JacketFlap connects you to the work of more than 200,000 authors, illustrators, publishers and other creators of books for Children and Young Adults. The site is updated daily with information about every book, author, illustrator, and publisher in the children's / young adult book industry. Members include published authors and illustrators, librarians, agents, editors, publicists, booksellers, publishers and fans. Join now (it's free).
Login or Register for free to create your own customized page of blog posts from your favorite blogs. You can also add blogs by clicking the "Add to MyJacketFlap" links next to the blog name in each post.
Blog Posts by Tag
In the past 7 days
Blog Posts by Date
Click days in this calendar to see posts by day or month
Viewing: Blog Posts Tagged with: Quest for Literacy, Most Recent at Top [Help]
Results 26 - 50 of 76
How to use this Page
You are viewing the most recent posts tagged with the words: Quest for Literacy in the JacketFlap blog reader. What is a tag? Think of a tag as a keyword or category label. Tags can both help you find posts on JacketFlap.com as well as provide an easy way for you to "remember" and classify posts for later recall. Try adding a tag yourself by clicking "Add a tag" below a post's header. Scroll down through the list of Recent Posts in the left column and click on a post title that sounds interesting. You can view all posts from a specific blog by clicking the Blog name in the right column, or you can click a 'More Posts from this Blog' link in any individual post.
Do you fear approaching your Reluctant Reader? Have they been spotted this summer participating in questionable behavior with their books like building forts and extreme paper dolls? Identified by their atypical behaviors, the Reluctant Readers Road to Recovery Guide is here to help you create successful encounters with hesitant young readers everywhere. Panic no more and take control of rainy day havoc, poolside chaos and playground mayhem with a great book for your unique reader.
Reluctant Readers Road to Recovery Guide
The Make-Believer has more imagination frequent flier miles than a Pan Am stewardess!The best cure for this case of Reluctant Reading isElliot and the Last Underworld War by Jennifer Nielsen (Author of The False Prince). The Make-Believer will be thrilled to join the sarcastically hilarious Elliot in the Underworld. As the King of the Brownies, Elliot has battled Goblins, tricked Pixies, and trapped a Demon. But now, the Demon has escaped and he’s ready for revenge. So, the Pixies, Shapeshifters, Elves, Goblins, and Brownies must join forces to battle the Demon head on before he has the chance to destroy Earth.
The Daredevilthinks trick-or-treating should apply to everyday life, especially the tricks!Cure their hunger for trouble with Horrid Henry and the Zombie Vampire by Francesca Simon. Not even your daredevil will believe what Henry is up to next in these four new wonderful and wacky tales. The international bestselling Horrid Henry series provides readers with a prankster whose relentless antics create a laugh-out-loud read. WARNING: Do not allow daredevils to consume milk while reading or milk may spray from the nose!
The BFFhas matching bracelets with all her friends and wins Miss Congeniality every year.This is a case of Reluctant Reading that can only be cured with Hailey Twitch and the Wedding Glitch by Lauren Barnholdt. Hailey Twitch and her spirited sprite Maybelle, retu
Video courtesy of Alexis O’Neill: Some members of the Children’s Authors Network got together to share three words to open gateways to summer reading, starring Joe Cepeda, Mary Ann Fraser, Joan Brnasfield Graham, Amy Goldman Koss, Michelle Markel, Alexis O’Neill, April Halprin Wayland, and Janet Wong. Visit: http://canetwork.weebly.com/
Video courtesy of rifweb: Once upon a time it would have been a far-fetched story to see the Big Bad Wolf co-piloting Little Red’s convertible, or the landlocked Three Bears crossing paths with the sea-faring Captain Ahab. But like all good stories it takes a liberal supply of imagination, a heroic cast of characters and an urgent mission to make the unbelievable, believable. This video takes you behind the scenes of the campaign to show you how the magic was made.
For Immediate Release
Chad Elder, 412.212.0702 October 27, 2011 [email protected]
MORE THAN TWO MILLION PEOPLE BREAK WORLD READING RECORD TO COMBAT NATION’S EARLY EDUCATION CRISIS
6th Annual Jumpstart’s Read for the Record focuses attention on the importance of early education and school preparedness
BOSTON, MA – Jumpstart’s Read for the Record® 2011 campaign, presented in partnership with Pearson Foundation, has officially set a new world record for the world’s largest shared reading experience. On October 6, adults across the globe read Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney to 2,184,155 children.
Through We Give Books, the digital reading initiative of the Pearson Foundation and the Penguin Group, 75,723 adults and children helped set a new record for the largest digital reading by reading the campaign book online for free, demonstrating how digital technology enabled the campaign to reach even more people this year.
