I'm sorry my blog has been lacking in posts this week. What can I say? Life has been extra life-y lately.
But I'm escaping to Chicago on Thursday for a mega-fun girls weekend! There are plans for sleep-overs, fun outings, and we're going to see Wicked on Sunday! I'm so excited!
...So there may not be much from me till next week. My apologies. Hope everyone has a wonderful three-day weekend!
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Friday, August 24, 2007
Jumpstart's Read for the Record
Did you know that one-third of American children enter kindergarten developmentally behind their peers and without the skills necessary to succeed at grade level? This is an issue of national concern, regardless of whether you're a parent of a child or not.
That's why Jumpstart – a national nonprofit organization focused on intervening early in the lives of at-risk children, through intensive early education programs – has created a way for every adult and every child across the country to raise public awareness about the early education gap that exists between income levels.
Jumpstart has begun a campaign to create the largest "shared reading experience" ever by breaking the record they set last August (2006) when 150,000 people read the same book across the country as part of Jumpstart’s Read for the Record inaugural campaign.
Not only is this a campaign to raise awareness, last year, Jumpstart’s Read for the Record raised more than $500,000 to support the organization’s early education work in low-income communities.
This year's book is The Story of Ferdinand, by Munro Leaf. You can be a part of the largest "shared reading experience" ever, while doing a great thing for the youth in America. Go here to learn more!
That's why Jumpstart – a national nonprofit organization focused on intervening early in the lives of at-risk children, through intensive early education programs – has created a way for every adult and every child across the country to raise public awareness about the early education gap that exists between income levels.
Jumpstart has begun a campaign to create the largest "shared reading experience" ever by breaking the record they set last August (2006) when 150,000 people read the same book across the country as part of Jumpstart’s Read for the Record inaugural campaign.
Not only is this a campaign to raise awareness, last year, Jumpstart’s Read for the Record raised more than $500,000 to support the organization’s early education work in low-income communities.
This year's book is The Story of Ferdinand, by Munro Leaf. You can be a part of the largest "shared reading experience" ever, while doing a great thing for the youth in America. Go here to learn more!
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Hooked On Phonics
Though Literacy Launchpad breaks for the summer, my Hooked On Phonics lessons do not. I offer Hooked On Phonics lessons at one school, and I have about seven children that I work with each week.
I have only been using the Hooked On Phonics curriculum for about a year. I was hesitant to even begin offering it, but it seemed that there was interest among some parents. I encourage parents to enroll their children in both Literacy Launchpad and Hooked On Phonics, and not Hooked On Phonics alone. This is because I believe very strongly that children need to have fun with books, see the purposes of reading, and experience literature in meaningful ways in order to build a solid foundation for learning to read.
I guess this all goes back to the phonics vs. whole language debate... I really do see value in the Hooked On Phonics program. I wouldn't use it if I didn't. Granted, the lessons aren't a ton of fun for me (at least not compared to Literacy Launchpad lessons), but the children do seem to enjoy them, and they do learn a lot. I guess I just wish there was more depth to the curriculum.
What do you think? Anybody else familiar with the Hooked On Phonics curriculum?
I have only been using the Hooked On Phonics curriculum for about a year. I was hesitant to even begin offering it, but it seemed that there was interest among some parents. I encourage parents to enroll their children in both Literacy Launchpad and Hooked On Phonics, and not Hooked On Phonics alone. This is because I believe very strongly that children need to have fun with books, see the purposes of reading, and experience literature in meaningful ways in order to build a solid foundation for learning to read.
I guess this all goes back to the phonics vs. whole language debate... I really do see value in the Hooked On Phonics program. I wouldn't use it if I didn't. Granted, the lessons aren't a ton of fun for me (at least not compared to Literacy Launchpad lessons), but the children do seem to enjoy them, and they do learn a lot. I guess I just wish there was more depth to the curriculum.
What do you think? Anybody else familiar with the Hooked On Phonics curriculum?
Monday, August 20, 2007
30,000
30,000 what? Go check out this article at LiteracyNews.com to find out. Parents, go read it now! Thanks to Jen Robinson's Book Page for the link!
Giving the Gift of Reading
I went to a baby shower about a week ago, and I gave my standard baby shower gift, which is The Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease and a picture book. I almost always choose Tails by Matthew Van Fleet for the picture book. This is because Tails seems to be a hit with just about every little toddler (and younger)! It's filled with cute animals that have fun tails to play with! One of my nieces loved this book so much that she wore her copy of it out (thanks to my sister, Rebecca, for tipping me off to this book). I highly recommend this book for children ages 0-3 yrs!
But back to the baby shower! I buy The Read Aloud Handbook for people because it is full of fascinating information, and every person should read it (in my opinion), especially if you're a parent or teacher. (Not familiar with the book? Find out more info about it here, and buy it here.) What gift could be better to a new parent than empowering them to read to their child from birth? A reading parent is infinitely more valuable (and often more practical) than most of your typical baby shower gifts. When giving this gift, I like to think of myself as a kind of fairy godmother (think Disney's Sleeping Beauty), but instead of giving the gift of beauty or song, I give the gift of reading... and they all lived happily ever after!
