Evaluating the impact of read-alouds for older students (grades 4+) Just as educators like you use data for instructional decision-making, Kids Read Now turned to current research to answer the question: Is reading aloud to students after K-3 really worth it, or are we simply wasting valuable instructional time? Research is clear about the benefits […]
Read-Alouds for Older Students — Worth it or Waste of Time? Read More »
Most students either really love to read and find joy in growing and sharpening their literacy skills, or they feel the opposite. Their experience depends on two things- the instructional decisions made and the environment in which they learn. Educators are often told to create a “literacy rich” or “print rich” classroom setting, but what
Creating A R.I.C.H. Literacy Environment Read More »
It’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!
Something 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
Autonomy in K-3 Literacy Learning Read More »
The typical image of a child reading includes a comfortable chair, plenty of light to read by, and a colorful book with a riveting tale. If you are looking for a great story for children, the New York Public Library has a list of 100 classic books for children. Or maybe you want to look
Embracing Nonfiction Read More »
When your children get their first books in their hands, it is a good bet they are going to end up in their mouths. Exposing infants to books is an important step on their journey to becoming lifelong readers. They become familiar with the books, exploring them by turning pages, looking at the bright pictures
Progression and Milestones in Reading Read More »
No longer required to be in a classroom for hours every day, students spend their summers relaxing and trying to pack all the fun in they can before fall. While they have certainly earned a break after nine months of school, taking a full summer off from learning is dangerous. It can lead to the
Activites that Promote Summer Reading Read More »
Readers pick up books to be entertained by the stories they tell. Take Charlotte’s Web for example. It is the story of a girl, Fern, and a runt-of-the-litter pig named Wilbur. Wilbur learns that he is being fattened up for Christmas dinner, which rightfully saddens the pig. It is then that a spider named Charlotte
Want to Teach Social Skills? Start with Reading Read More »
Information, once something that trickled into our lives through newspapers, radio, television, and encyclopedias, now pours into our lives at a staggering rate. We have generated as much information in the last two years as we have in the rest of human history. In one month in 2011 alone, the Library of Congress gathered 235
The Importance of a School Library Read More »
Strategies to get students to read more have many similarities to strategies for getting children to eat more vegetables. Much like vegetables, when it comes to getting children to read, giving them the ability to choose what they want to learn will get them to read more. Choices, like reaching for carrots instead of chips,
Reading Choice Matters Read More »
