Sometimes it helps to figure out what their misconceptions are in order to move forward.

Earlier today, C told me he can read, but he can't read. This came after he told me how to spell cut and cute (something we had discussed last week and had stuck with him). I pointed out that he could at least read cut and he told me that he just knew what it said because I'd told him and he remembered, but he couldn't sound it out. I told him that counted as reading. So he said he can read, but he can read, but he can't read.

As I was discussing this journal entry with C, he said, "That's what I said, but now it should say, I can read, but I can read, but I can read, but I can read, but I can read, but I can't read. Yes, five but I can reads." He seemed really hung up on the idea that he had to sound out a word for it to count as reading, but all the extra I can reads were for words he knew how to read without sounding them out.

Then C spent the next 20 minutes reading and writing words. After he really got that sounding out wasn't always necessary he said, "reading is a lot easier than I thought it was."