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Read Across America on Dr. Seuss' Birthday
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National
Read Across America Day occurred in many varied ways in
Pleasant Valley this year. It
was “No Sweat” for the kids at Cody Elementary!
Students wore comfortable sweat clothes while they
participated in two unannounced Stop, Drop and Reads, and relaxed in
the “Rock & Read” area reading a book of their choice.
Book drives, partner reading, and Seuss hats could be seen
all around! The Cat in
the Hat actually appeared as a guest reader in several classrooms
around the district!
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Kate DiCamillo
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Kate DiCamillo says she likes to think of herself as a
storyteller. What wonderful stories she has to tell! She is author
of award winning books Because of Winn-Dixie, The Tale of
Despereaux, 2003 Newbery Award winner, and The Tiger Rising.
She recently completed a series of early chapter books about a pig
named Mercy Watson. Her latest story is The Miraculous Journey of
Edward Tulane. You will want to read and share Kate DiCamillo's
stories too. Author
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Good Boy, Fergus by
David Shannon
Fergus is a very
mischievous pet who likes to be in
charge! In the latest
of David Shannon’s books, Good Boy, Fergus! this memorable pooch
can be found chasing the neighborhood cat, digging up plants,
letting the fresh air fluff up his scruffy white fur while enjoying
a good car ride, and
begging for the family’s dinner under the kitchen table like
a “good boy” should!
Visit Scholastic's
website to find out more about David Shannon |
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The Great Fuzz Frenzy
by
Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens-Crummel
This is a hilarious
book! The prairie dogs
experience a fuzz frenzy when a tennis ball arrives in their prairie
dog hole. These
creative “dogs” experience
fun, greed, and teamwork as they try to figure out what to do with
the ball. Janet Stevens
and her sister, Susan
Stevens Crummel have created another great story!
Author
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The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate
DiCamillo
Edward Tulane is an arrogant,
cold-hearted china rabbit, owned by 10-year-old Abilene Tulane, who
loves him dearly. Edward's journey begins when he falls overboard on
an ocean voyage. As he is found and passed from one person to
another, his heart warms and grows and he learns what it means to
love. If you enjoyed The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery
Williams, you'll like Edward Tulane.
Kate
DiCamillo's website
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Bad Case of the Giggles by
Bruce Lansky
Laughter is a huge motivator! This anthology of poetry features the work of Shel
Silverstein, Jack Prelutsky, Judith Viorst and Bruce Lansky, too! Every poem in this book had to pass the official “Giggle
Test” at least 600 school children. It is a super pick that will
entertain even the most reluctant readers!
More fun with poetry @ Bruce
Lansky's Website
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Hope Was Here by Joan
Bauer In
the 2001 Honor Newbery Award Winning book, Hope was here, a
teenage girl changes her name from Tulip to Hope thinking that will
solve her life's problems. She quickly learns that no matter
how perfect a name one has, there are no guarantees it will bring
the perfect life. That aside, Hope does not let abandonment,
greed, poverty, or cancer stand in her way of being the best
waitress in the world! To
see what other great reads Joan Bauer has to offer visit Joan
Bauer's website. |
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Percy Jackson and the
Olympians: The Lightning Thief - Book One by Rick Riordan
12-year-old Percy has always had
problems at school, but when he goes on an adventurous quest to find
Zeus' lost thunderbolt and avert an uprising of the Greek Olympian
gods in the world today, he finds out who he truly is. If you like
this fast paced, action packed story, the sequel is coming out April
1, 2006.
Rick
Riordan's website
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Raising a Reader: Simple and Fun
Activities for Parents to Foster Reading Success
by Bonnie D. Schwartz
Simple and proven activities
that a parent can do to promote literacy in the home and encourage
children to explore the great adventures to be found in books. The
first step in fostering literacy and good reading strategies in
the home is to learn a little bit about how language is acquired
and how this affects the development of reading. The purpose of
this book is to expose parents to these processes and build a
knowledge base of basic games, activities, and strategies parents
can easily use at home to foster reading development.
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Reading Tip:
One great way to help children
understand a story is to use Creative Drama to enact the story after
you have shared a story together. Some possible activities
include:
- Act out the story
- Take an imagination journey back
through the story
- Create paper bag puppets and put
on a puppet show
- Retell the story to a familiar
tune like "Mary Had a Little Lamb.
For more suggestions on creative
drama, click here:
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Find
more tips for reading to preschoolers and reading to and with
children in kindergarten through grade 3 at these NEA websites
Tips
for Reading to Preschoolers
Tips
for Reading to and with Children in Kindergarten through Grade
3
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| Intermediate
Reading Tip:
It sounds simple, but reading aloud to children
should not end when your child learns to read by him or
herself. Reading continues to to be the primary strategy to
improve overall reading performance, especially vocabulary
development. Consider the following recommendations from RIF
as you share a great novel with your child:
- Continue to read at regular times and
spontaneously says: "I just read a great quote about last
night's game. Can I share it?"
- Respect preteens and teens by letting them keep
their views to themselves, when they wish. It's perfectly normal
for this age group to want to maintain privacy about some
things.
- Vary the read-aloud menu from light, engaging
items to longer, thought-provoking ones.
- Model thinking about what you read by stopping
to discuss a key point. "I never thought of it that way.
What do you think?"
- Stimulate discussion by asking open-ended
questions that don't have right or wrong answers, but instead,
invite thinking and learning: "How do you feel
about...?" "What was your take on...?" "When
did you realize she was going to...?"
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NEA tips for reading to and with
children in 4th through 6th
grades
The
National Education Association
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Family
Literacy Foundation's mission is to facilitate supportive
relationships for children through family and friends reading
aloud with them.
Family
Literacy Foundation
"The single most important activity for building the
knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud
to children." (National Commission of Reading)
Family
Literacy Foundation Read Aloud link |
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A terrific website for children and
adults. Jan Brett has an enormous selection of activities to
accompany her books
www.janbrett.com |
| Archived Issues of Parents and
Literacy:
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District Media Center
Links:
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