Norah and I just finished her phonics page for today. One of the twenty or so words she had to read was "less." She noticed it had two s's on the end, so she asked, "Why?" (Phonetically "les" would still sound the same as "less" and she seemed to realize the second s was just useless.) I told her I didn't know why there were two s's, then said, "Well, maybe 'less' wanted more." She actually got my little joke and we had a good laugh over it.
"...the child should have a set time everyday to read for fun. Begin with half an hour for first graders, and build up to an hour of reading time daily... This is an important part of the child's education: it improves his reading skills, teaches him the habit of sitting still with a book, and reminds him that reading is fun... free reading ought to be spent on literature at or slightly below the child's present reading level so that he can simply enjoy himself. The easier reading will help him increase his speed." The Well Trained Mind: The Guide to Classical Education at Home by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer
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