Ouch! You got me there, Miss Mason! Letting her read it herself!

I've been going thru a lot of thinking and evaluating for next year. B is 13, and reads "fine" for the books assigned in our local public school. She does well if I read things aloud. She is not doing very well with "harder" books. Chapter One of "Sea Around Us" about reduced her to tears. In the first paragraph she barely made any sense of it. She did way better with Plutarch--but the readings from it ARE way shorter. Two factors are at play here--(1) her comfort level!! She always hangs on for dear life to the level she's at until pushed off the cliff to the next level. It's time for the cliff!! (2) It's not her sort of book--it's all descriptive writing. I may put it away untill fall, I may read some to her, but Miss Mason hit me in the face with the MAIN REASON:

Adults enjoy reading to children, but reading aloud should be an extra-curricular past-time, perhaps a fun thing to do before bedtime. Children's minds are naturally inclined to be lazy. If a child gets used to having everything read to him, then he will tend to shirk the challenge of reading for himself. [p 228]

I DO LOVE TO READ ALOUD TO HER! It is MUCH easier for her to make sense when listening to me rather than sorting out all the words for herself.

Once the children are able to read well and easily, they can read their own lessons, either out loud or to themselves, knowing that they'll be expected to narrate. Where a book needs some editing for content, such as the Old Testament or Plutarch's Lives, it is better for the teacher to read the lesson aloud before the children narrate.

We'll keep reading some things aloud, like Plutarch, some poetry and a fun book that we want to share together. I admit, I really, really will miss the read aloud time!! But I sense it's a time to let go and force her onward and upward to the next "comfort level."

As to clearly understanding every single word when reading on her own--Miss Mason understood that children won't grasp all of it, but should be left to make their own sense of it as much as possible. I've succeed in this in reading Plutarch with her, but have gotten slack in asking for narrations from books I know she doesn't enjoy. Time to get back to the fair rotation I had earlier in the winter, making sure each book in turn is narrated either orally or in writing [I require 3 written narrations per week]. Miss Mason writes:

Besides, it's not important that he understand the definition of every single word. A large working vocabulary is achieved little by little as a natural side effect of wide reading. A child unconsciously gets the meanings of unfamiliar words from context. If he doesn't get it the first time he sees it, then he'll get it the second or third time. If it isn't obvious to him, then he'll find out what certain expressions mean because he'll want to know. [p229]

I HAVE seen some improvement in her vocabulary this year, but she often reverts to public school ways and says "oh well, it's too hard," and wants me to fill in the meaning. Sometimes, I do. Sometimes we have all out war and she has to get the dictionary!! And, though there has been improvement and although English is technically her 2nd language [she does not remember the other] I have not seen the improvement in vocabulary I had thought would occur this year. Lately, I've brought the vocabulary books out again. She was disgusted when the first word in the lesson was "affect" as in "put on"--affect an attitude rather than to influence events. Just like in the first chapter of "Little Women" when the sentense with it made no sense to her! Still, I don't like going to a workbook. She usually does badly in them. But, she has been a real stubborn mule about keeping a vocabulary notebook. We've tried adding a few words a week on flash cards, but she "sees" but doesn't "learn" what's on the cards. I sense a strong will here!

Still, all is not lost! She eagerly fell to reading the book "Lighting Thief." When I finally asked her how it ended she admitted she hadn't been reading it. It had started out "good, but got boring." I think she's discovered the meaning of TWADDLE for herself at least! I asked her to finish it anyway and she is, but I notice it AND "Twilight" are always open at the same time! Wonder which she'll finish first!


I've begun reading thru Volume 1 of Churchill's History of the English Speaking People for fall. It will be a fight, but on the whole I find it easier going than "Sea Around Us" and might hold her interest. We will use it.