Is this normal or Need reassurance (kinda long)

[mlbuchina]

My dd5.5 is up to lesson 60 in OPGTR. She is sounding out the words well, however, she is still sounding out words like "cat", "not", and even "in" along with words like "thinks", "jump", and "stick". Is that normal? Sometimes it seems it is easier for her to sound out words with beginning and ending blends than "in" or "and" :001_huh:. Also, she will sound out every word, even if she just sounded it out a few words back. Am I doing something wrong? Do I need to stop moving forward with the book and go back and work on the cvc words still? Do I keep plugging away, and eventually it will just click in her brain?

 

The other issue I have discovered is that she cannot pick out a number on a 100 number chart. In our lesson in math today, I asked her to point to 15 on the chart, and she couldn't find it. Now, if I give her cards with the numbers 0 through 20 on them mixed up, she is able to put them in order. She can easily find 1 though 10, but as soon as we get past that, she has no idea what they look like. Again, is this something I need to do flash cards with her she will know what they look like or keep going on with the counting (she points to all the numbers on the 100 number chart as we count every day)?

 

I will say that she is my second child, and it really seems like my first child teaches herself. I feel like I am just on observer with number 1, but with number 2 it is like pulling teeth. She is very different from her sister, and I am trying very hard not to compair them. BUT, I only have experience with a kid who just seems to know it all already. LOL Number 1 catches on very fast. Number 2 makes us both work for it. :tongue_smilie:

 

Any opinions, suggestions, hand holding are welcome! Thanks so much.

[2_girls_mommy]

Just hand holding here, no advice :) I have 2 different learners a lot like yours. My youngest is now 6.5 and still doesn't read as well or as much as her sis did when she was 5.5. Older sis taught herself to read basically and teaches me tons of things from the many books she reads! It is almost like she remembers everything she ever read. And she reads a lot.

 

Also, the words beginning with vowels were a lot harder for my younger than the ones beginning w/consanents or blends. She would want to pick up a consanent from the end of the word and stick it to the beginning. But she has eventually gotten over it.

 

She has made so much progress this year, and is doing great. It is hard when the older one is so quick. There is nothing "normal" to compare the other one too. I know.

[MeganW]

I have three kids who are a few months older than yours. One thing I know for sure - no two kids are exactly average!

 

One of mine seems EXACTLY like yours in both the reading & numbers struggles. One child is ahead of that, and the third child is behind that. :)

[mlbuchina]

Thanks everyone. I'm really trying not to stress about it. She is only 5.5. What gets me concerned is when I think ahead to all the things she is "supposed" to do when we get to first grade that I beging to worry. LOL Gah! Is she going to be ready for 1st grade work????

[RachelFlores]

My dd is just about the same age as your dd and I could have pretty much written your post. I keep seeing posts about children "taking off" in reading, but it hasn't happened for dd yet. She too sounds out every word. "The" and other th, sh, ch words always give her trouble because she sounds out each letter unless I remind her of the rule. One thing I have found that has helped is rereading the same book several days in a row. You might say she is memorizing, and she is to a point, but she is also learning how to read a sentence fluidly, with emotion. It has also helped her recognize all thoes short words, is, in, at, and. Occasionally she doesn't sound them out when she reads a new book, but most of the time she still does.

 

I think (hope) it is just a matter of pracitice, practice, practice. But wanted to give you :grouphug:, you are not alone and I think this is pretty normal. One thing that helped me is I had dd take the Sonlight reading placement test last week. She was only able to read the first page BUT that put her at a beginning 1st grade reading level. She is only 5.5, we are doing K work so beginning first grade reading sounds pretty good to me.

[emilia]

Sounds about right! my daughter is on lesson 51 and she struggles a little sometimes and groans a lot! I got the AAR book that goes along with AAS an she can read those short stories. It boosts her confidence and has helped a ton. I like OPG but it is a little "dry". The stories are not as captivating for a new reader. She is learning a lot but I find it's best to help reinforce the concepts outside of OPG. she is not into ETC but easy readers are a bit too advanced. So happy I found the AAR books. They are pricey but worth it. So cute how sophisticated she feels reading to younger kids.

[LittleIzumi]

Dd did that for about a year. Then she finally jumped to being able to know the basic words on sight or remember them after she's read them earlier on the page. :)

[MeganW]

Thanks everyone. I'm really trying not to stress about it. She is only 5.5. What gets me concerned is when I think ahead to all the things she is "supposed" to do when we get to first grade that I beging to worry. LOL Gah! Is she going to be ready for 1st grade work????

 

I guess I have it set up a little differently in my spreadsheet. I don't have "start WWE in Aug 2011", instead I have "after OPGTR Lesson xx, start WWE". Who cares exactly which month they start - more important to start at the appropriate point developmentally, right? :)

[FairProspects]

Dd did that for about a year. Then she finally jumped to being able to know the basic words on sight or remember them after she's read them earlier on the page. :)

 

:iagree:Ds too. Its just developmental and they will make that leap when they are ready. For some kids it just takes a LOT of practice and time.

[mlbuchina]

I guess I have it set up a little differently in my spreadsheet. I don't have "start WWE in Aug 2011", instead I have "after OPGTR Lesson xx, start WWE". Who cares exactly which month they start - more important to start at the appropriate point developmentally, right? :)

 

You are quite right, and that is how I do it. She breezed through Saxon Math K, and we just went right on into Math 1. Of course, this is when I noticed her not knowing what 15 looks like. Still can't figure out why she can put them in order, but ask her to pick it out and she hasn't a clue. *shrugs* I'm sure she will get it soon.:lol:

[MeganW]

You are quite right, and that is how I do it. She breezed through Saxon Math K, and we just went right on into Math 1. Of course, this is when I noticed her not knowing what 15 looks like. Still can't figure out why she can put them in order, but ask her to pick it out and she hasn't a clue. *shrugs* I'm sure she will get it soon.:lol:

 

I would laugh at you, but Meredith (your DD's clone) does the EXACT SAME thing!!! It totally freaked me out when I first realized it. She can orally count to 100. She can put the numbers in order up to 30 (that's the highest we've tried), and yet I'll ask her to write "15", and she will give me a blank stare. "You know, a one and a five." Blank stare. Finally, she will hesitantly write "51".

 

We'll get there, I'm sure! Don't stress!!! :)

[Dinsfamily]

Sounds normal to me too. I thought it was bizarre when my ds would read long words fluently but stop to sound out hat, can, and, etc. One day it all clicked and he took off. Gotta wonder what's going on in that brain sometimes, huh?