Let me start by saying that I am an avid reader! I have piles of books all around my house, some finished - many not. And let’s not talk about my audiobooks. These are a necessity for my daily commute.
I remember reading quite early - before Kindergarten, most likely. In 1st grade, I was in the “Advanced” reading group. We were The Bluebirds. There were a few other girls in the group and our sweet teacher would call us to her kidney shaped reading table when it was our turn. “Bluebirds, come take me away!” We would hustle over, grab our little books and read silently. Sometimes, she would have us read aloud, either popcorn reading or chorale reading. but usually not. Sometimes, she would have each of us read aloud independently - to check for our fluency. We would occasionally do a phonics lesson. Again, we were the “Advanced” reading group. We never really got explicit reading instruction because we were her readers. I can close my eyes and see her sitting there - happy and content that she had such strong readers in her class.
This early reading experience clearly stuck with me. I loved my 1st grade teacher. She gave me books to take home to read to my father. She never criticized my southern drawl that elongated every word I spoke. We didn’t have a reading program that monitored how many books we read or leveled them for a certain readability factor. We were allowed to read whatever we wanted - whatever interested us. My daily visits to the local library would find me bringing home 4 books - the most I could get - only to return them the next afternoon and get 4 more. I would read with a flashlight under my blanket - long after my mother had sent me to bed. Sound familiar?
I was a gifted reader.
In today’s classroom, the reading instruction I received would not suffice.
There is currently much discussion about reading instruction in our classrooms. Most likely, you have heard about the science of reading. This is a valid discussion and I welcome it. Educators should always look to research based practices and question them when we do not see desired results. The current discourse is important for all students as we continually seek to improve. Deepening our own understanding of how our brains process language and the written word will benefit all students.
But what about our gifted students?
How does this impact kids who come to school already reading, with parents who want them to be challenged even further. These students explore words and have above average decoding skills.
After working with hundreds of gifted students, I have discovered a few things as it pertains to their reading instruction.
Not all gifted learners are gifted readers. And that’s ok! Stay focused on your child’s strengths while also exploring proven strategies to help your child become a more proficient reader.
Many gifted learners may potentially have multiple exceptionalities, such as Dyslexia or ADHD, which impact their interactions with reading instruction. Work with your child’s school to provide the information they need for appropriate classroom accommodations.
Phonics instruction is not a bad thing. Your gifted reader will benefit from explicit phonics instruction. I have seen many a strong reader begin to have difficulty later when the text becomes more advanced and their word attack and decoding skills are weak. Embrace phonics, even if your child is a strong beginning reader. It will be beneficial later on.
Advanced readers love words - how they work and sound, shades of meaning. They love puns and word play. In this regard, a gifted student may enjoy and excel with daily phonics instruction. Expose your gifted reader to etymology!
Finally, just because a student can read something, it doesn’t necessarily mean they should. As they age, early readers are often left with few options for appropriate titles. This is a huge concern for me. Explore non-fiction whenever possible! Build strong background knowledge. Check out Mensa for a few great reading lists, as well!
Gifted readers are often left to their own devices when it comes to their reading instruction. I believe this is a huge mistake and disservice to them. It is not enough to provide an advanced reader with a few minutes of the teacher’s time, only to have it become a brief check in to make sure that they are not abandoning books or to perform a required fluency check.
Our gifted readers do require explicit instruction, deep questioning, extensive conferencing, and exposure to a wide variety of genres. They also need the freedom to explore books of their choosing, but with light guardrails. Our gifted readers are still there, sitting in the classroom, waiting for a opportunity to fly. Most likely with a book hidden in their desk!