Category Archives: Reading and Literacy

Take a Trip to the Library

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Melinda

Weekly field trips are easy ways to introduce your children to culture, science and animals. Museums are chock full of fun and learning for any subject matter that comes to mind. Checking out your own community will produce lots of interesting places to visit. But don’t forget about your local library.

Libraries are often forgotten about when it comes to finding new places to explore. Books are looked at as work and education from kids. My own son used to groan at the thought of reading before bedtime. He would much rather watch television or play a video game. It took introducing new characters and storylines to develop an appreciation of books and how they can make you feel.

Trips to the library are now treats for my children. They each have large bookcases in their own rooms, filled with books of all kinds but they get excited when it’s time to discover something new on a shelf.

Row and row and shelf after shelf of colors and words draws them in. They judge books by their cover and illustrations inside. If it doesn’t catch their eye they keep moving. I sit and wait until armfuls of books are brought back to me. We go through each selection together to make sure the subject matter is appropriate and interesting.

Lately audio books have been making their way into our bags. My son now likes to fall asleep to the rhythmic soothing voices of someone telling him a story. He may not finish a story that night but will just start over again the next night.

The library is a museum, a museum of stories of life before us and events that will never happen. The stories will open up your child’s mind and encourage them to create stories of their own or share the stories they’ve fallen in love with.

Next time when you are thinking of a new adventure to take with your children keep the library in mind. Yours may offers classes, story times, author readings and more. You may be surprised at what you find.

7 Journal Prompts to Inspire Writing with Details

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Julie Meyers Pron

Earlier this month, we discussed helping your child learn to use describing words and details in conversation as a key to improving writing skills. Below are writing prompts to help inspire children to write with details.

As you prompt children to write, it’s important to use the same techniques that we suggested for conversation: ask questions, discuss feelings and give them time. Children should be encouraged to go back and reread what they’ve written, adding, deleting and making changes. It also helps to put it down for a little while and come back to writing later.

7 writing prompts to inspire writing with details

Your school or neighborhood is going to host a carnival and you’re going to be in charge of one of the games. Describe your game. What supplies will you need? How will you decorate the area? What will participants need to do? How will you challenge them?

It’s Create a Monster Day! Write about a monster that no one has ever seen before using describing words that will scare anyone who reads it. Don’t forget to include how the monster affects all 5 senses.

Describe today through the eyes of your pet (or the pet you wish you had.) Think about how things are different from where your pet is. Does he call your mom “Mom”? Would does he smell the same things you smell? What does the world look like to him and what does he do all day? How does he feel?

You just found a large brown box with a big red bow wrapped around it. You opened it and inside was another box and bow. Then another… and another. Describe all the boxes shapes, sizes, colors, and wrappings as they get smaller and smaller until you finally open the last box. Then describe what was inside as you open the last one.

Go back to the box activity and describe your feelings as you open the boxes. Is it fun? Do your feelings and anticipation change as you open more? Are some more difficult to open than others? Don’t forget to explore your senses, too.

What’s your favorite movie? Describe the ending of the movie. Tell about the setting, the feelings and the characters’ feelings.

What was the last thing you ate? Write a description of it as if you’re telling someone who has never tasted it before. What did it look like? How did you eat it? How did it feel in your mouth and belly? Remember to include all of your senses.

Enter your bike in the annual Decorate Your Bike Parade. Write detailed plans of how you will decorate your bike.

How to help your child learn to describe

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Julie Meyers Pron

As children learn to become writers, one of the most difficult concepts for them to learn is to describe and add details. To help them develop this concept, it’s important for parents, teachers and friends to prompt kids in discussion to use more describing words.

The next time your child points to something and says, “What’s that?”, tell him you’re not sure what he’s referring to, even if you are. Likely, he’ll point again and say, “That! That thing… what is it?” Here’s the hard part: don’t tell him what it is. Tell him you still aren’t sure (perhaps your eyes are closed or there are a lot of things he could be pointing at, or you have incredible sun glare..) and that you need him to describe it using detailed words.

