Sunday, December 19, 2004
Here's the book on great gifts
" From kids to adults, great reading is a good present.
With the holiday season upon us, many shoppers are searching for the perfect gift for those on our Christmas list. Books make great gifts any time but especially at the holidays.
While giving books as gifts is always a good idea, it is not always easy to know what to buy. Nursery rhymes are a great choice for young children as well as any book with repetition, such as "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do You See?" by Bill Martin Jr.
For others on your list, before you head out shopping, find out what your recipient likes to read. If your reader likes a particular series, such as the Magic Tree House books or Harry Potter, see whether there is a new book in that series that may have been published recently.
For those on your list who don't do much reading, find out what their interests or hobbies are and buy a book on that subject. Books about sports, dinosaurs or pets may be the perfect choice for these people.
Often we think that only fictional books with a storyline make good presents. However, there are a lot of nonfiction readers out there, and there are definitely a lot of great nonfiction books available. If you still don't know what to give a child on your list, choose something you enjoyed reading.
Giving books to children and reading aloud to them is a wonderful gift. Research has shown that children do better in school when books are available in the home and children are read to often.
So while other gifts may shrink, get eaten or break, books will often have a profound and lasting effect on a child's life. They are an excellent gift for anyone on your holiday list, and the message being sent is loud and clear. Reading is important!
Annelise O'Hara is the school library media specialist at Broadway Elementary School in Elmira. She is a member of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley.
Just for starters
Stuck on what books will make good gifts. Here are some suggestions from Annelise O'Hara to get you going:
" Young children: Look for these authors: Bill Martin Jr. ("Chicka Chicka Boom Boom," "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See?"); Eric Carle ("The Very Hungry Caterpillar," "The Mixed up Chameleon"); Jan Brett ("The Mitten," "Annie and the Wild Animals"); or Tedd Arnold ("Green Wilma," "Parts," "More Parts," the Huggly books.)
" For children moving into chapter books, try Cynthia Rylant's Henry and Mudge books, David Adler's Cam Jansen series or James Marshall's Fox series. The Magic Tree House books by Mary Pope Osborne are a great choice for your second-, third- or fourth-grader.
" For older elementary children, the Dear America Series makes a good choice as well as books by Bruce Coville ("Jennifer Murdley's Toad," "Jeremy Thatcher" and "Dragon Hatcher"), Roald Dahl ("Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," "Matilda," "The BFG") or Judy Blume (The Fudge Series.)
" For nonfiction readers, "Guinness Book of World Records" and Ripley's Believe it or Not books make great choices. Books of poetry also make good gifts. Some of the more popular poetry books for kids in grades three through five are by authors Shel Silverstein ("Where the Sidewalk Ends," "Falling Up," "A Light in the Attic") and Jack Prelutsky ("The New Kid on the Block," "A Pizza the Size of the Sun.") The children love the zaniness of the poems.
" Subscriptions to magazines are also a great idea. There are magazines available for just about everything. Some of the more popular magazines for elementary school children are Zoobooks, Sports Illustrated for Kids, Girls' Life, Boys' Life, American Girl and Nickelodeon.
This series
Annelise O'Hara of Broadway Elementary School in Elmira writes today about choosing books as gifts this time of year. This is the fourth in a series of monthly columns written by members of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. The next column will be Sunday, Jan. 23.
On the Net
Hear Annelise O'Hara read her column and learn more about the Star-Gazette's Need to Read program by going online. Go to www.stargazette.com and click on "News to Use." Under the "Help Yourself" heading, find "The Need to Read" heading and click on it.
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Sunday, November 21, 2004
Make a diet of books part of child's daily menu
" Regular reading should be family activity.
For young children, visiting the public library can be as enticing as going to the candy store. The shelves are filled with varieties of every shape, size and flavor. Tasting the samples, however, won't decay their teeth. Instead, it will nourish their minds and take them on a trip through a vast world of knowledge and imagination.
Introducing children to books is one of the most important things parents can do to ensure their child's success in school and life. Having reading materials at home will inspire and motivate children to read on a regular basis. You don't need to own a house full of books, however, when you have a wonderful public library.
A 2001 research study done by the Pennsylvania Library Association emphasized that public libraries play a major role in fostering literacy in our country. The library provides free materials to citizens that are purchased with tax dollars. Quality books, well-reviewed and written by respected authors, are selected by librarians for the library shelves.
There's no need to wait until children are ready to learn to read; libraries are no longer hushed places where young children are considered a disturbance. Visit the library with the whole family, plan to stay for a while and find books that are appropriate for everyone. Babies and toddlers will enjoy board books made with sturdy cardboard pages that are easy on little hands.
Preschoolers will find many picture books about familiar and unfamiliar subjects, both necessary for their expanded knowledge of people and places. Beginning readers will benefit from the wide variety of easy books to encourage their independent reading skills.
Older readers have the freedom to choose and explore areas of interest. At home, parents can stay tuned to children's curiosities and suggest they find out more the next time they visit the library. Whether it's dinosaurs, volcanoes, castles and knights, skateboards, football, faraway countries or just pure fantasy, library books appeal to all. And parents should not forget to select something for themselves.
At home, establish a special shelf or basket to keep the books together and safe.
Share the books daily before bedtime or in the morning. Parents can build a close relationship with their children by reading together. The love of books is contagious and can be demonstrated with excitement and pleasure. If a child begs to borrow the same library book each visit, that's the very book to buy as a gift for birthdays or holidays.
Public libraries exist to foster the love of reading in our communities. They open a door to the whole world available at no cost. Like visiting a candy store, introducing children to the abundant collection of library books will make their mouths water for more.
Visit your local library soon.
Chris Harbison is a librarian and storyteller at the Steele Memorial Library in Elmira. She is part of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley project.
Library tips
" Allow plenty of browsing time and have children choose books for themselves. Choose an ample amount to take home, something for everyone in the family.
" Plan regular trips to the library and make daily reading a family habit.
" Attend the free story times or special events available to children and families.
" Don't hesitate to ask library staff for help. They are trained to assist in finding ageappropriate materials.
" When children are 5 years old, get them a library card of their own. Make it a special event that will be remembered and cherished for a lifetime.
Source: Steele Memorial Library
This series
This is the third in a series of monthly columns written by members of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. The next column will be Sunday, Dec. 19.
On the Net
Hear Chris Harbison read her column and learn more about the Star-Gazette's Need to Read program by going online. Go to www.stargazette.com and click on "News to Use." Under the "Help Yourself" heading, find "The Need to Read" heading and click on it.
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Sunday, October 17, 2004
A Rx for success: Read to your children
" Health care providers say daily sessions will promote development.
Pediatricians are concerned not only about the health of their patients but also about their development. They especially want their patients to develop the skills necessary to achieve their full potential. An important phase of development is learning the literacy skills of reading, writing and communicating clearly.
Research has shown that reading aloud to children starting in infancy is the single-most important factor in raising children to be readers who enjoy reading. Good readers become good writers and good communicators and are off to a good start in fulfilling their potential.
It is of great concern that literacy research has shown the following:
" Nationally only 39 percent of parents read to their children on a regular basis.
" Locally, in Cortland, Ithaca and Elmira, 20 percent to 25 percent of children enter school having little or no experience with books in their home.
" In Elmira, between 2000 and 2002, only 50 percent to 52 percent of fourth-graders met or exceeded New York state reading standards.
During the last six years, pediatricians, family practitioners and nurse practitioners in Chemung County have addressed this problem by participating in the Reach Out and Read Program. This program encourages health care providers to talk with parents at well-child visits about the importance of reading aloud to their children every day.
Bookmarks are given out at the time, and they provide suggestions to parents about how to best read to children of different ages. Also, at each well-child visit from age 6 months to 5 years, an age-appropriate book is given to children to emphasize the importance that health care providers place on reading. More than 40,000 books have been given to children in this community since 1998 when the Reach Out and Read Program began.
Over the last year pediatricians have joined with educators, librarians, authors, literacy advocates and interested people in the community to form the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. The goal of this organization is to promote children's literacy through various programs in many different community locations. This goal will be accomplished by continuing to educate parents and by providing new and used books to all interested families.
It is the hope of pediatricians that the programs of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley will result in all children developing an early and long-lasting love of books and becoming good readers. It is also hoped that the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley will create a community that values and encourages literacy development, and that this, in turn, will help our children achieve their full potential.
Ralph B. Moore is a retired pediatrician. He is part of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley project.
Tips for parents
" Read every day: Even a few minutes at a time to start is OK. Toddlers like the same story again and again.
" Read everything: Find pictures of animals in magazines; infants love to point to familiar objects. Read labels and signs wherever you go.
" Read everywhere: Read to your child at bedtime, at the breakfast table, while waiting for appointments.
" Have fun: Children who love books learn to read.
This series
Retired pediatrician Ralph Moore writes today about the importance of parents helping their children develop by reading to them regularly, even during infancy. This is the second in a series of monthly columns written by members of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. The next column will be Sunday, Nov. 21.
On the Net
Hear Ralph Moore read his column and learn more about the Star-Gazette's Need to Read program by going online. Go to www.stargazette.com and click on "News to Use." Under the "Help Yourself" heading, find "The Need to Read" heading and click on it.
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Sunday, September 19, 2004
Early reading habits will last a lifetime
" Children with adult guidance succeed at reading, schoolwork.
Other than helping our children to grow up healthy and happy, the most important thing that we can do for them is to help them develop their reading skills.
How well children learn to read affects not only how successful they are in school but also how well they do throughout their lives. The community benefits when it has citizens who have strong literacy skills.
Children are more likely to become successful readers when supported by family and community members.
Research reviews by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development conclude that more than 90 percent of all children have the ability to read at grade level by the end of third grade.
Why is this an important goal? Educators know that the emphasis begins to shift from "Learning to Read" to "Reading to Learn" somewhere around third to fourth grade and continues to grow as children progress through the upper elementary grades to middle school and high school.
Children who have not mastered reading by this time find it difficult and frustrating because their textbooks require them to read at grade level. In other words, a fifth-grade science textbook requires fifth-grade reading ability.
Many families in this community struggle with getting the basic essentials for their children, and parents often do not have time or lack the know-how to support their child's reading. As a community, everyone must begin to value this goal for our children.
Whether a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, neighbor, childcare provider, caseworker or friend, we must ask each other the following questions:
" Are the children you know, love and care for on track to be reading at grade level by the end of third grade?
" How do you know that?
" What are you doing to keep them progressing toward this goal?
The Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley is one example of many organizations in our area that are committed to providing books and other resources to families and children.
Future articles will focus on specific ways parents and caregivers can find answers to these questions, learn about early reading skills and help their children to reach this important reading goal.
Ellen Hicks is a retired elementary school principal from the Elmira district. She is part of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley project.
Staying on track
Here are some early signs that can indicate how a child is progressing with reading:
" Beginning kindergarten: Child can identify and produce words that rhyme (man-can, hat-mat).
" Beginning grade one: Can identify by name all 52 letters of the alphabet (small letters and capitals). Knows all letter sounds.
" Beginning grade two: Can read quickly and accurately 100 to 150 high-frequency words.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Need to Read 12
Sunday, May 15, 2005
Book time for summer reading
" At home, away or at the library, make time to read.
With flowers blooming and the assurances that warmer weather is here to stay, families begin planning for summer vacation. Families anxiously await the last day of school, anticipating the leisurely days of summer. Children look forward to days full of swimming, baseball games, cookouts and trips to their favorite ice cream stand.
However, after the first week of vacation, kids can be heard saying, "There's nothing to do. I'm bored!" Before this happens, add "Read! Read! Read!" to the family's summer to-do list. Student reading should not stop because school is out.
Families can incorporate many activities into a summer schedule to help children become better readers. First, becoming a better reader requires increasing the amount of time spent reading. In other words, you get better at reading by reading. One simple way to do this is to set aside a regular, 20-minute period in a quiet atmosphere each day for reading.
Finding interesting reading material is just as important as setting aside time to read. Reading can be a book, the newspaper, a comic book or a magazine.
For younger students who are just emerging as readers, picture books and predictable books work best for their reading time. For older elementary students, to ensure they succeed at reading, try finding materials that reflect their interests and activities.
If your family is taking a trip as part of your vacation plans, wouldn't it be great if your child read all about that destination before going there? Books, of course, offer great information, but even a vacation packet from a travel agent is good reading material with lots of useful information.
If you're looking for interesting things to read, planning a weekly outing to the library is a great trip for a family to take together. The friendly librarian there will help find appropriate books and other materials for your children. Librarians are experts on books for children. To escape the summer heat, relaxing with a book on a hot summer evening at the air-conditioned library is quite refreshing - and free, too.
After the library, stopping for ice cream would be a real treat. While you are eating that ice cream cone, extend the reading experience by talking about the books children have chosen for the coming week. A parent needs to engage children with "book talk" regularly before, during and after kids read. This will enhance the entire experience.
Another great summer reading "to-do" activity is starting a book club. Have your children invite their friends over for a meeting every two weeks or so during the summer to discuss books that all book club members have read.
A library often has multiple copies of books, or a librarian can borrow them from another library for you. Book club selections can be determined around favorite authors, a particular genre of books or a common interest, such as sports, animals or pets.
Kids will like to talk about why they liked (or disliked) the book, their favorite parts and the characters in the story. A good book generates lots of conversation and great book talk!
Lastly, although it may seem old-fashioned, families can read together. Regardless of age, everyone loves to hear someone read a good story to them. You could take turns reading and use voices for the different characters. Or, if you're daring, you could act out the stories. This is not only enjoyable but a great way to model fluent reading for children, and it demonstrates that you think reading is an important part of life. Even being observed by your children reading a good book or a newspaper sends a great message to your children that reading is important, as well as enjoyable.
Incorporating reading time into the summer schedule is a great way for parents and children to relax and enjoy reading every day. I hope that your family leisure time this summer (and all year 'round) will include lots of good reading. With a good book, a child will never be bored. Read! Read! Read!
