Sweet Neighbor Girl had a bundle of homework yesterday, so she came over after school and while I read a William Inge play on the hammock, she did her math and vocabulary assignments on the front porch. I checked them over when she was done, gave her the stamp of approval, and then it was time to read. She's one of those rare kids who loves to read aloud--with expression. LOTS of expression. High voices, low voices, whispers, shouts, emotions, accents, sound effects--the whole show.
So, I set aside the Inge book and listened to her read....and read....and read, chapter after chapter. At first she stood for her performance, but after four chapters she shoved me over on the hammock and we took turns reading alternate pages. It was a Magic Tree House fantasy about siblings Jack and Annie trying to keep Venice, Italy from certain doom. With the help of a golden flying lion ("ROAR!!!!"), the two saved the day. Hooray!
We finally made it to chapter eight and called it to a halt around 7:30. I went inside to round up some supper.
"What in the world was going on out on the porch?" Big Bore asked.
"Oh, we were just reading."
"Well, you two were screaming and laughing, and the hammock was shaking all over the place," he said. "I never thought reading was that much fun."
"She started using a hillbilly accent and it was hilarious."
I have no idea if she'll pass the Accelerated Reader computerized reading comprehension test for this particular book, but her oral reading skills are off the chart--loud and clear. Of course, computers and our state standards don't care about enthusiasm, which is too bad.
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