You might receive silence as a response. “Describe?” He’ll question. “But can’t you see it?” Perhaps he’ll have no problem telling you it’s large, greenish brownish and ugly.

Urge him on asking, “Ugly, what kind of ugly?”

“Well,” he might say, “it has brownish bumps all over it. And the brown bumps are kind of like circles, and then he has this skin that’s brown and white and green and tan. And it’s skin is kind of bumpy, too, but not big bumps like the brown bumps.”

Keep him going and say “really?” or just stay quiet and wait for more.

“Yeah. And he has two big eyes that are golden and green and almost glowing and he’s just staring at me with them. He’s barely moving but maybe his belly is moving in and out a little bit.”

“Interesting…,” you’ll reply. “You said he’s large? Large how? Like as big as our house?”

“No! He just seems big. Like… bigger than the ant that just crawled by. Maybe bigger than my hand. Oh! And his hands have 4 skinny fingers.”

Wait longer to make sure he’s done describing — both kids and adults tend to talk more when there’s no response. Then, when you’re sure he’s done, congratulate him, “That sounds like a frog to me. You did such a great job describing it I would have been able to figure that out even with my eyes closed!”

5 tips for prompting your child to describe

Use describing words in your conversations

Don’t just say “Over there, to your right, see it?” As an adult, you’ll need to model the desired behavior, so make sure you’re describing with more than the basic words.

Give kids time

Try not to jump in and give an answer, but count to ten after your child finishes his thoughts to make sure he’s really finished. Often times, when given quiet time to think about what he’s just said, he’ll think of more to add to the conversation.

Listen and question

Pay close attention to the way he is describing something, so that you have questions to ask for further discussion. Perhaps he uses the word “huge.” We know that “huge” is a relative term, so ask him what he means by the word or to compare the size to something else.

Discuss feelings

Sometimes the looks of an object give a child a feeling–the feeling is very much a part of the describing process. In fact, describing feelings is often more difficult that describing an object because feelings aren’t tangible. As children grow to be stronger writers, they’ll learn to tie together feelings and objects as they describe.

Practice describing words as a game

This is an easy game for waiting in line or in the car. Select an object and take turns describing it together without saying what it is. It’s even more fun to do this with a friend who can guess what you’re describing.

The Handwriting Dilemma–Should Keyboarding Push Cursive Out of Schools?

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Julie Meyers Pron

Is looking at your son’s homework making you dizzy? Are you trying to detect how a second grader, in the spring, still isn’t spacing his words correctly? Are you wondering why your child’s teacher keeps marking things wrong when your child swears they’re right?

Chances are pretty good that the problem is handwriting. With computers taking over so much of education, handwriting is taking a backseat, often far, far back on the big yellow school bus. In fact, in 2011, Slatest reported that Indiana became the first state to drop the cursive writing requirement. Other states, including Hawaii followed suit. How many other states will also remove the requirement for students to learn cursive? That’s unknown. But with Common Core standards taking over adopted public school curricula, teachers are finding less time and space in their day to teach basic handwriting skills.

Which leaves some students, and their parents, in a scribble. Without an emphasis on somewhat neat handwriting, students aren’t being taught to take pride in the work they show. Today, as my son completed a school project, we discussed taking pride in work and making a poster attractive (as well as legible.) “It’s not just there for you to read,” I explained. “It’s there for your friends and teachers to read. If it’s messy, what does that say about you?”

My son is in third grade. He’s a strong student and enjoys focusing on reading, writing, science and social studies. He has state tests next week and, midway through the school year, it was announced that they would not be offered on the computer as the state was not ready to implement the keyboard test.

Uh-oh, I thought. How will the test reader, who doesn’t know him, decipher his chicken scratch on his essays?

I asked his teacher for advice–how is the school helping kids to improve their handwriting and writing skills? And how can I work with the school to help in this area?

Well… they aren’t. Not really. Each child has a handwriting book, but it’s rarely used. At the same time I learned this, my son admitted to me that not only can he not write cursive, but he has a hard time reading cursive. It takes him longer to decipher, especially when it’s not perfectly written.