Lisa G. Kelly, principal of Riverside Elementary School in Elmira, is a member of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley.
Library hours
Here are the summer hours, from May 23 to Sept. 11, at the public libraries in Chemung County:
" Big Flats: Monday, Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Tuesday, Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
" Horseheads: Monday through Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Thursday, Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
" Steele Memorial: Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
" Van Etten: Monday, Wednesday, 1 to 5 p.m.; Friday, 1 to 6 p.m.; Tuesday, Thursday, closed.
" West Elmira: Monday, noon to 8 p.m.; Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
This series
Lisa G. Kelly, principal of Riverside Elementary School in Elmira, writes today about how to keep children reading through the summer. This is the ninth in a series of monthly columns written by members of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. The next column will be Sunday, June 19.
Online
Hear Lisa G. Kelly read her column and learn more about the Star-Gazette's Need to Read program by going to www.stargazette.com and clicking on "News to Use." Under the "Help Yourself" heading, find "The Need to Read" heading and click on it.
-----------------------------
Sunday, April 17, 2005
Create fun with words, sounds
" Daily games, talks with children can build reading success.
Our nation has set a goal of ensuring that all children will be competent readers by the end of grade three. How can parents support this goal and help to ensure the success of their children?
Parents have dreams for their children. Children have dreams for themselves. What do we need to do in our children's preschool years so that these dreams can be achieved?
Research has identified the best indicators of future reading success.
They are:
" Oral language skills.
" Phonemic awareness (the ability to orally manipulate the sounds of language).
" Knowledge of the alphabet and the alphabetic principle (understanding that letters represent sounds).
We also know that the best readers are motivated to read, and read a lot of books. The following home activities can support development in these areas.
" Talk with your child. Oral language development is critical to school success. Research has shown that by the age of 3, children who experience lots of conversation and who are read to regularly have heard up to 30 million more words than children who have not had these advantages.
Talk about the sports page in the newspaper, talk about the books that you read together, talk about the natural world, talk about family and community happenings, talk about feelings and hopes and dreams.
Read to your child. Ten minutes of daily reading can develop a love of books and can enhance your child's vocabulary. Point to the words as you are reading. Let your child fill in the rhyming words or the repetitive part of the story. Talk about what happened in the book. Discuss the meanings of words. Read fiction and nonfiction books.
Play with the oral sounds of language. Your child must first be able to hear the sounds of language in order to later learn phonics. Play rhyming games. Recite poems. Clap the syllables in words. Stretch out the individual sounds in words.
Work with the alphabet and with words. Play games with the letters and sounds. Point out words in the environment - street signs, names of stores, names of cars. Make labels for objects in the child's room. Help your child to match letters to the sounds of words.
These simple activities can help to prepare your child for school. Ten to 20 minutes every day can be an investment that lasts a lifetime.
Lynne Weakland is a retired Elmira elementary school teacher. She also is a member of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley.
Reading help
Here are some games to play to develop reading and literacy skills:
" Rhyme chain: One person says a word, "pan" for example. Each person takes a turn saying a rhyming word until no one can think of any more words.
" I spy: Each person takes a turn "spying" something in the room. The clue is given with this sentence: "I spy something that starts with ___." The others guess.
" Sound substitution: Sing a favorite song while changing the first sound to a selected sound. Example: To practice the sound of the letter "b," sing "Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes" as "Bed and Boulders, Bees and Boes."
" For Web sites to develop literacy skills, try:
- www.readwritethink.org/student_mat
- www.mrsjones.org/brooks/phonics.html
" For Web sites to choose books, try:
- www.booknutsreadingclub.com/choosingbooks.html
- www.rif.org/parents/goodbooks/
This series
Lynne Weakland, a retired Elmira elementary school teacher, writes today helping children developing reading and language skills. This is the eighth in a series of monthly columns written by members of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. The next column will be Sunday, May 15.
Online
Hear Lynne Weakland read her column and learn more about the Star-Gazette's Need to Read program by going to www.stargazette.com and clicking on "News to Use." Under the "Help Yourself" heading, find "The Need to Read" heading and click on it.
Book time for summer reading
" At home, away or at the library, make time to read.
With flowers blooming and the assurances that warmer weather is here to stay, families begin planning for summer vacation. Families anxiously await the last day of school, anticipating the leisurely days of summer. Children look forward to days full of swimming, baseball games, cookouts and trips to their favorite ice cream stand.
However, after the first week of vacation, kids can be heard saying, "There's nothing to do. I'm bored!" Before this happens, add "Read! Read! Read!" to the family's summer to-do list. Student reading should not stop because school is out.
Families can incorporate many activities into a summer schedule to help children become better readers. First, becoming a better reader requires increasing the amount of time spent reading. In other words, you get better at reading by reading. One simple way to do this is to set aside a regular, 20-minute period in a quiet atmosphere each day for reading.
Finding interesting reading material is just as important as setting aside time to read. Reading can be a book, the newspaper, a comic book or a magazine.
For younger students who are just emerging as readers, picture books and predictable books work best for their reading time. For older elementary students, to ensure they succeed at reading, try finding materials that reflect their interests and activities.
If your family is taking a trip as part of your vacation plans, wouldn't it be great if your child read all about that destination before going there? Books, of course, offer great information, but even a vacation packet from a travel agent is good reading material with lots of useful information.
If you're looking for interesting things to read, planning a weekly outing to the library is a great trip for a family to take together. The friendly librarian there will help find appropriate books and other materials for your children. Librarians are experts on books for children. To escape the summer heat, relaxing with a book on a hot summer evening at the air-conditioned library is quite refreshing - and free, too.
After the library, stopping for ice cream would be a real treat. While you are eating that ice cream cone, extend the reading experience by talking about the books children have chosen for the coming week. A parent needs to engage children with "book talk" regularly before, during and after kids read. This will enhance the entire experience.
Another great summer reading "to-do" activity is starting a book club. Have your children invite their friends over for a meeting every two weeks or so during the summer to discuss books that all book club members have read.
A library often has multiple copies of books, or a librarian can borrow them from another library for you. Book club selections can be determined around favorite authors, a particular genre of books or a common interest, such as sports, animals or pets.
Kids will like to talk about why they liked (or disliked) the book, their favorite parts and the characters in the story. A good book generates lots of conversation and great book talk!
Lastly, although it may seem old-fashioned, families can read together. Regardless of age, everyone loves to hear someone read a good story to them. You could take turns reading and use voices for the different characters. Or, if you're daring, you could act out the stories. This is not only enjoyable but a great way to model fluent reading for children, and it demonstrates that you think reading is an important part of life. Even being observed by your children reading a good book or a newspaper sends a great message to your children that reading is important, as well as enjoyable.
Incorporating reading time into the summer schedule is a great way for parents and children to relax and enjoy reading every day. I hope that your family leisure time this summer (and all year 'round) will include lots of good reading. With a good book, a child will never be bored. Read! Read! Read!
Lisa G. Kelly, principal of Riverside Elementary School in Elmira, is a member of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley.
Library hours
Here are the summer hours, from May 23 to Sept. 11, at the public libraries in Chemung County:
" Big Flats: Monday, Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Tuesday, Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
" Horseheads: Monday through Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Thursday, Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
" Steele Memorial: Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
" Van Etten: Monday, Wednesday, 1 to 5 p.m.; Friday, 1 to 6 p.m.; Tuesday, Thursday, closed.
" West Elmira: Monday, noon to 8 p.m.; Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
This series
Lisa G. Kelly, principal of Riverside Elementary School in Elmira, writes today about how to keep children reading through the summer. This is the ninth in a series of monthly columns written by members of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. The next column will be Sunday, June 19.
Online
Hear Lisa G. Kelly read her column and learn more about the Star-Gazette's Need to Read program by going to www.stargazette.com and clicking on "News to Use." Under the "Help Yourself" heading, find "The Need to Read" heading and click on it.
-----------------------------
Sunday, April 17, 2005
Create fun with words, sounds
" Daily games, talks with children can build reading success.
Our nation has set a goal of ensuring that all children will be competent readers by the end of grade three. How can parents support this goal and help to ensure the success of their children?
Parents have dreams for their children. Children have dreams for themselves. What do we need to do in our children's preschool years so that these dreams can be achieved?
Research has identified the best indicators of future reading success.
They are:
" Oral language skills.
" Phonemic awareness (the ability to orally manipulate the sounds of language).
" Knowledge of the alphabet and the alphabetic principle (understanding that letters represent sounds).
We also know that the best readers are motivated to read, and read a lot of books. The following home activities can support development in these areas.
" Talk with your child. Oral language development is critical to school success. Research has shown that by the age of 3, children who experience lots of conversation and who are read to regularly have heard up to 30 million more words than children who have not had these advantages.
Talk about the sports page in the newspaper, talk about the books that you read together, talk about the natural world, talk about family and community happenings, talk about feelings and hopes and dreams.
Read to your child. Ten minutes of daily reading can develop a love of books and can enhance your child's vocabulary. Point to the words as you are reading. Let your child fill in the rhyming words or the repetitive part of the story. Talk about what happened in the book. Discuss the meanings of words. Read fiction and nonfiction books.
Play with the oral sounds of language. Your child must first be able to hear the sounds of language in order to later learn phonics. Play rhyming games. Recite poems. Clap the syllables in words. Stretch out the individual sounds in words.
Work with the alphabet and with words. Play games with the letters and sounds. Point out words in the environment - street signs, names of stores, names of cars. Make labels for objects in the child's room. Help your child to match letters to the sounds of words.
These simple activities can help to prepare your child for school. Ten to 20 minutes every day can be an investment that lasts a lifetime.
Lynne Weakland is a retired Elmira elementary school teacher. She also is a member of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley.
Reading help
Here are some games to play to develop reading and literacy skills:
" Rhyme chain: One person says a word, "pan" for example. Each person takes a turn saying a rhyming word until no one can think of any more words.
" I spy: Each person takes a turn "spying" something in the room. The clue is given with this sentence: "I spy something that starts with ___." The others guess.
" Sound substitution: Sing a favorite song while changing the first sound to a selected sound. Example: To practice the sound of the letter "b," sing "Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes" as "Bed and Boulders, Bees and Boes."
" For Web sites to develop literacy skills, try:
- www.readwritethink.org/student_mat
- www.mrsjones.org/brooks/phonics.html
" For Web sites to choose books, try:
- www.booknutsreadingclub.com/choosingbooks.html
- www.rif.org/parents/goodbooks/
This series
Lynne Weakland, a retired Elmira elementary school teacher, writes today helping children developing reading and language skills. This is the eighth in a series of monthly columns written by members of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. The next column will be Sunday, May 15.
Online
Hear Lynne Weakland read her column and learn more about the Star-Gazette's Need to Read program by going to www.stargazette.com and clicking on "News to Use." Under the "Help Yourself" heading, find "The Need to Read" heading and click on it.
Need to Read 11
Sunday, December 25, 2005
Parents can help with reading understanding
Asking children to explain what they read is invaluable.
Many of us have heard the axiom: Young children "learn to read" while older children "read to learn." Once students reach middle school, they are expected to read, extract meaning and to make inferences using a wide variety of print and electronic sources, including textbooks, journals, CD-ROMs, the Internet and "online databases." Unfortunately middle school students often lack the reading and technology skills necessary to "read to learn."
You should help your children find Web sites or databases that are age-reading-level appropriate. Many children give up because the sites they find are too difficult for them to read.
You also should have your children read out loud to you. This will help you to assess their reading ability. You can ask them to define specific words in the reading and help them to use a dictionary to define new words.
Assist them with assignments by asking them to read titles, graphs, charts and captions to you. You also should ask them to explain the relevance of that information to the written text.
Point out important information in the text and ask your children questions about what you heard them read to check for understanding. Do not assume that your children will comprehend what they read just because they can pronounce the words.
Finally, have reading material around the house, and teach your children that reading is important by modeling reading for them. The use of these strategies should help to show a marked improvement in your children's ability to read to learn.
This series
Jill Eagen, library media specialist at Broadway Middle School in Elmira, writes today about ensuring children understand what they read. This series of monthly columns, begun in September 2004, is written by members of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley.
What can parents do to help? First, don't assume that because your preteen uses the Internet often that they can use the Internet or "online databases" to read for information. Young people spend much of their online time chatting with friends and playing games, yet they spend little time reading and researching.
Online
Hear Jill Eagen read her column and learn more about the Star-Gazette's Need to Read program by going online. Go to www.stargazette.com and click on the Need to Read logo on the home page. Under Literacy Columns find the link to her column and click on it.
--------------------
Sunday, November 20, 2005
Nonfiction best answer to 'why?'
Find books geared to the kinds of questions they ask.
Around the age of 3, children look at the world around them and start to wonder about all the things they see and experience. The word "why" becomes a big part of their vocabulary. Their curiosity can be satisfied by the many books available in the children's nonfiction section of your favorite bookstore or library.
Over the past few years, more nonfiction books have been published for children in preschool and early grades. These books introduce children to vocabulary that is specific to the topic. They also include pictures and illustrations on every page to support the child's understanding of the words they see or hear. (A book on caterpillars targeted for this age group will include such words as egg, hatch, molt, chrysalis and butterfly).
Educators know that vocabulary knowledge is an important element for successful reading. Young children need to develop an extensive listening and speaking vocabulary even before they enter school.
More importantly, children will come to value reading not only for enjoyment but for finding out about the world. They see reading as a way of learning.
So the next time your preschoolers ask a question about caterpillars, stars, fire engines, horses, dump trucks, apples etc. make a mental note or write down the topic and select a nonfiction book to satisfy their curiosity.
Explaining why
Here are some suggested nonfiction children's book series and their publishers:
* The Eyewitness Readers Series by DK Publishing.
* Pebble and Pebble Plus Books by Capstone Press.