In other news, I started putting up my bulletin boards and handing out flyers for classes today at some of my schools. Literacy Launchpad classes start the second week in September, and I'm getting excited! If you're a parent visiting the blog for the first time, welcome!! Please visit regularly!
But back to the baby shower! I buy The Read Aloud Handbook for people because it is full of fascinating information, and every person should read it (in my opinion), especially if you're a parent or teacher. (Not familiar with the book? Find out more info about it here, and buy it here.) What gift could be better to a new parent than empowering them to read to their child from birth? A reading parent is infinitely more valuable (and often more practical) than most of your typical baby shower gifts. When giving this gift, I like to think of myself as a kind of fairy godmother (think Disney's Sleeping Beauty), but instead of giving the gift of beauty or song, I give the gift of reading... and they all lived happily ever after!
In other news, I started putting up my bulletin boards and handing out flyers for classes today at some of my schools. Literacy Launchpad classes start the second week in September, and I'm getting excited! If you're a parent visiting the blog for the first time, welcome!! Please visit regularly!
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
New Read-Aloud Info
Reading Rockets has posted a very interesting article on their site about how to effectively read-aloud to children (to enable them to learn the most).
What I found most interesting in the article was that they encouraged reading sophisticated stories with young children, and not ONLY predictable stories and concept books. This is something I have always done, but sometimes second guessed myself on, wondering if I was presenting stories the children wouldn't understand (see some of my thoughts in yesterday's post). Usually my doubts are allayed when I see these "sophisticated stories" become some of the children's favorites, but it was nice to read some research that backed that up!
What I found most interesting in the article was that they encouraged reading sophisticated stories with young children, and not ONLY predictable stories and concept books. This is something I have always done, but sometimes second guessed myself on, wondering if I was presenting stories the children wouldn't understand (see some of my thoughts in yesterday's post). Usually my doubts are allayed when I see these "sophisticated stories" become some of the children's favorites, but it was nice to read some research that backed that up!
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Amy's Book Round-up
As I mentioned last week, I have been hunting for new books to incorporate in this year's Literacy Launchpad curriculum. And by new, I mean new to my curriculum; not necessarily newly-released books.
It's tough to do a thorough search for new books, because there is a pretty limited selection at both the library and bookstore (relatively speaking); they don't always have the books I'm looking for (or if they have it, it's not always in stock). And it's not always easy to get an accurate feel for a book at online bookstores and through reviews. So... I'm still searching, but I have found some I really like.
The Incredible Book Eating Boy, by Oliver Jeffers is one I really love. It's so much fun, and I think it would be a great story to start off the year with. I really want to begin the year with a book like this that is fun, and that also easily opens the door to a discussion about books. So that's a possibility...
I am dying to finally incorporate Leaf Man, by Lois Ehlert into my lessons. This will be tricky because I love all my books that I am currently using during that fall, and I will have to bump one to use this book. I like this book enough to do that though!
Tippy-tippy-tippy, Hide!, by Candace Fleming is a fantastic book. I had so much fun reading this one, and I know this will end up being a favorite of my students. I'll probably wait till the end of winter to use it. It's going to be hard to wait!
Some others I'm considering:
The Zoo, by Suzy Lee
Library Lion, by Michelle Knudsen (I don't know if this one is too long for some of my younger students)
Flotsam, by David Wiesner (Again, it may be a little above some of my students)
I'm still searching! Have any suggestions? Leave them in my comments!
It's tough to do a thorough search for new books, because there is a pretty limited selection at both the library and bookstore (relatively speaking); they don't always have the books I'm looking for (or if they have it, it's not always in stock). And it's not always easy to get an accurate feel for a book at online bookstores and through reviews. So... I'm still searching, but I have found some I really like.
The Incredible Book Eating Boy, by Oliver Jeffers is one I really love. It's so much fun, and I think it would be a great story to start off the year with. I really want to begin the year with a book like this that is fun, and that also easily opens the door to a discussion about books. So that's a possibility...
I am dying to finally incorporate Leaf Man, by Lois Ehlert into my lessons. This will be tricky because I love all my books that I am currently using during that fall, and I will have to bump one to use this book. I like this book enough to do that though!
Tippy-tippy-tippy, Hide!, by Candace Fleming is a fantastic book. I had so much fun reading this one, and I know this will end up being a favorite of my students. I'll probably wait till the end of winter to use it. It's going to be hard to wait!
Some others I'm considering:
The Zoo, by Suzy Lee
Library Lion, by Michelle Knudsen (I don't know if this one is too long for some of my younger students)
Flotsam, by David Wiesner (Again, it may be a little above some of my students)
I'm still searching! Have any suggestions? Leave them in my comments!
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