That made sense. He never actually learned to write in cursive, not really. Not on a regular basis that’s integrated into his daily expectations. So how should he be expected to read quick cursive?

I spend the majority of my working hours running my fingers along a keyboard. My handwriting’s importance has waned in favor of faster keyboarding skills because I use the keyboard far more than the pencil. But I took note, today, how often I still pick up a pen or pencil. I write babysitter instructions, grocery lists, things to do lists, phone messages, my daily work-related goals … and all of these lists usually need to be read by someone else. Most of my notes are written in a mix of cursive and script that has become my “signature style.”

Where would I be if my schools didn’t stress the importance of handwriting skills? Where will our kids be in 10 years? Sure, there will always be the children who see handwriting as an art, but if we stress that everyone will use the keyboard, will the majority of our children and grandchildren know how to read our cursive? Will they respond to our handwritten notes?

Should keyboarding push cursive out of the curriculum? The Common Core Standards don’t list handwriting (cursive or print) at all, however they do state that in grades K and 1 basic legible print should be expected. But after that? It’s up to the state or the school system’s adoption and adaptation of the standards to determine handwriting expectations. Universal Publishing tells us that Massachusetts includes cursive in their standards and lists legible handwriting as a requirement in fourth grade. California includes manuscript in second grade and the teaching of cursive in grades three and four.

What do you think? Should legible, clear handwriting be an expectation for Generation Z (or M or M2) or can that be tossed out with Home Ec and Industrial Arts?

How to start your child’s first diary

Posted on April 11, 2013 by Annie Shultz

My love of writing started very young – I’d say around second or third grade. I fell in love with reading as soon as I could do it independently. Then, after I grew confident in my writing abilities, I loved expressing my imagination and my feelings on paper.

Reading books and stories about other people who shared my passion only helped to add fuel to my fire. I remember relating personally to their stories and seeing bits and pieces of my own thoughts in the stories.

Every child is different, and some prefer to express themselves by building things or drawing pictures. What a diary does is encourages self-expression and the free-form of it helps them enjoy the act of writing.

Tips for starting a brand new diary

1. There are no rules. Writing in a diary is all about falling in love with self-expression, so don’t use this as a grammar lesson. Misspellings and lack of punctuation are all allowed because what matters is learning the love of writing.

2. Encourage pictures. Some children prefer to draw pictures, so allow that in the journal. Encourage your child to write a few sentences describing the picture too – so that as he or she looks back, they will know what it is they drew.

3. Read books about young writers. As I said above, the stories about writers like me helped me love to write even more! Some of my favorites are Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin, Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh, and (for older children) Diary of Anne Frank.

4. Look back. This is one of my favorite things about a journal – reading about the memories I captured! Once a month or so, go back with your child and remember the fun times they captured in their journal.

What are some more tips you have found to encourage writing in young children?

Choosing the Right Educational Website

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Melinda

Online Homework Help with Rusty and Rosy

I have three kids in three different grades who learn thre different ways. Their ages are spaced far apart so homework time is a huge obstacle some nights.
The oldest is almost out of high school so her homework is usually done independently but the two school age kids often need help.

It’s been many years since I’ve been to school so sometimes I’m not the most helpful with “new math”, improper fractions or combining sentences with participles. These examples are true representations that have come about with our 4th grader. I’ve turned to Google, Wikipedia and Facebook for explanations and refreshers. I realize it’s the only way for the kids to stay on top of the skills they are learning each day.

A little screen time each day on select sites and software is how we are keeping minds sharp and fresh. Each company below offers something different than standard workbooks or flashcards. Digital content is updated often to reflect current learning trends and changing information. These are some of my favorite reputable and supportive resources that are helpful for just about any age or grade.

SpellingCity.com is a Free (Premium membership available) efficient game-based website focusing on literacy and language art skills for children from Pre-K to 3rd Grade.

Education.com is a comprehensive collection of printables, activities, games and articles for children in pre-k through high school. The fun and insightful content spanning many subjects is a great educational boost to assignments from school.

