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My 12 yo daughter is in Preparing. And though she is in the extension range, I do believe she is placed correctly. So my question is in regards to her reading skills. I believe she may be dyslexic, though I’ve never had her tested.

She was reading from the One Small Square Cactus book the other day. And though she is normally very detailed with her narrations, I corrected her and recommended she try to be more specific with the type of tree she was discussing. The specific tree was a “mesquite” tree. When I mentioned it to her, she said, “It is that m word.” She then told me that when she reads, if she doesn’t know the word, she’ll just memorize the shape of the letters, but she doesn’t attempt to read it. She said she’ll do that with names of characters in books sometimes, and she gave a name as an example (though I cannot remember the name, it was one she could and should have attempted to sound out).

Is this normal for a child when they don’t know the word? And, if not, what do I do to help her to make sure she doesn’t fall behind as the reading level gets harder? She never seems to have a problem understanding what she has read, and she LOVES to read! But there are a lot of big words in some of these books that she is just skipping (archaeological, cartouches, sarcophagus, etc).

I personally don't think it is abnormal. I know I don't always read names when I read.
One idea might be to explain to her that if she doesn't know how to say what appears to be an important word, then she should ask you after she is done reading. Another options is to skim the reading and go over words that will likely trip her up before she reads. I think a combination of those two is probably the best.

I agree! This is not abnormal at all! My sons have done the same thing from time to time. It can be difficult to remember the names of people, places, and events, especially if they are long and unfamiliar words. If you feel your daughter is doing this too often, you can use a Charlotte Mason idea we use in HOD's high school with stories that have many names/places/events to remember for oral narrations. Prior to your daughter reading, just jot down the major names of people, places, and events you feel your daughter might struggle to remember. You can pronounce them for your daughter prior to the reading as well. Then later, she can refer to the markerboard as she narrates. Keep in mind the markerboard is not a place to jot notes or questions for the students. Rather, it is a way for them to refer to difficult to remember/pronounce words pertinent to the story as they narrate. It sounds like she is doing just fine!

In Christ,
Julie