Posting here about my youngest and reading (no one knows me on K-8 boards)

[Michelle in MO]

My youngest daughter, in 5th grade, is an OK reader but not an extremely strong reader. I haven't quite been able to figure this out---if it's something I did or didn't do when she was little, or just a difference in kids. By 5th grade my other two were reading light years ahead of most kids their age, but I haven't been able to captivate my youngest with reading.

Until now. She has been reading some books by Bill Wallace---all about dogs, horses, etc. Today she read Coyote Autumn for most of the morning, and off and on through the afternoon, and had her nose in the book and couldn't be bothered or interrupted.

You have no idea how long I've waited for this! I know it's not Great Books yet, but at last I feel like we're making progress. BTW, I think the Bill Wallace books are about at her grade level, but if reading them helps to build up speed and fluency, so be it. Hopefully the love of reading and stories will build in her to the point where her confidence level is high enough to tackle meatier works.

This is my more math-oriented daughter. She is able to do a fair amount of her daily math work in her head, which amazes me, so she has very good understanding in that department. (By saying this, I'm not implying that being good at math means you're not good at reading or lit., either!)

Anyway, this is not to brag, but just to share some good news. If she loves these books and they help increase her fluency and confidence, I'll buy or borrow them all!

:)

[periwinkle]

My youngest ds became a reader this year, too! Pretty late, compared to his brothers...but I am glad it happened.

I started him off this year with The Hobbit, and it took him several weeks to finish. But he has been picking up speed all year...recently he finished both Eragon and Eldest in less than two weeks! At this rate, I'll be visiting the library more often!

Hurray for the babies of our families!
:grouphug:

[Crissy]

http://www.millan.net/minimations/smileys/yay.gif (http://www.millan.net)

Yay, Michelle and Daughter!

She's way ahead of me. I didn't become a reader until I hit 32 or so. And I still question whether or not I read the 'good stuff'. :D

[Michelle in MO]

encouragement today. I think my youngest has suffered from some self-esteem issues because she doesn't like to read that much. It was a joy to see her with her nose in a book (and I checked---the reading level is probably more 4.5 to 5th grade, so it's a little low for her---but she also read The Hobbit recently, which is a bit higher).

I hope she continues on!

[Moira in MA]

Michelle

Congratulations on your dd's new enjoyment of reading. They're all different and we worry about each and every one of them, don't we?

My youngest was never much of a reader -- always more of the opinion that, 'You don't keep a dog and bark yourself.' We read almost everything to her, but drew the line at Garfield. Not even her sister would read Garfield to her. She learned to read competently but never really enjoyed it. Things didn't really change until around 7th grade and she suddenly discovered the whole world.

Sometimes it just takes time. Thankfully, not usually as long as for Crissy :D

[Nan in Mass]

I got caught in 2nd grade and my next youngest sister in 3rd. We all worried about my little sister, since the rest of us, my mother incuded, escaped into a book whenever we had a spare moment. Or one that we could possibly stretch to consider a spare one. She finally found an author in high school that she liked and that picked up her speed enough that she could then go through the Agatha Christie's. By the time she'd been through most of those, she was up level with the rest of us and we had a blast feeding her all our favourites (finally!). It just takes some people longer than others, I guess.
-Nan