Ummm...advice...DD5 in LHFHG reading Beyond's book set

[Heidi in AK]

Ok, I don't know if there's a prize for being all over the place this first year of homeschooling for us, but I feel like that girl.

DD5 has had a really stretching year getting used to homeschooling, as has her mama. She is doing LHFHG half-speed, and is doing well with that. She's a young K, born July 2006. I actually called Mike and he said their 6 year old is going half-speed, so that became my plan after hearing it from him. He's about 6 mos older than Shana.

I wish I had a camera ready because one morning this week I walk into our schoolroom and Shana's sprawled out on the ground with her roller skates on no less (LOVE HOMESCHOOLING!) reading Charlotte's Web. Wish I had my camera ready.


Her goal now is to read all of the Beyond books as quickly as possible. What do I do? I don't want to deny her or tell her she can't read them. I mean, this is a good problem to have, but Mama doesn't have the brains to make it up as I go as far as ER's/storytime...I don't even know the Beyond books well enough to know what she's reading! I think they're the ER's though.

[lmercon]

Well, the first thing you have to do is get those Beyond books up and out of sight or next year's story time won't be any fun! Then I would just provide her with good books that are on her independent reading level. Was she reading aloud or silently? Are you sure of her ability to read at that level? You can do a quick check to see if a book is at her independent reading level by just asking her to read aloud the first paragraph. If she has only a couple mistakes or fewer, you can probably feel confident that the book is at a comfortable reading level. If she makes more than a couple mistakes, the book is really more at an instructional level and should be saved for later. Sometimes little kids REALLY want to be reading "big books," and will insist they can read things above a good level for them. To develop automaticity and fluency, she really should be reading books that seem "easy" to her.
hth,
Laura

[countrymom]

Charlotte's Web is a book for the storytime box so definitely put those away. If she is truly ready to read and has finished a phonics program you could just go ahead and put her in the emerging readers and let her take reading at whatever level she is ready for while continuing your guide as you had planned. That way she has lots of good books to read and her next guide is preserved

[Heidi in AK]

Laura, she was really reading them. We've done testing and "a quick check" and she's reading at a 4th grade level.

Meanwhile, she's right at a K level with handwriting and K-1 with math. Hence some of our struggle, along with maturity. She's definitely 5 maturity-wise.

[Heidi in AK]

We did buy both the classic set & the girls' set. Maybe that was providential. I don't think she's picked up Trumpet of the Swansea yet.

[Heidi in AK]

Oops...typing on my phone

[leimarie]

I wouldn't stop her. The storytime box follows genre so you could easily substitute with another title. My just turned 7 year old is a natural reader and after two boys who are certainly more reluctant I embrace her willingness and ability! I wouldn't hide titles from her, isn't the beauty of the homeschooling environment to surround them with great titles and opportunities to love each avenue of learning? Good job momma!! I would just keep going, working on those pencil skills but not limiting her reading. There's always room for fluency exercises with easier reading but I would hesitate greatly with the thought of limiting her self-driven reading.

[lissiejo]

I agree with letting her read on her level. If there are particular books you wish to read aloud with her, hide them until you get to those. Otherwise, let her devour as much literature as she wants whether it's a 4th grade level or lower. My 1st grader is also an advanced reader although we had to work more at comprehension rather than fluency. She was in a private k-5 last year that did not really figure out that she was not comprehending what she read, just reading really well. We had to go back to easier books to work on that, but she caught up pretty quickly. It doesn't sound like comprehension is an issue, but it's something to watch out for.

[Heidi in AK]

Lisa and Lissie Jo, I was hoping for an answer like that. We do have two storytime sets, so I figure I'll either let her do the one she hadn't read yet, or we'll email Carrie, Mike, and Julie and ask for suggestions about what to do? She's been so hard to motivate, I'd hate to limit her on the one thing she really likes to do!!!

[mrsrandolph]

LET THE GIRL READ!! Just not the storytime books
Go to the library and go to town. She might enjoy the A-Z mystery series. My kids do. My daughter has gotten into Nancy Drew. And their are a billion boxcar children books.

You are in a GREAT spot!!

[Robbi]

My DD now 7 1/2 was an early reader too. She was in our church preschool and the teacher said to me one day, "HUMMM, you know she is reading, right?" She started chapter books last year mid way thru her public school kindy year. And yet, her handwriting is normal for her age, we've really struggled with copywork this year! All that said, we did start with the ER for 1st grade at home this year. We started them in the summer and did the early ones quicker (like doing a bible chapter and a chapter of another book). We are at week 19 in Beyond but only have 2 days left of the ER's. All that to say, I'm glad I put her in ER's becuz altho she was comprehending she had a hard time reading aloud. It really bothered her. Those short chunks and questions after are really going to help us later! So my suggestion to you is put away one book from each genre that you will read to her next year, maybe the classic set. And the reason for that is just your ease of use next year, you could get completely different ones then. And then let her read whatever she wants (of approved books of course). My DD likes Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, Imagination Station (from Focus on the Family, these are wonderful Christian books), Boxcar Children, Cam Jensen, A-Z Mysteries, also try smaller "chapter" books like Fancy Nancy, Mr Putter and Tabby (a whole series, very fun), and Henry and Mudge (same author as Putter and Tabby). We love books in this house!

[KristinBeth]

Hi Heidi! Where have you been hiding?

Personally, I'd hide one of the sets of storytime books and make them special surprises for storytime. They are meant for you to read aloud to her for "together time" and to work on her auditory skills. Let her read other things that are on her level. I have read on these forums (particularly Box Day posts), that moms hide the books so the kids don't read them all before their time. I would say let her read them and use something else for storytime, except that you said you don't want to have to do the storytime questions on your own - you'd prefer to follow the guide there. So I'd just get her something else to read. Not a bad problem to have though - HTH!

[Heidi in AK]

You know, my mom has said if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all, so we've been hiding. I know school has been going well, but for every particularly wonderful thing we have going on with school, we have something that is awful, like children's attitude and behavior.

The reason I've been hiding (ha, ha) is because I have felt like I have been part of the problem. We've just all been screaming at each other for what feels like all day every day, sometimes. Not really, for sure, but it feels that way, kwim?

So I'm probably going to take that advice and hide one book from each genre so we will actually have something to discuss during storytime. I think she's beat me to her books. I really didn't think she'd get into them.

[lmercon]

Wow! That's great that she's reading on that level already!

[my3sons]

Hip! Hip! Hooray! Heidi - you've got a reader in the house! This wanting to read all of the amazing HOD books ahead of time will never go away now. The neat thing is, there are 3 sets of read alouds for Beyond! So, I like your idea of setting aside one book from each genre as special books just for Beyond. We have to set aside the books for each guide each year, or the boys want to race through them. They are just wonderful books - sooooo tempting. Do you have the Level 2 DITHOR books? She could read those for fun, and then you could do Level 3 with her later - she'll probably be ready for them. Do you have the Sample Book Ideas list from DITHOR? That has some great book suggestions. Oh, and here's a thread that has some fun book ideas for younger readers...
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=7618&p=55562

Enjoy - your dd has many years of happy reading ahead of her! Just remind your dd, there are so many books out there, why not save the HOD ones for HOD! Trust me, they're worth the wait. But the extra HOD sets - they're free game.

In Christ,
Julie