With my kids going back to school this week, I updated this post I did at PBS Booklights about helping your child with reading during the year. It's broken it down to the three people involved in your child's reading development - the teacher, the child, and yourself. Here are ways to help each.
1. Helping the Teacher
With class sizes growing and budgets shrinking, teachers need the help of parents more than ever. While you can't present the state-regulated curriculum, any parent can help with building reading skills. If you're good at reading aloud, offer to come in and read to the kids once in a while. Better yet, ask about that state-regulated curriculum and find books at your library that can support it. When my children were studying Native Americans, I brought in folktales to read. How Chipmunk Got His Stripes is one of my favorites. When they learned about insects, I brought in Farfallina and Marcel. You can also use the storytime to bring more depth to issues the teachers don't have time to cover in class. During the 2008 election, I was happy to share Grace for President.
There may be other ways you can help if you're not comfortable being a storytime presenter. Our school had a pull-out program for children who needed a little extra help with reading. Volunteer parents would bring the kids out in the hall for fifteen minutes, select beginning reader books, read along with them, and send the books home for them to practice in the week. This take-home reading program worked very well in giving kids a little extra attention and needed very little training. Volunteer parents also came in on occasion to help the children write stories, to run small book groups, and to prepare materials.
2. Helping Your Child
Other than potty training, I've found nothing that has tested my patience on a continual basis more than the beginning reading stage. There are wonderful successes, often followed by the third laborious rendering of the word then. It can be very frustrating for both of you. So you can help your child by remembering that she will benefit most in her reading growth by mixing up the type of reading she does. Books that are easy for her will reinforce the feeling that reading can be just pure fun. Books that are in her comfort zone will give her confidence of her skills. Books that are a challenge will push her learning to the next level. In fact, while this approach seems somewhat natural for the early reading stage, it applies throughout a person's reading life even to adulthood. It is one of many reasons that kids (and grown-ups) are never too old for picture books. Please don't be one of those parents I see in the library telling their first graders that they can't bring home a "baby book." A better approach is to let that first grader bring home some books that he chooses, and some more challenging books that you choose.
3. Helping Yourself
My last sentence leads nicely to one of the main ways that you can help yourself, and that is to avoid The Reading Game. You know it. It starts with something like, "We can't tear Jacob away from Harry Potter. What is your child reading?" This parental competition starts early ("Lizzie was smiling at us at two weeks) and goes on ("Jamal made All-Stars again!") and on ("Well, Reggie is going to Harvard, but I'm sure that's a good school too."). You'll find the competition in many factors of a child's growth, but verbal skills and reading level seem to dominate. In all my years as a parent, no one has ever asked me if my kids can do long division or sing in tune or climb a tree. But from the first year, I've been asked to compare what words they were saying and then what words they recognized and then what words they were reading until it was all about reading and levels and books.
There is only one way to win this game, and that is not to play. Don't let yourself get sucked into the competition, don't let yourself feel bad, and don't let yourself push your kid based on these conversations. Also, don't let yourself get too proud either, because kids have a way of surprising you. My oldest daughter had a slow start to reading, made methodical progress in first grade, and suddenly made a huge leap in reading level. Now she's looking at Ivy League schools. My younger daughter started reading at four years old and plodded along thereafter. In high school, she's still not much of a reader, yet can memorize scripts almost instantly. My point is that The Reading Game is pretty meaningless anyway, so it doesn't pay to take it seriously.
To be fair, there are a lot of honest exchange between parents about what their kids are doing that is helpful in knowing when to give a little push and when to wait it out. But I trust that you know the difference. One makes you feel connected to another mom or dad, and the other makes you feel like a failure as a mom or dad. Looking for those connections and avoiding those competitions will be one of the best ways that you can help yourself.
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Last month, I mentioned that the Children's and Young Adult Bloggers Literary Awards would be starting soon. Well, nominations for the 2010 cycle opened on Friday, and will remain open until October 15, 2010.
Blog: Share a Story - Shape a Future (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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Is it Friday already? Wow, what a week! Today at Jen Robinson's Book Page, Jen is wrapping up the week with a look at how we take the next step. She and her guests are offering answers and ideas to some of the toughest questions we have as adults ... mostly parents, but not always. We have a few questions left ourselves, so here goes ...
