Joy Reading

My goal for Owen is that he will LOVE to read. I want reading to be a JOY for him. This was also my goal when I was teaching first grade. So every morning we had JOY READING. My students knew to come quietly into the classroom, put their backpacks on a hook, put their home lunch (if they had one) in the bin, put their homework and "green go home" folders in their cubbies and then quietly sit down and read. Each group of desks had a small tub with various books inside. They could choose any book (one at a time) and read as many as they could in the 10 minutes that I gave them. 

I did this for a few reasons:

1. It reminded my students that once they entered my classroom, they were there to learn.

2. It helped get their minds ready for learning.

3. It helped them forget about how they lost their place in line when lining up outside and begin to focus on the day ahead.

4. It gave me some quiet time to take their homework out of their folders and take attendance, as well as speak to any parents who might be lingering at the doorway. :)

5. It helped my students love to read and understand that it is important that we do it daily.

I rotated their tubs daily and then switched the books out weekly. I tried to stay organized. :)

It was also important that our classroom always have a comfy place to read where there are plenty of books to choose from.

Now, how do we do this at home?

First off, we need to be organized and have books easily accessible to our children. Owen doesn't have many that he's interested in quite yet, but there is a basket underneath an end table in our front room filled with his favorites.

There is also a bookshelf with some classic picture books in his room.

Next, you need to make a comfortable and inviting place for your child to read. Whether it's a fun bean bag chair or fort, make it enjoyable. 

Last, you need to be involved. You need to read to and with your child as often as possible. Cuddle while reading or let your child read to you. Make it a special time. This way your child will have positive feelings when she thinks about reading and her love of reading will continue to grow as you help her nourish it.

I can't wait to continue to do this with my son! 

What do you do with your children to foster a love and joy of reading?

The Phonics Dance & GIVEAWAY!!!!

As a former 2nd grade teacher I struggled finding a fun, engaging, and EFFECTIVE way to teach my students phonics. I searched high and low for ideas and methods that might help me to succeed in teaching phonics. It wasn't until half way through my second year of teaching that I came across this website:

 THE PHONICS DANCE. 

After researching and then asking several colleagues in my school district about this program (which no one knew anything about) I decided to give it a whirl. Well folks, I was sold! I ordered the CD and the first lesson manual. It was right up my alley and my class LOVED it! It is SO engaging, fun, and INCREDIBLY EFFECTIVE! 

Here is a little explanation on what the Phonics Dance actually is:

"The Phonics Dance!™ is a quick and easy way for primary grade 

educators to teach phonics and increase the reading and writing skills 

of each and every student in your classroom. It is multilevel learning at 

its best, and can provide success for all students, regardless of their 

developmental level. This is a nationally recognized program which is 

based on research and meets the standards for the Leave no Child 

Behind Law.

This Six Step Program offers learning through cost free strategies that 

incorporate rhyme, movement and chant. Building on phonemic 

awareness, students become confident, successful writers. In the 

process they develop strong decoding skills through the use of 

“hunking and chunking” to build poise and fluency in reading. Learn 

how to use your word wall to teach all your language arts concepts!"

I think the most exciting thing about this program is that it actually makes learning Phonics understandable for children. It makes sense! Although this program is geared for teachers, it would be a great resource to use at home to supplement your child's learning. I'm thinking SUMMER! (hint hint) :) This program is created for children ages 4-10 (grades Pre-Kindergarten-3rd grade). If you are trying to help your child with reading and decoding words. This is an excellent investment! I would highly recommend buying the CD and book to start.

      

View THE PHONICS DANCE products page here: PRODUCTS

I also noticed that Virgina Dowd (creator and author) has made a CD for math. 

Hmmmm...I might just have to get that one!  

And just because we LOVE all of you SO much and love THE PHONICS DANCE so much...

For our EASTER GIVEAWAY we are going to give one lucky winner their very own PHONICS DANCE CD!!!

Here is how you can win this amazing CD:

1. Make sure you follow our blog by clicking under FOLLOWERS!

2. Get a friend (or 2, or 3) to follow our blog. 

3. Add our button to your own blog. 

4. Post a link to our blog on Facebook explaining the giveaway.

5. Leave a comment saying you have done all of the above and what feature you like most about our blog.

THANKS! Spread the word! Good luck!

