8yo reading - missing out words and reading on her own

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annaanna
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Joined: Tue Mar 22, 2011 10:30 am

8yo reading - missing out words and reading on her own

Post by annaanna »

I’ve been delighted this year with a sudden desire on dd2’s part to race through her reading books (school’s and our’s) and she’s been reading consistently to me every morning for 10-15 minutes for the last 3 months. This is a huge achievement for us as it’s been purgatory getting her to read to me up until now. Her reading level is fine I think (year 3 - stage 13 free reader according to the sticker on the school book) but I have two concerns.

Firstly when she reads out loud she regularly misses words out, or swaps them round or puts in words that are not there at all or replaces words with other words (particularly pronouns). This has various effects – changing the meaning of the sentence, making it nonsensical, putting it in a different tense, attributing things to the wrong characters. At first I thought it would improve with regular reading, but it just hasn’t. I don’t think there’s any underlying problem there, just that her eyes or her brain are anticipating things and she just ‘reads’ what she’s anticipating even if it’s not there! Sometimes she corrects herself, but more often she doesn’t and if I didn’t point it out (though I don’t do it every time) it would reduce the enjoyment & understanding of the story. Any thoughts?

My second concern is that despite an ability to read, despite the house being full of all sorts of books and despite my always having read lots of lovely books to her that she clearly enjoys, she has absolutely no desire at all to read on her own and in fact has never read a whole book to herself. Other kids in her class are apparently reading whole Famous Fives for example and there is no way I can imagine her doing the same.

Do I in fact read too much to her? We are both thoroughly enjoying the Moomin series at the moment but there is absolutely no way she could manage one of those on her own. I also worry that if she keeps moving words around when she’s reading to me, she would probably do it far more on her own and would end up with a story that made little sense!

Any advice appreciated!
scarlett
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Joined: Fri Jul 16, 2010 10:22 am

Re: 8yo reading - missing out words and reading on her own

Post by scarlett »

Does she read to her teacher ? and have they/ you mentioned this ? Both my ds2 and dd also miss out words or swap them for similar words when they read to me but I find it is when they are rushing and tend to improve if I get them to slow down whilst reading. If she can self correct, then surely she must notice what she is doing....so perhaps she is also in a rush to get the reading over and done with especially if she prefers you to read to her ? I think lots of children would rather listen to stories then have to read themselves...I know you worry when you hear of children in their class reading whole series of books, but it may come as she gets older.My ds2 who is now 9 is extremely lazy when it comes to reading and when I tell them that it's time for a bit of reading, ds1 gets out his big hardback, dd settles down next to me for reading and when I look up ds2 is usually rolling around on the floor with the dog telling me he will listen to his sister !He will now read to himself if encouraged though.I would say just carry on with what you are doing...you read a bit, get dd to read the next few pages and if she is interested, who knows where she will be in a couple of months time ! :)
annaanna
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Joined: Tue Mar 22, 2011 10:30 am

Re: 8yo reading - missing out words and reading on her own

Post by annaanna »

thank you Scarlett!

Oh don’t get me started on the school reading scheme! How on earth Biff, Chip & Floppy could inspire anyone to want to read is beyond me. The teacher never hears them read – it’s left to teaching assistants and willing parents and there are never enough of them. Combine that with inappropriate and demoralising reading levels and only one book a week (though frequently far fewer as books changed very irregularly) and I think it has a lot to do with dd’s lack of reading motivation up until this year . It’s the free readers that seem to have changed things for her I reckon as finally they are ‘proper’ books with not a magic key in sight!

I hadn’t thought about her rushing when she reads – (far from it! – it’s still a somewhat painful process), but perhaps her brain is rushing behind the scenes or in short bursts. She does enjoy the whole process of a story and her comprehension and plot anticipation levels are good, so it puzzles me that she doesn’t self-correct more often as what she reads very clearly and very frequently does not make sense! I will have to think carefully about how to encourage slowing down without actually slowing down iyswim!
darell
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Joined: Thu Mar 03, 2011 11:04 am

Re: 8yo reading - missing out words and reading on her own

Post by darell »

I really wouldn't worry about what others in school are doing.

I too have an adding words/skipping words DD
Like Scarlett's DDs, my DD is fine when she slows down & teacher said she had never noticed-I think this is because it's only obvious when you watch what's actually on the page as opposed to her version.

Have you been able to bring her to the library to choose her own books?