- Is there a book from your childhood that you didn't like "back then," but that you've since re-read and liked? What was it about the book that you didn't like before?
- Do you have a favorite chapter book for reading with kids of different ages (e.g., 4, 9, 13)?
- What book(s) has your child recommended to you that you loved?
1. Select the question or questions that resonate with you.
2. Find an old post or write a new one that answers the question. [Be sure to grab the Share a Story button from the sidebar to include in your new post!]
3. Come back here and link your post either via the inLinxz box or as a comment.
We'll be adding links for this question through tomorrow (Saturday). If you haven't had a chance to link up through the inlinkz box, don't fret ... the comments will remain open for 30 days, so if something strikes you next week, we'd love to hear from you then.
Blog: Share a Story - Shape a Future (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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Something old, something new, something borrowed ... Yesterday it was "something true." to finish our rhyme. Today? Well, it's something valued.Okay, it isn't a perfect alliteration, but I tried!
Although reading is a timeless skill, what we read - and how we read - change. Some of the books we loved as kids would seem hokey now. Some have references that wouldn't make sense to kids - phone booths? telephone dials? what are they? What hooked us - maybe a classic Nancy Drewor Anne of Green Gables or Heidi or Journey to the Center of the Earth - wouldn't work for many of our 21st Century kids. There was no realistic fiction back in the day - no edginess, no taboo subjects, and the good guys usually won. It's different now - not better, not worse - different.
Donalyn Miller (aka the Book Whisperer) and her group of rabid readers are going to help us embrace the differences and bring them together. They're talking all kinds of books, sometimes pairing books we loved with modern classics. Whether you're trying to get a pre-reader excited about books or trying to keep a pre-teen reading, they've got lots of ideas.
Here's today's lineup.
- Donalyn Miller has “Something Old, Something New: Pairing Classic and New Favorites” at The Book Whisperer blog
- Danielle Smith has “When I Was Young: The Books That Got Them Started” at There’s a Book
- Tess Alfonsin shares some “Childhood Favorites” at Reading Countess blog
- For some “Dystopian Science Fiction” ideas, see what Kate Sutherland suggests at Kate’s Book blog
- “Read Alouds in the Secondary Classroom” at RAW INcK Blog (still waiting on the URL)
- Professor Nana has “The New Classics: New Books for Tweens on Classic Themes” at The Goddess of YA blog
- Hilde Garcia is sharing some “First Lines from Children’s Books”at The Pen and Ink Blog
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Just that fact, ma'am ... Sarah Mulhern has us thinking all about Nonfiction today at The Reading Zone. As you'll see from Sarah and her guests, this isn't your parents' nonfiction. Nonfiction books are one of the best ways to hook kids on reading.
* Do you have an image (photo, chart, illustration) from a nonfiction book that has stayed with you, even though you don't remember many of the details about what you read?
* What kind of reading material has inspired your dormant reader to become an avid reader and book seeker?
* Where is your favorite place to read? Do you share your secret spot with your child?
Here are the steps ...
1. Select the question or questions that resonate with you.
2. Find an old post or write a new one that answers the question. [Be sure to grab the Share a Story button from the sidebar to include in your new post!]
3. Come back here and link your post either via the inLinkz box or as a comment.
The inlinkz box will remain open all week, so come back anytime to add your post.
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Sorry, I couldn't resist. Before you decide nonfiction = boring, you might want to take a stroll around the village today. Nonfiction - particularly nonfiction picture books - may be the perfect lure for reluctant readers.
At the Reading Zone, today's host Sara Mulhern has two posts. In addition to introducing Day 3 of Share a Story, she has a great piece about pairing nonfiction with fiction in the classroom, complete with reviews of a few science/nature books for use in middle school, she links you to great ideas by other nonfiction lovers.
- Anastasia Suen talks about sharing nonfiction with new readers at 5 Great Books;
- Dawn Little, who is talking about Real World Reading with Preschoolers ... at the Literacy Toolbox;
- Monica Edinger is offering information about educating alice;
- Jessica talks about Hooking Reluctant Middle Grade Readers (You Choose and Wicked History Series) at 26 Letters;
- Melissa is talking about finding books with childhood memories a little later in life with After Little House, what? at Kidlit History;
- Natasha Maw is talking about nonfiction for early readers and their parents at Maw Books blog;
- Amy Mascott is talking about Everyday Nonfiction Newspaper Reading at Teach Mama; and
- At Imagination Soup, xxx asks Are You a Fiction or a Nonfiction Reader?