The winner will be announced on Easter night!

Pass the Plate....

A fun, easy and cheap game.

This is a timed game where a group of children (or just you and your child) sit in a circle with a paper plate. Give them (or your child) an allotted time to write as many words as they can in a certain category as they pass the plate. Your child or the group of children can receive points for the amount of words they write. To make it fun, play a song and when it stops or when you pause it,  your child or the group will know they need to stop. I played this with my students and had them put their marker or pencil up in the air when the song stopped so I would know they weren't writing still. 

Ideas for categories: 

Word Families.....If you have a first or second grade child you know what they are. A word family is a group of words that all have something in common. An example of a word family is "ate" found in plate, skate, fate, slate, etc. All of these words have the ending "ate" thus making them a word family. If this is the family you're working on then write "ate" in the middle of the plate with large letters. To play the game your child will write one word that ends in "ate" somewhere on the plate, then he will pass it to you and it will be your turn. OR he will continue to write as many words as possible until you stop the music or say times up! Either way provides great vocabulary practice as well as spelling, reading and writing practice.

Grammar: Write the word "noun" in the middle of the plate and have your child write words that are nouns: person, place, thing or an animal around the word. Of course this can be done with adjective, verb, pronoun, adverb and so on. 

Math: Write "+2 for #'s 1-10" your child will then take all the numbers, 1 through 10, and add 2 to them. He will write his addition sentence like so: 1+2=3 another one would be 2+2=4 and 3+2=4...and so on. Of course you can do this with any math fact: -5 for #'s 10 through 20 OR X's 5 for # 1 through 5. Anything can work!

I'm sure as you think about this game more and more ideas will pop into your mind that can individually help YOUR child with skills she's working on in school at home.

Make it FUN. Give "skittle" points for correct answers or stickers to tell her she's done a great job. This will be a fun way to practice at home and make your child WANT TO LEARN. Just another trick to pull out of your bag! This handy game can be taken ANYWHERE, in the car, on vacation or to grandma's house. 

Have fun with it!

Good Readers Think!

Comprehension is a very important part of becoming a good reader. When you are reading with your child remind him to ask these questions will he's reading independently...and you can ask him these questions too!

I wonder.....

I predict.....

It reminds me of....

In my mind I see....

It makes me feel.....

I like the part about....

In my opinion.....

Easy enough, right? By asking your child these questions as well as teaching him to think about them as he reads, you are helping your child become the best reader he can be. As your child comprehends the text better, he will become a faster (more fluent) reader. He will also be more engaged in his story, allowing him to ENJOY what he's reading, thus increasing his LOVE of reading. 

All really, really great reasons to help your child with comprehension!!

Books for Your Beginning Readers

Hi there! So I LOVE when I get questions from readers! We got a question saying "What books do you recommend for a beginning reader?"....So after much thought and searching....I came up with THIS list and a few pointers when selecting books for your new reader.

Questions to think about when choosing a book for your new reader:

1. What does the book look like?

Look for books with 20 pages or less (if you are reading it to her) or 20 words total or less (is she is independently reading it), that have illustrations AND text on each page. Sequential readers are a great option to start with. These books are labeled with "levels" such as "level 1" or "level A". A level 1  or level A book is generally for readers ages 3 to 6 and a level 2 or level B book is generally appropriate for children ages 4 to 8.

(Notice the level 1 on the upper right side of the cover).

2. Is the vocabulary appropriate for your new reader?

Skim through the book and look at the words. Are they too big or are they "foreign" in your child's daily vocabulary? It is great to have a few words that are new that can challenge your child; however, we DO NOT want to frustrate your child. Have your child read the first page or two to you and if she can read it fluently (with less than a few mistakes) then it is a great fit for her. However, if she can't get through the first sentence with out you helping her with almost every word, then it's too hard.

3. Will your child enjoy it?

You don't want to find a book just because it is on the perfect level but not very enjoyable. A key aspect of learning to love to read, is finding books your reader LOVES. This will keep him engaged and want to CONTINUE to read....which is our goal!

