Liza wants to learn to read. Really, really wants to learn to read.
We made Bingo cards out of the 25 most-used sight words, and she's got maybe 15 of them down pat and another few that she can sound out. She regularly points out these sight words in new circumstances (like on the Wilton cake decorating class poster in the bathroom stall at Jo-Ann Fabrics), so I know she actually can read them, not just make an educated guess. She knows all of the letter sounds, although she still mixes up Y/U/W for some reason. She likes playing the Starfall games, making fewer and fewer mistakes every day. She can reliably tell you what letter a word begins with (unless it's a weird exception, like a soft g or something), and she's a really proficient rhymer. She thinks The Electric Company DVDs she got for Christmas are the most awesome thing since Little Einsteins.
My mother-in-law got Liza the pre-K Hooked on Phonics kit for letter sounds (pre-reading) for Christmas, and Liza couldn't wait to get started. We hung up the posters, got the stickers ready, and installed the software. Now, two days later, Liza has finished all but the last five letters. She wants to finish those today so she can move on to the actual reading Hooked on Phonics kit I found at Ollies for $40. I realize she's going to have to go slower on the next one, since it will be more new material instead of just review, but it's still exciting to see her soooo pumped about reading.
Well, she's given up on trying to nap and is pestering me to finish up those last five letters, so I guess I'll stop babbling now. Wish me luck!
PS - anyone whose kids started reading before hitting kindergarten - how did you handle it? Were they really bored in school, or did the school somehow make allowances for kids who could already read? Because I'm afraid she's going to get bored and get into trouble ... not that I would know anything about that, of course.
Monday, December 29, 2008
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2 comments:
Congratulations on raising a reader! You have set a good example that will last Liza her whole life.
Beleive it or not, most children who go to a good pre-school enter kindergarten with reading skills of some sort. A good teacher, or school, knows this and sorts the class into three or more reading groups. I have had children who read on a third grade level in K and kids who never could figure out how to read their own names. Depending on the reading series, we were able to modify the curriculum to suit whatever the children needed. The already readers will sail through the reading series and start to write on their own very quickly. That is when the fun really begins!
The kids are usually fine with this. The only problem is when the parents insist on sending the child to a higher grade for reading.
mimi
We were worried with our eldest, who was reading prior to entering kindergarten. Talk with the teacher. Also, talk with the other parents so that you get the right teacher.
We found that he gets bored every year in January and starts to act out. The teachers now give him special assignments (independent projects) that he will report back to the class.
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