Raina is becoming a full-fledged reader!
Raina is an avid lover of books, and she has migrated into the world of studying books on her own. Matching up with that, I wondered how she might do with the BOB Books, which is a collection of incremental beginner readers. In March, Raina and I breezed through a few books, worked through a few more, and then struggled to finish the first set. Each book required a significant amount of mental energy and focus, and by the end of the first 12 books, she needed a serious break.
We picked up the 2nd set this summer and read maybe 5 of the books. Through the five, she needed a lot of assistance, and I worried about her 1) feeling unsuccessful and 2) giving up. So we took another break until this past week.
We pulled the 2nd set of books out on Thursday and she read four straight without a mistake! Each time she arrived at a word she didn't immediately recognize, she sounded it out and pieced it together without my prompting her to do so. The triumph on her face at the conclusion of each book was priceless. We read all 12 books this weekend, and sent off for the last three sets from Amazon. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the transition into set 3 goes smoothly.
What's fascinating to watch is the concentration she shows when reading. She requires the ideal learning environment to perform: quiet, well lit space, no distractions (no talking, no Lola), and one-on-one attention. Without that set-up, she struggles and makes mistakes, but as soon as we return to quiet (and Lola is abducted by Eric) Raina zooms through the words without pause.
A few times this weekend Raina volunteered to read books to Lola. What wondrous moments those were!
We picked up the 2nd set this summer and read maybe 5 of the books. Through the five, she needed a lot of assistance, and I worried about her 1) feeling unsuccessful and 2) giving up. So we took another break until this past week.
We pulled the 2nd set of books out on Thursday and she read four straight without a mistake! Each time she arrived at a word she didn't immediately recognize, she sounded it out and pieced it together without my prompting her to do so. The triumph on her face at the conclusion of each book was priceless. We read all 12 books this weekend, and sent off for the last three sets from Amazon. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the transition into set 3 goes smoothly.
What's fascinating to watch is the concentration she shows when reading. She requires the ideal learning environment to perform: quiet, well lit space, no distractions (no talking, no Lola), and one-on-one attention. Without that set-up, she struggles and makes mistakes, but as soon as we return to quiet (and Lola is abducted by Eric) Raina zooms through the words without pause.
A few times this weekend Raina volunteered to read books to Lola. What wondrous moments those were!
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