The 5 finger rule. - Page 5

Krystl · 02-18-2012, 06:16 PM

boy, I must have been a teacher's nightmare. That rule would have never worked for me and illicted a major tantrum. I was WAY above my reading level in Kindergarten and it just got worse. Yes, I was the child who honestly believed for a year that scissors was a synonym for [sizzers] and pronounced [skizers]. So what? It's cute, now, right?

Children's books were too boring as I wanted some plot to go with the words. I would have lost all faith in reading by following that rule and being "hemmed in" by artificial walls with "baby books". My very first book was.... Little House in the Big Woods (when I was "sent to my room" at a tender age for a minor infraction).

If I didn't know the word, I was the child who NEVER looked anything up and learned purely by context. You couldn't get me to use a dictionary (would disrupt the fun); I learned to look things up in dictionaries as a game separate of reading. I had read my way through all the children's books in three libraries by third grade and my poor mom was desperate for some help from teachers to direct my reading. I didn't get any--so I read War and Peace instead, just because I was told I couldn't. I did not understand a third of what I read (ummm advanced English, French, Russian), but I loved reading it for what it was.

Fast forward to teaching fellow students how to use a dictionary to look up words (I am good at it) but not using them myself despite trying (my New Year's resolution every school year--lasted about 1 paragraph and I was too tired to continue looking up every other word so I stopped and just read). I taught myself to read 5 languages without rules and dictionaries (they were on my desk to look intelligent). I was not the fastest learner, but man am I stubborn!

When forced to "learn to read right" (with dictionary in tow) in my masters classes, I lost all love of reading and spent quite a while afterwards not opening a single book. I was just "booked out". I was educated out of loving to read for not "following the rules". Sigh.

Rules were meant to be broken....

(And I am back to loving to read...)

John Barlow · 02-19-2012, 05:50 AM

Quote:

Anyone know what Pugnacious means?

Yes.

But it's an interesting point. A writer will probably going to have a wider vocabulary than the average, given that writing is about engaging with the language on quite an intimate and intense level (I reckon lawyers prob. also have wide vocabs in general). So, do you assume that the reader has a similarly wide range, or do you self-edit? Is it 'dumbing down' to reduce your own normal vocab when writing, say, a 'popular' genre?

dbh2ppa · 02-19-2012, 01:16 PM

New rule.

Pick a book, and read the first two or three pages. Put one finger up for every word you can't pronounce or don't know the meaning of. If you haven't put up 5 or more fingers, the book is probably too easy, walk away.

AlexGrama · 02-22-2012, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dbh2ppa

New rule.

Pick a book, and read the first two or three pages. Put one finger up for every word you can't pronounce or don't know the meaning of. If you haven't put up 5 or more fingers, the book is probably too easy, walk away.

Or, cut your toenails and if you have enough pieces to count the number of words than you shall go further.

Harmon · 02-23-2012, 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlexGrama

What do you think about this?

Bah! I've never met a word I couldn't skip.

LuvReadin · 02-24-2012, 05:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Krystl

b Little House in the Big Woods ()

I loved these books,

but I did miss one in the series - you've just prompted me to go looking for them!

BenG · 02-25-2012, 01:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LuvReadin

I loved these books,

but I did miss one in the series - you've just prompted me to go looking for them!

I think we have them here in the MobileRead Library.

patrickt · 02-25-2012, 02:18 AM

Actually, if you've had five words you don't know or can't pronounce you're probably reading something written by a bogus "professional" using as much pointless jargon and they possibly can to convince you that they're superior and you're inferior. Consider anything written about education by an educator.

LuvReadin · 02-25-2012, 05:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BenG

I think we have them here in the MobileRead Library.

Indeed you do!

LuvReadin · 02-25-2012, 05:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dulin's Books

they use this guideline(not rule) in my son's elementary school for kinder and 1st graders. it helps the children choose reading level appropriate books while in the library. its not a hard and fast rule and its not meant to be used/applied by anyone much older than that let alone adults

The problem is that as soon as someone introduces anything like this, especially if they seem to have any kind of authority, it immediately becomes gospel (mainly because 'rule' is much snappier than 'guideline'). It's already being peddled all over the internet by people supposedly involved in 'education'. IMHO, it's arrant nonsense - it's giving children the idea at a very young age that if it's too 'hard', it's not worth doing.

wyndslash · 02-25-2012, 06:35 AM

It's the first I've heard of this, and it seems strange to me. Isn't the whole point of reading to open up new horizons as well as expand your vocabulary? Granted, it doesn't mean that children should be reading material far too advanced for them, but it should at least help nurture their thinking and vocabulary.