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Good morning, I'm glad you've stopped by. Writing about Reading is a new, daily activity for Share a Story ~ Shape a Future. As you'll see over the week, our questions are broader than just "reading," but this title is pretty catchy, so I'm going to stick with it. [image credit: Share a Story Logo created by author/illustrator Elizabeth Dulemba.]
We hope you'll grab your favorite beverage, mull over the questions, and pick one to write about. You're always welcome to write about the topic of the day, but we thought we would add some other questions in hopes that by offering more things to talk about, we can expand the discussions and inspire more people to share their reading experiences and ideas.
So here we go ... our first three writing prompts for Share a Story 2010.
- What is the book from your childhood you can't wait to share with a child and why?
- Who is the person who influenced you most as a reader?
- Do you have any special reading-time rituals for reading aloud with kids?
1. Select the question(s) that resonates with you.
2. Find an old post or write a new one that answers the question. [Be sure to grab a Share a Story button from the sidebar to include in your new post!]
3. Come back here and link your post either via the inLinkz box or as a comment.
4. (optional) Tweet about your post and include the #SAS2010 hashtag.
If you are interested in the RIF Multicultural Books Collection giveaway, you'll want to read this post on how that giveaway is connected to Writing about Reading activities.
We'll be adding links for the questions all week, so there's no rush to have an answer the same day a question is posted ... unless you are entering a book giveaway contest.
InLinkz updates for Monday, 8 March 2010:
- Jen Robinson adds her thoughts for all three questions at Jen Robinson's Book Page.
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While I may be able to take the heat, my refrigerator apparently found the kitchen too hot! So while I was dealing with all that yesterday, I fell behind Susan and the Literacy Lava crew in telling you about the upcoming edition. That's okay ... we still have a few more days until the new copy arrives on 1 September 2009.
Like the first issue, you will find lots of practical, fun ideas for engaging kids with books and raising readers. One of the things I love about the magazine - and particularly this month's collection of articles - is that there are lots of ideas that aren't just about sitting and reading a book. I don't want to give anything away, so for now, I'll let you *hear* what Susan has to say about the new edition.
Making literacy part of our everyday family life is often just a matter of remembering. We need to make sure our kids see that reading, writing, and communicating are important to us, and give them lots of opportunities to participate too.
Literacy Lava 2 is a free magazine that will bring you ideas: for motivating reluctant readers, for literacy on the go, for developing the imagination muscle, for linking math and literacy, for having a pirate party and a book picnic, for rhymes, games, activities and more!
Brought to you by bloggers and writers who are passionate about children's literature and literacy, Literacy Lava 2 is erupting with no- or low-cost activities parents can do with kids to promote literacy.
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Here we are ... the last post of the 2009 event.
Today's post answers the question "Can you recommend a book like ... ?" Ready-to-go booklists are really valuable (and we do have summer reading coming soon), so if you've got a link for a booklist, please add it below.
I have only included read-alike and booklists mentioned during the event. I know there are more out there -- Little Willow's lists at Bildungsroman are a personal fave. With summer reading looming on the horizon, it would be great to have share more choices.
As I have in days past, I'm including the link to Worldcat to make it easy to find these books.
READ-ALIKES and BOOKLISTS (by audience)
On-Lion for Kids York Public Library by the New York Public Library (recommended by Valerie Baartz)
Scholastic’s Teachers Book Wizard (recommended by Janelle at Brimful Curiosities)
ReadKiddoRead (recommended by Tif Talks Books)
Infants, Toddlers and Preschoolers
Doctor-recommended Reading (0 to 5)
Terrific Books for Busy Toddlers (recommended by Valerie Baartz) (0 to 4)
MotherReader’s ABC Storytimes
Elementary Readers (Independent readers – 3rd grade and up)
Middle Grade and YA If you liked …
Harry Potter Read-alikes (MG and up)
Hatchet Read-alikes… (MG and up)
Holes Read-alikes… (MG and up)
Into Thin Air Read-alikes (Adventure stories) (YA)
Lemony Snicket Read-alikes (MG and up)
Lock it, Lick it, Click it: Diaries, Letters and Email (MG and up)
Maniac Magee Read-alikes… (MG and up)
The Outsiders Read-alikes (MG and up)
The Princess Diaries Read-alikes (MG and up)
Stargirl Read-alikes (MG and up)
Vampire Reads-If You Love Twilight! (MG and up)
Westing Game Read-alikes (MG and up)
The Wrap-up ...