Across the United States, individuals read in homes, schools, libraries, community centers, and online at www.wegivebooks.org all to call for an end to America’s early education achievement gap. The research is undeniable and startling:
· Children from low-income neighborhoods start kindergarten 60% behind their wealthier peers in early education skills.
· There is only one book title per 300 children in low-income areas. In middle-income areas, each child typically has 13 book titles of his or her own.
“As a mother of a preschool-age child, it doesn’t sit well with me that there are millions of children in low-income neighborhoods who are not getting the early learning experiences they need to prepare them for success in school and in life,” stated Jumpstart’s Read for the Record Ambassador, Bridget Moynahan. Moynahan, star of Blue Bloods, launched the campaign with her appearance on NBC’s TODAY Show, reading to children and speaking with NBC’s TODAY Show hosts, including Matt Lauer, Ann Curry, and Al Roker.
“The harsh reality is that one in three children enters a kindergarten classroom without essential early education skills. These children start behind, and they stay behind, leaving our entire country at a disadvantage,” commented Jumpstart’s President & CEO Naila Bolus. “It’s every American’s responsibility to stand up for these children, and I’m inspired that millions are joining together to take action and support programs like Jumpstart that are making a difference.”
“Jumpstart’s work with children in low-income neighborhoods is transformative,” said Pearson Foundation President and CEO Mark Nieker. “Their classroom-based interventions help preschool children develop language and literacy skills that they will need for lifelong success. Jumpstart’s Read for the Record makes it possible for everyone to get involved in this nationwide effort, and we’re delighted that thanks in part to We Give Books more people helped shine a light on the work of this exemplary organization.”
Now in its sixth year, Jumpstart’s Read for the Record also celebrates the kick off of Jumpstart’s school year. Since 1993, Jumpstart volunteers have helped to prepare more than 100,000 preschool children in low-income neighborhoods for succ
Children that learn to appreciate language at an early age tend to find more interest in books and learning and, consequently, they usually do better in school.
Studies have shown that children respond to the sounds of language even while in the womb. The familiar tones of a parent’s voice become a soothing tonic to the child, something that they know as safe and loving. Once a child is born, reading to them from the very first day is a good way to encourage their linguistic development and cognitive abilities.
Children are essentially language sponges when they are first born.
For the first 6 months of their lives, children are learning to recognize voices and understand which vocal tones mean something good and which mean something bad. By 2 years, a child has an understanding of how to relate language and external objects. By 4 years a child can form compound concepts and will be able to respond to complex questions.
Each of these phases is a perfect opportunity to use reading in order to help your child’s development. At first use exaggerated tones and rhythmic words – this will keep the infant’s interest and while they may not know it’s a book in your hand, they will associate it with positive emotion. After they are a little older, pictures become a key factor. Pointing to the pictures and telling the child what it is will help them develop their vocabulary faster. Even though they may not yet understand what all the words in a sentence mean, they will quickly catch on to the concept that single words need things in between to make them work.
After a while, your child will understand what a book is and associate it with the time that you and the child spend together, free from the bad words like “no!” that he or she inevitably has to face every day. They will begin to develop favorite books and the ability to request that you read to them. In time they will be capable of reading along with you and eventually be able to pick up a book and read on their own.
Tips for keeping a child engaged and interested:
• Try out lots of different books and see where your child’s interests lie.
• Use exaggerated facial expressions and voices to make the story come alive.
• Make sure to use correct pronunciation to facilitate proper language development.
• Encourage your children to participate by asking questions or even asking them to read to you before bed.
• Even if they can’t read yet, leave books lying around their room so if they have an interest they can pick one up and look through it.
• Make reading a regular event, such as right before bed every night – let your child look forward to it.
• Carry books with you in the car for when there might be some waiting time, such as at the doctor’s office.
There cannot be enough stress put on the importance of starting a child’s love of reading early. All things in life stem from knowledge and a healthy desire for knowledge will give your child an edge in the world that many, unfortunately, do not have.
I credit my mother and her dedication to reading for planting the seed that grew into my love of books. From babyhood, she read to me and my siblings, introducing us to a myriad of fables and stories and fairytales. One of the first books she gave me to read on my own was L M Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables. I have read this series countless times from childhood to adulthood and as familiar as I am with the tapestry of stories woven by the author’s richly imaginative mind, each time I read it over, I discover a new quirk, a delightful charm that had somehow passed unnoticed the previous reading. She always makes it so worthwhile to repeat the experience of reading her words: falling in love with Gilbert anew, feeling Anne’s anger and pain, hurting over the sadnesses, sobbing over the joys, all as if it were for the first time.
