learning styles…wrong curriculum?

It still sounds like she’s using the CM way, so to speak. She’s found an interest in those particular books, reading them, and then telling you about it. But she’s not actually doing the Abeka curriculum, is she? Are there workbooks she’s using, too? Just trying to clarify.

Melissa

Hmmm, not to say you shouldn’t use Abeka, but maybe try having those types of books for her to read. They are not bad books, I don’t think. And I’m not at all against workbooks if a particular kiddo enjoys doing them.  🙂  Maybe just pick and choose some books from Abeka rather than buying the whole box and trying to follow it. Does that make sense?

Melissa

Since you asked for opinions, I’m giving mine  I’m going to encourage you to hit the pause button before you jump ship with CM and your daughter. I agree with Melissa about using books that work for her, without following another curriculum entirely. Is it possible you have hit upon an area of high interest for your daughter? (Hence the devouring of books and spontaneous narration?) And it’s the subject matter (not the curriculum)? One of my kids is very interested in how things work and “facts” he eats up the very same kinds of books you’ve described…non-fiction animal books, science texts (LOVES LOVES LOVES the Apologia Zoology series) and Ranger Rick. It finally occured to me that he wanted the information of “how” and “why” and even if other families did/did not care for Apologia in the early grades, he wanted to know all about (fill in the blank) complete with details. (As a child I read horse care manuals for fun, because I wanted to know how to take care of horses so badly!)

Which brings me to my other thought, if you think it’s a learning style/curriculm (and not subject matter) and hopefully I won’t agitate anyone by saying this, but could it be that a “fact-filled” book requires much less mental effort than digging out the information yourself from a living book… I mean, it’s right there, cut and dry, the non-living book just gives you the fact with little to no effort on your part. It might actually be easier and feel like a short cut for your daughter. I bringing this up I also have a child with auditory processing difficulties, and I was very close to throwing in the towel with CM last year because narration was going so very badly. He has to have very direct, clear, and short instructions even when asked to do things around the house or he really struggles. I have to share the computer now and need to end my post, so I’d suggest taking a couple of steps back and paying careful attention to your daughter to observe how she takes information in the easiest, it’s entirely possible that the verbal (auditory) reading aloud is the part of the problem because it’s just hard for her to take in ANY information that way (to say nothing about the richer language of those beautiful living books). Neither of which, I think is a good reason to chuck CM out the window. Look at her and then adjust how you present the books, let her follow along with her own copy, let her draw (if it doesn’t distract her), let her look at a picture of the person in the Bible story, shorten the read aloud time. etc. (And then add in some of those high interest books for science or just on the side for her to look at in her free time) I’ve really got to go now, hopefully you’ll get some other good answers! 

P.S. You’re welcome to send me a PM, I probably have lists of non-fiction animal books somewhere!!