Reading and school stuff

I don't know why, but Leanna has not been performing up to her abilities in school. She has a tendancy to rush through things and the work is sloppy as a result. I had mentioned to her teacher about a month ago that the books she reads for homework are so simple, she doesn't even really read them to me, she attempts to memorize them to say to me. Some days she would sing them instead of reading them. Her teacher explained that although Leanna can easily read the books she can't move her up to the next level because when she asks Leanna to tell her what the books are about, Leanna doesn't know. So I talked to Leanna about it and we started asking questions (main character, what happens, resolution- stuff like that). About 2 weeks later she got to move up a level. For the first time there was a real plot to the books and she actually READ the story to me. I think the problem was that she was just bored with the simpler books. Last night she came home with a book that was TWO LEVELS UP! I am so proud of her. And this makes it much easier to do her homework because she pays attention to the books instead of fooling around. Plus it's nice to know that talking to the teacher can pay off. I think her finally moving up was the result of 1.explaining to her why she wasn't moving up 2. asking questions at home and 3. letting the teacher know that I felt she could do better. Based on this in particular, and also our discussion at the parent/teacher conference, I think that sometimes (especially in a class with a lot of kids) a parent expressing confidance in their child's abilities really can make a difference in how the teacher sees the child also. It's always nice to know that you matter!