I couldn’t imagine a life without books. My most treasured possessions are the titles stacked on my desk, crammed into my bookshelf and lined up along the top of my dresser. Books themselves form bookends to their book friends. Coffee table books I display like others would artwork, giving them pride of place at eye level. When I close the lid to my laptop, I am greeted with images of the Paris metro. They form the cover of an over-sized book of photographs of the city’s metro system[1] and instantly transport me to the bowels of the capital: the squeal of the rubber tires grinding to a halt, the heady stink of hundreds of people crammed together in a dank dark cavern, the squeezing of one’s body in amongst those of the citizenry on an always interesting ride.
Trawling through second-hand bookshops has become an addiction to which I feel no shame in admitting. Even anticipating such an outing brings me joy; the smell of the musty, dusty yellowed pages captures me every time. I cherish every one of my pre-loved books and take comfort from knowing that many others before me shared intimate moments with this story, with those characters, and their lives were enriched for it.
On a trip to the country to visit my mother last Easter, I stumbled upon a book sale as part of a nearby county fair. After half an hour of rummaging, I found a gem – a book from 1915 and in beautiful condition. I took my duty seriously to continue to give it the care it deserves. It’s called A Heroine Of France, a story of Jeanne d’Arc, by Evelyn Everett-Green,[2] and, as the careful handwriting penned on the first page tells, was awarded to a Miss Dobson in her Sunday school class just after the turn of the last century. I couldn’t have been happier had I discovered a pot of gold! Imagine the thrill it would have been for the small child to have received this book as a reward for her studies! The pride she must have felt would have been forever linked with the book I now held in my hands almost one hundred years on.
When the love of reading grabs you, you are set up for a life of travel, adventure and learning, of being exposed to ideas and cultures vastly different to your own and through it all, grow to be tolerant and compassionate of others and equipped to stand in someone else’s shoes. You understand that our Universe is filled with magic. Your vocabulary broadens. Your ability to communicate with others grows in
5 Reasons Books Make the Best End of Year Teacher Gifts
There is a book out there for everybody and every interest
A book is a personal and thoughtful gift
They are affordable (especially if your child has multiple teachers)
They are easy to wrap
No batteries required
The Art of Selecting the Right Book
A few things to consider when choosing the perfect gift book…
Are you selecting a book for the teacher or his/her classroom?
Will the subject or topic interest the teacher or class?
Is the book age-appropriate?
Check out the latest offerings from your favorite author or illustrator.
Read book reviews.
Ask your local bookseller or librarian to make some suggestions.
And … if all else fails, there is always the trusty bookstore gift card!
4 Picture Book Suggestions for the Teacher’s Classroom
Poindexter Makes a Friend
By Mike Twohy
This is a great choice for any classroom and especially a reading teacher. It makes for a lovely reminder of how much the children grow emotionally and socially within one year and will also be a great read for the teacher’s new class next school year. Bonus if your teacher’s name happens to be Poindexter!
Publisher’s synopsis: Poindexter is a shy, friendly, and perfectly happy pig. There’s just one thing. How is a shy, nice, well balanced pig going to make friends? You never know who you will meet when you check out How to Make Friends at the library!
By Andrea Beaty (Author), David Roberts
(Illustrator)
Looking for a book for the art teacher? This is a very entertaining book about doing your own thing and remaining in touch with your creativity and passion. Imaginative and very clever!
Publisher’s synopsis: Meet Iggy Peck—creative, independent, and not afraid to express himself! In the spirit of David Shannon’s No, David and Rosemary Wells’s Noisy Nora, Iggy Peck will delight readers looking for irreverent, inspired fun.
Iggy has one passion: building. His parents are proud of his fabulous creations, though they’re sometimes surprised by his materials—who could forget the tower he built of dirty diapers? When his second-grade teacher declares her dislike of architecture, Iggy faces a challenge. He loves building too much to give it up! With Andrea Beaty’s irresistible rhyming text and David Roberts’s puckish illustrations, this book will charm creative kids everywhere, and amuse their sometimes bewildered parents.
These days it seems nearly everyone has a Kindle or iPad. From businessmen who use the devices to keep up on the stock market and the news, to students enrolled in online schools who use their iPad or Kindle to do homework, the reasons for having an e-reader, and the benefits supplied by them, are endless. TheHuffingtonPost reports e-book readers and applications are one of the fastest growing trends with more than six million devices sold in 2010. Following the holiday season, e-book publishers saw a major increase in sales representing an exponential increase over last year’s numbers. While e-books sales account for a small portion of the overall market, children’s books are seeing instant benefits. E-books combine interactive features, sound effects and high-resolution graphics in a compact, kid-friendly package that is creating unlimited potential for innovation and growth.
