Every day after school (when we’re not driving someone to swim practice or gymnastics or around the block to finish the lyrics of a song that I only now understand is completely inappropriate in every way you can imagine for kids to be listening to) Chloe reads me her grade 1 “Home Reading” book and writes out her five, “Word Wall” words of the week.

After she’s done the five words, I ask her to read them to me and write a sentence using ONE of the five words.

Regardless of how many times she’s written the five words or how many days in a row we go through this exercise, the words still seem as foreign as the first time she laid a semi-sharp pencil on them.

Though, I do think she’s making some progress.

This week for example, she figured out the five words and was able to read them to me; does, keep, round, because, or.

The first day, I asked her to write a sentence using one of the words and after thinking for zero seconds, she wrote, “Keep the kes.”

I asked her what “Keep the….k…sorry, what is this last word?”

“Keep the keys. It says keep the keys. I’m done.”

Okay, a solid effort for a six year old but you just know there are kids in her class who wrote, “Does it make sense to keep things that are round because I’m wondering if squares or rectangles would be better?

Keep the keys it is. I did explain there was a “y” in the word “keys” but she was already chewing Wheat Thin crackers in an intentional move to drown out any possibility of being corrected.

The next day, Chloe embarked on the same spelling journey as she had worked on less than 24 hours earlier. “Does, keep, round, because, or.”

She had the same hesitation with the word “does” but was all over “keep” like a long-lost friend.

She handed me her sentence. It read, “Keep the kes.”

Excellent work. Remember, the “y” in keys but she was talking over me asking if I wanted to make up a dance.

Day three, “Keep the kes.”

Jesus.

Then yesterday, when she handed me “Keep the kes” I said I wanted her to choose another word to include in her sentence. (and maybe something that makes even a little bit of sense)

“Make something new. Surprise me!”

“Keep the nacrl kes.”

Translation: Keep the natural keys

I don’t know what this means.

Of course I’m relieved it didn’t say, “Keep the F’n keys!”