literacy

It all happened so quickly this time.  Hugo can read!  The penny has just dropped.  He can work out the phonetic words, make a stab at the more difficult ones and basically decode a book!  He is reading level 5 books with gusto.  The world has opened up to him as he deciphers the cereal boxes and newspaper headlines.  He is so thrilled with himself and happily reads four readers a day.  He is able to write and call out about 70 sight words and his confidence in the process is growing daily. 

It is fair to say that the curriculum for foundation learning in Western Australia has changed dramatically in the past two years.  Hugo is expected to know what Adam only learned in Year 1.  He is adding and subtracting up to 20 and is soaking it all up in his internal sponge.

The literacy gap between the two boys is closing fast and I am under pressure to keep Adam motivated and focused.  He is exceptional at Maths and Science experiments but really struggles with reading and comprehension.  In the first term of this year we discovered a reading programme called Toe by Toe.  It comprises of daily exercises of 20 minute sessions to increase confidence and blends.  It is a book which we purchased online.  It gave us a structure to work with and a focus for our 20 minutes every day.  His confidence grew and he has now begun to read books at a reasonable level wtih ease.  The key has been to find books that are of interest to him with characters he can relate to.  A real hit has been the Tashi Books.  Adam loves the make-believe stories and really relates well to the boy, Jack and his imaginary friend.  These books are beautifully written and a hit amongst boys and girls of his age.  We borrowed a big Tashi Book which is a novel, incorporating all the books as chapters.  Russell devoured it and loved every minute!

Russell's reading has come a long way too.  He really enjoys adventure stories and boy scout type expeditions.  He has just finished reading the Bear Gryll's book (children's edition) and couldn't wait to get into bed for his Chapter every night.  He is urging me to read it too so that we can talk about it.  So far it is lying untouched next to my bed!

So we are all reading now.   Some of us more than others.  How fabulous!  The boys are growing up fast and taking on new challenges daily.  Just being around them is an adventure for me!