Latest in Literacy Blog
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READ IT AGAIN! – Reading to Your Child
Read more: READ IT AGAIN! – Reading to Your ChildYoung kids love to read the same book over and over again. Their developing brains see new things in the pictures and better understand the story each time they read it. Plus, the consistency of seeing the same story unfold the same way each time helps children develop a strong sense of sequencing and process.…
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If You Build It, They Will Read
Read more: If You Build It, They Will ReadIt’s not enough to say that home libraries are important. We need to take it a step further and ask why home libraries are important and how we can help build your student’s home library. Why a home library? Let’s start with this: “Children growing up in homes with many books get 3 years more…
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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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How to Get Kids to Love Reading
Read more: How to Get Kids to Love ReadingHow to encourage kids to learn to love reading now, for a lifetime’s worth of benefits Learning to read is arguably one of the most fundamental lessons learned as a child. Helping your children to learn to love reading is one of the most valuable gifts they can receive. Reading doesn’t have to be chore…
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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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The Power of the 15-minute Bedtime Story
Read more: The Power of the 15-minute Bedtime StoryBedtime routines are especially important for children. Regular schedules and rituals give our children the predictability they crave. When kids know what to expect, especially when it includes a bonding routine like reading, it can help eliminate nighttime distractions. Most doctors and sleep specialists will tell you to incorporate soothing, relaxing activities at bedtime. Some…
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The Summer Reading Slide
Read more: The Summer Reading SlideSummer Reading Slide : Summer Reading Program for K-3 The Summer Slide: Summer is a time for relaxation, sunshine, vacations, and… reading loss? It’s estimated that a child loses two months of learning each summer, which accumulates each year, totaling almost two years of learning loss by the time they graduate high school. This epidemic…