Three days ago: Adult, Toddler, and Preschool Books
Two days ago: Picture Books & Easy Readers
Yesterday: Middle Grade and Young Adult Books
Today: The Complete List (PDF version)
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There's a great new collaborative blog on the block ...
Parents can come to Booklights to get book ideas for kids of all ages, "Show and Tale" time, and interviews and literacy news. But most of all, Booklights is about getting kids to love reading, to experience the joy of finding a book that's so good that dinner can wait, TV time can wait, and sleep can wait.First, read Pam, Susan, and Jen's introductions. Then, go read their favorite picture books (Jen, Susan, Pam). Can't you just picture them sitting under their covers with a flashlight reading?! Congratulations, ladies.
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If you’re looking for a book, you’ve got a wonderfully comprehensive list right here … it crosses age groups and genres and will help you with every stage of your child’s reading development. Other than pulling together the list with nice neat categories, and correcting a title or two, these are exactly as offered by bloggers and their visitors during Share a Story-Shape a Future. We had so many recommendations, I’ve actually had to split them into multiple posts.
Each Day, I will include links to the previous list each day so that on Day 4, you’ll have a link to everything in one post. I have also created a PDF version of the whole kit-and-kaboodle (Thursday)
Here are a few notes:
- Click through the “recommended by” links. They often have more context and tell you why someone loved the book.
- I included all of the library-related books Jules included in her post at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.
- I only added only one book to this entire collection: Wild About Books by Judy Sierra.
- I did not add additional titles by authors whom I know are prolific children’s writers. So no, we do not have every Karen Katz or Mo Willems book. However, if we had multiple books by one author, they are listed alphabetically and also with a “see also” to help you find them all.
- Because reading (not buying books) is what matters, I’m have included a link to Worldcat so you can locate these books in your local library.
- Some of the books came with links to a bookseller. Some did not. If the former, we used their link, I just added author/illustrator data. If the latter, we added a link with a Reading Tub affiliate. If it’s a series, I didn’t add a link. Our affiliate income is small, but it covers things like hosting services. Any income generated through Reading Tub-related purchases will be rolled into Share a Story-Shape a Future 2010.
- If you’re looking for e-books, audiobooks, podcasts, webcasts, and book trailers, then you’ll want to bookmark Elizbeth Dulemba’s Resource List.
Last but not least … Toddlers and Preschoolers are a distinct audience. They like “playing” with books as much (or more than) stories, and their attention spans are shorter. Most of the titles in this group are board books, designed for this audience. Picture books, though, can be for all ages. What you think as “too babyish” may be the perfect comfort choice or a wonderful memory for your child. On with the show …
Books for Adults
Great Books About Things Kids Love by Kathleen Odean
Helping Homeschoolers in the Library by Adrienne Furness
Learning Under the Influence of Language and Literature: Making the Most of Read-Alouds Across the Day by Lester Laminack and Reba Wadsworth
Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease
Reading and Writing Grade by Grade (Revised Edition) by Lauren Resnick and Sally Hampton
Reconsidering Read-Aloud by Mary Lee Hahn
Toddler & Preschool Books - Fiction
Animal Crackers: Nursery Rhymes by Jane Dyer, see also: Animal Crackers Bedtime (recommended by Valerie Baartz)
Baa Choo written by Sarah Weeks, illustrated by Jane Manning (recommended by Cathy Miller)
Baby's World Board Book Series: Babies, Baby Animals, Bath Time (recommended by Valerie Baartz)
