I was just searching the archives for some unrelated material and came across a post that made me think of this thread! Had to share, and laugh/groan.
Re: giftedness and agreeable kids Also, the questions in early elementary are often stupid, obvious questions. For example, a sample text might read:
"The old man decided to go outside. He put on his pants. He put on his shoes. He put on his hat."
And a "comprehension question" might read: "Why did the old man put on his hat?"
The expected answer is, "because he decided to go outside." But it's a stupid question, because this is not the '40s, and people don't always wear a hat outdoors anymore. So a gifted reader naturally concludes that the text did not give a proper reason why he wore a hat, and tries to guess, based on the little context given. Hmmm... we know he's old. "Because he's bald?"
The answer is marked wrong, and the teacher then reports the child is the one with comprehension problem, rather than the other way around.
This is so like the things my DD would miss. I personally would have guessed "Because it was cold outside? Sunny?" That whole thread got me thinking, though, about something DDs teacher said in the fall about the reading group she was placed in, that even though the two girls in the group were a little higher than her, she thought DD would benefit from that group. I feel that it is the out of the box answers and her not-very-good handwriting and poor spelling that led to such an opinion, rather than actual reading comprehension on below-level, less engaging material.