* Pull Ahead Books by Lerner Publications Co.
* The Magic School Bus Books by Scholastic Inc.
Online
Hear Ellen Hicks read her column and learn more about the Star-Gazette's Need to Read program by clicking on the Need to Read logo on the Star-Gazette's home page. Under Literacy Columns find the link to her column and click on it.
---------------------------------
Sunday, October 16, 2005
Health has language all its own
Patients, providers must make sure they understand each other.
Think back to the last time you were at a health provider's office or pharmacy, and consider how that experience shaped the outcome of your health concern. How well or how quickly your health condition improves may depend on your health literacy.
Although health literacy has been defined in many ways, the definition that is most to the point comes from Helen Osborne, expert on health literacy. She defines it as "a shared responsibility in which patients and providers each must communicate in ways that the other can understand." Her definition conveys the mutuality of communication.
No one can deny that health care is fraught with complicated language, including Latin, medical jargon and acronyms. Also, we accept that the personal and cultural understanding of health issues will shape how patients communicate with providers. Providers and patients need to seek clarity of meaning when communicating about a person's health issues.
First, patients need to be able to read and understand printed instructions for them be useful. Once basic literacy is established, the complicated medical language must be understood. And if the information is not clearly understood, clarification must be sought. This is part of health literacy.
The other part to health literacy is for health professionals to take a critical look at all printed materials and verbal communications for clarity and ease of understanding. If health information or instructions are not delivered in an understandable manner, it does not provide the quality of care that patients and health professionals strive to achieve.
A challenge to health professionals is to "watch your language," and be sure you are using terms that lay persons can understand. And for the consumers of health care, your job is to improve your health literacy but to ask for clarification if you do not understand written or verbal information given to you. Your health may depend on that.
This series
Joyce Hyatt is a registered nurse and grant facilitator with the Chemung Valley Rural Health Network. This series of monthly columns, begun in September 2004, is written by members of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. The next column will be published Nov. 20.
Online
Hear Joyce Hyatt read her column and learn more about the Star-Gazette's Need to Read program by going online. Go to www.stargazette.com and click on the Need to Read logo on the home page. Under Literacy Columns find the link to her column and click on it.
----------------------------
Sunday, September 18, 2005
Start your children on the right page
Reading habits begin at home with parents setting the tone.
Head Start, a preschool program founded in 1965, has held from its inception the belief that parents are their child's first and best teacher.
Additionally, there is perhaps no greater academic predictor of a child's school success than a strong foundation in literacy. Fortunately for us as parents, helping to build this foundation is within our reach and requires no special materials or training. There are also many good local resources for obtaining books free or at a reduced cost.
Here's how to keep your children interested in reading:
* Books, books, more books: Surround your child with a variety of books, from soft books available for infants, to board books for toddlers, to books that preschoolers can "read" themselves. The more exposure your children have to books the more comfortable they will become with them and the more indispensable books will become for the rest of their lives. Create a special space for books and reading in your home and include a variety of age-appropriate reading materials.
* Read, read, read again: While you may tire of reading the same book over and over again, he or she never tires of listening. Your child is learning important lessons about the connection between written and spoken language, the rhythm and cadences of reading, and the distinctive sounds made by individual letters and their combination in the form of words, not to mention the security of snuggling and sharing a good book.
* Talk, talk, talk some more: Another important aspect of language development and literacy is having the words to use and knowing how and when to use them. Using colorful, descriptive language with your child from their early years and exposing them to increasingly complex vocabulary builds their listening and speaking language banks for later use. Play word games with your child, correcting pronunciation for them without drawing attention to their "mistakes."
This series
Erin Doyle, the education services manager at the Economic Opportunity Program of Chemung County, writes today about establishing reading as a habit with children. This is the 12th in a series of monthly columns written by members of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. The next column will be Sunday, Oct. 16.
Online
Hear Erin Doyle read her column and learn more about the Star-Gazette's Need to Read program by going online. Go to www.stargazette.com and click on "News Extras" on the left of your screen. Then click on "The Need to Read" link. Under Literacy Columns find the link to Doyle's column and click on it.
-------------------
Sunday, August 21, 2005
Grow your own reading room
Setting up right environment can cultivate importance of books.
Most families do not have a room in their home designated as the library. However, you can still make your home a place where reading is fun and a priority. You create the comfortable place to read and the right materials and your family will be on the way to reading at home.
The age of your child plays a role in setting up the reading environment. For example:
* Infants: Talking and singing to infants will help them with language development. Provide small, easy-to-handle board books for older infants.
* Toddlers/preschoolers: This group loves books. Make age- appropriate books available on a table or shelf that they can reach. Remember to model and reinforce the way to care for books.
* Young school-age children: Take advantage of school reading assignments. Have your child read to you or even take turns reading, as long as you are not the one doing all the reading because the child needs to practice his or her reading skills.
* Teens: Some teens love to read, while others could take it or leave it. Providing books or magazines that focus on their interests of cars, sports, science, clothing, hair styles, fishing, etc., will increase the chances of them sitting down to read.
Some ways to get books or magazines into your home include:
* Borrow books from your local library.
* Purchase new books.
* Buy used books at yard sales or library book sales.
* Start a share-a-book program at work or in the neighborhood.
* Through the Family Reading Partnership program.
* Ask a doctor's office if it would donate old magazines for kids to read.
* Help your children write their own stories.
You can even make your own book on tape with you or your child reading the story into a tape recorder. This also would be a great gift idea for a relative. Who wouldn't love that?
As a parent, you can set the stage to make reading at home part of your family's daily life.
The Need to Read series
Ruth Krusen, executive director of the Chemung County Child Care Council Inc., writes today about how parents can create healthy reading environments for their children. This is the 12th in a series of monthly columns written by members of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. The next column will be Sunday, Sept. 18.
Online
Hear Ruth Krusen read her column and learn more about the Star-Gazette's Need to Read program by going online. Go to www.stargazette.com and click on "News Extra" on the left of your screen. Then click on "The Need to Read" link. Under Literacy Columns find the link to Krusen's column and click on it.
----------------------
Sunday, July 17, 2005
Talk books, share them too with older children
" As kids get older, adults can build bonds through reading.
Preteens and young adolescents require just as much attention as preschool youngsters when it comes to reading and writing skills. In New York state, less than 50 percentof the eighth graders tested this year met proficiency standards. Clearly, the gap between that performance and Information Age literacy needs is unacceptably wide.
As in the workplace, growing older in school means nonfiction becomes more important. Students are expected to reason abstractly about subjects outside of their experience, consider multiple perspectives and weigh evidence. However, more sophisticated requirements don't mean that parents and caregivers can't continue to play an important role.
Encourage your young persons to read by giving them choices and helping them to find stories about people from similar backgrounds or topics in which they have a special interest. Providing a quiet space and stocking your home with newspapers, magazines and books are also helpful, along with a good dictionary. Yes, children at this age are busy, so help them make a schedule that includes time for television, video games, practice for sports or music and daily reading.
Keep talking with older children about what they read. Reading for understanding is about making connections and building vocabulary. Discussions that help them think about situations in new ways or add to their background knowledge can help develop both skills.
Hearing good sentence structure helps them to self-correct and to put information together more easily when they are reading by themselves. Inviting your middle schooler to read to a younger child benefits both of them. In the car, books on tape are a great way to improve skills and understanding as they follow along in the text and talk with you about it later.
Modeling is also important. Let kids catch you reading for pleasure and take them with you to the library or the bookstore. Many preteens still like to be read to, and sharing favorite passages can be a terrific conversation starter. Bringing home the movie version of a book your child is reading and discussing the differences is another way to help students to take text to another level.
Your relationship with your child is a very important part of every stage of their development. Talking about books is a wonderful way to open their minds and to share the values they'll need to cope with the complex world they'll inherit.
Don Keddell is president of the board of directors of the Chemung County Child Care Council, Inc. He is a member of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley.
Online
Here are some Web sites with helpful book suggestions:
" Reading is Fundamental: www.rif.org
" International Reading Association: www.reading.org
" Literacy Matters Ltd.: www.literacymatters.com
" Books for Parents of Dyslexic Children: www.dyslexia-parent.com
" Multicultural Children's Literature: www.multiculturalchildrenslit.com or
www.lib.msu.edu/corby/ education/multicultural.html
This series
Don Keddell, a retired school administrator, writes today about how parents can encourage their preteen children and adolescents to sustain their interest in reading books. This is the 11th in a series of monthly columns written by members of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. The next column will be Sunday, Nov. 21.
Online
Hear Don Keddell read his column and learn more about the Star-Gazette's Need to Read program by going online. Go to www.stargazette.com and click on "News to Use." Under the "Help Yourself" heading, find "The Need to Read" heading and click on it.
Parents can help with reading understanding
Asking children to explain what they read is invaluable.
Many of us have heard the axiom: Young children "learn to read" while older children "read to learn." Once students reach middle school, they are expected to read, extract meaning and to make inferences using a wide variety of print and electronic sources, including textbooks, journals, CD-ROMs, the Internet and "online databases." Unfortunately middle school students often lack the reading and technology skills necessary to "read to learn."
You should help your children find Web sites or databases that are age-reading-level appropriate. Many children give up because the sites they find are too difficult for them to read.
You also should have your children read out loud to you. This will help you to assess their reading ability. You can ask them to define specific words in the reading and help them to use a dictionary to define new words.
Assist them with assignments by asking them to read titles, graphs, charts and captions to you. You also should ask them to explain the relevance of that information to the written text.
Point out important information in the text and ask your children questions about what you heard them read to check for understanding. Do not assume that your children will comprehend what they read just because they can pronounce the words.
Finally, have reading material around the house, and teach your children that reading is important by modeling reading for them. The use of these strategies should help to show a marked improvement in your children's ability to read to learn.
This series
Jill Eagen, library media specialist at Broadway Middle School in Elmira, writes today about ensuring children understand what they read. This series of monthly columns, begun in September 2004, is written by members of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley.
What can parents do to help? First, don't assume that because your preteen uses the Internet often that they can use the Internet or "online databases" to read for information. Young people spend much of their online time chatting with friends and playing games, yet they spend little time reading and researching.
Online
Hear Jill Eagen read her column and learn more about the Star-Gazette's Need to Read program by going online. Go to www.stargazette.com and click on the Need to Read logo on the home page. Under Literacy Columns find the link to her column and click on it.
--------------------
Sunday, November 20, 2005
Nonfiction best answer to 'why?'
Find books geared to the kinds of questions they ask.
Around the age of 3, children look at the world around them and start to wonder about all the things they see and experience. The word "why" becomes a big part of their vocabulary. Their curiosity can be satisfied by the many books available in the children's nonfiction section of your favorite bookstore or library.
Over the past few years, more nonfiction books have been published for children in preschool and early grades. These books introduce children to vocabulary that is specific to the topic. They also include pictures and illustrations on every page to support the child's understanding of the words they see or hear. (A book on caterpillars targeted for this age group will include such words as egg, hatch, molt, chrysalis and butterfly).
Educators know that vocabulary knowledge is an important element for successful reading. Young children need to develop an extensive listening and speaking vocabulary even before they enter school.
More importantly, children will come to value reading not only for enjoyment but for finding out about the world. They see reading as a way of learning.
So the next time your preschoolers ask a question about caterpillars, stars, fire engines, horses, dump trucks, apples etc. make a mental note or write down the topic and select a nonfiction book to satisfy their curiosity.
Explaining why
Here are some suggested nonfiction children's book series and their publishers:
* The Eyewitness Readers Series by DK Publishing.
* Pebble and Pebble Plus Books by Capstone Press.
* Pull Ahead Books by Lerner Publications Co.
* The Magic School Bus Books by Scholastic Inc.
Online
Hear Ellen Hicks read her column and learn more about the Star-Gazette's Need to Read program by clicking on the Need to Read logo on the Star-Gazette's home page. Under Literacy Columns find the link to her column and click on it.
---------------------------------
Sunday, October 16, 2005
Health has language all its own
Patients, providers must make sure they understand each other.
Think back to the last time you were at a health provider's office or pharmacy, and consider how that experience shaped the outcome of your health concern. How well or how quickly your health condition improves may depend on your health literacy.
Although health literacy has been defined in many ways, the definition that is most to the point comes from Helen Osborne, expert on health literacy. She defines it as "a shared responsibility in which patients and providers each must communicate in ways that the other can understand." Her definition conveys the mutuality of communication.
No one can deny that health care is fraught with complicated language, including Latin, medical jargon and acronyms. Also, we accept that the personal and cultural understanding of health issues will shape how patients communicate with providers. Providers and patients need to seek clarity of meaning when communicating about a person's health issues.
First, patients need to be able to read and understand printed instructions for them be useful. Once basic literacy is established, the complicated medical language must be understood. And if the information is not clearly understood, clarification must be sought. This is part of health literacy.
The other part to health literacy is for health professionals to take a critical look at all printed materials and verbal communications for clarity and ease of understanding. If health information or instructions are not delivered in an understandable manner, it does not provide the quality of care that patients and health professionals strive to achieve.
A challenge to health professionals is to "watch your language," and be sure you are using terms that lay persons can understand. And for the consumers of health care, your job is to improve your health literacy but to ask for clarification if you do not understand written or verbal information given to you. Your health may depend on that.
This series
Joyce Hyatt is a registered nurse and grant facilitator with the Chemung Valley Rural Health Network. This series of monthly columns, begun in September 2004, is written by members of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. The next column will be published Nov. 20.
Online
Hear Joyce Hyatt read her column and learn more about the Star-Gazette's Need to Read program by going online. Go to www.stargazette.com and click on the Need to Read logo on the home page. Under Literacy Columns find the link to her column and click on it.
----------------------------
Sunday, September 18, 2005
Start your children on the right page
Reading habits begin at home with parents setting the tone.
Head Start, a preschool program founded in 1965, has held from its inception the belief that parents are their child's first and best teacher.