Brown Bear, Brown Bear What So You See? by Bill Martin, Jr., see also: Polar Bear, Polar Bear What Do You Hear? (recommended by Valerie Baartz)
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault (recommended by Valerie Baartz and Donalyn Miller)
Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo written by Kevin Lewis, illustrated by Daniel Kirk; see also: Tugga-Tugga Tugboat, My Truck Is Stuck (recommended by Valerie Baartz)
Counting Kisses by Karen Katz, see also: Mommy Hugs, Ten Tiny Babies (recommended by Valerie Baartz)
The Going to Bed Book by Sandra Boynton, see also: Moo, Baa, La La La! (recommended by Valerie Baartz)
Finger Rhymes by Marc Brown, see also: Hand Rhymes, Play Rhymes (recommended by Valerie Baartz)
Hiding by Shirley Hughes, see also: Bouncing, Helping (recommended by Valerie Baartz)
I Went Walking by Sue Williams, see also: Let's Go Visiting (recommended by Valerie Baartz)
I'm Mighty by Kate and Jim McMullan, see also: I Stink, I'm Bad, I'm Dirty (recommended by Valerie Baartz)
The Itsy Bitsy Spider by Iza Trapani, see also: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Mary Had a Little Lamb (recommended by Valerie Baartz)
The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton (recommended by Donalyn Miller)
Lunch by Denise Fleming, see also: In the Tall, Tall Grass; In the Small, Small Pond; The Cow Who Clucked; Barnyard Banter (recommended by Valerie Baartz)
Maisy Takes a Bath by Lucy Cousins, see also: Maisy Dresses Up, Maisy's Train (recommended by Valerie Baartz)
My Very First Mother Goose by Rosemary Wells, see also: Max's Bath, Max's Bedtime (recommended by Valerie Baartz)
Nicky 1, 2, 3 by Cathryn Falwell, see also: Where's Nicky? (recommended by Valerie Baartz)
Peekaboo Morning by Rachel Isadora, see also: Uh-Oh!, Peekaboo Bedtime (recommended by Valerie Baartz)
The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf (recommended by Donalyn Miller)
Take Me Out of the Bathtub and Other Silly Dilly Songs by Alan Katz (recommended by Pippi)
Ten Little Ladybugs by Melanie Gerth (recommended by Get Off the Ground)
Usborne That's Not My Series: That's Not My Truck, That's Not My Fairy, That's Not My Dinosaur (recommended by Valerie Baartz)
Tomie de Paola's Little Mother Goose by Tomie de Paola (recommended by Valerie Baartz)
We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen (recommended by Brimful Curiosities)
Where Is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox, see also: Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes (recommended by Valerie Baartz, the Book Chook); The Magic Hat (recommended by Susan);
Where the Giant Sleeps (recommended by Paper Tigers)
Toddler & Preschool Books - Nonfiction
My Car by Byron Barton, see also: Trains; Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs; Machines at Work (recommended by Valerie Baartz)
My First Board Book Series: My First Truck Board Book, My First Farm Board Book, My First Colors Board Book (recommended by Valerie Baartz)
Freight Train by Donald Crews, see also: School Bus (recommended by Valerie Baartz)
Touch and Feel Series: Farm, Dinosaur, Fire Engine, Home, Bathtime (recommended by Valerie Baartz)
White on Black by Tana Hoban, see also: Black on White, Black & White (recommended by Valerie Baartz)
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Last week, we talked about some of the Reading Tips we gathered during Share a Story-Shape a Future 2009. This week, I’ve rounded up the resources and ideas related to reading aloud.
Reading aloud is crucial to our development as readers and communicators. As Donalyn Miller pointed out in her post, you’re never to old to enjoy having a story read aloud. Still not sure? Then visit The Reading Zone, where you can follow along as Sarah shares the reactions and excitement of her middle school students.
These are posts from the week, as well as links and posts mentioned in the comments. Sarah wrote a post in early April about her process for reading aloud. Although it wasn’t directly part of Share a Story, it goes to the heart of what we hope this event will do. So we’ve included it below.
