Latest in Literacy Blog
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Do you have your parents’ support and engagement?
Read more: Do you have your parents’ support and engagement?Are your parents aware of their children’s true progress? According to an article in EdWeek, 92 percent of parents believe their children are at grade level and doing just fine in the classroom, despite the widespread evidence that most students are struggling. Could it be that they would willingly and collaboratively engage with you in…
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PenPals: Handwritten Letters to Support the Whole Child
Read more: PenPals: Handwritten Letters to Support the Whole ChildWhen was the last time you wrote or received a handwritten letter? For thousands of years, handwritten letters have played a critical part in our lives. In this age of digital communication, handwritten letters are becoming a lost art. Emails and text messages can be sent instantly; however, the impact of a good old-fashioned handwritten…
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Finding the Hook
Read more: Finding the HookIt’s all about the hook. Find what is inspiring to the youth and you find the hook into reading. Take baby steps even if needed. Not interested in reading a book? Start with a graphic novel. Even the old school Baby Sitters Club books are coming back with a vengeance in graphic novel form! Boys!…
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Meet the School Librarian
Read more: Meet the School LibrarianAugust and September traditionally serve as the months for Meet the Teacher nights. Families file into school buildings to check out classrooms, admire bulletin boards, and inquire about policies and procedures. I am suggesting that parents make a detour on their way to classrooms this school year. Visit the school library. Yes, it’s true. School…
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Autonomy in K-3 Literacy Learning
Read more: Autonomy in K-3 Literacy LearningSomething that I’ve learned in my time as an educator is the power of providing students with choices. Choice to explore their learning, choice to figure things out on their own, choice to learn new things in a variety of ways. Literacy skills are the foundation of learning, and something that educators should get excited…
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10 Ways to Explode Your Students’ Excitement for Reading!
Read more: 10 Ways to Explode Your Students’ Excitement for Reading!How do you get kids excited about books? Over my 25 years of teaching, I’ve discovered many ways to spark excitement. Here are 10 to get you started: 1. Start an After-School Book Club Invite a guest reader from the community to kick off the meetings. After the read-aloud, the kids spread out to read…
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12 Simple Tips for Helping Your Child Become a Better Reader
Read more: 12 Simple Tips for Helping Your Child Become a Better ReaderCheck out these 12 simple tips from Dr. Andrew Johnson to help your child become a better reader! Read to your child Expose your child to words Use pretend reading Expose to rhymes, rhyming books, nursery rhymes, poetry, music Reread the same book Read bedtime stories Have books laying around Make regular trips to the…
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Reading to Reach the Stars
Read more: Reading to Reach the StarsWe want our kids to reach for the stars, dream big, think for themselves and grow up with a life and career that they happily built. But how when the winding path to achieve such goals involves so many variables and, sometimes, challenges that may be out of our control? Well, there is a way,…
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Incorporating Equity and Inclusion in Early Childhood Curriculum
Read more: Incorporating Equity and Inclusion in Early Childhood CurriculumEarly Childhood Education is a vital foundation for children of tender age. Not only are they introduced to various experiences, but they are also taught how to form and maintain positive social relationships, a sense of belonging, and developing specific skills to reach their full potential. We see regular acts of racism, sexism, and prejudice…
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Literacy + STEM = A Perfect Pairing
Read more: Literacy + STEM = A Perfect PairingWhen it comes to STEM and literacy, one can’t exist without the other. STEM teachers emphasize the Engineering Design Process and computational thinking, as well as technology tools. But the work of engineers and scientists goes much further than the traditional STEM subjects of science, technology, engineering, and math. They are also communicators, collaborators, writers,…