My DD took a long time to find books she liked, but it seems that she prefers books about dogs and horses & Dr Seuss, and didn't like Famous Five or the school series, but loves Secret Seven. Perhaps she'd like the completely different Hiccup Horrendous Haddock series or the Roman mysteries books if she's not an Enid fan.
Last edited by darell on Tue May 10, 2011 1:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
scarlett
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Re: 8yo reading - missing out words and reading on her own

Post by scarlett »

Yes,I think we sometimes choose books for our children then can't understand why they're not keen on reading them.My ds2 recently burst out that he hates the books which ds1 read at his age and which I'd been foisting upon him and now I realise he just wants to read non fiction such as history books and anything else I just have to read to him .I was speaking to a friend today about this, she has a son who is currently at Grammar and is very bright.....but apparently will only read if read to and then will read every other page...his mum is hoping this won't go on for much longer ! :lol:
flicka
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Joined: Thu Dec 16, 2010 6:53 pm

Re: 8yo reading - missing out words and reading on her own

Post by flicka »

If your DD is missing out words consistently, or adding them in, consider having her checked out for Irlen's Syndrome, which this is on of the symptoms of.
Coloured lenses in glasses might sort her out.
Incidentally, my DS who is ten does exactly the same, when reading aloud to me, but reckons he doesn't when reading to himself.
He too was a reluctant reader but loved me to read aloud to him. We have finally cracked it in the last year and he is now an avid devourer of all books.
He hated Enid Blyton though - too pedestrian, too goody goody, too boring according to him. Having tried reading them aloud to him I now know why my own parents hated them so much!
Flicka
hermanmunster
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Re: 8yo reading - missing out words and reading on her own

Post by hermanmunster »

We may be in a minority but we don't go for much fiction reading in this household.. just never really taken to it and wasn't too surprised when the kids didn't like it either... also didn't read to them when little (maybe if I had they would have been more interested in fiction?) - tons of books in the house - history, science, biographies, reference books etc etc - but deffo no sign of Rowling, Tolkien etc..
scarlett
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Joined: Fri Jul 16, 2010 10:22 am

Re: 8yo reading - missing out words and reading on her own

Post by scarlett »

That's good to know, Herman ! Thinking about it, both my DH and Dad only read history books, so perhaps not that unusual after all !

It's interesting that lots of us find Enid Blyton rather boring....I'm sure I loved her books when I was younger.I find them extremely monotonous and if DD will let me, try to condense the looooong chapters into 2 pages...Maybe that's why your DD is also missing out the words ! :lol:
DIY Mum
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Location: Not in a hole in the ground but in a land where once they dwelt-the Beormingas

Re: 8yo reading - missing out words and reading on her own

Post by DIY Mum »

annaanna wrote: Firstly when she reads out loud she regularly misses words out, or swaps them round or puts in words that are not there at all or replaces words with other words (particularly pronouns). This has various effects – changing the meaning of the sentence, making it nonsensical, putting it in a different tense, attributing things to the wrong characters. At first I thought it would improve with regular reading, but it just hasn’t. I don’t think there’s any underlying problem there, just that her eyes or her brain are anticipating things and she just ‘reads’ what she’s anticipating even if it’s not there! Sometimes she corrects herself, but more often she doesn’t and if I didn’t point it out (though I don’t do it every time) it would reduce the enjoyment & understanding of the story. Any thoughts?

My second concern is that despite an ability to read, despite the house being full of all sorts of books and despite my always having read lots of lovely books to her that she clearly enjoys, she has absolutely no desire at all to read on her own and in fact has never read a whole book to herself. Other kids in her class are apparently reading whole Famous Fives for example and there is no way I can imagine her doing the same.

Do I in fact read too much to her? We are both thoroughly enjoying the Moomin series at the moment but there is absolutely no way she could manage one of those on her own. I also worry that if she keeps moving words around when she’s reading to me, she would probably do it far more on her own and would end up with a story that made little sense!

Any advice appreciated!
Your daughter sounds similar to mine (dc4) who has just turned nine. For a good couple of months now, before school, I have been listening to her read aloud and can't understand why she continues to make the mistakes she does. None of my other dcs have had problems reading aloud, (not even dc5 who is a year younger than her.) I just think she rushes as 1) she's alright when I ask her to slow down but that irritates her and 2) she tends to take 'short cuts' in other aspects of life also- I suppose that's just the way she is :roll: 3) When I quizz her about the text, she understands it which is why (despite her reading errors), I also allow her to read a lot of the novels on her own.

As for being worried about your dd not having the desire to read, well my dc3 (currently in Y6) didn't read by herself for a loooooooooooooooong time (until Y6). Ok, in Y5 she read about 2 novels but whereas the others would read at home in our library, she preferred to paint, make jewellery or do some baking! I was always so worried about her lack (and love) for reading but surprisingly, it didn't affect her 11+ performance as she still passed! (CEM assessment: an exam where good literacy skills now accounts for 50% of the mark).

Anyhow, keep up with the 'reading aloud' and 'listening' to your dd. Eventhough, my dc3 didn't read until Y6, I do feel that the 'reading aloud' in particular, helped to foster a love for reading (albeit late). She is also young for her 'school age' (d.o.b: Aug 29th)...so perhaps she just matured? :) Or perhaps it was (as my DH puts it), a case of HPS (Harry Potter Syndrome: HP Books, 24/7)- that's what got her going. :lol: Or perhaps her 'reading spurt' was a combination of them all?
All she does now is read, read and read!! A year ago, I would never have expected it! :o
yoyo123
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Re: 8yo reading - missing out words and reading on her own

Post by yoyo123 »

It is enlightening reading books to a class, i occasionally stop and ask "what does that word mean?" It's amazing some of the answers they come out with..I wonder what picture they have in their heads of what is happening?

plus the child who proudly announced she was reading the FBI ...( the BFG!)
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