Understanding Read Aloud with Young Children
- Colerin Colorado offers one-page Reading Tip Sheets for parents who want to raise their kids to be successful readers. “Although we've divided these tips by age, many of them can be used with children at various ages and stages — we encourage you to choose the ones that work best for your child. Tip sheets for parents of children in Preschool through Third Grade are available in eleven languages!” (thanks to Fastbreak for Fathers)
- Helping Kids Choose Books: Select books according to how your child will use them (thanks to Tif Talks Books)
- Developmental Milestones of Early Literacy by Reach Out and Read
Thoughts and Tips for Reading Aloud with Independent Readers
- Nuts and Bolts of the Read Aloud in my Middle School Classroom by Sarah Mulhern, the Reading Zone
- Reading Aloud to Kids Who Are Old Enough to Shave by Candy Blessing
- Teens Take Time to Listen When You Make Time to Read Aloud by Alison Follos
- Tips for Reading Aloud to Preteens and Teens by Reading Is Fundamental (RIF)
Read Aloud Resources for Adults
- Jim Trelease’s Home Page
- The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child by Donalyn Miller
- Books About Books and Literacy @ Jen Robinson’s Book Page
Next Week: Books and Booklists. There were so many recommendations, we’re going to break this into a series.
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In today's edition, I've pulled together the full week's agenda in one post. It is still sorted by day, but it includes all of the hyperlinks from the main posts, as well as other bloggers who added to the discussion.
Thanks to the outstanding work and dedication of our bloggers, this is an incredible resource as a place to start thinking about ways to engage kids in writing. To make it even handier, we have created a downloadable version, too.
Event Takeaways
- Share a Story - Shape a Future: Literacy Resource Kit
- E's resource kit with links to audiobooks, e-books, podcasts and webcast
- Bookmark ideas and templates
host: Terry Doherty @ Scrub-a-Dub-Tub
- Share a Story-Shape a Future: It all Starts with Raising Readers - Terry Doherty
- Finding Time at Home - Tricia Stohr-Hunt @ The Miss Rumphius Effect
- Making Time in the Classroom for Read Alouds - Sarah Mulhern @ The Reading Zone
- Look for the Clues - Tips and Tricks to Uncover and Help a Remedial Reader - Sandra Stiles guest post on Scrub-a-Dub-Tub
- It's Bigger than the Book: Building Strong Readers at any Age with a Daily Dose of Read Aloud, an Interview with Cathy Miller, The Literacy Ambassador®
- Minding the Gap: Engaging Gifted Readers - Donalyn Miller @ The Book Whisperer
- Share a Story: A Personal View of Raising a Reader - MotherReader
- A Public Campaign for Read-Aloud - Jen Robinson
Day 2: Selecting Reading Material
hosted by Sarah Mulhern at The Reading Zone
- Sarah's Host Post: Selecting Reading Material
- Eeny, Meeny, Miny, May- Which Book Do I Choose Today? The ABCs of Reading: Infants, Toddlers & Preschoolers - Valerie Baartz on The Almost Librarian
- How to Help Emerging Readers - Anastasia Suen @5 Great Books
- I Don't Know What I Want to Read Next: Helping Middle Grade Readers - Sarah Mulhern @ The Reading Zone
- Read Alikes and Booklists - Sarah Mulhern @ The Reading Zone
- Using Non-fiction for Read Aloud - Mary Lee Hahn of A Year of Reading, hosted by the Stenhouse blog
- Share a Story Day 2: A List of Picture Books - MotherReader
- Finding Great Kids Books - Read, Talk Share - Marge Loch-Wouters
Day 3: Reading Aloud - It's Fun, It's Easy
hosted by Susan Stephenson at the Book Chook blog
- How to Read Aloud and Wow Your Audience by The Book Chook
- Conquering Stage Fright - an Interview with Sarah Mulhern at the Book Chook
- Fourteen Fantastic Hints on Reading Aloud by Mem Fox, Queen of Read Aloud at The Book Chook
- Reading Aloud with Kids: A Dad's Perspective at Book Dads
- Reading Aloud: Sharing Your Childhood Favorites at Bantering Blonde
- 21st Century Read-Alouds: Using Technology for Read Alouds - Sarah Mulhern @ The Reading Zone
- Tips for Parents: What to Do When the Reading is Done - Aimee Buckner, hosted by the Stenhouse blog
- Never Too old: Reading Aloud with Independent Readers - Donalyn Miller @ The Book Whisperer
- Have You Shared a Book Today? @ Fastbreak for Fathers
- Book Recommendation: Panorama, and a plug for Share a Story - Shape a Future @ Mombian: Sustenance for Lesbian Moms
- Reading Aloud: Picture books Rule @ MotherReader
- Reading to Bea: Suspenseful Thrillers with a Hopeful Twist @ Get Off the Ground
- And Yes, You Can Be a Puppeteer @ The Almost Librarian