Kids aren’t the only ones enjoying the newest generation of interactive features available with e-books. Parents love the convenience and low cost of e-books. According to Rocco Staino from the Empire State Center for the Book, Americans in their 30s, who also have children, were among the first to adopt Apple’s iPhone and iPad products. This phenomenon led to the early popularity of children’s e-book titles. With the prices for e-readers and related technology dropping, it’s projected more than 11 million e-readers will sell in 2011.
Today, new releases are available alongside classics that have been updated with slick graphics and a multitude of interactive features. According to Wired Magazine, the newest wave of interactive features creates a hyperactive story environment incorporating original music, sound effects, text, multimedia elements and video in a seamless package. For instance, some interactive children’s e-books include a “look and listen” narration feature that highlights text as it is read. Likewise, other e-books include special features such as music and sound effects that create a reading experience that’s exciting for kids. Customizable settings allow narration and sound effects to be turned on and off. Some publishers also offer tools with pronunciation assistance and definitions to aid in learning comprehension.
Today’s kids are very sophisticated and tech-savvy, preferring text-rich chapter books to the pictu
The greatest gift you can give your child is a sound education, and I’ve often found that the key to doing well academically is to improve your literacy. When your reading and writing skills get a boost, you don’t find it hard to pick up information, retain knowledge, and express yourself coherently and accurately. This is why it’s important to pay attention to your child’s literate skills from a very young age – instead of just teaching them to read and write, teach them how to read and show them the richness and joy it can add to their lives. It’s like the old adage of giving a man a fish and he eats for a day, and teaching a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime.
How exactly does reading help your child improve their literacy skills?
The more you read, the more you understand words and are able to relate to the concept in which they’re used.
You also become a better writer when you read books of good quality.
Reading boosts vocabulary and helps you become a better conversationalist.
It also improves your knowledge and makes it easy for you to learn more in less time – when you can read faster and with less effort, you find that it’s easier to pick up knowledge and information in less time.
It helps them learn a new language when you choose books that are not in their native tongue. Books that have pictures and associated words make it easy to pick up the basic words in a new language.
It provides them with knowledge about other countries and cultures – they learn more about the world without having to leave home or travel extensively.
Even before your child is old enough to read, you can tempt them to get interested in books by reading to them. Reading can be both a daytime and bedtime activity. It not only helps your child boost literacy and improves their academic performance, it also enhances the bond between parent and child and brings you closer to them. Your child learns new words, the meanings of which you can explain as you read to them; and when they’re able to, you can ask them to read part of the story to improve their reading skills.
Television and technology have pushed books to the background today, and kids are somehow conditioned to believe that books and reading are for nerds and geeks. However, if you get them to understand that books are their best bet when it comes to improving knowledge and boosting literacy, you’ve given them friends for life.
This guest post is contributed by Carrie Oakley, who writes on the topic of online colleges . Carrie welcomes your comments at her email id: carrie.oakley1983(AT)gmail(DOT)com.
Jumpstart’s Read for the Record is this Thursday, October 7, 2010. The following information was provided by Jumpstart and is proceeded by more great news from American Sign Language Storyteller Keith Wann.
Jumpstart’s Read for the Record, presented in partnership with Pearson, is Jumpstart’s world record breaking campaign that brings children and adults together to read the same book, on the same day, in homes and communities all over the world. The campaign also kicks off Jumpstart’s yearlong program, preparing preschool children in low-income neighborhoods for success in school and life.
Please pledge to read today and read The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats with us on October 7!www.readfortherecord.org/read
Actress (& mom) Amanda Peet and Grammy Award winning humanitarian and living legend Patti LaBelle will be reading with us on The TODAY Show this Thursday, as will actresses Madison Pettis and Jennifer Stone!
Additionally, everyone who pledges to read will be entered to win a $77 gift card from 77kids by American Eagle.
A quote from Amanda Peet: “I grew up in a reading household where books and ideas were important. Now that I’m a mom, reading to children has taken on even greater importance. Reading to my children is a priority and books are everywhere in our house, just like when I was a kid. I support Jumpstart because I know that not all children in our country are getting this foundational experience. Millions of children in low-income neighborhoods don’t have books at home, are not getting a quality early education and are starting school behind. This is unacceptable. That’s why I joined Jumpstart’s Read for the Record and ask you to read with me.”