Additionally, there is perhaps no greater academic predictor of a child's school success than a strong foundation in literacy. Fortunately for us as parents, helping to build this foundation is within our reach and requires no special materials or training. There are also many good local resources for obtaining books free or at a reduced cost.
Here's how to keep your children interested in reading:
* Books, books, more books: Surround your child with a variety of books, from soft books available for infants, to board books for toddlers, to books that preschoolers can "read" themselves. The more exposure your children have to books the more comfortable they will become with them and the more indispensable books will become for the rest of their lives. Create a special space for books and reading in your home and include a variety of age-appropriate reading materials.
* Read, read, read again: While you may tire of reading the same book over and over again, he or she never tires of listening. Your child is learning important lessons about the connection between written and spoken language, the rhythm and cadences of reading, and the distinctive sounds made by individual letters and their combination in the form of words, not to mention the security of snuggling and sharing a good book.
* Talk, talk, talk some more: Another important aspect of language development and literacy is having the words to use and knowing how and when to use them. Using colorful, descriptive language with your child from their early years and exposing them to increasingly complex vocabulary builds their listening and speaking language banks for later use. Play word games with your child, correcting pronunciation for them without drawing attention to their "mistakes."
This series
Erin Doyle, the education services manager at the Economic Opportunity Program of Chemung County, writes today about establishing reading as a habit with children. This is the 12th in a series of monthly columns written by members of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. The next column will be Sunday, Oct. 16.
Online
Hear Erin Doyle read her column and learn more about the Star-Gazette's Need to Read program by going online. Go to www.stargazette.com and click on "News Extras" on the left of your screen. Then click on "The Need to Read" link. Under Literacy Columns find the link to Doyle's column and click on it.
-------------------
Sunday, August 21, 2005
Grow your own reading room
Setting up right environment can cultivate importance of books.
Most families do not have a room in their home designated as the library. However, you can still make your home a place where reading is fun and a priority. You create the comfortable place to read and the right materials and your family will be on the way to reading at home.
The age of your child plays a role in setting up the reading environment. For example:
* Infants: Talking and singing to infants will help them with language development. Provide small, easy-to-handle board books for older infants.
* Toddlers/preschoolers: This group loves books. Make age- appropriate books available on a table or shelf that they can reach. Remember to model and reinforce the way to care for books.
* Young school-age children: Take advantage of school reading assignments. Have your child read to you or even take turns reading, as long as you are not the one doing all the reading because the child needs to practice his or her reading skills.
* Teens: Some teens love to read, while others could take it or leave it. Providing books or magazines that focus on their interests of cars, sports, science, clothing, hair styles, fishing, etc., will increase the chances of them sitting down to read.
Some ways to get books or magazines into your home include:
* Borrow books from your local library.
* Purchase new books.
* Buy used books at yard sales or library book sales.
* Start a share-a-book program at work or in the neighborhood.
* Through the Family Reading Partnership program.
* Ask a doctor's office if it would donate old magazines for kids to read.
* Help your children write their own stories.
You can even make your own book on tape with you or your child reading the story into a tape recorder. This also would be a great gift idea for a relative. Who wouldn't love that?
As a parent, you can set the stage to make reading at home part of your family's daily life.
The Need to Read series
Ruth Krusen, executive director of the Chemung County Child Care Council Inc., writes today about how parents can create healthy reading environments for their children. This is the 12th in a series of monthly columns written by members of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. The next column will be Sunday, Sept. 18.
Online
Hear Ruth Krusen read her column and learn more about the Star-Gazette's Need to Read program by going online. Go to www.stargazette.com and click on "News Extra" on the left of your screen. Then click on "The Need to Read" link. Under Literacy Columns find the link to Krusen's column and click on it.
----------------------
Sunday, July 17, 2005
Talk books, share them too with older children
" As kids get older, adults can build bonds through reading.
Preteens and young adolescents require just as much attention as preschool youngsters when it comes to reading and writing skills. In New York state, less than 50 percentof the eighth graders tested this year met proficiency standards. Clearly, the gap between that performance and Information Age literacy needs is unacceptably wide.
As in the workplace, growing older in school means nonfiction becomes more important. Students are expected to reason abstractly about subjects outside of their experience, consider multiple perspectives and weigh evidence. However, more sophisticated requirements don't mean that parents and caregivers can't continue to play an important role.
Encourage your young persons to read by giving them choices and helping them to find stories about people from similar backgrounds or topics in which they have a special interest. Providing a quiet space and stocking your home with newspapers, magazines and books are also helpful, along with a good dictionary. Yes, children at this age are busy, so help them make a schedule that includes time for television, video games, practice for sports or music and daily reading.
Keep talking with older children about what they read. Reading for understanding is about making connections and building vocabulary. Discussions that help them think about situations in new ways or add to their background knowledge can help develop both skills.
Hearing good sentence structure helps them to self-correct and to put information together more easily when they are reading by themselves. Inviting your middle schooler to read to a younger child benefits both of them. In the car, books on tape are a great way to improve skills and understanding as they follow along in the text and talk with you about it later.
Modeling is also important. Let kids catch you reading for pleasure and take them with you to the library or the bookstore. Many preteens still like to be read to, and sharing favorite passages can be a terrific conversation starter. Bringing home the movie version of a book your child is reading and discussing the differences is another way to help students to take text to another level.
Your relationship with your child is a very important part of every stage of their development. Talking about books is a wonderful way to open their minds and to share the values they'll need to cope with the complex world they'll inherit.
Don Keddell is president of the board of directors of the Chemung County Child Care Council, Inc. He is a member of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley.
Online
Here are some Web sites with helpful book suggestions:
" Reading is Fundamental: www.rif.org
" International Reading Association: www.reading.org
" Literacy Matters Ltd.: www.literacymatters.com
" Books for Parents of Dyslexic Children: www.dyslexia-parent.com
" Multicultural Children's Literature: www.multiculturalchildrenslit.com or
www.lib.msu.edu/corby/ education/multicultural.html
This series
Don Keddell, a retired school administrator, writes today about how parents can encourage their preteen children and adolescents to sustain their interest in reading books. This is the 11th in a series of monthly columns written by members of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. The next column will be Sunday, Nov. 21.
Online
Hear Don Keddell read his column and learn more about the Star-Gazette's Need to Read program by going online. Go to www.stargazette.com and click on "News to Use." Under the "Help Yourself" heading, find "The Need to Read" heading and click on it.
Need to Read 10
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Passion for reading can grow with PAL
* Partnership with younger students provides needed stability.
A love of reading should begin in childhood, and if children have someone to instill a love of books in them at an early age, it will hopefully carry with them into adulthood.
Stories and friendships that spark the imagination, that open up a world of possibilities of what could be, give a child hope.
PAL ñ Pupil Assistance in Learning ñ is a program that relies on volunteers to mentor children in Chemung County. Our mentors are matched in a one-to-one partnership with a child in need of a positive, attentive adult. Reading together is just one of the many activities enjoyed by PAL participants. Other activities include arts and crafts, outings to the park, or helping with homework. Each PAL match chooses how they spend their time together, incorporating their own interests. Many PAL matches spend much of their time together simply talking and listening.
The PAL Program also holds monthly group activities. These parties are planned so that every child feels included. Halloween, Christmas, swimming, and bowling parties, movie day and board game night are all great fun.
After an application and interview process with PAL staff, PAL mentors commit to a year of consistent ñ weekly ñ contact with their PAL student. The contact can take place during the school day, in the evening or on weekends, as long as it is consistent.
This summer, PAL kids, with the encouragement and support of their PAL mentors, are participating in reading programs through the Star-Gazette and Applebeeís restaurant, and those kids who read at least 10 books will celebrate with our PAL-readers Party, complete with ice cream, cake, books and gummy bookworms.
People often tell me theyíre not sure what they have to offer as a mentor. It does not take any special skills to be a mentor. It takes the time and a desire to share your life and the things you enjoy with a child. Share the gift of reading. Share the excitement of choosing a book from the library. Share the stories and pictures that tap into the limitless imagination of a youngster.
For more information on how you can become a PAL mentor and make a positive difference in the life of a child, call the PAL office at 607/735-3093 or e-mail Adele Ayres, program coordinator, at aayres@elmiracityschools.com.
Adele Ayres is coordinator of the PAL Mentoring Program in Elmira and a member of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. Her comments are part of a monthly series of articles about literacy.
-----------------------------------
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Summertime, and the reading is easy
* Book discussion groups can be a warm-weather diversion.
We often think of reading as a solitary experience. We find ourselves quiet, alone with our thoughts as we read the authorís work. However, sharing your thoughts, reactions and responses to a book in a discussion with friends and family can make reading a social event.
As summer approaches, family reunions, picnics, outings and team events are added to the calendar. It is also a great time to consider organizing a book club/discussion. All you have to do is identify the group, pick a book, set a date and time, and make it happen. Here are some tips.
* The group: Anyone interested in reading and discussing a book can be a member; mothers and daughters, best friends, fathers and sons, ìthe cousins,î co-workers, teammates or neighbors can be a starting point. The group should be small. This gives all group members opportunities to share their thoughts. A good rule of thumb is eight to 10 participants, but a good discussion can be had with just two or three.
* The book: The process for choosing a book does not need to be complicated. Titles can be suggested by the group, and winners can be drawn from a hat. Picking a theme or book type (mysteries, science fiction, etc.) is another way. Parents may want to suggest a book they read growing up and have the children pick a favorite for parents to read. Just make sure that the book appeals to everyone and can be easily read if you are including children in the elementary grades.
* The format: Flexible, easy, unstructured are the ways to go. A good starting point would be to have each person share his or her thoughts, reactions, special passages, favorite or not so favorite characters, etc. in a round-robin fashion (with the option to pass). After that, the discussion can take any direction. Reserve about an hour for your group, but donít be surprised if you find you need more time; adjust as you go along.
Remember to keep it fun.
* Place and time: Allow enough time for each person to finish reading the book. Consider the length of the book and the type of fiction or nonfiction you have selected when deciding your time frame. Pick a time and place that is convenient for all, and you are ready.
Participating in a shared reading and book discussion will take you on a path to authors, titles and book choices you might never have considered. The exchange of thoughts and reactions to the book with others will give you a better appreciation for the authorís work and for the people you share it with. This benefit is well worth the time and effort to start or join a group.
For more tips and ideas, contact the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley, 607/735-3593 or go online to www.familyreading.org
Ellen Hicks is a retired principal from the Elmira school district and a member of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. Her comments are part of a monthly series of articles about literacy.
------------------------------------------------
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Passing on a love for reading
I remember as a child cuddling next to my grandmother while she read book after book to me -- sometimes the same one over and over again. Even before I started school, there were trips to the library that began a lifetime love of reading.
Books were an important part of my home, and when I had children, some of these same books were passed on to them. We made reading before naps and bedtime a daily ritual, and when they learned to read themselves, I listened to them and allowed them to stay up "just a little longer" if they were reading.
Whether it involves your own child, grandchild or that special person, books and magazine subscriptions tailored to the recipient make wonderful gifts. Inscribing a special message and signing and dating it can make it a special keepsake for the future. As children get older, sharing and discussing a book you enjoy with them helps bond you intellectually. Help them to discover different types of literature and realize just like you, they will go through phases and discover different interests and authors.
It is not only those active ways of reading to and supplying books to children that encourage the pleasures of reading. There are also those passive messages we give by making reading an important part of our own lives.
I have always had a bookcase filled with books in our home, and our children always had a bookcase in their rooms. My own reading habits are silently displayed through my nightly bedtime reading or those lazy summer moments spent curled up in the hammock with a good book.
Remember that actions speak louder than words. If you want the next generation to be readers, remember to make reading an active part of your life and pass it on. - TERESA FLETCHER
I remember at night as a child staying up late with Michelangelo, Donatello, Raphael and Leonardo. I felt safe in their presence. I was not afraid of the evil foot clan and its colleagues, Bebop and Rocksteady, because they had my back.
And when the Ninja Turtles were out protecting the sewers from the foot clan, Optimus Prime and the Auto Bots would watch me as I slept. Now my heroes at night have evolved.
Coleridge, Milton and Stoker keep me safe at night from vampires, fallen angels and other crude individuals. My reading interests have evolved over the years, and my love of reading is something that I will continue to develop and pass on. - ROBERT SCOGGAN
------------------------------------------
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Reading help for adults just a phone call away
Have you ever wanted to help your child with a homework problem but struggled? Or how about trying to read a story to your grandchild and fumbling over the words? Maybe you know someone who wants to get a job but is too embarrassed to fill out an application on-site because he can't read well enough.
Reading is a skill that many of us take for granted, but for those who have difficulty making sense of the written word, everyday reading can be a frustrating experience. Many adults have learned to compensate for a reading disability. Others pretend not to care, or they hide their discomfort. Help is available in our surrounding communities for adults who want to develop their reading skills.
Schuyler-Chemung-Tioga BOCES operates free Adult Learning Centers throughout its seven component school districts. Adults, 18 years of age or older, can enroll to practice and increase individual reading skills. These learning centers can be found in schools, One-Stop Centers, the Economic Opportunity Program and community agencies. The classes are small and individualized. Interested adults participate in an information session and take an assessment of their current reading skill level. From there, they are referred to a convenient location that meets their family and work schedule. Depending on skill level, if someone needed an individual tutor, a referral to Literacy Volunteers of America at EOP may be appropriate.
Taking the first step by making the call to find out about local programs is the hardest. Once adults ask for help, our area is rich in educational resources. Adults can study to improve reading skills and work on math and writing skills in adult learning centers. People without a high school diploma also can prepare for the GED test. If a person is 21 or older, SCT BOCES offers home-study options, such as the External Diploma Program, where adults can earn a local high school diploma.
