Reading related
3V1029.01 Graphics as names (11/16/80) Peggy sat on the floor, a large Richard Scary book opened to the title page which was decorated with the drawing of a large moose. The words, of course, were the title of the book. Peggy read it: “That say ‘moose’.”
3V1022.02 Appetite for Reading: (in text between two notes written up on 11/12) Back in May, Peggy began to request a Tintin in her crib at night. Sometimes she “read” it, but many times she just wanted to have it there before she would lie down and go to sleep. And of course, it would …
3V1022.01 Like a birdie (2) (11/9/80) In P146 today, Peggy remarked ( ) that Daddy Long Legs could fly like a birdy… we should keep our eyes open for other uses of “like” and the specific contexts so that we can observe the development of her use of simile.
3V1015.01 Like a birdie: concrete inspiration of observation (11/2/80) Peggy came around the dining room table with a turtle bean-bag in her hand, moving it up and down, “Turtle flies like a birdy.” she said, and the turtle’s feet did flap like wings…. but when she turned it over, I saw a patch of the …
3V1013.01 One to one correspondence (10/29/80) I found Peggy with the Train book, looking at a diagram of a locomotive. She was pointing to the numbers (denoting parts that were described below) and reciting random letters of the alphabet, one to each number: “B…E…K…D…” when I approached to see what she was doing, she pointed …
3V1011.01 Jumping Jacks and Counting (10/27/80) Peggy sometimes goes to gymnastics make up classes with Miriam. She has seen the girls do jumping jacks and counting them. Whenever she feels full of energy, Peggy is as likely to break into jumping jacks as any other activity. Usually Peggy counts, but with the numbers 16 and …
3V1010.02 Singing (10/26/80) Peggy’s favorite song is “The fox went out on a chilly night.” This is her first song, (in the sense of having parts well enough known for her to begin singing). Her original version interleaved two lines, “The fox went out on a chilly night” and “town-o, town-o…(repeated a variable number of …
3V1006.02 One to one correspondence: words and things (very impt)(10/22/80) Gretchen was reading to Peggy from “The Big Book of Real Trains.” At the bottom of each page is a little picture reviewing each of the cars introduced in the previous pages, each having an engine at the head. As Gretchen read and turned the …
3V1004.02 Horse and Cash register as typewriter (10/20/80) Peggy has delighted in the rocking horse at the Hole in The Wall. Robby found and bought her one at a local tag sale. Peggy is ecstatic ! Miriam found her a cash register, battery operated. We cleaned up the corrosion, put in new batteries and “Voila!” …
3V1004.01 Role Reversal: reading to others (10/20/80) Bringing some wood inside, I nearly tripped over Scurry at the porch door. Continuing on, I came close to Peggy also, who censured me “Don’t step on me, Daddy. Don’t step on Scurry. She’s a good kid, too.” Scurry is Peggy’s most accessible playmate (and the only controllable …
3V0995.01 Excuses and implausible threats (10/11/80) Peggy begins now to more frequently offer excuses (as her siblings do all too often) and even makes threats. She sometimes neglects to empty her potty into the toilet after shitting. I urged her to do so today. as she sat on the floor, playing with a bare foot. …
3V0981.02 Talking about places: complexity of Peggy’s interpretive situation (9/29/80) Miriam recorded this dialogue about Peggy’s new toy Bunny: Peggy: I got my Bunny at the book store. Miriam: No. You got it at the Hole in the Wall. Peggy: Where the book shop ? Miriam: Near the Hole in the Wall. Peggy: I thought …
3V0981.01 Meta-linguistic knowledge: “I can’t read words” (9/29/80) Peggy clambered onto my bed where I lay reading — then got down to get a Tintin to read to me. She said, after propping it open and most unhappily, “I can’t read words.” I comforted her, “You have to learn how to do that sweety. It’s …
3V0977.01 Reading words to Peggy: unintended instruction Peggy has been lately enjoying Richard Scary’s “Best Word Book Ever.” She brought it to me today and asked me to read her the words (in a general sense) “Read these words?” I read the title, etc. then began to read the labels accompanying objects on the cover. …
3V0974.01 The Pig in the book: what does Peggy mean by what she says? (9/22/80) Peggy was playing with her “happy family” (her Fischer price dolls). I mentioned she had other animals besides the dogs. There was a chicken and, somewhere, a black pig. Peggy pointed to a Richard Scary book and asked, “Can I …
3V0973.02 Letters and Counting (9/21/80) Peggy played with a puzzle, a square 4x with 15 movable slabs in it, each with a number on it from 1 to 15. I asked Peggy what she played with and, when she said it was a present from Robby, asked by pointing to the numbers, “What are those …