Deaf Children to Receive a Helping Hand from Renowned ASL Performing Artist for Jumpstart’s Read for the Record Global Literacy Campaign
Breakthrough American Sign Language Storyteller Keith Wann Offers ASL Performance of Classic Children’s Book The Snowy Day
Suffolk, VA– Cherished American Sign Language (ASL) Storyteller and Performing Artist Keith Wann, is lending a hand to children within the deaf community in conjunction with the Florida Lottery, Florida Department of Education and the Volunteer USA Foundation, for the worldwide literacy awareness movement Read for the Record on October 7th. Jumpstart’s Read for the Record, presented in partnership with the Pearson Foundation, is striving to set a new world record by having millions of children and adults read the same book, on the same day. The event raises awareness about the importance of early literacy skills, and how essential these skills are to a child’s success in school and in life. Adults and children will gather the world over to share a reading of this year’s official campaign book, The Snowy Day by acclaimed author Ezra Jack Keats.
Wann will be appearing in a live interactive and streaming performance of The Snowy Day a
Started by a Los Angeles mother of two, Meredith Alexander, was wanting to find a way to spend family time that was also about helping the community. Meredith wanted to expose her children to giving back, not only at the holidays, but year round. In 2004, with her deep love of children’s literature, Milk + Bookies was born.
Milk + Bookies is now a nationwide charitable organization that, through the amazing power of story books, exposes kids to how great it feels to give back and help others.
At Milk + Bookies events, boys and girls are provided the opportunity to select, purchase and inscribe books that are then donated to their peers who do not have access to books of their own. M+B combines two essential and worthwhile efforts: LITERACY PROMOTION AND SERVICE LEARNING. While the book donations are imperative to their mission, just as important is instilling the seed of giving into each young guest (and host, as is the case for the M+B Class Project).
They want to spark a feeling of importance, self-confidence and the desire to give and give again.
These fun filled events are about celebrating giving and reading and they feature music, story time and, of course, milk and cookies.
There are three main models for sharing the M+B mission.
Their initiative is to recreate the giving experience for young children on a national level and here are the different and easy ways to do so:
M+B CLASS PROJECT
For middle school through college students, they offer a chance to earn community service hours and become empowered in peer-based philanthropy by hosting a book store party and inviting neighborhood families with young children. Step by step instructions and submissions are available on our website. M+B has a relationship with most bookstores, including (but not exclusively with) Barnes & Noble.
M+B BIRTHDAY PARTY
Parents with younger children can bring the event model into their own homes. In lieu of gifts for the birthday child, guests are invited to bring a new hardcover picture book. The child guests inscribe and donate their books to the recipient group pre-chosen by the host family.
IN SCHOOL BOOK FAIRS
Milk + Bookies has successfully partnered with Scholastic Book Fairs to bring this giving model to elementary schools. The lessons of giving, with our literature, can continue into the classroom setting.
Milk+Bookies isn’t the first organization to raise books for children living in poverty, but they are one of the first to prioritize the raising of young philanthropists while doing so. M+B feels very strongly that children need to be surrounded with experiences that let them learn how great it feels to help others.
Find out how you can host an event for a birthday, Girl Scout troop, school project or book club.
Austin, TX, September 14, 2010 – The schedule for the Texas Book Festival is available online. Celebrating 15 years, the Book Festival takes place on October 16 and 17 in and around the Texas State Capitol and nearby venues. Finding authors, locations and times will be a snap with the first ever Texas Book Festival IPhone App sponsored by Kirkus Reviews. The free IPhone App is due out early October.
Austin native Lance Letscher is the Festival’s 2010 featured poster artist and author. The poster includes original collage and images from his new children’s book The Perfect Machine.
Headlining non-fiction authors will be in the C-SPAN/Book TV Tent on Congress between 9th and 10th streets. Kicking off the Festival on Saturday morning is former First Lady, TBF founder and author Laura W. Bush who is scheduled for 10 a.m. CST in the Paramount Theatre.
The Book Festival is free and fun for all ages. 2010 Festival topics include civil rights, Tejano leadership in Texas, the drug wars, capital punishment, green energy, President Obama, American business titans, famous fugitives, civilizing the West and the life of Jack London. The Cooking Tent sponsored by Central Market will overflow with cooking demonstrations and discussions. Geared especially for young adults are sessions titled Is the World Ready for My Book? and Coming of Age in a Difficult Age, among many others, including a special Saturday night Zombies vs. Unicorns showdown.
