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Visit Your School Library
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School libraries make a
difference!
School
libraries are important for student achievement. Across the
United States, research has shown that students in schools
with good school libraries learn more, get better grades, and
score higher on standardized tests than their peers in schools
without libraries. In Iowa, library media program development
alone accounts for 2.5 percent variation in reading scores for
4th and 8th graders. To read a complete
report on the impact of school library programs in the state
of Iowa read
Make the Connection. |
Joy Cowley
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Joy
Cowley of Wellington, New Zealand, has been writing for almost
fifty years. She began writing for one of her sons who had
difficulty learning to read. Since the late 1960’s Joy has
written more than 600 books for young readers. Her book The
Red- Eyed Tree Frog, was the 1999 winner of
the Boston Globe Horn Picture Book Award. Beautiful
photographs by Nic Bishop accompany the story of a night in
the life of a red-eyed tree frog. . To learn more about this prolific writer visit
her website.
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Duck and
Goose by Tad Hills
In this
humorous story about friendship Duck and Goose simultaneously
lay claim to a round object that they believe is an egg. The
finders keepers dispute ranges from how much time they should
sit on the egg to how they should raise the hatchling. The
reader quickly realizes that the object is not an egg, but a
ball. The two noodle headed poultry characters learn about
getting along, sharing, and settling one’s differences in this
wonderful read aloud.
Read more about the author:
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Carrot
Soup by John Segal
Rabbit loves
carrot soup! In the spring Rabbit plants his carrot seeds and
patiently cares for his garden. At harvest time Rabbit hurries
to his garden only to find that his beloved carrot crop has
disappeared! He angrily approaches friend after friend asking
if they know what happened to his carrots. He returns home to
find his house full of friends and bowls of carrot soup!
Rabbit’s recipe for carrot soup is included.
Author's
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Clementine
by Sara Pennypacker
Clementine, a lively 8 year old, is always
getting into trouble. Even though she notices every detail in
the world around her, she is constantly being told to “pay
attention” at school. The wild questions popping into her head
just have to be answered! Follow Clementine as she tries to
come up with creative solutions for her problems. Junie B.
Jones fans will love this book! Look for a sequel in March
2007
More About Clementine |
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Room One: A
Mystery or Two by Andrew Clements
The town of Plattsford, Nebraska is dying. Businesses are
closing and families are moving away. Ted is the only 6th
grader in a one-room school of 9 students. He loves mysteries
and sees himself as an amateur detective. One day on his paper
route, he sees a girl’s face in the window of an abandoned
farmhouse. In this modern day mystery Ted is challenged to
help a family in need and find a way to keep his hometown
alive.
Author’s website
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Firegirl
by Tony Abbott
Tom Bender’s
life is changed forever when Jessica Feeney joins his 7th
grade class at St. Catherine’s’ School. Jessica is disfigured
from a severe burn and is receiving treatment at a hospital
near the school. In first person point of view, Tom tells how
each class member reacts to Jessica’s presence. This short
novel will leave a big impact on its readers.
Author's
website
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Silverfin
by Charlie Higson
This
adventure novel, set in England during the 1930’s, is the
story of James Bond at age 13. James is new at Eton School for
boys. On a school break James accompanies his friend Red Kelly
to Scotland to try to solve the disappearance of Red’s cousin.
They become involved in a dangerous plot to take over the
world. First in the Young Bond series this book will appeal to
readers who like plenty of action.
More
information on the Young Bond series
http://www.youngbond.com/
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Parent
Resource:
Books and Beyond: New Ways to Reach Readers,
by Michael F. Opitz and Michael P. Ford with Matthew D.
Zbarcki:
This book is
published by Heinemann and suggest ways to model reading and
literate behaviors so that students understand that reading is
“not reserved for the classroom but permeates everything that
adults do.” A sample chapter may be found at
www.heinemann.com.
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Primary Readers:
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Making the
leap from listening to writing is a big step for children.
We are teaching them to put symbols with the sounds that
they have been hearing since birth. Reading is not an innate
practice—EVERYONE must learn a system of symbols to
represent an oral language. Spend some time writing with
your child to help him/her improve reading skills.
- Start a
family journal. Have your child write a note to you in the
journal at the completion of homework time each day. Then
you respond to the child in writing either answering a
question or posing a new one. The moments captured in
writing are precious for years to come.
Intermediate Readers:
- Spark an
interest in a subject area with your child and make a trip
to the library to find a “Just Right” book about your
child’s favorite topic. Some suggestions may include:
horses/animals, teenagers, cars, poetry, music, mysteries,
biographies, television, radio, nature….
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Encourage your child to read newspapers and magazines. The
articles are short and oftentimes engaging. ALL time spent
reading will help improve skills. Children will read
articles that are interesting even if the material is above
his/her reading level. This can be a fun way to help your
child gain new vocabulary words.
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Get
Ready to Read
Get Ready to
Read is a site for beginning readers. The activities are
literacy related and engaging. Characters from Public
Television (Gus and Inky from Read Between the Lions)
are used as guides through “Underwater Adventures.” The young
learner must help Gus and Inky write notes, answer questions,
and solve rhyming puzzles in order to complete the adventure.
Parents—use the buttons along the left-hand side of the site
homepage to link to activities and reading information geared
for the young learner.
Reading Answers
This site
answers frequently asked reading questions posed by parents.
The site is also a good resource for at-home literacy
resources, tips for parents of struggling learners, and ideas
for extending the learning of gifted and talented learners.
Create-a-Reader.com:
Create-a-Reader.com
is a literacy program that takes a student from beginning
reading to a third grade reading level. It is tailored to your
child’s pace of learning. Create-a-Reader is a supplemental
tool that can be used with any literacy program. The program
includes printable materials and activities for both reading and math.
The graphics, music and voices are engaging for young readers.
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Archived
Issues of Parents and Literacy:
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District Media Center
Links:
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