To expect a 7 nearly 8 yr old to read fluently?

[Lovecat]

Please don't all flame me, I have no frame of reference here, dd being only 2.7!

I'm in a play and have one scene with a little boy. Said little boy is being played by my 7 (8 in Nov) year old nephew, as he was the only child of the right age remotely interested in doing it!

We had our first rehearsal together last week and he told me that he hadn't realised the scene went on over 2 pages and had only learnt the first page of dialogue. I reassured him that at this stage of rehearsals it didn't matter and he could just read from the page.

Well, he couldn't do it. He stumbled over almost every word - and basically all he says is 'I want my dad', 'she's in hospital' 'where's my dad' and 'Dad!'

I don't think nerves played a part, as the director cleared the room so it was just the two of us, he was not distressed by his inability to read, and when he was given the line he said it brilliantly (he is a mega confident child!), but I was quite taken aback that he was struggling so much to read. He goes to a 'good' school, too. SIL (his mum) says that they are all like that in his class, it's just how they are - so is this normal?

As I said, I have no frame of reference, both DH and I were fluent readers from an early age so possibly my expectations are way too high? Just interested, really...

Expat, f right off and read my OP properly, will you?

Excuse me! But I did read your OP properly and it sounded to me as aggro as your response to my post just now. Do you fly off hte handle like this all the time, or is it just when you don't hear what you want to hear?

You post a thread in AIBU section, and yes, it's my opinion you are being incredibly unreasonable.

Don't like it, don't go airing all your personal business on the www.

Aggressive in my OP?

Where? You're the only one who seems to have thought that...

As for my reply, your response read as extremely aggressive and was quite offensive. The F right Off was actually supposed to be jokey, but don't worry, I obviously have anger management issues I wasn't aware of....

Please don't take your own bad temper or your own predjudices out on me when I have a genuine concern about my nephew.

I would be worried if he were my child. I am glad he is confident and outgoing, but he could really some one-to-one support with reading if he is to get the most from the curriculum.

Lovecat sorry if i got all ranty, but i was imagining my own little boy there, and got all emotional!

No worries, Purpleduck

If you'd have seen the amount of praise and encouragment he was getting from myself and the director you'd probably have been vomming...

We're all very aware of how nervous he's likely to be and are doing everything we can to minimise it... I did ask his mum if he'd been anxious at all and she said no, he kept asking when he could go back and why couldn't he go to all the rehearsals - I really wish I was that confident!

could just be nerves, or it may be that SIL is aware he has a problem with reading and is seeking appropriate help but doesn't feel up to discussing it with anyone. As you have already raised your concern with SIL, I think best to leave things alone.

The F right Off was actually supposed to be jokey, but don't worry, I obviously have anger management issues I wasn't aware of.... '

Oh, yes, it sounded really jokey, 'Love'.

Kid goes to a good school, experienced SIL/parent says everyone's reading like this, but must broadcast it all on the www and then get snarky with people who disagree.

Back to your regular smugtastic programming, folks.

Its hard to judge without seeing what the lines are. If you look at this reading test

www.rrf.org.uk/burtinstructions.html

You will see how far a child with a reading age of seven is expected to be able to read.

If the lines had a reading age of 12, it would not be surprising if a bright seven year old is struggling.