The youngest readers will enjoy the Children’s Chapter, sponsored by HEB, which includes the Children’s Reading tent, the Children’s Entertainment tent, and the Children’s Activity tent. Special guests and panels include: Funny Business: Good Reads for Guys, True Grit: Kids with Chutzpah and a panel on Portals to Imagined Worlds, musician Joe McDermott and visits by the Fairy Godmother Academy, Olivia, Curious George, Clifford and the Cat in the Hat.
Interested in volunteering or attending the gala on October 15? Or to see the complete list of authors, schedule and more visit texasbookfestival.org.
###
The Children’s Schedule
Celebrating children’s literature for kids of all ages with engaging presentations from award-winning picture book and middle grade authors. Three-time Caldecott winner David Wiesner, Llama Llama author Anna Dewdney, Bonny Becker, National Book Award Finalist Laurie Halse Anderson, and T.A. Barron are jus
Reading is what adults do for relaxation and pleasure. It is also a way to gain knowledge and information. But, to some children, reading can be challenging, difficult, and even scary. If they can’t read well, they often feel embarrassed and frustrated. They may even be teased. Instead of wonderful stories unfolding from the pages the experience is an unpleasant chore, causing the child to avoid doing it whenever possible. This means they do not get the practice they desperately need and so fall farther behind… a real ‘catch-22’.
As explained by reading specialists, “children learn to read through 2nd grade and from 3rd grade on, read to learn”. So, a child who enters 3rd grade deficient in literacy falls behind in learning quickly, and many simply never catch up.
However, in many communities across the United States, some ‘heroes’ are stepping in to offer a much-needed ‘boost’ for these children. And these heroes come in on four feet, not two!
Certified therapy dogs all over the country are helping struggling 2nd graders get a ‘paw up’ in acquiring and perfecting this much-needed skill: reading. These programs are known by many names but in Washington State’s Skagit County the all-volunteer organization, Dogs On Call (“DOC”), is bringing the popular and effective “Tales for Tails Reading Enhancement Program” to many elementary schools in the region.
The first step is for teachers and reading specialists to identify the 2nd grade students who are deficient in reading. Then each one is carefully paired with a certified therapy dog team from Dogs On Call. The dogs who participate are carefully chosen for this job. It requires official certification by one of the major national certifying organizations (Delta Society, Love on a Leash, etc.), the ability to lie quietly and attentively for a period of about an hour, and the innate desire to interact with a stranger (in this case, a child).
Once a week these dogs (with their owners/handlers) go to school where they spend 15-20 minutes in a quiet corner listening to ‘their’ child read aloud to them. The child usually sits on the floor and the dog lies close by. The handler encourages some initial interaction… a pat, a pet, a slurpy kiss… and then the reading begins. Some dogs lay their heads on the child’s lap, others stare intently at the book. And still others gaze lovingly up at the child’s face.
Some dogs are clowns, some just offer a soft warm body to pet and snuggle with, but the magic begin
As a kid, the one time of year you look most forward to (aside from Christmas and your own birthday) is summer vacation. Slip-N-Slides, staying up late, family vacations, and the best, time away from school. As the days begin to shorten and the leaves begin to fall, the summer, before you know it, comes to a halting end. Then the drudge sets in as you prepare for the dreaded “first day,” and the only fun left is shopping for school supplies, putting together your own personalized three-ring binder with pencil pouch, and knowing you’ll get to see all your school friends again. But what can you, as a parent, do to insure that your children are more than ready and prepared for their return to academia? How can you motivate your children to read during summer vacation, that time in which they want nothing to do with books and school?
With the recent flux and fad of book-based, kid-friendly movies, why not make a game out of upcoming, popular summer and fall blockbusters? Movies like Harry Potter and the Twilight series have already propelled kids into challenging themselves with the 500 page novellas. Why not tap into that? Encourage your children to read the books before you allow them to watch the movies, suggesting (which is more often true than not) that the books are far more entertaining and imaginative than the movies could ever be. And movies such as Avatar, The Last Airbender lend themselves very well to the graphic-novel genre; albeit, graphic novels are not the sort of books they’ll be reading in school, they still provide your children with enough text to read to keep their minds stimulated and challenge their reading comprehension.
Why not also turn reading into a game, which, if they win, garners them a reward? Offer to take them out to their favorite local eatery, ice cream shop, or theme park, if they can finish any book they choose to read fun. And that’s the key: making reading fun. These aren’t bribes, they are incentives. Extra privileges for those children who choose to take the extra time to nurture their intellect. Anything that’s a chore, or seems like homework, your child will not, willingly, want to do. But if you walk them into the book store and allow them to choose any book they wish, reading will begin to seem like more of an extra-curricular activity than an assignment. And the more they begin to enjoy reading, the more emotionally and psychologically ready they will feel upon reaching that daunting “first day” of school.
