When (and how) did reading click for your kid?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My third grader still struggles with fluency. I'm not sure it will ever "click" for him.

It clicked for my first grader when she was in kindergarten. She's now pretty much as good of a reader as my third grader.

Please take this as well intentioned and because when you say fluency I don't how much your third grader struggles. I would say that if he is still struggling a lot and is below grade level, that you may need some outside help, if you haven't already sought help. Things like lower working memory, dyslexia, etc. can have a big impact on learning to read. Sometimes kids can read well, but seem to have comprehension issues well below their mechanical skills (this would describe my second grader).
Not every child who learns to read later has a learning issue, but by third grade, it may be something to look into.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My third grader still struggles with fluency. I'm not sure it will ever "click" for him.

It clicked for my first grader when she was in kindergarten. She's now pretty much as good of a reader as my third grader.


Please take this as well intentioned and because when you say fluency I don't how much your third grader struggles. I would say that if he is still struggling a lot and is below grade level, that you may need some outside help, if you haven't already sought help. Things like lower working memory, dyslexia, etc. can have a big impact on learning to read. Sometimes kids can read well, but seem to have comprehension issues well below their mechanical skills (this would describe my second grader).
Not every child who learns to read later has a learning issue, but by third grade, it may be something to look into.

Agree--although it depends on what you mean by "fluency". My DS didn't pick up chapter books for fun until fifth grade--but he could "read" before then. Just didn't choose to do so.

[Anonymous]

2nd grade DS, still hasn't clicked, though he can read. Its just hard. He is dyslexic.

[Anonymous]

October is Dyslexia Awareness Month. If you have a child who you think should be reading, or reading more fluently, it can help to know other signs of dyslexia. Many public schools will not test for it until 3rd grade, but warning signs can be detected and intervention can and should begin much earlier than that. Dyslexia is often inherited; many parents only recognize it in themselves once their children are diagnosed.

Local resources for dyslexia:
International Dyslexia Association -- http://www.interdys.org/SignsofDyslexiaCombined.htm (information for parents / professionals)
Atlantic Seaboard Dyslexia Education Center -- ASDEC.org (training for academic therapists)
DCIDA.org -- local branch of International Dyslexia Association -- local advocacy & workshops for parents and professionals
Decoding Dyslexia VA, Decoding Dyslexia MD -- https://www.facebook.com/DecodingDyslexiaVirginia, https://www.facebook.com/DecodingDyslexiaMd -- parent-run organization to improve reading instruction in schools

These organizations will also have links to schools specifically for kids with dyslexia and other FAQ's.

[Anonymous]

By the way, Finnish is a difficult language with noun cases, which English does not have.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:My super high IQ oldest kid didn't start reading until he was 5, and by 7 was testing at end of high school level reading comprehension. He was NOT one of those "reading at 3!" kids, at all. Clearly his lack of early reading was not indicative of a lack of ultimate ability on that front.


His also pretty darn high IQ brother is now 6 and in 1st grade, and it's just starting to click for him. He's my second >140 IQ kid who was in no way, at all, reading at age 3 or 4, and hardly at all at 5. Age 6 was when he really started. Seems like he will do fine as well, despite probably not even recognizing his letters until age 4.

How is this even quantified? Did he take the SAT or something?

IQ testing was in educational evaluation context; achievement testing for reading component.

What test? I'd love to know the test that can tell that by age 7, a child reads and comprehends as well as a high schooler. Comprehension has much to do with experiences.

Not the PP you were asking, but MCPS does the MAP-R.
There are other tests as well. They are all computerized, have text passages of gradated difficulty, and multiple choice questions that probe for understanding of vocabulary and more complex comprehension such as drawing inferences etc.
It's pretty standard, actually.

Original PP here. Yes, it was MAP-R. His comprehension level is pretty amazing, really.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:By the way, Finnish is a difficult language with noun cases, which English does not have.

Finnish is easier to read for Finnish children. It is not easy to learn for English speakers.

Finnish is entirely phonetic. Its rules are mostly without exceptions. English is all about exceptions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By the way, Finnish is a difficult language with noun cases, which English does not have.

Finnish is easier to read for Finnish children. It is not easy to learn for English speakers.

Finnish is entirely phonetic. Its rules are mostly without exceptions. English is all about exceptions.

Since someone asked about Russian children learning to read - Russian grammar is much harder than English, but reading is much easier - it's pretty much all phonetic. You learn the sounds that each letter makes, and you are 98% of the way there.

[Anonymous]

We just had the "ah-ha" moment a few hours ago.

DD is in kindergarten a year early since she won't be 5 until May. I started her early because I felt she was ready (she could count to 100, skip count by 2s 5s and 10s and knew all letters upper and lower case and their sounds) and since we'd be homeschooling, it wasn't going to be a big deal if we stated and I realized it was too much for her then put everything up for a year.

I tried everything to make phonics work for her, but she just didn't appear to get it. Even simple consonant-vowel-consonant words would just get a blank stare from her. The only thing we had going for us is her amazing memory. Going by Google, kindergartners should know 20-50 sight words by the end of the year, she's at 95 and going strong, adding roughly 10 new word a week.

I was strongly considering not only having her repeat kindergarten, but doing so in public school as I was feeling like a failure as a teacher. Tonight she picked a book from our library trip today (she had never seen or had the book read to her before), and she read the whole thing. It did have a lot of sight words, and a lot of repetition, but also had words she had to sound out as she hasn't learned them yet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My super high IQ oldest kid didn't start reading until he was 5, and by 7 was testing at end of high school level reading comprehension. He was NOT one of those "reading at 3!" kids, at all. Clearly his lack of early reading was not indicative of a lack of ultimate ability on that front.


His also pretty darn high IQ brother is now 6 and in 1st grade, and it's just starting to click for him. He's my second >140 IQ kid who was in no way, at all, reading at age 3 or 4, and hardly at all at 5. Age 6 was when he really started. Seems like he will do fine as well, despite probably not even recognizing his letters until age 4.

How is this even quantified? Did he take the SAT or something?

IQ testing was in educational evaluation context; achievement testing for reading component.

What test? I'd love to know the test that can tell that by age 7, a child reads and comprehends as well as a high schooler. Comprehension has much to do with experiences.

I tested several grades higher in 4th grade. So did many of my classmates. I wouldn't take much stock in the results.

+1. Same here. I had other classmates who tested similarly. This was in DCPS (JO Wilson, to be specific). Why are 6yos taking IQ tests?

[Anonymous]

It's not that uncommon around here.
Usually, it's for private school applications. That's why we did it.
Others parents do it as part of an educational evaluation, to decide what kind of school to send their child to, or because they are having some difficulties and IQ is tested as part of a neuropsych eval.

[Anonymous]

1st grade for first DD but I am not surprised as in 5th grade she was reading 12 grade material... but HATES math and science.

2nd DD was a year + later as she is more the math/science kids.

[Anonymous]

Reading is just starting to click for my 1st grader. I have noticed the past few weeks he has started to automatically read all the words around him and he even has picked up some books and read for fun a few times.

He was behind last year in K, but caught up near the end of the year.

[Anonymous]

Both of my kids just suddenly could .. no 'teaching' just being read to. Definitely like a switch being clicked on.

[Anonymous]

Definitely like a switch being clicked on.

As a first grade teacher, I have seen that "switch" many times. It used to occur around January of first grade for many kids.