- Eva's Welcome to the Library Post - Eva @ Eva's Book Addiction
- From Cozy to Cool - Library Spaces for Everyone - Eva @ Eva's Book Addiction
- Lions and Marble and Books, Oh My - Betsy Bird at A Fuse #8 Production
- How to Make the Library Work for YOU - an interview with Adrienne of What Adrienne Thinks About That conducted by Jules at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
- The World Beyond the Library's Walls - Melissa @ Librarian by Day
- ABC Storytimes: Taking the Library Home - Pam Coughlan @ MotherReader
- Tiger's Bookshelf: Shopping Mall Library (Thai Knowledge Park) - PaperTigers
- Time Travel in a Thai Library: A Visit to Neilson Hays - PaperTigers
- Children's Books: Classic Reading for Fans - CNN.com (courtesy of BookDads)
- Fear of Fines - Tiny Tips for Library Fun
- Wonderful Library Spaces - The Book Chook
Day 5: Share a Story-Shape a Future: What the Future Holds
hosted by Elizabeth O. Dulemba at Dulemba.com
- Share a Story - Shape a Future: What the Future Holds by Elizabeth O. Dulemba
- Interview about Audiobooks with Bruce Coville of Full Cast Audio
- Interview about Audio Books with Mary Burkey of Audiobooker
- Interview about E-books with Harold Underdown of The Purple Crayon
- E-books and Readers with Sheila Ruth of Wands and Worlds
- Podcasts with Andrea Ross of Just One More Book! and Cheryl Rainfield of cherylrainfield.com
- E's resource kit with links to audiobooks, e-books, podcasts and webcasts @ Dulemba.com
- Free coloring pages dedicated to reading @ Dulemba.com
My thanks (again) to everyone who participated in Share a Story-Shape a Future 2009!
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One of the most commented upon aspects of this year’s Literacy Blog Tour was the collection of reading tips and ideas. In this post we’ve pulled together blog posts, references to websites, and some creative ideas offered by participants and their visitors. There were tons of ideas, but the list below focuses on ways to help you “sneak” reading into your day.
We welcome more ideas, so if you leave a link in the comments, I’ll come back and add it here.
2:00PM: updated to fix the list snafu
Websites with Reading Ideas
Reading Tips – a one-page set of easy-to-use ideas courtesy of Reach Out and Read
14 Fantastic Hints on Reading Aloud by Mem Fox – a post by Susan Stephenson (The Book Chook)
20 Ways to Incorporate Literacy Into Your Own Kids' Lives - Valerie Baartz (The Almost Librarian) offered these in an interview at The Book Chook.
Tif Talks Books has posts about Sorting and Roaming Around the Known – Tif says these are two tools she learned about in a Parents as Teachers workshop.
Ideas for Mixing Reading into Your Day
Bathtub Fun - One of our favorite "pre-reading" activities was playing with foam letters in the bathtub. William would line them up from A to Z and then hide his eyes. I would remove a letter and he would try to guess which one was missing. Sometimes instead of removing a letter I would rearrange them. As he got older, we would spell words for each other and then read them. (Tricia Stohr-Hunt, post at The Miss Rumphius Effect)
Letter Art - Kids love to make art using all kinds of media. I invested in alphabet rubber stamps so that William's art could be adorned with letters and words. In the beginning, the artwork contained his just his name stamped on the page. Then, the objects in the scenes were labeled. Now, the art is fully described or sometimes forms the pages of a story. (Tricia Stohr-Hunt, post at The Miss Rumphius Effect)
Write Stories - When you find a book or character your child loves, try to imagine together what the next adventure might be. (Tricia Stohr-Hunt, post at The Miss Rumphius Effect)
Sign Poetry - Travel is actually a very good time to practice reading skills. We keep a pen and paper in the car and often play a game where we collect words and phrases for poetry. We read and write (not me silly, I’m driving!) words we find on signs, billboards, bumper stickers, license plates, etc. Once we have a decent list, we make up silly poems using the words. (Tricia Stohr-Hunt, post at The Miss Rumphius Effect)
Never Leave Home Without It - Anytime we leave the house for errands we carry a bag that holds plain paper, crayons or colored pencils, and a few books that William has selected. Now the mantra before heading out is "Go to the bathroom and then grab a book." There always seems to be time to read in the car, the doctor's office, the restaurant, you name it. (Tricia Stohr-Hunt, post at The Miss Rumphius Effect)