Why not form a book club with your children? Let them to choose a book they’re interested in, and read it along with them. This way, it’s not only “monkey see, monkey do,” allowing you to positively reinforce reading as an important mental exercise, but you can also monitor their reading comprehension. Discussing the book with them as you both read through it will help foster your child’s reading comprehension and will facilitate a stronger, and more open, bond between you and your child.
Carol Montrose is a writer for MBA Online where you can browse top
Whether your children have yet to start school or they’re struggling with reading at a beginning or intermediate level, it is your responsibility to see that they are getting the proper education. A strong foundation in reading at an early age is the cornerstone for everything else they will learn down the road, and it can influence related subjects like writing and comprehension, as well as seemingly disparate topics from history and geography to math and science. So in order to ensure that they are starting their education off on the right foot, you might want to work on reading at home before they even start school and continue throughout their early education. Here are a few tips to get your enterprise off the ground.
Start with the alphabet. You know the song and you can start teaching it to kids as soon as they say their first words. Familiarizing them with letters early on will make it easier to associate them with symbols when you want to start teaching them to read, which many parents try to do as early as age three. You shouldn’t expect too much from them right away as children develop at different rates and you don’t want to push them to the point of frustration, but some kids do grasp the correlation between symbols and sounds more quickly than you anticipate.
Try rhyming. This is a good way to help your children focus their auditory skills as you prepare them to read. They’ll become familiar with groups of sounds that will make it easier when they begin to try sounding out words on a page.
Use the phonics method. This is basically a system of teaching that relies on a child’s ability to memorize the sounds associated with letters and letter groupings and then apply that knowledge to sounding out whole words. You’ll want to start out simply with single-syllable words, then move on to words with multiple syllables before you even attempt more difficult words, phrases, or whole sentences. There are plenty of resources that you can either purchase or find free on the web to help you with this teaching method.
Improve memory. Play memory games with your child to help them learn to flex their mental muscles, focus, and retain information. There are all kinds of simple memory games you can play, but the best ones for your purpose will include words that sound alike or all start with a certain letter.
Use the whole language method. This form of teaching is a rival to phonics and there is some debate over which is the better technique. While phonics are essential to reading in the long term, the process can cause some initially difficulty for children who have trouble memorizing the rules associated with language. The whole language system, on the other hand, encourages children to memorize whole words in order to encourage successful reading more quickly. Unfortunately, this may make it more difficult for them to learn new words later on (unlike the sounding-out of phonics). However, it is not necessary to choose one method over the other. A combination of practices may be your best bet to get your child reading and keep them on track with expanding their vocabulary.
Immersing children in literacy activities can help them improve their reading, writing, vocabulary, grammar, and spelling skills. There are a number of organizations and sites that provide online activities, teaching tips, and free books for children. Here are 20 sites to explore over the summer.
National Children’s Literacy Website – This non-profit organization is dedicated to improving and promoting children’s literacy in child care and home settings. Helpful materials on the National Children’s Literacy Website include general literacy tips, advice on teaching children to read, educational activities, story-time tips, and links to additional resources.
Reading Comprehension – The University of Connecticut provides a wide range of literacy resources for children and adolescents. Resources include vocabulary instruction, text comprehension instruction, teaching strategies, and a list of websites offering comprehension practice.
Literacy Zone – Created by Woodlands Junior School in the UK, Literacy Zone offers online literacy games and activities to help children improve spelling, grammar, punctuation, and writing skills.
StoryPlace – StoryPlace is a digital library created specifically for children. Library materials include free online books, online activities, take-home activities, and reading lists for preschool and elementary students.
Starfall – Starfall relies on phonics to help children learn how to read. The site offers movies, interactive games, and engaging activities for readers in pre-k to second grade.
The Baldwin Online Children’s Project – The Baldwin Project makes classic books freely available to children online. The project publishes books that are in the public domain (books published before 1923). Books are sorted by author, titles, genre, and subgenre.
International Children’s Digital Library – This online library hosts nearly 5,000 high-quality digital books in more than 50 different languages. Books contain both text and illustrations and can be discussed in a community forum.
Storynory – This site publishes a new audio story each week. Storynory offers both classic stories and original tales that have been adapted from stories around the world.