There are no guarantees, but with hard work and determination, a person can achieve success. That achievement brings satisfaction and an open door to the future. That future can include higher education, training, a job, pride in helping a child with homework, and most of all, self-fulfillment. So take a look around and talk to family and friends. Encourage and support anyone who may want to take advantage of learning to read better. The help is there for the asking. Just call:
‰ SCT BOCES Adult Literacy Programs , 607/739-7684 or 800/724-5756.
‰ Literacy Volunteers of America at the EOP main office in Elmira, 607/734-6174.
Kate Buckley is an adult literacy specialist at the Schuyler-Chemung-Tioga BOCES and a member of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. Her comments are part of a monthly series of articles about literacy.
This series
Kate Buckley, an adult literacy specialist at the Schuyler-Chemung-Tioga Board of Cooperative Educational Services, writes today about helping adults improve their reading skills. This series of monthly columns is written by members of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley.
Online
Hear Kate Buckley read her column and learn more about the Star-Gazette's Need to Read program by going online. Go to www.stargazette.com and click on the Need to Read logo on the home page.
Under Literacy Columns find the link to Buckleyís column and click on it.
----------------------------------
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Literacy: It's a part of human nature
Words, spoken and read, must be an exercise lasting a lifetime.
About a dozen years ago or so, a British research team filmed infants in the presence of conversing adults. After analyzing the results frame by frame, they concluded that the seemingly erratic movements of the babies' arms and legs were actually synchronized with the rhythms of the speech they were hearing.
Apparently, we are born already wired for language, predisposed to learning quickly how to speak and listen. Playing with sounds and words, singing and talking to infants reap rapid and rich rewards in lifelong literacy, the phenomenal and uniquely human power to comprehend and communicate ideas, feelings and information through words.
If this is true, it is doubly sad that many children, by the time they start school, have lost this innate potential for language because it has not been nurtured during the earliest years of their lives. Instinctive though it may be, language facility is not self- sustaining or even self-starting.
Like any other muscle, the language muscle will waste away if it is not exercised. So how do we compensate for language deficiency in a child of 6 or 7, or even more challenging, a child of 11 or 12?
As with anything else we do willingly, there has to be a reward, something in the activity that we value or enjoy. Reading is no different. If a child does not know or believe that he will have such an experience when he reads, he will not do it readily or well, and certainly not frequently.
Even an adult reader will read what interests and stimulates him. He also learns through experience that reading expands exponentially that circle of interest, but a young nonreader won't believe for a minute that this can happen. He most likely won't even care. He will have to be shown and will have to experience for himself that there is discovery and excitement in reading that relates directly to his own identity and interests.
A number of years ago, a high school senior student of mine resisted every effort to get him to work on a research paper that was a graduation requirement. Although he had had difficulty at every step of his educational life, reading and writing were especially low on his list of fun things to do. Weeks went by, but he refused to even begin the project.
Finally, a resource teacher, his guidance counselor and I corralled him and tried to pin him down. "You can pick any topic you want," I said. He seemed surprised, even though that had been part of the game plan all along.
"Can I write about conservation?" he wanted to know. "Of course you can," I replied. "I like the woods and animals and stuff like that," he mused. "That's fine," I said. "Go for it." And off he went to start researching his topic.
He found information in books and magazines, and on the Internet. He needed help all the way through, but he kept at it and completed the assignment, much to his satisfaction and his teachers' great relief.
For older children with language deficiencies, it is not enough to assign whole class reading projects. There must be a strategy and supplementary staff in place to help each child pursue his own initial areas of interest through the reading experience. The priority placed on such support in terms of time and resources must be ranked among the very highest in a child's educational program, for nothing else academic will work well for him without the ability to read.
-----------------------------
Sunday, February 19, 2006
A love affair with reading
Printed words stir emotions and keep our minds lively.
What binds us together? It is people who understand relationships and communication. I am convinced that communication of what goes on in the heart matters. Reading is the tool that binds all ideas and feelings together. It enhances the relationship we have with all things.
I always saw myself not as the head teacher but the head learner, someone who shared a joy of reading and learning. The key to success in reading is motivation. If there is no one to share the ideas, solutions and feeling alive in the printed page, then it is the dead words of the living.
Reading is alive in students, teachers, parents and all who worked at Beecher, Booth and Pine City elementary schools, where I was the principal. It was the element that made the difference in learning. It was the power pack that drove the learning.
Reading, writing, speaking and listening were not just the curriculum elements; they were the ways we connected with each other. They were the tools for being totally human and totally alive. Reading. What a wonderful life it can bring. All we do is drink from its streams of poetry, fiction, biography, nonfiction and so much more.
I have a second-grade student I am mentoring this year who loves to read riddles and jokes. He made me laugh as he read the jokes that touched him. We connected because he could share what was part of his heart, what was important to him.
February is the month of valentines. It is the month of the heart. Reading is one way we share our hearts with each other. Reading from the heart is for all ages. It is about sharing memories, concerns and ideas that make a difference in each other's lives. Won't you be a valentine to a friend and share what you are reading?
My favorite book that I read to students, my children and in sermons is "Love You Forever" by Robert Munsch. It is a book to treasure and remember. What book touches your heart? What book will you share?
Fun by the page
Here are some tips to encourage reading with family members:
* Have children read their favorite jokes or riddles to you. Laugh together.
* Read your favorite story of the heart in honor of Valentine's Day last week. "Chicken Soup for the Heart" is a good one.
* Speaking of hearts, poetry brings the heart alive. Share your favorite poem.
-------------
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Keeping track of how children read
Parents can nurture skills with books and involvement
Learning to read involves being able to recognize as well as understand the words that are printed. The building blocks for reading start right in the home through the initial interactions between parents and children.
Begin by sharing the experience of books through reading aloud to your children. Have numerous books available that you read with your child and that your child can see you read as a part of your daily schedule. Children need to receive the message that reading is fun.
As the child matures, make sure you discuss the books, help your child learn some of the words in the book and understand the story presented. He or she should be able to anticipate what will come next in the story and possibly recite some parts.
Guidelines to assist in monitoring where children should be in their reading development can be found in Sally Shaywitz's book, "Overcoming Dyslexia." Here is a summary:
* Early preschool (ages 3-4): Can recite nursery rhymes, repeat and play with sounds, and identify 10 letters of the alphabet (often in his or her name).
* Late preschool (ages 4-5): Can recognize and name a growing number of letters and can count the number of syllables in a spoken word.
Beginning kindergarten (ages 5-5Ï): Can name a word that rhymes with a simple word like cat and can mostly recognize as well as name all upper- and lower-case letters.
* End of kindergarten: Can easily name upper- and lower-case letters, beginning to learn about letter-sound matches, beginning to decode simple words, and is developing a sight word vocabulary.
* First grade (ages 6-7): Reads aloud with accuracy and comprehension (first-grade text), knows sounds of common letter groups or word families, reads simple instructions, and links letters to sounds to decode unknown words.
Parents' working in partnership with the classroom teacher are keys to children moving forward in developing skills in reading.
Online
* Hear Shari Simmons read her column and learn more about the Star-Gazette's Need to Read program by going online. Go to www.stargazette.com and click on the Need to Read logo on the home page. Under Literacy Columns find the link to her column and click on it.
* For tips about helping children develop strong reading habits, go to www.nea.org/parents/readingmattershome.html
Passion for reading can grow with PAL
* Partnership with younger students provides needed stability.
A love of reading should begin in childhood, and if children have someone to instill a love of books in them at an early age, it will hopefully carry with them into adulthood.
Stories and friendships that spark the imagination, that open up a world of possibilities of what could be, give a child hope.
PAL ñ Pupil Assistance in Learning ñ is a program that relies on volunteers to mentor children in Chemung County. Our mentors are matched in a one-to-one partnership with a child in need of a positive, attentive adult. Reading together is just one of the many activities enjoyed by PAL participants. Other activities include arts and crafts, outings to the park, or helping with homework. Each PAL match chooses how they spend their time together, incorporating their own interests. Many PAL matches spend much of their time together simply talking and listening.
The PAL Program also holds monthly group activities. These parties are planned so that every child feels included. Halloween, Christmas, swimming, and bowling parties, movie day and board game night are all great fun.
After an application and interview process with PAL staff, PAL mentors commit to a year of consistent ñ weekly ñ contact with their PAL student. The contact can take place during the school day, in the evening or on weekends, as long as it is consistent.
This summer, PAL kids, with the encouragement and support of their PAL mentors, are participating in reading programs through the Star-Gazette and Applebeeís restaurant, and those kids who read at least 10 books will celebrate with our PAL-readers Party, complete with ice cream, cake, books and gummy bookworms.
People often tell me theyíre not sure what they have to offer as a mentor. It does not take any special skills to be a mentor. It takes the time and a desire to share your life and the things you enjoy with a child. Share the gift of reading. Share the excitement of choosing a book from the library. Share the stories and pictures that tap into the limitless imagination of a youngster.
For more information on how you can become a PAL mentor and make a positive difference in the life of a child, call the PAL office at 607/735-3093 or e-mail Adele Ayres, program coordinator, at aayres@elmiracityschools.com.
Adele Ayres is coordinator of the PAL Mentoring Program in Elmira and a member of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. Her comments are part of a monthly series of articles about literacy.
-----------------------------------
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Summertime, and the reading is easy
* Book discussion groups can be a warm-weather diversion.
We often think of reading as a solitary experience. We find ourselves quiet, alone with our thoughts as we read the authorís work. However, sharing your thoughts, reactions and responses to a book in a discussion with friends and family can make reading a social event.
As summer approaches, family reunions, picnics, outings and team events are added to the calendar. It is also a great time to consider organizing a book club/discussion. All you have to do is identify the group, pick a book, set a date and time, and make it happen. Here are some tips.
* The group: Anyone interested in reading and discussing a book can be a member; mothers and daughters, best friends, fathers and sons, ìthe cousins,î co-workers, teammates or neighbors can be a starting point. The group should be small. This gives all group members opportunities to share their thoughts. A good rule of thumb is eight to 10 participants, but a good discussion can be had with just two or three.
* The book: The process for choosing a book does not need to be complicated. Titles can be suggested by the group, and winners can be drawn from a hat. Picking a theme or book type (mysteries, science fiction, etc.) is another way. Parents may want to suggest a book they read growing up and have the children pick a favorite for parents to read. Just make sure that the book appeals to everyone and can be easily read if you are including children in the elementary grades.
* The format: Flexible, easy, unstructured are the ways to go. A good starting point would be to have each person share his or her thoughts, reactions, special passages, favorite or not so favorite characters, etc. in a round-robin fashion (with the option to pass). After that, the discussion can take any direction. Reserve about an hour for your group, but donít be surprised if you find you need more time; adjust as you go along.
Remember to keep it fun.
* Place and time: Allow enough time for each person to finish reading the book. Consider the length of the book and the type of fiction or nonfiction you have selected when deciding your time frame. Pick a time and place that is convenient for all, and you are ready.
Participating in a shared reading and book discussion will take you on a path to authors, titles and book choices you might never have considered. The exchange of thoughts and reactions to the book with others will give you a better appreciation for the authorís work and for the people you share it with. This benefit is well worth the time and effort to start or join a group.
For more tips and ideas, contact the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley, 607/735-3593 or go online to www.familyreading.org
Ellen Hicks is a retired principal from the Elmira school district and a member of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. Her comments are part of a monthly series of articles about literacy.
------------------------------------------------
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Passing on a love for reading
I remember as a child cuddling next to my grandmother while she read book after book to me -- sometimes the same one over and over again. Even before I started school, there were trips to the library that began a lifetime love of reading.
Books were an important part of my home, and when I had children, some of these same books were passed on to them. We made reading before naps and bedtime a daily ritual, and when they learned to read themselves, I listened to them and allowed them to stay up "just a little longer" if they were reading.
Whether it involves your own child, grandchild or that special person, books and magazine subscriptions tailored to the recipient make wonderful gifts. Inscribing a special message and signing and dating it can make it a special keepsake for the future. As children get older, sharing and discussing a book you enjoy with them helps bond you intellectually. Help them to discover different types of literature and realize just like you, they will go through phases and discover different interests and authors.
It is not only those active ways of reading to and supplying books to children that encourage the pleasures of reading. There are also those passive messages we give by making reading an important part of our own lives.
I have always had a bookcase filled with books in our home, and our children always had a bookcase in their rooms. My own reading habits are silently displayed through my nightly bedtime reading or those lazy summer moments spent curled up in the hammock with a good book.
Remember that actions speak louder than words. If you want the next generation to be readers, remember to make reading an active part of your life and pass it on. - TERESA FLETCHER
I remember at night as a child staying up late with Michelangelo, Donatello, Raphael and Leonardo. I felt safe in their presence. I was not afraid of the evil foot clan and its colleagues, Bebop and Rocksteady, because they had my back.
And when the Ninja Turtles were out protecting the sewers from the foot clan, Optimus Prime and the Auto Bots would watch me as I slept. Now my heroes at night have evolved.
Coleridge, Milton and Stoker keep me safe at night from vampires, fallen angels and other crude individuals. My reading interests have evolved over the years, and my love of reading is something that I will continue to develop and pass on. - ROBERT SCOGGAN
------------------------------------------
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Reading help for adults just a phone call away
Have you ever wanted to help your child with a homework problem but struggled? Or how about trying to read a story to your grandchild and fumbling over the words? Maybe you know someone who wants to get a job but is too embarrassed to fill out an application on-site because he can't read well enough.
Reading is a skill that many of us take for granted, but for those who have difficulty making sense of the written word, everyday reading can be a frustrating experience. Many adults have learned to compensate for a reading disability. Others pretend not to care, or they hide their discomfort. Help is available in our surrounding communities for adults who want to develop their reading skills.
