Reading

Annalise - Reading 2012-2013

Annalise read this sign on May 26, 2012

This page and the others listing subjects and years for each child are an experimental attempt at streamlining New York state's complex reporting requirements.

Bulleted points in bold are the objectives listed in Annalise's 2012 -2013 IHIP (pending approval).

Bulleted points in standard typeface are activities, events, projects, etc, that relate to the goal.

Ideally, I will add to each of these throughout each quarter, on a semi-regular basis.  because of the ongoing nature of this project, pages are bound to look a little untidy and unfinished, rather than polished, but I invite you to poke around, and comment, if you are moved to.  I think it will give a fairly accurate peek into how learning happens, here at out house....

I am as yet undecided about how I will adapt this by quarter -  hopefully, working in this format for a few weeks will help me decide how to carry it forward to the next quarter....

English Language Arts (ELA) - 

Reading -

• Annalise will continue to be given time and freedom to pursue her own reading interests, as well as many resources for expanding her maturing independent reading skills, both in print and online.
• Annalise has begun to read books on her own, and aloud to others, for pleasure and for information.  
• Some recent independent selections include:
• Fancy Nancy at the Museum
• More Parts
• My Little Pony (Which one?)
• Floods  -Scholastic
• Blizzards - Scholastic
• Cat book from G.Jan...
• Poetry book from G.Jan (she also used the index appropriately and independently).
• Little Black, A Pony
• Little Black Goes to the Circus
• The Periodic Table: Elements With Style
• Various Zoobooks
• Usborne's Snakes (a book she has longed to be able to read for years).
• Selections from several Childcraft Encyclopedias.
• Everyone Poops

• Annalise spent a considerable amount of time independently reading onscreen text for information and pleasure during this quarter, and her ability to do so increased dramatically. 
• While playing Animal Crossing and Zoo Tycoon, two text-rich video/computer games.
• While researching items she would like to purchase on Ebay, and assisting with the bidding/payment process;
• While searching for and reading the lyrics for music videos, when she wanted to learn the words to favorite songs, such as Carrie Underwood's "Blown Away".
• While searching for assorted guinea pig care videos and other items on YouTube.
• Spontaneously reading aloud along with me as I performed a reading of my poem, Le Reve des Etoiles (The Dream of Stars) in front of an audience at the Northeast Unschooling Conference. It is not a children's poem, and she had never seen or heard it before that evening.

• Annalise became far more adept at reading environmental signs and text, both locally and during our travels. She was easily able to derive information from these sources, when needed. 

• We will continue to read as a family, and to support her efforts at applying context, phonics, prompts, references, and other reading aides as she builds her reading vocabulary. 
• We read together while playing Animal Crossing and other games, reading song lyrics, and other online and environmental sources.

• She will continue to be supported as she explores what has been read through discussion, critical review of ideas, cross-referencing, alternate storyline creation, play, art, and other forms of experimentation as she desires.  
• Annalise has explored her reading through gaming, conversation, play, and art throughout this quarter.  
• She particularly enjoys weaving elements of what she reads into her play with stuffed animals, Littlest Pet Shop characters, model horses, and through physical play.
• As she has gained fluency in her reading, her understanding of what she has read is growing more sophisticated, and this is reflected in her play and conversation.

• She will continue to have the freedom to explore all the many resources available in our home of passionate readers, as well as visits to bookstores, libraries, and many other venues where her thirst for new reading materials can be nurtured, and her horizons broadened.
•  As her reading becomes natural and more fully independent, Annalise is discovering many books which were formerly beyond her ability to read independently, and which now are not.  
• This has led to a great deal of delighted exploration of a widening variety of the thousands of books currently in our home. 
• She does not limit herself strictly to childrens' books.  At NEUC, she explored the Bible left in our hotel room, and she often enjoys reading passages of the materials I or her father are currently reading. 

• Her parents will facilitate by providing ample resources and experiences to support Annalise's love of reading, by being available to read with her and to discuss and explore what has been read, answering her questions, providing assistance as needed, and allowing her time, space, and materials for independent exploration.
• As reading has become more fluent, requests to have things read have become less frequent, and tend to be focused on a specific word or passage that she is struggling with, rather than an entire book.
• We have spent considerable time in discussion of what Annalise has read independently, now that she reads for information and pleasure.
• Annalise enjoys inviting family members to listen to her read. 
• Annalise has been given the freedom to choose her own reading material,  when and where she will read, and for what duration and purpose. 
• This seems to suit her independent and somewhat private nature, and she chooses to read at frequencies ranging from several times a week to several times a day, depending on mood and energy level (reading is much more difficult when she is tired, distracted, or needing to be physical).