KhanAcademy.org is a whole different level of learning. This donor supported non-profit resource hosts a library of over 4,000 videos on everything from arithmetic to physics, finance, and history and hundreds of other life skills to practice.

DiscoveryEducation.com offers FREE resources for teachers and student turning lessons inside and outside the classroom into engaging digital learning environments.

RustyandRosy.com is a skill building educational software tool for pre K- 2nd graders. Rusty and Rosy teaches phonics, vocabulary, language concepts and math through games, songs and activities.

No matter what tool, website, software or method you use to enhance your child’s school education make sure it’s a fit for your family. Rely on tools that encourage what they are already learning.

Journal and discussion topics incorporating higher-level thinking

Posted on March 29, 2013 by Julie Meyers Pron

Children as young as kindergarten are now being encouraged to journal on a regular basis. Some teachers have students journal for morning work while others use it as a transition. No matter when they do it, when children learn that writing is a normal part of their day, they become strong writers.

The same goes for discussions. When children have more opportunities to discuss topics by offering ideas and opinions, they learn not just more about themselves but more about their surroundings.

But, sometimes, whether in writing or in speaking, it’s easy to fall on the same topic:

Write (or tell me about) your day.
What happened today?
Did you have a good weekend? What did you do?

While questions like these are great in small doses and can help kids to strengthen list-making and recall skills, they aren’t forcing their thoughts beyond the normal.

How to create higher-level thinking journal and discussion prompts

Never ask questions that require a one-word answer. But if you must, then extend the question by asking why or how.
Ask for an opinion of a reading or event, rather than a summary. Summarizing is not higher level thinking. Instead, ask what would you have done in this situation? How could the outcome have been different? What do you think should happen next? What do you think happened before this situation?
Give extra time. Don’t always expect an answer right away. Previewing a topic will often offer an opportunity for children’s minds to wander. Or advise kids to read the topic and then sit quietly for a minute before writing.
Offer an opportunity to create through words. Great creation questions often include words like create, make, change and build.
Refer back to previous work by asking students to go back to a previous entry and change an element.

Sample higher-level thinking journal and discussion topics

Read this article. How would it have been different if you were there. Would you have made a difference in the story? What would you have done? (Distribute with an article from a magazine or newspaper)
“Paint the town red” means to like run wild and have fun. If you could paint the town, what color would it be and what would everyone do?
My friend told me she hates the snow. Why do you think she hates snow? How could you change her opinion?
Tomorrow we’re going to talk about building a new shopping center. Think about all the areas of a shopping center that are important. What would you put in your shopping center? Share what it would look like and how it would be built.
Last week, you created a story about a bird and an ant. Reread your story. Now rewrite your story changing the ending (or the main character or the setting.)

Image courtesy of Witthaya Phonsawat / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

A Spring Snack, Craft and Book

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Tonya Staab

A Spring Snack, Book, and Craft for Kids

Welcome the change of season by spending a couple of special hours with your little one crafting, preparing and eating snacks, and reading together.

You can choose any book you like; the one we chose was The Chick and the Duckling.

Let’s start with the craft.

What you need:

Yellow treat cup (or paper cup)
Orange card stock
Googly eyes
Scissors
Pencil
Glue

Have your child draw the feet and beak on the orange card stock and cut them out. Glue them onto the treat cup along with the googly eyes.

Next, prepare the snacks.

We chose two snacks, a little chick sandwich, and a trail mix to put into the treat cup.

Chick Sandwich. What you need:

Bread
Round cookie cutter (or a glass or small dish)
Cheese slice
Carrot stick
Candy eyes
Knife

Cut the bread and cheese into a circular shape using the cookie cutter. Place the cheese on top of the bread.

Peel and cut a slice off the wide end of the carrot stick. The carrot slice will be a circle, make two cuts on either side in a ‘V’ shape to make the beak. You will have two pieces left, trim the ends of them to make the feet.