Light Up the Night - Buy your child a flashlight or book light and let him/her read under the covers. William will actually go to bed early if I tell him he can have time reading AFTER lights out. Reading undercover is fun and helps build independence. (Tricia Stohr-Hunt, post at The Miss Rumphius Effect)
Make a List - Keep a running list of favorite books or authors in a spreadsheet or table or use an online service like Goodreads.com. Before you head out to the library or to the bookstore, bring a print out. This list lays out your groundwork. You have information to provide those librarians when they ask what you've liked in the past and you've got solid sources to go back to in case you aren't able to find anything new during that trip. (recommended by Valerie Baartz)
Next post: Literacy Resources
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As we were gearing up for Share a Story-Shape a Future, we were collecting lots of information. We were visiting lots of our favorite spots, identifying new resources and links, and thinking about what people had suggested in the comments to Jen Robinson's post about Encouraging Read-Aloud.
The more we collected, the more we realized that this was turning into a cohesive resource. And since the value of information is in the sharing, it only seemed logical to put everything together in one place and make it accessible to anyone who might want it. Hence, the Literacy Resource Kit.
We had links to it yesterday, but it really does deserve it's own spot in the sun. Depending on the results of the survey, we may try to go back through the tour and collect posts, links, and booklists.
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" I have always loved picture books. Growing up, I stared at my favorite for hours at a time wishing I could visit the magical worlds on its pages. Through drawing, I found a door and was seldom seen without a drawing pad tucked under my arm. When I drew, I lived in the stories that filled my head. Eventually, I put them to paper as well."
Elizabeth O. Dulemba, a.k.a. "e," is an award winning children's book author and illustrator. If you ask her, she will tell you that she was "beamed to this planet with a pencil in her hand. Once she stopped chewing on it, she began to write and draw." Given her interplanetary travels, she knows that paper books don't always travel well and that the future for books may be ... Nope, I'm going to let her tell you!
- Interview about Audiobooks with Bruce Coville of Full Cast Audio
- Interview about Audio Books with Mary Burkey of Audiobooker
- Interview about E-books with Harold Underdown of The Purple Crayon
- E-books and Readers with Sheila Ruth of Wands and Worlds
- Podcasts with Andrea Ross of Just One More Book! and Cheryl Rainfield of cherylrainfield.com
- E's resource kit with links to audiobooks, e-books, podcasts and webcasts @ Dulemba.com
- Free coloring pages dedicated to reading @ Dulemba.com NEW!
- Reading the Future - Kathleen Duey @ writerwriterwriter
- RIF, USAirways and Day 5: Shaare a Story Blog Tour @ Rasco from RIF
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We promised lots of useable content this week, and here is the next free thing: bookmark ideas.
Bookmarks can come in handy. We normally associate them with longer books, but in our house they've been known to hold our place in a picture book . ["Mommy, put a bookmark on page 3, I have to go the bathroom."]
Kids like to use the things they make - and goodness knows they make lots of art. So why not create art for their books? They might even find an excuse to use their creation and pick up a book!
Bookmarks can be made of just about anything. In the days before craft foam, we used paper, card stock, and felt. Now, a piece of craft foam and a bucket of self-adhesive stickers make it easy to create bookmarks as a class project, as party favors, or just because. In this document you'll find links to places where you can download ready-to-go bookmarks and quick step-by-step ideas (and templates) for creating your own.
Credits:
Susan Stephenson created this document
The Just One More Book! logo courtesy of Just One More Book!
Thanks for a great post, very timely for us right now. My kid can sound out almost anything, and so sounds out EVERYTHING, even words he must have sounded out a hundred times.
Timeless advice, Pam.
So I guess you don't want to hear that my 3 year old chose The Adventures of Tom Sawyer to take with us to a doctor's appointment today ;-) (She did, actually, but only because she likes the feel of the particular edition that we have, I think.)