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| Reading
News: Alan Katz visits PV | |
| Featured
Author: Rick Riordan | |
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Pleasant Valley students and staff
had a wonderful time visiting with author Alan Katz in April. Mr.
Katz is the author of the Silly Dilly Song books such as Take Me
Out of the Bathtub, Going, Going, Gone, Where
Did They Hide My Presents?, and many other titles. We laughed
and sang and laughed some more as he presented his hilarious songs
and poems to the students, staff, and parents.
Alan Katz
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Rick Riordan is the author of the extremely
popular Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. These
bestselling titles are an exciting combination of fast-paced
contemporary adventure and Greek mythology. The final installment,
The Last Olympian, will be published in May, 2009. He
is also the author of # 1 bestseller The 39 Clues: The Maze of
Bones, as well as many award-winning mystery books for adults.
Author's Website |
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The Recess Queen by
Alexis O'Neill. Illustrations by Laura Huliska-Beith.
Mean Jean, the Recess Queen, rules
the playground. She strongarms her classmates and is the bully in
charge. But, when tiny Katie Sue arrives, things change! This is a
great read-aloud about a wonderfully spunky heroine who isn't afraid
to stand up to a bully.
Author's website |
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An Undone Fairy Tale by
Ian Lendler. Illustrations by Whitney Martin.
A truly unique and utterly hilarious
book about a common fairy tale with a real twist – it’s not quite
done. That’s because the story’s “illustrator” Ned is making the
pictures up as we read along, and he can’t quite keep up (so read
slowly, please!). Be ready for fish wearing tutus, attacking
pretzels, purple popsicle walls and all sorts of not-quite-right
parts to this laugh aloud story.
Book Review |
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Pirate School: Ahoy, Ghost Ship Ahead! by Brian James.
Arrr, matey. Welcome to Pirate School, where Pete and his friends live
aboard a ship called the Sea Rat. The kids hope to become real
pirates, but a nasty first mate named Rotten Tooth will do anything to
stop them from learning. An easier fiction book, but lots of fun.
Book Review |
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Takedown: Winning Season
by Rich Wallace.
Strong, wiry, and lightweight, Donald
seems to have the perfect combination of physical attributes for
wrestling. And after seeing a high school wrestling match, he’s
excited to join Hudson City’s middle-school team. The work-outs are
grueling, and he loses his first few matches, but Donald’s most
difficult obstacle is his temper. This is part of a series of
sports books called Winning Season. Other series titles include books
about baseball, football, track, soccer, and hockey.
About the Author |
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The Demigod
Files: Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan.
How do you handle an
encounter with Medusa on the New Jersey interstate? What's the best
way to take down a minotaur? Become an expert on everything in
Percy's world with this must-have guide. Complete with interviews,
puzzles, games, and original short stories by Rick Riordan. The
Demigod Files will delight fans with its witty, in-depth
"field-guide" approach to the series. Book 5 of the series is due in
May, 2009.
More about Percy Jackson and the Olympians |
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Dark Whispers by Bruce
Coville. The long awaited
Book III in the Unicorn Chronicles, this is an epic fantasy adventure
by a master storyteller. Cara’s father, Ian, and two unlikely
companions are searching for Cara’s mother, who has been hidden in the
Rainbow Prison by Beloved, archenemy of the unicorns. Cara embarks on
her own dangerous mission to seek the truth about the mysterious
Whisperer and to possibly prevent Beloved from invading Luster. The
fast-paced multiple plotlines lead to a riveting cliff-hanging
conclusion. Book IV, The Last Hunt, is now in progress.
Series
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Deconstructing Penguins: Parent's,
Kids, and the Bond of Reading by Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone.
The leaders of a parent-child book
group and authors of Out of the Flames share their secrets for
transforming children into dynamic and enthusiastic readers, offering
suggestions on what books parents should read with their children and
explaining how to talk to children about literature. Random
House, 2005
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Primary
Reading Tip: Success in school starts with reading.
When children
become good readers in the early grades, they are more likely to
become better learners throughout their school years and beyond.
Learning to read is hard work for children. Fortunately,
research is now available that suggests how to give each child a good
start in reading.
Becoming a reader involves the development of important
skills, including learning to:
- use
language in conversation
- listen
and respond to stories read aloud
- recognize
and name the letters of the alphabet
- listen
to the sounds of spoken language
- connect
sounds to letters to figure out the "code" of reading
- read
often so that recognizing words becomes easy and automatic
- learn
and use new words
- understand
what is read
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Preschool and kindergarten
teachers set the stage for your child to learn to read with some
critical early skills. First, second, and third grade teachers then
take up the task of building the skills that children will use every
day for the rest of their lives. As a parent, you can help by
understanding what teachers are teaching and by asking questions about
your child's progress and the classroom reading program.
You can also help your
children become readers. Learning to read takes practice, more
practice than children get during the school day. This site describes
what a quality reading program should look like at school and how you
can support that program through activities with your children.
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Intermediate
Reading Tip: 5 Ways to Raise a Reader
1. Start a family book group.
2. Sign up your child for an e-mail newsletter on any subject — from
dinosaurs to pop music — that interests her/him.
3. Make the connection between fact and fiction. For example, if your
child loves stories about animals, show him a newspaper article about
animals, zoos, or wildlife.
4. Introduce him/her to lighter fare like detective novels, short
stories, magazines or comic books that are relaxing and fun to read.
5. Show your child that you're a reader. Kids are more likely to grow
up loving reading if they see you enjoy it too.
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Quick Click: 5 Ways to Raise a Reader
Scholastic Books - Parent page
Scholastic Parents is an online
source for the latest information and advice on learning and
development, family life, and school success.
Parents can find articles,
ideas, and suggestions topics such as homework, reading, book choices,
study tips, and skill builders for ages preschool to 8th grade.
Evaluating
a Good Website:
All About
Explorers
This is an interesting site
developed by teachers to help students understand the need to read
carefully when choosing websites for research. It lists biographies
for several famous explorers, except that the information is wrong.
The site appears genuine, but unless the students read it first they
could be fooled. This is a great way to steer students away from
plagiarism and the bad habit of copying and pasting online
information. Some quality research sites are included, as well as
worksheets to compare the different sites. |
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Archived Issues of Parents and
Literacy:
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District Media Center
Links:
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