Reading related
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 …
3V0772.01 Plan for Reading list: March 3rd-April 4th,1980 record located in notes near August 28, 1980: This reading list will be first set up as a spread sheet then modified for insertion in this file and copied to it. (roughly 160 entries) not clear that this plan was ever completed. (RWL, March 2011)
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 …
3V0749.01 Words and Numbers; primary roots of discrimination (2/10/80) Miriam and Peggy play with my yardstick a lot (a free one from a local hardware store, it has the measure and advertisements on it). Miriam marches around with it on her shoulder: “hup, two, three, four; hup…” Peggy marches too, “hup, two, three; hup, two, …
3V0544.01 “reading” Scientific American: 07/20/79 Since Miriam offered to “read the book” (Madeline), Peggy has pestered us to read to her. The selection is surprising. Today she came careening through the gallery pass-way waving a Scientific American and saying distinctly (to herself — she was nowhere near me yet) [read]. We did, after lunch, “read” …
3V0538.01 [read the story]: real importance of communication; (7/14/79) The little golden book version of Madeline was brought out today. Miriam attempted to read it to Peggy. Peggy’s attention soon wandered [she perhaps did not feel great either, being sick with roseola; the fever had gone and the rash was come] and she fussed at …
3V0483.01 [That’s a pup] (5/20/79) Robby’s National Geographic World subscription brings other materials beside the magazine into the house. Beside the vixen and pup poster (and others) occasionally a small set of ‘cards’ arrives. one recent set was of various types of dogs. Peggy looked at one with two basset hounds. “What’s that?” I asked. …
Vn127.1 Moo Shu 3/19/78 There is an old joke of this simple script: Adult Do you know how to read Chinese? Child I don’t know. I’ve never tried. At lunch today I described to Miriam my lunch of yesterday at a Chinese restaurant — showing her then the take-out menu. As we looked at the …
Vn99.1 Puns 9/26/77 At a recent visit to the library, Robby borrowed two books which both he andMiriam have read and re-read since then (cf. Vignettes 84 and 94). The first book is one of Knock-knock jokes, the second is one of riddles. I believe this second book broadened Miriam’s view of making jokes and …
Vn98.1 Miriam’s New Reader 9/24/77-10/3/77 9/24 Since I was uncertain how much Miriam’s reading skill had developed over the summer (focused as much of it was on reading Peanuts and Pogo cartoons), I could not easily judge what would best test Miriam’s capacity. We discussed the problem. Miriam characterized the book used in Miriam at …
Vn67.1 Think and Do 8/17/77 I asked Miriam today if she had read all the stories in the book Friends, Old and New (the book used in initially assessing Miriam’s reading ability in Miriam at 6). She thumbed through the book, said she hadn’t read them all, but found the stories just too easy. What …
Vn64.1 Jumping Rope 8/13/77 Miriam began jumping rope after we moved to Massachusetts. Earlier she had played a game ‘Angels/Devils’, a group rope jumping game in which a child in the center of a ring turns, saying alternately ‘angels devils angels devils. . .’ until one of the children in the peripheral ring fails to …
3V0357.02 Reading 1/14/79 READING — When I tired of pipe play and put them away, Peggy pointed to the book about puppies Miriam has given her. Peggy played contentedly for a minute or a few — then she gave the book to me. I thanked her, admired the book, and returned it to her. She …
3V0225.01 Introducing Books. 9/04 A few days ago Miriam and Peggy were together on my bed, i.e. Peggy was crawling all over and Miriam was assigned guard duty. But Miriam was reading her Nancy Drew mystery. To keep Peggy’s excursions constrained, she introduced her to books, explaining, “See, Peggy, This is a book. This is …
Vn032.01 The Word Box 6/20/77 As her term end in kindergarten approaches, Miriam brings home more of materials from school. Today came the Word Box — a small plastic case for holding 3×5 cards. As a reading-readiness activity, the children are, occasionally, asked to select some word whose spelling they would like to learn. The …
Vignette 27.1 Emberley’s Faces (2) 6/17/77 A large portion of Miriam’s drawings during the past year have taken the form of presents she makes to others. She has spoken of them as presents many times. One formal element of these notes reflects that character. Each typically bears a tag of the form: “TO _______/ LOVE, …
Vignette 22.1 Emberley’s Faces 6/6/77 Miriam’s wheezing was so severe this evening she couldn’t sleep. About 10:30 she came from her room to ask if she could sit up with me because it was so lonely in bed and she didn’t want to read any more. I brought from my briefcase Ed Emberley’s Drawing Book …
Vn024.01 Writing Stories Robby called me from Miriam’s bedroom: “Dad, come see the puppet show.” They have played with, even made, hand puppets for a while and enjoy giving shows — whose typical script has been, “Hello, my name is Owl. Goodbye.” I was in high spirits after a very successful arithmetic session with Miriam …
Vignette 21 Miriam’s Room 6/5/77 Miriam is suffering a change about which she is unhappy but which I believe is for the best. Until last night, she and Robby shared a bedroom. Yesterday Robby moved into the third bedroom of the carriage house in which we live. Miriam has complained that it’s lonely in her …
Vn019 Rehearsal 6/2/77 Last night Miriam asked me to come to kindergarten this morning to help out with a rehearsal of ‘Goldilocks.’ (see Logo Session 17, 5/1). When Miriam began showing an interest in plays (cf. Vignette 3), I mentioned to her that those years I spent at Yale were in the Drama School, that …
Vn003.01 Openness and Reticence5/10/77 Miriam rarely discusses her activities in kindergarten unless directly asked. I was surprised today when Miriam volunteered that her class had put on a little play. I asked what part she played. Miriam I didn’t play any, Daddy. Bob Oh, didn’t you want to? Miriam I read the story and the …