3V0971.01 In my lap: repertoire of three character scripts (9/19/80) I have tried to dissuade Peggy from reading all the time. So more lately, she has climbed into my lap with friends, the small bear, the pink panther, “Aroot” her elephant, and the horse Miriam received when she was in the hospital. The animals have …
3V0965.01 BANG and RING: extending word knowledge (9/13/80) Peggy can recognize these two words as distinct. She clambered onto my bed this evening, asking me to read her a Tintin story. We came, inter alia, across several “bangs” to which Peggy remarked, “That say, ‘BANG’.” As we read on, we came to a picture of …
3V0956.01 Meaning more than she can say (9/4/80) This note documents an incident more remarkable for what Peggy failed to say that for what she did say: While I was off in Boston, Miriam had been sitting in my arm chair (one from which I shoo the children whenever I want to sit there.) It …
3V0949.02 five page-long list of books read to Peg in March: should be inserted at 3/4 date Date Reader Action Book 3/4 Miriam read Little Black, a pony 3/4 Miriam look Know Your Scotch Terrier 3/4 Gretchen read Little Black 3/4 Gretchen look Know your Scotch Terrier 3/5 Gretchen read Winnie the Pooh (half story …
3V0949.01 Roles involving three people: (correcting me about Gretchen) (8/28/80) I no longer recall the detail of this incident. What is important is development of the role-expansion theme from two to three characters. Note that Peggy only has trouble with the third person possessive pronouns (and adjective also). She has trouble — as will be …
3V0944.01 Blue Moon: Color names: for Peggy “blue” means white, color of eye- ball (8/23/80) A month ago I put the MG on insurance and began driving down town in it. Feeling I spend too little time with Peggy, I’ve been going out of my way to do so. A favorite after supper activity has …
3V0942.01 If “P” means Peggy, what is “eggy” ? (8/21/80) Peggy has been writing a lot lately. She frequently asks me to write “Peggy Lawler” on the pages before she does anything else. It has been my custom to write “PEGGY” at the top and “LAWLER” in the middle. She has come to accept that …
3V0941.01 “I taller him”: words and intonations (8/20/80) Peggy plays with the Fisher Price dolls, directing them and speaking for them. Peggy used the comparative appropriately in speaking for “Daddy” but more than that as well. She put on a very deep gruff voice — of the same sort she uses to boss about the …
3V0940.02 Left and right: convincing discrimination (8/19/80; 8/28/80) 8/28: Bob: Gretchen reports that a few days ago, Peggy came to her crying. When asked what was wrong, Peggy answered, “I hurt my left leg.” When Gretchen asked her to show Mommy the hurt place, Peggy pointed to her left leg. A short time ago, Peggy …
3V0940.01 GSB : letters as symbols for people: “This say Mommy, Scurry, Daddy” ( 8/19/80) We have a key ring about the house from the Guilford Savings Bank. Peggy brought it to me today and explained to me, “This says Mommy, Scurry, Daddy.” She has been told that this first letter begins the name Gretchen, …
3V0938.01 My-best-friend: early phrases as unstructured idioms; early variations: (8/17/80) How many words is this utterance ? How fluid or viscous are the relations of parts and the whole ? Playing down at Jacob’s Beach, Peggy used this phrase to refer to ANY child she met there of her size. (She has originally used it …
3V0932.01 Reading aloud to herself: characterization; French also (8/11/80) Peggy has often read aloud to herself, does not feel self-conscious about doing so (But is reluctant to read to ME as witness on P134). Her reading procedure seems to call upon two sources of information. The main (at least dominant) one is the picture accompanying …
3V0929.01 Language Rules used to construct new forms (8/8+/80) Peggy is clearly constructing verbal forms by rules. Two sorts are now witnessed: verb tense (past – even if her use be aspectual) and pluralization rules. Spontaneously, she produced BREAKED (8/8). BOOKSES (8/9), GORILLASES (8/13), and DUCKSES (8/13).
3V0924.02 Watching Videotapes: single letters as name symbols (8/3/80) Last night Gretchen and I reviewed four videotapes (weeks 26, 52, 78, and 104). Peggy was in and out during this two hours of viewing (she was alternately watching an hour long Disney show on the basement TV). One question of interest to me was what …
3V0918.02 Self-classification: “I daughter.” (7/28/80) Peggy confided to me thus that she was a daughter, sitting in my lap. Over the next few days, she refined that self classification. Mimi is the big daughter. Peggy is my little daughter.