Schuyler-Chemung-Tioga BOCES operates free Adult Learning Centers throughout its seven component school districts. Adults, 18 years of age or older, can enroll to practice and increase individual reading skills. These learning centers can be found in schools, One-Stop Centers, the Economic Opportunity Program and community agencies. The classes are small and individualized. Interested adults participate in an information session and take an assessment of their current reading skill level. From there, they are referred to a convenient location that meets their family and work schedule. Depending on skill level, if someone needed an individual tutor, a referral to Literacy Volunteers of America at EOP may be appropriate.
Taking the first step by making the call to find out about local programs is the hardest. Once adults ask for help, our area is rich in educational resources. Adults can study to improve reading skills and work on math and writing skills in adult learning centers. People without a high school diploma also can prepare for the GED test. If a person is 21 or older, SCT BOCES offers home-study options, such as the External Diploma Program, where adults can earn a local high school diploma.
There are no guarantees, but with hard work and determination, a person can achieve success. That achievement brings satisfaction and an open door to the future. That future can include higher education, training, a job, pride in helping a child with homework, and most of all, self-fulfillment. So take a look around and talk to family and friends. Encourage and support anyone who may want to take advantage of learning to read better. The help is there for the asking. Just call:
‰ SCT BOCES Adult Literacy Programs , 607/739-7684 or 800/724-5756.
‰ Literacy Volunteers of America at the EOP main office in Elmira, 607/734-6174.
Kate Buckley is an adult literacy specialist at the Schuyler-Chemung-Tioga BOCES and a member of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. Her comments are part of a monthly series of articles about literacy.
This series
Kate Buckley, an adult literacy specialist at the Schuyler-Chemung-Tioga Board of Cooperative Educational Services, writes today about helping adults improve their reading skills. This series of monthly columns is written by members of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley.
Online
Hear Kate Buckley read her column and learn more about the Star-Gazette's Need to Read program by going online. Go to www.stargazette.com and click on the Need to Read logo on the home page.
Under Literacy Columns find the link to Buckleyís column and click on it.
----------------------------------
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Literacy: It's a part of human nature
Words, spoken and read, must be an exercise lasting a lifetime.
About a dozen years ago or so, a British research team filmed infants in the presence of conversing adults. After analyzing the results frame by frame, they concluded that the seemingly erratic movements of the babies' arms and legs were actually synchronized with the rhythms of the speech they were hearing.
Apparently, we are born already wired for language, predisposed to learning quickly how to speak and listen. Playing with sounds and words, singing and talking to infants reap rapid and rich rewards in lifelong literacy, the phenomenal and uniquely human power to comprehend and communicate ideas, feelings and information through words.
If this is true, it is doubly sad that many children, by the time they start school, have lost this innate potential for language because it has not been nurtured during the earliest years of their lives. Instinctive though it may be, language facility is not self- sustaining or even self-starting.
Like any other muscle, the language muscle will waste away if it is not exercised. So how do we compensate for language deficiency in a child of 6 or 7, or even more challenging, a child of 11 or 12?
As with anything else we do willingly, there has to be a reward, something in the activity that we value or enjoy. Reading is no different. If a child does not know or believe that he will have such an experience when he reads, he will not do it readily or well, and certainly not frequently.
Even an adult reader will read what interests and stimulates him. He also learns through experience that reading expands exponentially that circle of interest, but a young nonreader won't believe for a minute that this can happen. He most likely won't even care. He will have to be shown and will have to experience for himself that there is discovery and excitement in reading that relates directly to his own identity and interests.
A number of years ago, a high school senior student of mine resisted every effort to get him to work on a research paper that was a graduation requirement. Although he had had difficulty at every step of his educational life, reading and writing were especially low on his list of fun things to do. Weeks went by, but he refused to even begin the project.
Finally, a resource teacher, his guidance counselor and I corralled him and tried to pin him down. "You can pick any topic you want," I said. He seemed surprised, even though that had been part of the game plan all along.
"Can I write about conservation?" he wanted to know. "Of course you can," I replied. "I like the woods and animals and stuff like that," he mused. "That's fine," I said. "Go for it." And off he went to start researching his topic.
He found information in books and magazines, and on the Internet. He needed help all the way through, but he kept at it and completed the assignment, much to his satisfaction and his teachers' great relief.
For older children with language deficiencies, it is not enough to assign whole class reading projects. There must be a strategy and supplementary staff in place to help each child pursue his own initial areas of interest through the reading experience. The priority placed on such support in terms of time and resources must be ranked among the very highest in a child's educational program, for nothing else academic will work well for him without the ability to read.
-----------------------------
Sunday, February 19, 2006
A love affair with reading
Printed words stir emotions and keep our minds lively.
What binds us together? It is people who understand relationships and communication. I am convinced that communication of what goes on in the heart matters. Reading is the tool that binds all ideas and feelings together. It enhances the relationship we have with all things.
I always saw myself not as the head teacher but the head learner, someone who shared a joy of reading and learning. The key to success in reading is motivation. If there is no one to share the ideas, solutions and feeling alive in the printed page, then it is the dead words of the living.
Reading is alive in students, teachers, parents and all who worked at Beecher, Booth and Pine City elementary schools, where I was the principal. It was the element that made the difference in learning. It was the power pack that drove the learning.
Reading, writing, speaking and listening were not just the curriculum elements; they were the ways we connected with each other. They were the tools for being totally human and totally alive. Reading. What a wonderful life it can bring. All we do is drink from its streams of poetry, fiction, biography, nonfiction and so much more.
I have a second-grade student I am mentoring this year who loves to read riddles and jokes. He made me laugh as he read the jokes that touched him. We connected because he could share what was part of his heart, what was important to him.
February is the month of valentines. It is the month of the heart. Reading is one way we share our hearts with each other. Reading from the heart is for all ages. It is about sharing memories, concerns and ideas that make a difference in each other's lives. Won't you be a valentine to a friend and share what you are reading?
My favorite book that I read to students, my children and in sermons is "Love You Forever" by Robert Munsch. It is a book to treasure and remember. What book touches your heart? What book will you share?
Fun by the page
Here are some tips to encourage reading with family members:
* Have children read their favorite jokes or riddles to you. Laugh together.
* Read your favorite story of the heart in honor of Valentine's Day last week. "Chicken Soup for the Heart" is a good one.
* Speaking of hearts, poetry brings the heart alive. Share your favorite poem.
-------------
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Keeping track of how children read
Parents can nurture skills with books and involvement
Learning to read involves being able to recognize as well as understand the words that are printed. The building blocks for reading start right in the home through the initial interactions between parents and children.
Begin by sharing the experience of books through reading aloud to your children. Have numerous books available that you read with your child and that your child can see you read as a part of your daily schedule. Children need to receive the message that reading is fun.
As the child matures, make sure you discuss the books, help your child learn some of the words in the book and understand the story presented. He or she should be able to anticipate what will come next in the story and possibly recite some parts.
Guidelines to assist in monitoring where children should be in their reading development can be found in Sally Shaywitz's book, "Overcoming Dyslexia." Here is a summary:
* Early preschool (ages 3-4): Can recite nursery rhymes, repeat and play with sounds, and identify 10 letters of the alphabet (often in his or her name).
* Late preschool (ages 4-5): Can recognize and name a growing number of letters and can count the number of syllables in a spoken word.
Beginning kindergarten (ages 5-5Ï): Can name a word that rhymes with a simple word like cat and can mostly recognize as well as name all upper- and lower-case letters.
* End of kindergarten: Can easily name upper- and lower-case letters, beginning to learn about letter-sound matches, beginning to decode simple words, and is developing a sight word vocabulary.
* First grade (ages 6-7): Reads aloud with accuracy and comprehension (first-grade text), knows sounds of common letter groups or word families, reads simple instructions, and links letters to sounds to decode unknown words.
Parents' working in partnership with the classroom teacher are keys to children moving forward in developing skills in reading.
Online
* Hear Shari Simmons read her column and learn more about the Star-Gazette's Need to Read program by going online. Go to www.stargazette.com and click on the Need to Read logo on the home page. Under Literacy Columns find the link to her column and click on it.
* For tips about helping children develop strong reading habits, go to www.nea.org/parents/readingmattershome.html
Need to Read 9
Sunday, December 17, 2006
A look at how the brain learns to read
* Adults can start in their childrenís infancy by training them for later success.
Learning to read is an amazing feat, performed by an amazingly complex organ, the brain. As Dr. Sally Shaywitz, author of ìOvercoming Dyslexiaî and co-director of the Yale Center for the Study of Learning and Attention, often states, ìReading is peculiarly human and yet distinctly unnatural.î Reading has been described by neuroscientists as a ìhigh wire balancing act for the brain.î How do children learn to translate a cacophony of symbols on a page into words that have meaning?
Thanks to a new, sophisticated, noninvasive imaging technique, called functional magnetic resonance imaging, neuroscientists can now watch the brain read. This provides exciting new information about the neurological underpinnings of literacy and has significant implications for how we teach children to read.
While reading is a complex process neurologically, functionally it consists of two major skills. They are decoding, or the ability to correctly identify the written word, and comprehension, the ability to understand meaning.
Decoding a word depends upon a childís phonemic awareness, the ability to correctly hear and manipulate the individual phonemes, or fundamental sound elements, that make up a word. For example, cat has three phonemes c-a-t, kuh-aah-tuh. Long before a child learns to read, he must master three fundamental pre-reading skills: be able to hear the separate sounds or phonemes that make up the word; be able to take them apart and put them back together; and be able to understand that written letters stand for these sounds ó the alphabetic principle. That is why a language-rich environment for infants and toddlers is so crucial to later successful reading. Exposure to rhyme, rhythm, songs and word play, as well as exposure to books and oral stories, all train the brain to get ready for reading.
Functional MRI studies show that the brain primarily learns to read phonetically. When children read, they use two main neural pathways, both located in the posterior or back part of the brain. The parietotemporal area, or word-analysis area, is used when the beginning reader is slowly sounding out a new word. Only after a child successfully reads a word phonologically many, many times, is it stored as a total package of pronunciation, spelling and meaning, in the occiptotemporal, or word form, area of the brain. That complete word package can later be activated immediately upon seeing the word. This express pathway shows the highest level of activity in the most rapid, fluent and accurate readers.
This scientific evidence provided the foundation from which the National Reading Panel developed its recommendations for effective, evidence-based, reading instruction, published in 2000 (www.nationalreadingpanel. org). According to these recommendations, reading instruction must include direct, explicit, systematic instruction in phonemic awareness and phonics skills; be structured and sequential with lots of repetition and practice; include explicit instruction in vocabulary and comprehension strategies; and develop fluency by reading aloud. Reading to a child can increase a childís vocabulary, comprehension, overall fund of knowledge and love of language, but alone, it is not a sufficient way to teach a child to read.
In next monthís Need to Read installment, I will focus on the dyslexic brain. That article will look at what brain research teaches us about children who, despite normal intelligence, have great difficulty learning how to read. I will discuss whether it is possible to actually prevent some of these reading problems.
Dr. Ellen M. McHugh is a pediatrician and a member of the Chemung County School Readiness Project. She also is a member of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. Her comments are part of a monthly series of articles about literacy.
------------------------------------------
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Success at school begins at birth
* Chemung County program targets literacy as essential childhood skill.
Our 5-year old granddaughter, Annika, rushed into the room. ìGrandpa, I had such fun in kindergarten today!î
I was not surprised. She was ready to start school. Annika had been attending preschool for the past two years, and she had numerous learning experiences in museums and community center activities during her preschool years. She reads some of her books on her own. Her mother ó our daughter ó had a very similar preschool experience.
But today many students donít have these opportunities. That made me realize the great importance of the Chemung Countyís School Readiness Project. The project is a groundbreaking initiative committed to helping every child in Chemung County start school with a solid foundation for becoming a successful learner.
What exactly is ìschool readinessî? Literacy is one of the most important components, but more broadly it refers to the set of social, physical and cognitive skills children need as a base for successful learning before they enter school. Research shows that constructive experiences from birth to age 5 of a childís life build the foundation for success in school and life. The School Readiness Project will ensure that every preschool child in Chemung County can participate in healthy, early development just like our granddaughter has been able to do. They will do this either at home, in early care and learning settings, or in the broader community.
How will this come about? The project is bringing together all our local child-centered organizations to provide this preschool training. This early intervention also will address a childís developmental or health problems before costly remediation during the school years. Chemung is the first county in New York to back a cohesive system of this magnitude.
In the end, all of the countyís young preschool people will reap the reward. They and their parents will get early access to support services that can help them stay on a good learning track. Ultimately, not only they, but the county, the state and the nation, will benefit. Learn more about School Readiness Project. Get involved.
Don Keck, a retired Corning Inc. scientist, is a member of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. His comments are part of a monthly series of articles about literacy.
--------------------------------------
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Reading lessons come from newsstands
* Magazines, newspapers can be text for teaching children to read.
Have you ever thought about using a magazine or newspaper to encourage your child to read? The comic strips are a great place to start with your little one. Itís fun to look at the pictures with them. You donít necessarily need to read the captions but can just talk about what you see in the picture. You could continue the fun by playing with Silly Putty and creating an image from the comic strip on the gooey stuff.
Did you know that by reading the comics, you are actually preparing your child for a high school social studiesí class? Quite often our teachers will assign a political cartoon for our students to read and analyze.
I bet that you fancy a particular newspaper over another. By exposing your child to a variety of newspapers, she learns to make decisions about the newspaper ó say for instance, which newspaper has interesting stories, the most up-to-date sportsí scores, accurate local news coverage, intriguing horoscopes and which is biased on a specific topic. Here at Elmira Free Academy, many of our students have developed a discerning eye for their favorite tabloid.
Now how about magazines? Magazines are a great resource for pictures of famous people, toys, food and various advertisements. Why not spend some time paging through the magazine and asking your child which toy is her favorite or what type of food looks delicious for tonightís dinner.
Take it a step further and cut or tear out the pictures and paste them on a piece of paper. You could even label the sheet ìSome of my Little Angelís Favoritesî and help your child to begin reading words by labeling each picture.
