is still the norm around here. Norm to teach but not to use. I remember having to write in cursive in highshcool but Stephen always prints.

oh really? fascinating that they dont have to use it - i wonder if that's how it is here too. does he just type most of his written assignments?

When I was teaching not much time was spent on handwriting. By the time they were in fourth and fifth grade handwriting was no longer in the curriculum. Most kids printed. It was not uncommon to have kids that couldn't write or read cursive. I am not exactly thrilled with this, but my ds was never really taught cursive. I had to teach it to him, but since no one required it, he never writes in cursive except his signature. I think with technology and frankly all the other things they are now having teachers do, handwriting is a lower priority.

daisy · Guru

happylib wrote:

daisy wrote:

Alicia wrote:

I think it was 3rd when Stephen learn cursive. Can't remember when I did. As far as I know it is still the norm around here. Norm to teach but not to use. I remember having to write in cursive in highshcool but Stephen always prints.

oh really? fascinating that they dont have to use it - i wonder if that's how it is here too. does he just type most of his written assignments?

When I was teaching not much time was spent on handwriting. By the time they were in fourth and fifth grade handwriting was no longer in the curriculum. Most kids printed. It was not uncommon to have kids that couldn't write or read cursive. I am not exactly thrilled with this, but my ds was never really taught cursive. I had to teach it to him, but since no one required it, he never writes in cursive except his signature. I think with technology and frankly all the other things they are now having teachers do, handwriting is a lower priority.

wow this is totally news to me. i didnt even think about READING in cursive - that's nuts that they dont know how to do that! (though i do understand that it has become a lower priority).

what grade did you teach? and what state do you live in? (i should know this...)

happylib · Guru

daisy wrote:

happylib wrote:

daisy wrote:

Alicia wrote:

I think it was 3rd when Stephen learn cursive. Can't remember when I did. As far as I know it is still the norm around here. Norm to teach but not to use. I remember having to write in cursive in highshcool but Stephen always prints.

oh really? fascinating that they dont have to use it - i wonder if that's how it is here too. does he just type most of his written assignments?

When I was teaching not much time was spent on handwriting. By the time they were in fourth and fifth grade handwriting was no longer in the curriculum. Most kids printed. It was not uncommon to have kids that couldn't write or read cursive. I am not exactly thrilled with this, but my ds was never really taught cursive. I had to teach it to him, but since no one required it, he never writes in cursive except his signature. I think with technology and frankly all the other things they are now having teachers do, handwriting is a lower priority.

wow this is totally news to me. i didnt even think about READING in cursive - that's nuts that they dont know how to do that! (though i do understand that it has become a lower priority).
what grade did you teach? and what state do you live in? (i should know this...)

I was a special ed teacher and I taught in the elementary grades. For the most part I was in the fourth and fifth grades, but I often had students that were way below grade level (especially for reading). As part of my job I also had to help with standardized testing and kindergarten screening. I also had to do more IEP meetings than I can count for all grade levels. This was in Florida, but I am now in Illinois which seems to pretty much follow Florida in what they are doing.