3V0916.01 Commitment to an interpretation: [go pick the lady grass.](7/26/80) Miriam has been given the job of picking grass out of the driveway and she resists it mightily. I recently scolded her and told her to go pick out every blade of grass at the turn (the grass had slowed drainage and caused some flooding). …
3V0893.01 Excuses: [No. I’m keeping my ears warm.] (7/3/80) Miriam returned from Boston with a hat I bought her, like the one I bought Robby the week before. The hats are too large for the children unless adjusted to their minimum size. While Peggy ran around with her head submerged in Miriam’s hat (which Robby …
3V0882.01 More on “crack” and “bang”: [It DOES say ‘crack’] (6/21/80) Peggy sits across the room from me, reading “The Calculus Affair.” A few moments ago she read at the end of the book, “I love him and that one. I love Snowy and Captain Hack-uck.” (pointing at the pictures) I agreed Snowy was a …
3V0876.01 More role articulation: (toilet training) (6/26/80) Peggy has been much engaged with toilet training (mainly from social pressure plus a little direct instruction). For example, when I called home from Boston last week, she was so proud of herself she explained having taken off her coat and dress and that she had pissed in …
3V0862.02 Beginning reading: reading from Puppies book (6/2/80) reconstructed from a journal entry of 6/2/80 ) When Peggy offered to read to me (“Daddy, I read you”), I joined her on the floor. Her specific reconstruction of three pages via pictures were these: TERRIERS: “Once a morning, puppy want a dig a hole (this reflects …
3V0862.01 Roots of reading (6/2/80) Peggy has started reading to us. It began last night when I came to bed and found Peggy reading a Tintin book to herself. She offered to read to me, open[ed] to the first page and began: “once a morning, a ship (was) in the water…” then closed the book …
3V0852.02 More imitation: (Bob with cast on leg, using Rob’s boot) (5/23/80) Peggy was playing with one of Miriam’s old cowboy boots. She put it on one foot and stumped around remarking, “I have cow boot. I have a cast on my leg.” [bob had broken his foot on Good Friday, and has had a …
3V0851.01 Inappropriate color names: red and blue are green also (5/22/80) Peggy is sensitive to color as an important descriptor. She interprets color names as such and uses them in her speech — but the application is all wrong. Her favorite color term is green — she applies it generally (and with no obvious uneasiness) …
3V0846.02 Directed speech: Peggy in multiple roles and reading (5/17/80) Peggy found the other day a toy candy dispenser with a rabbit head on top. Today she sat on the floor, playing with it and reading the Britannica ‘Thinking’ book. She asked the rabbit: Peggy: Wanta read it to me rabbit ? Rabbit: That’s a …
3V0839.01 Assimilation example: dragon/’snake’ (5/10/80) Miriam brought home from the library a recording of “The Hobbit.” Pictured on the cover is the dragon, ‘Smaug’ (as Tolkein notes, a “low gothic joke.,” the past participle of “smugen” to extrude from or through a hole). No one, I believe, has even mentioned dragons to Peggy and no …
3V0836.01 Imitation of role: (bob in chair, chasing away kids) (5/7/80) Peggy was sitting in Bob’s big recliner, reading. When Miriam came along, Peggy said to her, “Go away, Mimi… I trying to work.” At about the same period or slightly later, she chased Robby out of that same chair, telling him to leave because …
3V0819.01 Progressive Verbs (4/20/80) Peggy has used present participles as progressive verb forms in a descriptive mode (as on last page). In two incidents, the context makes clear her richer semantic framework served by those forms. Yesterday I sat on the front stoop. Peggy came up the path and before reaching the stairs said to …
3V0811.04 Surprising syngnosticity (4/12/80) Peggy’s toy elephant she names “Arroot.” Miriam received as a birthday present a pig hand-puppet which Peggy very much admires. She asked the name and Miriam called it “Alfred,” since which Peggy has been chasing and pestering her for “My arroot.” The resolution a half hour later: Peggy came in the …
3V0785.03 Letters in cards (3/17/80) The “school desk” set I gave Peggy in P112 (or P111) has card board cards as part. These cards have cut outs for letter insertion for the letters in the names of objects printed on them. Peggy has been fitting letters into those slots. 3/22/80 Peggy has been fitting the …
3V0781.01 “Peggy Lawler” – what symbols mean to her (3/13/80) Ever since Miriam’s gift of the Grover Book (wherein she wrote PEGGY LAWLER on the inside cover to show ownership), Peggy has interpreted any group of letters as meaning “Peggy Lawler.” She distinguishes (more or less) between four things: letters, seen as individuals; pictures in …
3V0777.01 Analogies — their incomprehension; deep role in cognition. (3/9/80) Peggy woke me at midnight, she had a stuffy nose and was crying for her Mommy. we played in the sitting room, she in my lap. Pointing to a foxy, she said ‘Get foxy.’ I replied ‘Too far away.’ She continued ‘Like a fader.’ Surprised, …
3V0774.01 Jokes as communication protocols (3/6/80) Miriam has been telling (surely in Peggy’s hearing) a knock-knock : M : Knock knock. V : Who’s there ? M : Tim. V : Tim who ? M : Tim – ber ! At supper this evening, Peggy said : P : knock knock. B : Who’s there …
3V0769.04 Contrast: reading Cat in the Hat (3/1/80) I read this to Peggy for the first time today. It was very difficult to keep her interested in any specific page long enough for me to read aloud the relatively extensive text on each page. Realizing early that this was a problem, I decided to see …
3V0769.03 Reading Hop on Pop (3/1/80) Peggy sat reading in the middle of the study floor. Was Gretchen sitting with her ? I can’t recall., but I know she was least in the room. Peggy turned the first page, pointed at the picture and said, “Up // Pup.” (This is the large letter text of …