Again, you would be preparing your child for high school class called Independent Living, because not only do our students need photos of items that they would purchase for their first apartment but also they will need to read and compare costs for these items and manage a budget.
So next time you are waiting in the doctorís office or in your favorite restaurant, think about picking up the newspaper or magazine and start reading with your child.
Lynn Pesesky is a school library media specialist at Elmira Free Academy and a member of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. Her comments are part of a monthly series of articles about literacy.
This series
This series
Lynn Pesesky, media specialist on the Elmira Free Academy library staff, writes today about how to use newspapers and magazines to introduce children to reading and sustain their interest in reading. This is one of a series of monthly columns written by members of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley.
Online
Hear Lynn Pesesky read her column and learn more about the Star-Gazette's Need to Read program by going online. Go to www.stargazette.com and click on "News" then "News to Use." Under the "Help Yourself" heading, find "The Need to Read" heading and click on it. The audio clip is under the "Literacy Columns" heading.
----------------------------------------------
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Once upon a time: The power of a story
* Good, old-fashioned storytelling forms a strong basis for literacy among children and adults.
Whatís your story? Whether youíre aware of it or not, everyone has one. The stories need not consist of formal or lengthy presentations. They need not reach crowds of people or have profound messages. Stories may simply be recollections of events that you share with those you love. Children and families can reap enormous benefits from listening to and telling stories.
Long before children learn to read and write, they develop the ability to communicate verbally. As toddlers, they unite thoughts with words to express their feelings and desires. This early language experience is the building block of literacy. As childrenís language skills improve, they can easily begin to enjoy and even tell stories. Stories provide rich language experiences that will increase attention spans and vocabularies while creating a love for literature. They help to develop the cognitive skills necessary for children to learn to read. Stories for toddlers may be as simple as an event at grandmaís house or a tale about the family pet.
Using stories with toddlers and preschoolers can be rewarding for both children and parents. Parents can begin at home with traditional, familiar stories or rhymes they recall from childhood, such as ìThe Three Little Bears,î ìBilly Goats Gruff,î etc.
To expand upon the experience, parents can even use puppets, simple masks, hats and different voices to portray the characters. They can continue to practice language play by using participatory stories with repetitive phrases, rhymes or cumulative events. If parents feel inadequate about the role of storyteller or reader, thereís no need to worry. They can ask a public librarian for suggestions of simple stories to get started.
If parents lack story experience from childhood, now is the perfect time to discover stories together with the child. Parents can read the book first, then tell the story aloud, and then ask their child to tell the story on his own. Even struggling parent readers can benefit from the activity. All of this leads to increased interest in books and reading. Observing others sharing stories is helpful also. Local public libraries have regular story times with skilled staff members who tell stories and introduce children to literature.
As children grow, storytelling can be just as meaningful and enjoyable. Folk tales teach and help them to understand the world, different cultures, their emotions and their decisions. Stories can be used as exercises in imagination and creativity. The use of oral language patterns builds and expands literacy skills. Children can be encouraged to share a personal story orally then translate it into written words.
The oral tradition has been around since the beginning of time. All cultures are rich in storytelling traditions. In generations past, American families would gather around sitting rooms in the evening and share stories. The story has tremendous power even in our modern world, but the tradition must be kept alive. Families can do that by gathering their stories about ancestors, writing them down and sharing them at reunions or family celebrations. Grandparents love to share stories of their past with grandchildren.
Most all adults can recall some sort of local legend. The mention of the ìhook manî may bring back memories of campfires or sleepovers. Parents can pique the interest of teens by telling these stories to them from memory or by finding some urban legends or scary story collections at the library. These types of stories may be perfect for encouraging reluctant older readers.
No matter what your age or background, everyone has a story to share. Storytelling is a powerful tool for encouraging a love of reading and family literacy.
So whatís your story? Share it today with someone you love.
Chris Corter is the head of youth services at Steele Memorial Library in Chemung County and a member of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. Her comments are part of a monthly series of articles about literacy.
-----------------
Sunday, August 20, 2006
No such thing as being too young to enjoy reading
* Partnershipís Books at Birth project wants parents to start habit with newborns.
You arrive home with your new baby happy, proud, elated but also concerned and tired. You scan the pile of brochures and papers given to you while in the hospital and wonder when you will have time to read it all. You notice the book from someone who recommended you start reading to your baby but were you told to start reading at six months, three, one or did she really recommend reading immediately? No? Thatís too soon, isnít it?
Books at Birth is a literacy program started this spring by the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley, the Comprehensive Interdisciplinary Developmental Services Agency, nurse practitioners from Southern Tier Pediatrics and RSVP. It provides a free book to everyone who gives birth at the Arnot Ogden Medical Center.
The Family Reading Partnership purchases books and makes them available to the hospital. Volunteers from RSVP knit and sew attractive pouches into which the books are placed, along with other literacy-related information. Staff from CIDS distribute the books to new mothers at the medical center and encourage them to, yes, start reading to their baby every day. Nurse practitioners from Southern Tier Pediatrics distribute the books to mothers on weekends and holidays.
You settle in, and after several weeks begin to feel confident everything is going well and your baby is perfect. You are delighted at how interested she becomes whenever she hears you talk and how she responds to the changes in the tone of your voice as you speak. Then you remember the book given to you in the hospital, and you open it for the first time. You read a few words out loud. She looks at you. You read some more. She continues to look at you. You see the look in her eyes. Sheís listening. You read a few more words. She is still listening.
After two minutes, she cries and wants to be held. But youíre hooked and later in the day you read to her again. After awhile, it becomes a habit to read for brief periods of time. As your baby gets older and her attention span lengthens, you read for three minutes, then four, five and on and on. You buy her a second book and a third and a fourth. She loves to hear you read from each of them. You begin to see the magic of her learning your language, a gift you can give her during her feeding times.
Teachers, health professionals and others who work with children know that the acquisition of language begins before birth. Babies begin ìhearingî during the seventh month of the pregnancy.
To maximize their speech, reading and language potential, they must hear new words and be taught to read early in childhood because the brain is most receptive to new language skills before 5 years of age. Unfortunately, studies of high school graduates show that only 21 percent of those who took the ACT college assessment test in 2005 met the college readiness benchmarks in English, reading, math and science.
In Elmira, only 50 percent of fourth-graders meet or exceed New York state reading standards, and nationally only 39 percent of parents read to their children on a regular basis. But if read to at an early age, children can meet and exceed literacy expectations in grade school, high school and college.
That is why we started Books at Birth. The message for you is: Read to your child early and often. Your child could be the next Eileen Collins or Brian Williams from Chemung Valley. Congratulations!
Dr. Jacob K. Felix of Horseheads is a retired pediatrician/neonatologist and current president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, New York Chapter 1, District II. He also is a member of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. His comments are part of a monthly series of articles about literacy.
A look at how the brain learns to read
* Adults can start in their childrenís infancy by training them for later success.
Learning to read is an amazing feat, performed by an amazingly complex organ, the brain. As Dr. Sally Shaywitz, author of ìOvercoming Dyslexiaî and co-director of the Yale Center for the Study of Learning and Attention, often states, ìReading is peculiarly human and yet distinctly unnatural.î Reading has been described by neuroscientists as a ìhigh wire balancing act for the brain.î How do children learn to translate a cacophony of symbols on a page into words that have meaning?
Thanks to a new, sophisticated, noninvasive imaging technique, called functional magnetic resonance imaging, neuroscientists can now watch the brain read. This provides exciting new information about the neurological underpinnings of literacy and has significant implications for how we teach children to read.
While reading is a complex process neurologically, functionally it consists of two major skills. They are decoding, or the ability to correctly identify the written word, and comprehension, the ability to understand meaning.
Decoding a word depends upon a childís phonemic awareness, the ability to correctly hear and manipulate the individual phonemes, or fundamental sound elements, that make up a word. For example, cat has three phonemes c-a-t, kuh-aah-tuh. Long before a child learns to read, he must master three fundamental pre-reading skills: be able to hear the separate sounds or phonemes that make up the word; be able to take them apart and put them back together; and be able to understand that written letters stand for these sounds ó the alphabetic principle. That is why a language-rich environment for infants and toddlers is so crucial to later successful reading. Exposure to rhyme, rhythm, songs and word play, as well as exposure to books and oral stories, all train the brain to get ready for reading.
Functional MRI studies show that the brain primarily learns to read phonetically. When children read, they use two main neural pathways, both located in the posterior or back part of the brain. The parietotemporal area, or word-analysis area, is used when the beginning reader is slowly sounding out a new word. Only after a child successfully reads a word phonologically many, many times, is it stored as a total package of pronunciation, spelling and meaning, in the occiptotemporal, or word form, area of the brain. That complete word package can later be activated immediately upon seeing the word. This express pathway shows the highest level of activity in the most rapid, fluent and accurate readers.
This scientific evidence provided the foundation from which the National Reading Panel developed its recommendations for effective, evidence-based, reading instruction, published in 2000 (www.nationalreadingpanel. org). According to these recommendations, reading instruction must include direct, explicit, systematic instruction in phonemic awareness and phonics skills; be structured and sequential with lots of repetition and practice; include explicit instruction in vocabulary and comprehension strategies; and develop fluency by reading aloud. Reading to a child can increase a childís vocabulary, comprehension, overall fund of knowledge and love of language, but alone, it is not a sufficient way to teach a child to read.
In next monthís Need to Read installment, I will focus on the dyslexic brain. That article will look at what brain research teaches us about children who, despite normal intelligence, have great difficulty learning how to read. I will discuss whether it is possible to actually prevent some of these reading problems.
Dr. Ellen M. McHugh is a pediatrician and a member of the Chemung County School Readiness Project. She also is a member of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. Her comments are part of a monthly series of articles about literacy.
------------------------------------------
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Success at school begins at birth
* Chemung County program targets literacy as essential childhood skill.
Our 5-year old granddaughter, Annika, rushed into the room. ìGrandpa, I had such fun in kindergarten today!î
I was not surprised. She was ready to start school. Annika had been attending preschool for the past two years, and she had numerous learning experiences in museums and community center activities during her preschool years. She reads some of her books on her own. Her mother ó our daughter ó had a very similar preschool experience.
But today many students donít have these opportunities. That made me realize the great importance of the Chemung Countyís School Readiness Project. The project is a groundbreaking initiative committed to helping every child in Chemung County start school with a solid foundation for becoming a successful learner.
What exactly is ìschool readinessî? Literacy is one of the most important components, but more broadly it refers to the set of social, physical and cognitive skills children need as a base for successful learning before they enter school. Research shows that constructive experiences from birth to age 5 of a childís life build the foundation for success in school and life. The School Readiness Project will ensure that every preschool child in Chemung County can participate in healthy, early development just like our granddaughter has been able to do. They will do this either at home, in early care and learning settings, or in the broader community.
How will this come about? The project is bringing together all our local child-centered organizations to provide this preschool training. This early intervention also will address a childís developmental or health problems before costly remediation during the school years. Chemung is the first county in New York to back a cohesive system of this magnitude.
In the end, all of the countyís young preschool people will reap the reward. They and their parents will get early access to support services that can help them stay on a good learning track. Ultimately, not only they, but the county, the state and the nation, will benefit. Learn more about School Readiness Project. Get involved.
Don Keck, a retired Corning Inc. scientist, is a member of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. His comments are part of a monthly series of articles about literacy.
--------------------------------------
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Reading lessons come from newsstands
* Magazines, newspapers can be text for teaching children to read.
Have you ever thought about using a magazine or newspaper to encourage your child to read? The comic strips are a great place to start with your little one. Itís fun to look at the pictures with them. You donít necessarily need to read the captions but can just talk about what you see in the picture. You could continue the fun by playing with Silly Putty and creating an image from the comic strip on the gooey stuff.
Did you know that by reading the comics, you are actually preparing your child for a high school social studiesí class? Quite often our teachers will assign a political cartoon for our students to read and analyze.
I bet that you fancy a particular newspaper over another. By exposing your child to a variety of newspapers, she learns to make decisions about the newspaper ó say for instance, which newspaper has interesting stories, the most up-to-date sportsí scores, accurate local news coverage, intriguing horoscopes and which is biased on a specific topic. Here at Elmira Free Academy, many of our students have developed a discerning eye for their favorite tabloid.
Now how about magazines? Magazines are a great resource for pictures of famous people, toys, food and various advertisements. Why not spend some time paging through the magazine and asking your child which toy is her favorite or what type of food looks delicious for tonightís dinner.
Take it a step further and cut or tear out the pictures and paste them on a piece of paper. You could even label the sheet ìSome of my Little Angelís Favoritesî and help your child to begin reading words by labeling each picture.
Again, you would be preparing your child for high school class called Independent Living, because not only do our students need photos of items that they would purchase for their first apartment but also they will need to read and compare costs for these items and manage a budget.
So next time you are waiting in the doctorís office or in your favorite restaurant, think about picking up the newspaper or magazine and start reading with your child.
Lynn Pesesky is a school library media specialist at Elmira Free Academy and a member of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. Her comments are part of a monthly series of articles about literacy.
This series
This series
Lynn Pesesky, media specialist on the Elmira Free Academy library staff, writes today about how to use newspapers and magazines to introduce children to reading and sustain their interest in reading. This is one of a series of monthly columns written by members of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley.
Online
Hear Lynn Pesesky read her column and learn more about the Star-Gazette's Need to Read program by going online. Go to www.stargazette.com and click on "News" then "News to Use." Under the "Help Yourself" heading, find "The Need to Read" heading and click on it. The audio clip is under the "Literacy Columns" heading.
----------------------------------------------
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Once upon a time: The power of a story
* Good, old-fashioned storytelling forms a strong basis for literacy among children and adults.
