Thanks for the suggestions. Our district actually is not a basal reader/worksheet kind of district, so that isn't the issue. There are a lot of great books around and there is a lot of time for independent reading, but that's part of the problem. It seems like it's almost ALL independent reading for my kiddo. She loves this on some levels...she is a voracious reader. On the other hand, she is ready to dig in deeper as well as to do some vocabulary study (spelling has always been a waste of time for her. If she's seen it and heard it, she can spell it). I feel strongly that she should be learning new skills in her classroom, and when it comes to reading, I'm just not seeing it. Also, while every year I'm told she is with other "strong" readers, from my dd's perspective she has been without peers who really want to dive into books. When she does "book groups" in class, the books are sometimes too easy (no new vocabulary) and the pacing is way too slow. She finishes the book in a day or two while everyone else takes a week or two. That pretty much silences her during discussions. If she follows the reading schedule, she gets bored/frustrated because the story is too fragmented. I suspect that she is probably significantly more advanced than the others who are being identified as peers, but obviously I don't have access to the peer data (fwiw anyway), so, I'm just continuing to try and advocate for her and to look for solutions to share.
Inky: The Junior Great Books is something I've looked at as well. Do you know of anyone who actually has experience with it? I'm wondering if it's as good as it sounds and whether it's already leveled with gifted readers in mind, or whether a gifted reader would have to start up several levels.
Westcoastmom: I'm wondering if you would be willing to share what you see as the biggest discrepancy between what you had hoped for and what has actually occurred? I wonder if we are experiencing breakdowns in the same places....
Thanks for all of the suggestions
Taminy
