Aisha Karim

I teach primary English, including pupils who find reading slow and spelling a puzzle. The first lesson is not a test. It is a conversation with your child about what they like and what makes them shut the book. I bring a few short texts, they pick one, and we read it together. If a sentence trips them up, we stop there. Fluency comes from repetition that does not feel like punishment.

Spelling gets the same treatment. We look at the word, say it, cover it, write it, then use it in a sentence they have made up. I keep a running list of the words that keep slipping, and we revisit them in the next session, usually with a sentence your child has made up on the spot. Parents get a progress report that explains the pattern we are working on and the words we have revisited. Lessons are one-to-one, online or at home. The summer term is often when the gaps show, and it is also a good time to close them before the new school year.

A worksheet can keep a child busy without teaching them much. I want the lesson to end with your child telling me something they noticed in the text. That is the part I listen for. Ask me about reading levels when you book, and bring a book they have chosen.