June 15th, 2010 by The Reading Lady
When children are learning to read, most of their mental energy is on decoding the words on the page. While we often think that we can multi-task, the truth is that our brains can really only devote mental energy to one task at a time. For children learning to read, this means that while they are spending time focusing on identifying the words on the page, they have very little mental energy left for understanding what they are reading. The key to helping children move from beginning readers to fluent readers is practice. Reading is a participation sport – the more you do it, the better you become. It is as simple as that. So, how do we get children to read more? The answer is simple. We find books that children love to read. Take your child to the library where there are thousands of books just waiting to be explored. Seek the help of the children’s librarian to suggest books that appeal to children in the areas of your child’s interest. Once you have identified those books and the type of books that your child enjoys reading, find as many like that as you can and then have your child read the books to you. It can be a fun time and your child will be building skills that will last a lifetime.
June 5th, 2010 by The Reading Lady
While teens have a million excuses for not reading in the summer, a fun way to get your teenage child to read is to mutually choose a book to read together. When mom or dad reads the same book and can talk about the book with their teen, interest is often much greater in reading. Discuss the kinds of genre you both enjoy and then take a trip together to the book store to find a book that you both would enjoy reading and discussing. Develop a time line for reading the chapters and then set specific times to meet to discuss the book together over a cool summer beverage of choice. Take turns highlighting passages you liked or descriptions in the book that you found particularity interesting or vivid. Be sure to share your predictions and “I wonder” questions with your teen as well as you discuss the plot and action of the book. You both will enjoy the book a lot more and you just may learn more about one another in the process.
May 15th, 2010 by The Reading Lady
Wow – school will be ending soon! It’s hard to believe that another school year will soon be coming to a close. This is a great time to go to the library or find great online reading sites to help your child continue to grow and develop his or her reading skills. While summer is a time for fun and relaxation, it is also a time when children lose some of their skills or “regress” a bit due to not using those reading skills on a daily basis. While it is ok to give kid a break, be sure to plan some time to continue to read and share books together so that your child’s skills can remain sharp. Take your child to the library or book store and let him browse until he finds the books that interest him and that he will want to spend some quite time reading and enjoying. Our actions continue to speak louder than our words so your child should also see you take some well deserved “down time” with a good book in our hands. Be sure to ask your local children’s librarian for some suggestions based on your child’s interests. Summer can be filled with swimming, playing and above all, good books.
April 30th, 2010 by The Reading Lady
We all know we should read to our children every day but life is busy. Have you ever found yourself feeling guilty because you missed a day of reading to or with your child? It happens – so forgive yourself and move on. Tomorrow is another day to share that daily read and favorite book. While making reading a daily “habit” is beneficial and important, the earth won’t end if we miss a day every now and then. There are many other ways that children develop strong language and literacy skills. First of all, talk to your child about what is happening all around him. Don’t limit your vocabulary to “children’s language” but instead, use the same sophisticated words with your children as you normally do around other adults. Children need to hear language – LOTS of language – on a daily basis to expand their own understandings of how language works and is used in daily life. Young children like to “try out” the things they hear to see how new words work for them. Use language rich in idioms and explain those idioms when necessary to help your child understand how words work. Young children catch on quickly and will learn to process at higher levels if you do. So, while daily reading is certainly encouraged to develop good literacy skills, remember that you are also building vocabulary and literacy skills in your children on a daily basis each time you open your mouth.
April 15th, 2010 by The Reading Lady
Children love mystery stories and figuring out “whodunit” puzzles. The Library of Congress is currently publishing The Exquisite Corpse Adventure which is an ongoing mystery saga written by 18 different authors. The site also contains a Literacy Resource Treasure Chest of information for parents on reading with kids, helping children improve their reading and great books for children of all ages. The site also has some video discussions and interviews with authors and experts that are very informative and interesting. This is definitely a not to be missed website and one that can be fun for the whole family.
April 10th, 2010 by The Reading Lady
A fun way to help your preschooler build strong letter-sound recognition is by sharing what are called “ABC books.” An ABC book is a book where each letter of the alphabet appears on a separate page along with a colorful picture that begins with the letter being featured on the page. As the book progresses, children see each letter along with one or more words that being with the specific letter. By helping your child learn to recognize the letter, it’s shape and the primary sound it makes, you are helping your child become more aware of the sounds of our language. The stronger your child becomes in this skill, the better reader he or she will become so be sure to share lots of ABC books with your preschooler!
March 30th, 2010 by The Reading Lady
Many of us grew up reading the wonderful rhymes of Mother Goose and enjoying the sing-song rhymes and playful language in these fun rhymes. What our parents didn’t know though, was that playing with language and making rhymes were a great way to help small children learn the “lilt” of their language. Children who play with rhyme and listen to stories with a lot of rhyme are helpful to developing a child’s sense of phonemic awareness. When a child enters school with a well developed sense of language and rhyme, they learn to read much faster than do children who do not bring this same understanding of language to school. So, the next time you hear your child making rhymes out of the words s/he hears encourage him and share in the fun word play. You will be helping your child strengthen his or her reading potential.
March 27th, 2010 by The Reading Lady
Giving children the “gift” of reading is one of the greatest gifts a parent can give his or her child especially in this fast-paced, digital world. Here are some ways to help you toddler between the ages of 2-3 learn how special books can be. Read with your child even if it is only for a few minutes every day so your child comes to expect that books will be a part of every day life. Encourage the child to help bring his or her favorite books to you so you can read together. Point to the pictures and say the names of objects aloud. Encourage the child to point to the pictures and also repeat the words after you. Talk to your child about the thing that are happening during the day since strong verbal skills make strong readers. Encourage your child to “pretend read” or to “tell” you the story by looking at the pictures. Provide paper and crayons and encourage your child to scribble, draw pictures and to pretend write letters to you and other family members. Celebrate reading each day and your child will grow up also valuing reading and the joys of print.
March 5th, 2010 by The Reading Lady
While life is really busy for all of us these days, children need routine in their life to help them focus on the tasks they need to do. Just as athletes learn their sport by practicing, it is vital that our children learn to read by actually reading. While we want children to enjoy just “being a kid” and having some free time, it is also important for our children to have established times that they devote to “practicing reading” as well. Some families like to set aside 15-20 minutes before dinner while others like to do this after dinner. While when you schedule this time isn’t important, it is important that you make sure that there is a specific time built into each day for children to practice reading. When children know what to expect on a daily basis there is less resistance to taking the time to practice their reading. They soon learn the family routine and fall into making daily reading just another part of their day.
February 25th, 2010 by The Reading Lady
This is the last post in this series of what students should be able to do by the end of each of the grade levels if they are developing according to expectations. By third grade, children should be reading fairly fluently and should have a good command of the reading process. They should be reading longer fiction books containing chapters independently and be able to learn by reading. Children should be able to summarize the major points from fiction or nonfiction and be able to identify the major theme or message in a story. S/he should be able to ask “how,” “why” and “what-if” types of questions about nonfictional text and use the information to express opinions or make hypotheses. In writing, the child should be able to not only write but also to combine information from multiple sources into a report format. The child should be able to review his or her own writing for spelling and grammar and make revisions to improve the writing. The end of third grade marks the end of “learning to read” and from 4th grades on, children are expected to use “reading to learn.”