Also, find stories your child can relate to: going to school, meeting new friends, etc. Rhyming and rhythmic stories are engaging too.

Now for the LIST:

Any of the "I Can Read" books are a MUST when choosing books for your beginner reader. Some of the series include: Frog and Toad (my FAVORITE!!), Amelia Badelia, Dr. Seuss, Fancy Nancy, and Little Bear.

And the list continues....These are books both you and your little one can read together or to each other. Some books will be too difficult, but they are VERY engaging. It is just as important for YOU to read to your new reader as it is for your child to read to you. 

Have fun with these!

(Pictures and summaries taken from Scholastic).

Butterfly House

by Eve Bunting

After she saves a black creature from a greedy jay, a girl decides to raise it. With the help of her grandfather, the girl makes a home for the creature until it turns into a butterfly and must be set...

Eloise

by Kay Thompson

Eloise lives at The Plaza Hotel on the top floor with her Nanny while her mother is away. She is very busy with her daily activities, although the hotel staff sometimes wishes she would do something else.

Eloise series

Kitten's First Full Moon

by Kevin Henkes

From one of the most celebrated and beloved picture book creators working in the field today comes a memorable new character and a suspenseful adventure just right for the very youngest. It is Kitten's...

Miss Nelson Is Missing

by Harry Allard

The unruly students in room 207 learn their lesson when a stern new teacher arrives.

Miss Nelson series

No, David!

by David Shannon

Five-year-old David is told "No" over and over again for the mischievous things he does. Very humorous pictures make this Caldecott Honor book a delight for young readers who always hear these...

No, David! series

Olivia Counts

by Ian Falconer

Count along with Olivia! Toddlers will join everyone's favorite piglet as they learn to count from one to ten.

Olivia series

The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs

by Jon Scieszka

An irresistible "revisionist" retelling of the traditional tale will become a classroom hit. "Alexander T. Wolf endeavors to set the record straight, and he does an admirable job of it."...

And to continue this lovely list....

Recommended Authors: (Some of this list was also taken from Scholastic).
Frank Asch
Norman Bridwell (Clifford Books)
Marc Tolon Brown (Arthur Books)
Jan Brett
Eric Carle
Nancy Carlson
Caron Cohen (How Many Fish)
Donald Crews (Ten Black Dots / School Bus / Freight Train / Rain / Truck)
Doreen Cronin (Giggle, Giggle, Quack / Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type)
Jamie Lee Curtis (Today I Feel Silly and Other Moods / It's Hard to Be Five)
Dom Deluise (Charlie the Caterpillar)
Lois Ehlert (Growing Vegetable Soup / Waiting for Wings / Planting a Rainbow)
Don Freeman (Corduroy Books)
Gail Gibbons (Apples / Grizzly Bears / Bats / Panda Bears)
Kevin Henkes (Wemberly Worried / Owen / Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse)
Amy Hest (Off to School Baby Duck / In the Rain with Baby Duck)
Tana Hoban
Pat Hutchins
Jack Ezra Keats (The Snowy Day / A Letter to Amy / Dreams / Pet Show / Whislte for Willie)
Keiko Kauza "The Wolf's Chicken Stew" (GoodReads rating)
Robert Kraus (Whose Mouse Are You? & Spider's First Day at School)
Helen Lester (Tacky the Penguin)
Bill Martin
Mercer Mayer
Al Perkins (The Nose Book / The Digging-est Dog)
Anne Rockwell (Apples and Pumpkins / Clouds / Career Day)
Marilyn Sadler (It's Not Easy Being a Bunny / Honey Bunny Funny)
Shel Silversteen (The Giving Tree, Where the Sidewalk Ends, A Light in the Attic)
Peter Spier
Dr. Seuss books
Rosemary Wells (Max & Ruby, and Bunny)
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Mo Willems Pigeon books
Audrey Wood
Author of the Month

Whew! That was a long list! I hope you can use these authors/titles to help build your at-home library. 

Please let us know if you have any more questions! We sure LOVE hearing from you!!!

 

Letter Cards and Pictures

There are ENDLESS possibilities with letter cards and picture cards. 