DuckieTigger · 02-25-2012, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LuvReadin

[..]it's giving children the idea at a very young age that if it's too 'hard', it's not worth doing.

All it does is give smart kids the excuse not to read any text books in school, since they do tend to try to teach new things. If such a smart kid would point that out, and all of a sudden that rule does not apply to all books, then all it teaches the kid is that certain rules are so irrelevant that adults make 'em up and break them as they go ...

Mrraow · 02-26-2012, 03:20 AM

Stupid rule.

Counterargument 1: If you find a word you can't pronounce, how do you know you can't pronounce it?

Counterargument 2: Jabberwocky (Lewis Carroll)

Counterargument 3: Finnegans Wake (James Joyce)

AlexGrama · 02-26-2012, 05:19 AM

I think we reached an agreement. This rule is stupid.

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02-18-2012, 06:16 PM	#61
Krystl Connoisseur Posts: 62 Karma: 513697 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Salzburg, Austria Device: sony prs-t1	boy, I must have been a teacher's nightmare. That rule would have never worked for me and illicted a major tantrum. I was WAY above my reading level in Kindergarten and it just got worse. Yes, I was the child who honestly believed for a year that scissors was a synonym for [sizzers] and pronounced [skizers]. So what? It's cute, now, right? Children's books were too boring as I wanted some plot to go with the words. I would have lost all faith in reading by following that rule and being "hemmed in" by artificial walls with "baby books". My very first book was.... Little House in the Big Woods (when I was "sent to my room" at a tender age for a minor infraction). If I didn't know the word, I was the child who NEVER looked anything up and learned purely by context. You couldn't get me to use a dictionary (would disrupt the fun); I learned to look things up in dictionaries as a game separate of reading. I had read my way through all the children's books in three libraries by third grade and my poor mom was desperate for some help from teachers to direct my reading. I didn't get any--so I read War and Peace instead, just because I was told I couldn't. I did not understand a third of what I read (ummm advanced English, French, Russian), but I loved reading it for what it was. Fast forward to teaching fellow students how to use a dictionary to look up words (I am good at it) but not using them myself despite trying (my New Year's resolution every school year--lasted about 1 paragraph and I was too tired to continue looking up every other word so I stopped and just read). I taught myself to read 5 languages without rules and dictionaries (they were on my desk to look intelligent). I was not the fastest learner, but man am I stubborn! When forced to "learn to read right" (with dictionary in tow) in my masters classes, I lost all love of reading and spent quite a while afterwards not opening a single book. I was just "booked out". I was educated out of loving to read for not "following the rules". Sigh. Rules were meant to be broken.... (And I am back to loving to read...)

02-19-2012, 01:16 PM	#63
dbh2ppa Member Posts: 17 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2011 Device: kindle	New rule. Pick a book, and read the first two or three pages. Put one finger up for every word you can't pronounce or don't know the meaning of. If you haven't put up 5 or more fingers, the book is probably too easy, walk away.

02-25-2012, 02:18 AM	#68
patrickt Wizard Posts: 1,221 Karma: 8381518 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Oaxaca, Mexico Device: Paperwhite 4 X 2	Actually, if you've had five words you don't know or can't pronounce you're probably reading something written by a bogus "professional" using as much pointless jargon and they possibly can to convince you that they're superior and you're inferior. Consider anything written about education by an educator.

02-25-2012, 06:35 AM	#71
wyndslash Wizard Posts: 2,951 Karma: 3000001 Join Date: Feb 2011 Device: Kindle 3 wifi, Kindle Fire	It's the first I've heard of this, and it seems strange to me. Isn't the whole point of reading to open up new horizons as well as expand your vocabulary? Granted, it doesn't mean that children should be reading material far too advanced for them, but it should at least help nurture their thinking and vocabulary.

02-26-2012, 03:20 AM	#73
Mrraow Bookworm Posts: 30 Karma: 106 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: London, England Device: Opus	Stupid rule. Counterargument 1: If you find a word you can't pronounce, how do you know you can't pronounce it? Counterargument 2: Jabberwocky (Lewis Carroll) Counterargument 3: Finnegans Wake (James Joyce)

02-26-2012, 05:19 AM	#74
AlexGrama Writer Posts: 275 Karma: 345042 Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: UK Device: Kindle Paperwhite, Nexus 7	I think we reached an agreement. This rule is stupid.

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