Have your child place the carrot beak, carrot feet, and candy eyes onto the cheese and bread.

Chick Trail Mix. What you need:

Popcorn
Cheerios
Annie’s Bunny Grahams
Trader Joe’s Jelly Beans – coconut, lemon & lime, banana split, apple, tangerine, mango and lemon (we prefer these because they have natural flavors)

Have your child add all of the ingredients to the chick treat cup.

Here are a few chick books you might like to read:

The Chick and the Duckling by Mirra Ginsburg
Chick by Ed Vere
Nora’s Chicks by Patricia MacLachlan
This Little Chick by John Lawrence
Chicken Little by Ed and Rebecca Emberley

Now you can read your chosen book to your little one while you both enjoy the delicious snacks you made together.

Easter Egg Phonics Game

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Annie Shultz

It brings me so much joy to sit with my daughter and listen to her sound out words. I just get so excited as she builds her phonics knowledge and exercises those skills! As Easter draws closer, I created a game that uses the plastic eggs we have so many of around the house.

Lizzie loved this game! It took up the majority of our afternoon because she kept asking me to play it again and again. Since it made her excited to read, I didn’t mind it one bit!

Directions:

Write letter combinations and vowels on a piece of paper.
Allow the child to cut out each combination/vowel. (This helps with fine motor skills)
Place one letter combination/vowel in each egg.
Hide the eggs.
Allow the child to find each egg.
Grab two or three eggs from the bag and open them up together.
Take the slips of paper and place them together.
Sound out the word.

This is where it became so funny! We could barely read the words, we were laughing so much. Lizzie might find pieces of paper like “st-a-pl” and try to read it. Laughing, she announced, “that is not a word!” Then she would grab for some more eggs and try to find letters that spelled actual words.

You can even be more creative if you want! Tape your made up words to a piece of paper and create a story using the silly words.

It might sound something like this:
“One day, the sab little bear walked in the stip. What he really wanted to do was crom some fruit. When he tried to find fruit, he found a shud! He was so excited!”

This becomes sort of like mad-libs, and the hilarity and laughter is priceless!

A Family Challenge – Reading Together

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Michelle

When my son was in preschool we discovered he had a love for these short chapter Scooby Doo Books. We could rarely get him to sit down for a simple book, but if we pulled out one of these Scooby Doo Books, he would sit for 10 minutes or more. It surprised us mainly because these books had very few pictures in them to hold his attention. Since then, we have had our own personal Family Challenge to read chapter books as a family. We try to aim for books they cannot read on their own and usually read a chapter or two each night. My children look forward to this time!

We have recently been reading the Percy Jackson series and the kiddos love it. I am constantly amazed at what they remember from previous chapters. Plus, it is so much fun to bring a feeling of adventure and excitement into our night time routine. It is better than watching a movie because we can drag on these feelings every night. And it is so much fun to have my children beg me to read one more chapter even though the one we just read is sixteen pages!

Another thing that has been helping our Family Challenge is if we choose a book every now and then that was made into a movie. Then we have some incentive to get through the book so we can watch the movie. That is all it took to help us get through the Percy Jackson book and now my children are hooked and have read through book four of the series with me. They have been begging for a second Percy Jackson movie and we are excited to find out that there are plans to release one later this year.

If you do pick a book that was made into a movie and watch the movie after, make sure you take the opportunity to talk about the differences between the book and the movie. It was fun to see what my children noticed. They caught details that I missed completely!

Other books that I am hoping to read to my children in the future are “Charlotte’s Web”, “How To Train Your Dragon”, “Ella Enchanted”, “The Wizard of Oz”, “Eragon”, “Escape to Witch Mountain”, “The Night at the Museum” and more from the Nancy Drew series just to name a few. I am hoping to stay with the books/series, for the next few years, that have at least one movie just to motivate my children through the first book. Our reading together as a family has turned into a very special time for us and am so grateful for it.

If you have taken on your own Family Challenge to read together, what books have your family enjoyed?

Top photo courtesy of Master isolate d images / FreeDigitalPhotos.net