Latest in Literacy Blog
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I Have an Emerging Reader
Read more: I Have an Emerging ReaderIn second and third grade, your child will be what teachers call “an emerging reader” — one who knows a bit about phonics can sound out unfamiliar words, and has memorized a short list of sight words (the words that don’t sound out easily such as DOUGHNUT which a reader who hadn’t memorized that word,…
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Finding Books Your Child Will Love
Read more: Finding Books Your Child Will LoveIf you’re a reader, you’re familiar with the pull of another world. You’ve slipped into other lives to become fairies and dragon slayers, adventurers, and heroes. Now you want your child to experience new adventures and far-off lands, while tucked safely in their beds at home. Opening the door for them shouldn’t be stressful. I…
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The Allure of the Graphic Novel
Read more: The Allure of the Graphic NovelAs your fairly typical “boy mom”, I can tell you I’ve seen just about every kind of graphic novel for kids. Long before my son discovered Marvel and DC superheroes, he found Captain Underpants, The Adventures of Dogman, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid, to name a few. Perhaps at first glance, graphic novels or…
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5 Keys to a Successful Summer Reading Initiative
Read more: 5 Keys to a Successful Summer Reading InitiativeKelli Bush with Elizabethtown Independent Schools highlights 5 keys to a successful summer reading initiative, such as Kids Read Now. In her eSchoolNews, December 2020 article, she explains how her district’s dedication and the Kids Read Now in-home summer reading program are changing her students’ reading habits for the better. Read the full article here.
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Finding the “Just Right” Reading Range
Read more: Finding the “Just Right” Reading RangeFinding your children’s perfect reading range may seem daunting at first. On the one hand, you want to challenge them, but on the other, you don’t want them to get discouraged. So how do you find that fine line where reading is both fun and beneficial? Don’t worry – we’ve got you covered! What Books…
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It is the Opportunity Gap, Not the Achievement Gap
Read more: It is the Opportunity Gap, Not the Achievement GapWe call it the “achievement gap” – but isn’t it really an opportunity gap? A closer look at socioeconomic reading disparities — and how we can help your child to close the gap An opportunity gap of .8 means a testing gap of 3 years. For decades, efforts to reduce the racial divide on test…
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Reading Level Assessments Explained
Read more: Reading Level Assessments ExplainedIf you have a young reader in your house, you may have heard different terms like Lexile, Developmental Reading Assessment, Accelerated Reader, and others. These terms and more are used to determine the reading levels of books. But what exactly do they mean? How do we know that if a child can read a…
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Discovery Sheets: Talking About Books Builds Reading Skills
Read more: Discovery Sheets: Talking About Books Builds Reading SkillsEvery book we mail home has a book-specific “Discovery Sheet” on the inside front cover. PARENT TIP: For books you get from other places, you can help build reading skills by making up questions or activities like these and talk about EVERY BOOK when your child finishes reading it. It has room for your child…
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Books and Social-Emotional Learning
Read more: Books and Social-Emotional LearningBooks have encouraged, taught, and provided new experiences to children for many years. Books play a significant role in a child’s learning environment. As they develop, they are introduced to many genres that encourage learning, resolving conflict, embracing imagination, and discovering new ideas. Parents may not realize that many of the books their children read…
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The Technology Boom – Is Reading the Victim?
Read more: The Technology Boom – Is Reading the Victim?Exciting innovations in technology have wildly evolved over the last decade. You can hold the universe in the palm of your hand, view high-definition videos with lightning speed, and connect with people all over the world with a simple tap on a screen. Pretty cool, right? But what do these technological innovations mean for old-fashioned…