H is now reading simple books by herself and is trying to decode more complex words as well. I tend not to notice day-to-day that things have changed, but she will suddenly read a word or a sign and then I realise just how much she has learned! For example, last weekend, we were driving and as we approached a roundabout, there was a small sign on one corner. It said, “Winter Obstacle Mud Race” and she just blurted it out. It took me a second to process that she had just read it and announced it to us!
Thus far, I think she is humming along pretty well. She is motivated to read a bit more on her own and is even beginning to read things to her 2yo brother more often, which is really nice for both of them. She is also writing lists for shopping trips, so it is transferring to her spelling too. The main thing is that she is no longer deathly afraid of trying to read and write – that is a huge change for her from even 6 months ago.
Separately, C is also making progress. He is not as advanced as H in his reading but is also attempting reading and spelling quite complex words. Minecraft and other games are helping his motivation level! Presently, his reading is ahead of his spelling, but yesterday he spelt, “detonashon” when he made a sign on Minecraft. Totally phonetic, but easily understood, so he is getting the idea of sounds and where they fit in a word. I expect the rest will come as he reads more.
– H (at Lesson 98) and C (at Lesson 102)