Kiddie Records – Kiddie Records publishes recordings of children’s records that were made between the mid forties through the early fifties. Recordings include classic stories like Horton Hatches the Egg and Casey at the Bat. All of the recordings can be downloaded or played for free online.
DogEared – Dog Eared is a National Geographic book blog written by kids for kids. The blog offers reviews, book recommendations, and a book of the month feature.
Most of us know that reading to and with our children and/or encouraging our children to read solo is one of the most important jobs that we as parents have.
Pam Allyn, author of What to Read When: The Books and Stories to Read with Your Child—and All the Best Times to Read Them, explains clearly in her book why this job is so important: reading develops shared values, allows children to fall in love with language, builds comprehension, teaches the power of story, offers comfort, builds critical thinking skills, shapes a lifelong reading identity, and the list goes on.
Sometimes knowing the importance of reading to and with your child is the easy part. It’s knowing what books to read when that offers up a challenge. Pam Allyn solves this quandary with a gazillion of excellent recommendations, classic and new, listed under both age and genre. Each age group (birth to ten-years-old) has its reading needs defined and book suggestions follow. Themes such as divorce, sharing, music, and sleepovers—a list of 50 in total—have been covered. A lot of the books listed in the “Fifty Themes” section have questions listed under the synopsis so you can help promote healthy conversation and increase your child’s comprehension skills. And, for those of you who feel shy when reading aloud, you’ll truly appreciate the “How to” component.
What to Read When is the best reading tool I’ve come across. It should be a household, classroom, bookstore, and library staple. It’s easy to use and provides solid reading tips and recommendations all the way through. Gosh, I think this book might even be my new best friend—it’s certainly going to be a desktop staple for the Children’s Book Review.
Summer Reading Tips
Now you know why reading to and with your child is important and you know where to find out what to read when, you may be looking for a few extra summer reading tips. Pam Allyn has generously offered up some additional advice just for our readers:
Take turns reading aloud on the beach or at the park or wherever you find yourself. Dramatic readings from Harry Potter or exchanging snippets from People magazine is fun family bonding; reading aloud together at any age is a wonderful bonding activity for you and your child. It makes words and stories come alive through your voice, and your child’s voice.
Magazines and newspapers are great summer time reading. The articles are short, they can be folded to fit into any bag and if you let your kids help choose, they’ll definitely be interested in reading them. There are great magazines out there for children that will inspire lots of conversation. These include National Geographic for Kids, Sports Illustrated for Kids, American Girl and Dig. Also short stories and poems are terrific alternatives to shoving a long, intimidatin
Add a Comment
Children's books written by celebrities are growing in abundance. The latest books to join this category are The Sandwich Swap by Queen Rania of Jordan Al Abdullah and The Very Fairy Princess by Julie Andrews.
On May 11, 2010, The Children’s Book Council (CBC) in association with Every Child a Reader, Inc. (the CBC Foundation), announced the winners of the third annual Children’s Choice Book Awards.
The Children's Book Council hosts the Children's Choice Book Awards. The favorite book finalists for this year were determined by close to 15,000 children and teens. I highly recommend checking out these books!
It’s National Library Week, a time to celebrate the contributions of libraries, librarians and library workers in schools, campuses and communities nationwide.
The Make-Believer has more imagination frequent flier miles than a Pan Am stewardess! The best cure for this case of Reluctant Reading is Elliot and the Last Underworld War by Jennifer Nielsen (Author of The False Prince). The Make-Believer will be thrilled to join the sarcastically hilarious Elliot in the Underworld. As the King of the Brownies, Elliot has battled Goblins, tricked Pixies, and trapped a Demon. But now, the Demon has escaped and he’s ready for revenge. So, the Pixies, Shapeshifters, Elves, Goblins, and Brownies must join forces to battle the Demon head on before he has the chance to destroy Earth.
The Daredevil thinks trick-or-treating should apply to everyday life, especially the tricks! Cure their hunger for trouble with Horrid Henry and the Zombie Vampire by Francesca Simon. Not even your daredevil will believe what Henry is up to next in these four new wonderful and wacky tales. The international bestselling Horrid Henry series provides readers with a prankster whose relentless antics create a laugh-out-loud read. WARNING: Do not allow daredevils to consume milk while reading or milk may spray from the nose!
The BFF has matching bracelets with all her friends and wins Miss Congeniality every year. This is a case of Reluctant Reading that can only be cured with Hailey Twitch and the Wedding Glitch by Lauren Barnholdt. Hailey Twitch and her spirited sprite Maybelle, retu
Most of us know that reading to and with our children and/or encouraging our children to read solo is one of the most important jobs that we as parents have.