You can purchase letter cards and picture cards from any teacher supply store or I have seen them at the dollar store and grocery stores. If you'd rather not purchase them, you can easily make them by printing off pictures and making letters on a word document. Either way works great!

This activity can be effective for a wide range of ages/grades. Below I will give you some ideas of ways you can use this activity to help your child gain a better knowledge of letters and their sounds. This activity builds phonemic awareness; a key component of becoming a great reader and writer.

1. Match the letter to the beginning sound of the picture.

2. Play memory. This game is so versatile, easy and fun. I used it all the time with my first graders to practice vocabulary skills, spelling words, reading and writing skills, and math. You can play it however you want! Below is an example of matching the letter to the beginning sound of the picture. You can also match letters to letters (i.e. b and b) or letters to the ending sound of the picture (n to the picture of a hen). Have your child say the letter and it's sound 3 times when she turns over the letter card and have her say the name of the picture when she turns over the picture card. Have her do this each time she turns over a card so she is ALWAYS learning.

3. Verbal practice. You can simply point to the picture and have your child tell you the beginning sound it makes, or the middle, or the end, or all three!

4. Match the letter to an object in the house. 

(B for Book)

5. Writing. While you are cooking or cleaning or just hanging out with your child, have him write (on paper, with paint, on a white board, using magnets on the fridge) the letter of the beginning sound of objects that are around you. As you're cooking you might point to the Stove and ask your child to write the beginning letter of Stove. It is helpful to point to the object so your child can see and hear the word you are saying. For more advanced children, you can have him write the entire word, write the middle vowel, or ending consonant. You can always switch things up by having your child use different methods of writing (as mentioned earlier) to make it fun and exciting. 

Lastly, with any of these activities, you can switch roles and have your child be the teacher and you be the student! Children LOVE this and they continue to learn as they teach you! 

This activity can be adapted to children as young as 3 years old and up to children as old as 10...or older! Have fun creating new ways to help your children become better readers and writers, as they continue to LOVE to learn.

The Basis of Reading

I always get asked by moms when they should introduce books to their children. The answer is, as soon as possible! Some people thought it was crazy that I was reading to Owen when he was just 2 months old. However, research has proven that babies as young as 2 months can begin to focus on the words in front of them as well as listen to the reader's voice. Therefore making reading important as early as infancy.

Reading aloud is just as important as having your child read to you. As children listen to you read, they begin to pick up on words just by looking at the text. These "sight words" help build their vocabulary and their reading skills. In addition, children hear how your voice fluctuates as you read a story and they begin to mimic your voice allowing them to become more fluent readers. Fluency is the rate at which your child can read (words per minute). 

Now back to the babies. Read with them! Sit down and put your baby in your lap as you show him the book while you read. Point to pictures as you say the words. Use your voice to entertain him. Your baby will get used to sitting still while reading together as well as the "rules" of reading: i.e. holding the book the right way, turning the pages, etc. Your baby will also find it soothing to hear your voice, just as he did in the womb.

As your baby gets older (say around 6 months) let him hold the book and try turning the pages. I love putting books out as part of my one year old's "toys" so he can "read" whenever he wants to...and you know what, he does! We have tons of board books that are simple: one word and one picture. We also have touch and feel books which are awesome for developing his senses. I have noticed his vocabulary increasing as we read more often. We have included reading time into our routine as well. I began this ritual when he was just 2 months old. We read 2 stories (it's important to do the same amount of books each time) right before bed, every night. I of course also read to him throughout the day. We read signs outside, we read words we've made on the fridge with magnets, I show him the labels on food and drinks in our kitchen as we eat. Language is all around us and it's our job to subject our children to it as often as possible!

 

(6 months)

As your child gets older, you can buy books with CDs or tapes. Your little one can "read" along as he listens to the story being told. This is called a Read Aloud.  

Click Here to see The Very Hungry Caterpillar board book and CD sold on Amazon.

(9 months)

Make reading fun and adventurous early on and you will instill a life-long love of reading in your child.

There will be many more posts about reading in the future! As always, please feel free to leave a specific question and we'll get back to you.

 Happy Reading!!