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Karen T
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| Posted: March 11 2005 at 9:31pm | IP Logged
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OK, I'm not sure if this belongs here or somewhere else so please move it if need be.
I've been having trouble with getting ds (11) in first year of hs, to narrate recently. When we first started last fall he did pretty well, but now he tries to give me 2-3 sentences about an entire chapter or even a whole book. In the most recent case, I think he's not even reading the book, but just skimming it enough to throw out names and places, etc.
About a week ago I had him start listening to The Bronze Bow on tape (we've just started the Romans). I asked him to listen to one side of one tape on each day (I work 2 days a week and dh is home but doesn't do any teaching, etc.) and write a brief narration. I also gave him the option of narrating orally into a tape and I'd type it up later, or he could type it. At this point I had not read the book myself, and though his narrations seemed brief, I wasn't even sure how much material was covered on each tape. But he said he'd rather have the book, so I got it and started reading it myself. I realized in my reading that he wasn't understanding the story, so had him start over in the book reading it.
Again, I offered him either way of narrating and he chose to write it, but none of it was making sense. So today I just sat down and asked him to give me a general idea of the book's plot from the beginning up to where he is at (about 5 chapters into it). It's obvious that he's not even reading it now. He is in a HUGE lying phase where he refuses to take responsibility for his actions so of course he's insisting he's read it all and just forgot a few details.
He's a great reader and enjoys reading things he's picked out, like the Redwall books, etc. so it's not a literacy problem. I know one solution would be for me to read this aloud to him, but I already do other books for read alouds and with all the other subjects to cover, I can't keep spoon-feeding him.
I guess after writing all this it's more of a behavior issue than a narration issue but I don't know where to post it. Maybe we need a section for those of us who are just starting out in homeschooling but with kids who've been in school awhile already. Sigh.
Karen T
p.s. I *loved* The Bronze Bow and stayed up late to finish it - I cried at the end!
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TradCathMom
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| Posted: March 11 2005 at 10:08pm | IP Logged
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I don't have any teens yet but I do have a 9-in-May boy who has been lying and even getting creative about it so we are working on that vice around here.... so you have my sympathies! I think there is a teens forum in here somewhere, maybe under hearth and home!
Do you suppose more of his problem is feeling bored with homeschooling, esp if he had gone to a school previously he might feel it is boring because his buddies aren't all around him? I've heard other mothers who have gone through similar. Mine are so young yet and have never been to a school before that it is enough for them to see the school bus drive by at 7:30 and again at 4pm to convince them homeschooling is the best thing LOLOL
I have heard about the Redwall books and am very curious about them.
Perhaps your son should pick out what he'd like to read for a while? Perhaps a subject that would interest him at this point in his life?
I'll have to look into the Bronze Bow. I love a good tear jerker!
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cathhomeschool
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| Posted: March 12 2005 at 8:46am | IP Logged
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Karen, I haven't had personal experience with this. My son went through a lying stage, but not on such a big scale, and (thankfully) we seem to be beyond it now. Your son reminds me of my friend's nephew, though. They had temporarily taken him in (he was 11 at the time). He had always been in public school, but my friend decided to homeschool him using Kolbe. Since she was busy schooling others, etc., he had to do some work on his own. He fought and struggled and said he'd done work that he hadn't... Towards the end of the year, they came to the conclusion that a big part of the problem was laziness and resistance to change. He was used to being spoonfed all his life by the teacher, and could get away with half-hearted jobs in public school when he didn't want to put forth effort. Like your son, he read books quickly if they interested him, but in math and other areas that he didn't like he refused to put forth the effort. In the end, they never actually resolved the problem. He went back home to public school. Maybe your son is struggling with reading/narrating now that the "first few month's novelty" of of homeschooling has worn off?
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Karen T
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| Posted: March 12 2005 at 2:09pm | IP Logged
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cathhomeschool wrote:
| He had always been in public school, but my friend decided to homeschool him using Kolbe. Since she was busy schooling others, etc., he had to do some work on his own. He fought and struggled and said he'd done work that he hadn't... Towards the end of the year, they came to the conclusion that a big part of the problem was laziness and resistance to change. He was used to being spoonfed all his life by the teacher, and could get away with half-hearted jobs in public school when he didn't want to put forth effort. Like your son, he read books quickly if they interested him, but in math and other areas that he didn't like he refused to put forth the effort. In the end, they never actually resolved the problem. He went back home to public school. Maybe your son is struggling with reading/narrating now that the "first few month's novelty" of of homeschooling has worn off? |
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Yes, that's exactly what it seems like! your friend's nephew sounds just like my son. The trouble is, I don't have the slightest idea what to do, other than just keep doing it and being strict about it. I'm afraid if I allow him to choose all his reading for awhile, he'll get the idea that if he just resists enough, he can get away with being irresponsible. OTOH, if I continue the way we're going, am I making more trouble for myself down the road? Where are those crystal balls when we need them?? 
I sat down with dh last night to discuss this and what we'll do next year, b/c frankly it's wearing me out emotionally to be "on the edge" with him every day, and next year I'll have the 5 yo to teach as well. 5 yo is currently very excited about learning, and I don't want the bad attitudes rubbing off on him. Dh was initially very skeptical about homeschooling, so I thought he might be ready to send him back to school, but he definitely wants to continue hs, so I'm happy that he's changed his mind.
If anyone else has had a similar experience or knows someone, I'm open to any advice!
Karen T
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4Real Forums : Language Arts Come Alive
Topic: Trouble with 11yo ds