Whatís your story? Whether youíre aware of it or not, everyone has one. The stories need not consist of formal or lengthy presentations. They need not reach crowds of people or have profound messages. Stories may simply be recollections of events that you share with those you love. Children and families can reap enormous benefits from listening to and telling stories.
Long before children learn to read and write, they develop the ability to communicate verbally. As toddlers, they unite thoughts with words to express their feelings and desires. This early language experience is the building block of literacy. As childrenís language skills improve, they can easily begin to enjoy and even tell stories. Stories provide rich language experiences that will increase attention spans and vocabularies while creating a love for literature. They help to develop the cognitive skills necessary for children to learn to read. Stories for toddlers may be as simple as an event at grandmaís house or a tale about the family pet.
Using stories with toddlers and preschoolers can be rewarding for both children and parents. Parents can begin at home with traditional, familiar stories or rhymes they recall from childhood, such as ìThe Three Little Bears,î ìBilly Goats Gruff,î etc.
To expand upon the experience, parents can even use puppets, simple masks, hats and different voices to portray the characters. They can continue to practice language play by using participatory stories with repetitive phrases, rhymes or cumulative events. If parents feel inadequate about the role of storyteller or reader, thereís no need to worry. They can ask a public librarian for suggestions of simple stories to get started.
If parents lack story experience from childhood, now is the perfect time to discover stories together with the child. Parents can read the book first, then tell the story aloud, and then ask their child to tell the story on his own. Even struggling parent readers can benefit from the activity. All of this leads to increased interest in books and reading. Observing others sharing stories is helpful also. Local public libraries have regular story times with skilled staff members who tell stories and introduce children to literature.
As children grow, storytelling can be just as meaningful and enjoyable. Folk tales teach and help them to understand the world, different cultures, their emotions and their decisions. Stories can be used as exercises in imagination and creativity. The use of oral language patterns builds and expands literacy skills. Children can be encouraged to share a personal story orally then translate it into written words.
The oral tradition has been around since the beginning of time. All cultures are rich in storytelling traditions. In generations past, American families would gather around sitting rooms in the evening and share stories. The story has tremendous power even in our modern world, but the tradition must be kept alive. Families can do that by gathering their stories about ancestors, writing them down and sharing them at reunions or family celebrations. Grandparents love to share stories of their past with grandchildren.
Most all adults can recall some sort of local legend. The mention of the ìhook manî may bring back memories of campfires or sleepovers. Parents can pique the interest of teens by telling these stories to them from memory or by finding some urban legends or scary story collections at the library. These types of stories may be perfect for encouraging reluctant older readers.
No matter what your age or background, everyone has a story to share. Storytelling is a powerful tool for encouraging a love of reading and family literacy.
So whatís your story? Share it today with someone you love.
Chris Corter is the head of youth services at Steele Memorial Library in Chemung County and a member of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. Her comments are part of a monthly series of articles about literacy.
-----------------
Sunday, August 20, 2006
No such thing as being too young to enjoy reading
* Partnershipís Books at Birth project wants parents to start habit with newborns.
You arrive home with your new baby happy, proud, elated but also concerned and tired. You scan the pile of brochures and papers given to you while in the hospital and wonder when you will have time to read it all. You notice the book from someone who recommended you start reading to your baby but were you told to start reading at six months, three, one or did she really recommend reading immediately? No? Thatís too soon, isnít it?
Books at Birth is a literacy program started this spring by the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley, the Comprehensive Interdisciplinary Developmental Services Agency, nurse practitioners from Southern Tier Pediatrics and RSVP. It provides a free book to everyone who gives birth at the Arnot Ogden Medical Center.
The Family Reading Partnership purchases books and makes them available to the hospital. Volunteers from RSVP knit and sew attractive pouches into which the books are placed, along with other literacy-related information. Staff from CIDS distribute the books to new mothers at the medical center and encourage them to, yes, start reading to their baby every day. Nurse practitioners from Southern Tier Pediatrics distribute the books to mothers on weekends and holidays.
You settle in, and after several weeks begin to feel confident everything is going well and your baby is perfect. You are delighted at how interested she becomes whenever she hears you talk and how she responds to the changes in the tone of your voice as you speak. Then you remember the book given to you in the hospital, and you open it for the first time. You read a few words out loud. She looks at you. You read some more. She continues to look at you. You see the look in her eyes. Sheís listening. You read a few more words. She is still listening.
After two minutes, she cries and wants to be held. But youíre hooked and later in the day you read to her again. After awhile, it becomes a habit to read for brief periods of time. As your baby gets older and her attention span lengthens, you read for three minutes, then four, five and on and on. You buy her a second book and a third and a fourth. She loves to hear you read from each of them. You begin to see the magic of her learning your language, a gift you can give her during her feeding times.
Teachers, health professionals and others who work with children know that the acquisition of language begins before birth. Babies begin ìhearingî during the seventh month of the pregnancy.
To maximize their speech, reading and language potential, they must hear new words and be taught to read early in childhood because the brain is most receptive to new language skills before 5 years of age. Unfortunately, studies of high school graduates show that only 21 percent of those who took the ACT college assessment test in 2005 met the college readiness benchmarks in English, reading, math and science.
In Elmira, only 50 percent of fourth-graders meet or exceed New York state reading standards, and nationally only 39 percent of parents read to their children on a regular basis. But if read to at an early age, children can meet and exceed literacy expectations in grade school, high school and college.
That is why we started Books at Birth. The message for you is: Read to your child early and often. Your child could be the next Eileen Collins or Brian Williams from Chemung Valley. Congratulations!
Dr. Jacob K. Felix of Horseheads is a retired pediatrician/neonatologist and current president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, New York Chapter 1, District II. He also is a member of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. His comments are part of a monthly series of articles about literacy.
Need to Read 8
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Join a reading celebration
* Annual Book Fest on March 31 brings out excitement of child literature.
As parents, caregivers and teachers of young children, we cannot underestimate the power of reading to little ones each day. Just 15 minutes a day makes such a difference.
A key to making reading a truly memorable experience for children is to bring the books we read to life.
Bringing books to life is easily accomplished during our daily 15 minutes of reading time. We can use puppets when we read, change our voices for story characters or simply act silly and have fun while reading. Another great way is to attend the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valleyís Annual Book Fest event.
The Book Fest is held each year and is a free, fun-filled family event, centering on bringing parents and children together around the excitement of childrenís books. The event includes art, entertainment and activities all based on books. Community organizations host story-related book stations. Children visit read-aloud environments based on books and story characters. Food and books are available for book Fest goers to purchase.
This yearís theme is ìWild About Books!î The event will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 31 at the Center Street Elementary School in Horseheads, across from the Kmart plaza. The event will include the Bookmobile, library card registrations, storytelling sessions all day, activities, book sales, refreshments and a special visit from our local author friend, Tedd Arnold.
There also will be special containers at the Book Fest to collect gently used childrenís books to help support the Bright Red Bookshelf program. With little ones, sort out the books you currently have and bring those that are no longer considered the nightly favorites to donate at the event. The special treat is that everyone who attends the Book Fest receives a free book. We can donate books for others but still receive a special treat to take home.
Making reading fun and allowing families to share in that joy together is what the Book Fest is all about.
Paige Kinnaird is the parent child resource center coordinator at Booth School in Elmira and a member of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. His/her comments are part of a monthly series of articles about literacy.
---------------------------------------------
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Read any good movies lately?
* Childrenís books made into movies provide great literacy motivator.
In the past few years, we have seen a lot of childrenís books come to life on the big screen. Preview trailers and television ads entice us to see the movie. Children canít wait; they donít want to miss this latest film event. However, what many children may not know is that this story came from a book that was written long before the movie was ever considered.
Parents can take advantage of a book-based movie and use it as a terrific motivator for getting children interested in reading. It provides a perfect occasion for families to share a book before heading out to the theater. Children can be introduced to the story for the first time, while parents may revisit an old childhood favorite. The activity can stimulate discussion and enrich the experience of both reading the book and viewing the film.
Children may ask whether itís necessary. After all, why read the book if you see the movie, but one cannot judge a book by its movie. Movie producers may or may not be true to the original book. Interpretation of books is as individual as readers themselves, and families can benefit significantly from discussions of plots, characters and settings before seeing the movie. Reading a book without any visual stimulants allows children the opportunity to use their imaginations to create their own characters and settings. After seeing the film, families can then engage in dialogue again by exploring these questions:
* Did the characters and settings look like you imagined?
* Did you get to know the characters better in the book or the movie?
* How were the movie and book alike and different?
* Were parts of the movie not true to the book?
* How did you feel when key scenes from the book were left out of the movie?
* How would you film the book if you could direct it?
* Why do you think moviemakers found it necessary to alter the book or ending?
If families have already seen a movie and not read the book, itís not too late to go back and read it. Comparisons can work both ways. Films are known to revitalize classic book interest. Publishers reissue them with new covers for mass appeal, and sales soar when movies are released. Try this the next time your family is planning a trip to the movies.
Chris Corter is head of youth services and storyteller at the Steele Memorial Library. She also is a member of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. Her comments are part of a monthly series of articles about literacy.
--------------------------
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Early detection of dyslexia pays off
* New diagnosis, remedial techniques can combat problem.
What do night show host Jay Leno, millionaire financier Charles Schwab, baseball pitcher Nolan Ryan, actress Whoopi Goldberg, brain surgeon Fred Epstein and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Wendy Wasserstein all have in common? Give up? They all have ìdyslexic brains.î Despite normal intelligence and superior talents in other areas, they all had extreme difficulty learning to read, and continue to be slow readers today.
Dyslexia, as defined by the National Institutes of Health and the International Dyslexia Association, is ìa specific learning disability that is neurological in origin and characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition, and poor spelling and decoding abilities.î
Dyslexia is not a visual problem. Dyslexics do not ìseeî words backwards. Rather, dyslexic children have trouble developing phonemic awareness, the ability to appreciate that words are composed of separate sounds or phonemes that can be taken apart and put back together. The brain primarily learns to read phonetically, and phonemic awareness is an essential precursor to successfully decoding words. What all dyslexics have in common is a deficit in phonological processing, a circumscribed weakness amid a sea of strengths. Critical thinking, reasoning, problem solving, creativity and imagination are unaffected.
Dyslexia is the most common of all learning differences, with a prevalence of 15 percent to 20 percent, or 10 million children nationwide. It accounts for 80 percent of all the children identified as learning disabled. Dyslexia occurs in children of all races, nationalities and socioeconomic status, and at all levels of general intelligence. Boys only slightly outnumber girls by a 1.5 to 1 ratio.
Exciting new neurological research utilizing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to watch the brain read reveals that when compared with a nondyslexic brain, the dyslexic brain shows a different pattern of activity during reading. There is an underactivation of the neural pathways in the back of the brain and a compensatory overactivation in the frontal areas. Dyslexic brains use neurological systems that are slower and less efficient, explaining why even mature dyslexics, who become accurate readers, never become automatic readers. Dyslexics remain relatively slow, not fluent, readers throughout their lives.
Though vulnerability to reading difficulties has a genetic component, the environment can play a major role. The classic dyslexic is born with a genetically determined ìglitchî in the reading systems of the posterior brain, a different blueprint. Other children develop into poor readers despite normal brain wiring, because of suboptimal environments at home and/or school.
New fMRI evidence suggests that the deficit in phonological processing seen in dyslexic children may occur in children with adequate neural wiring who do not receive the language stimulation early in life necessary for the proper neural connections to form. This highlights the importance of providing a language-rich environment to infants and toddlers, with exposure to rhyme, rhythm, songs, word play and storytelling.
The proper environmental stimulation can increase the functional capacity of the brain. Recent functional MRI studies of dyslexic childrenís brains one year after they received intensive, evidence-based reading instruction, as recommended by the national reading panel (www.nationalreadingpanel. org), have shown that their brain activity during reading now more closely resembled the nondyslexic brains and their reading had significantly improved. Because a childís brain is most plastic when young, early identification and intervention offer real hope that many childrenís reading difficulties can be prevented.
For more information on dyslexia and other learning differences, see ìOvercoming Dyslexiaî by Dr. Sally Shaywitz and go to www.interdys.org and www.schwablearning.org.
Dr. Ellen M. McHugh is a pediatrician and a member of the Chemung County School Readiness Project. She also is a member of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. Her comments are part of a monthly series of articles about literacy.
Join a reading celebration
* Annual Book Fest on March 31 brings out excitement of child literature.
As parents, caregivers and teachers of young children, we cannot underestimate the power of reading to little ones each day. Just 15 minutes a day makes such a difference.
A key to making reading a truly memorable experience for children is to bring the books we read to life.
Bringing books to life is easily accomplished during our daily 15 minutes of reading time. We can use puppets when we read, change our voices for story characters or simply act silly and have fun while reading. Another great way is to attend the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valleyís Annual Book Fest event.
The Book Fest is held each year and is a free, fun-filled family event, centering on bringing parents and children together around the excitement of childrenís books. The event includes art, entertainment and activities all based on books. Community organizations host story-related book stations. Children visit read-aloud environments based on books and story characters. Food and books are available for book Fest goers to purchase.
This yearís theme is ìWild About Books!î The event will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 31 at the Center Street Elementary School in Horseheads, across from the Kmart plaza. The event will include the Bookmobile, library card registrations, storytelling sessions all day, activities, book sales, refreshments and a special visit from our local author friend, Tedd Arnold.
There also will be special containers at the Book Fest to collect gently used childrenís books to help support the Bright Red Bookshelf program. With little ones, sort out the books you currently have and bring those that are no longer considered the nightly favorites to donate at the event. The special treat is that everyone who attends the Book Fest receives a free book. We can donate books for others but still receive a special treat to take home.
Making reading fun and allowing families to share in that joy together is what the Book Fest is all about.
Paige Kinnaird is the parent child resource center coordinator at Booth School in Elmira and a member of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. His/her comments are part of a monthly series of articles about literacy.
---------------------------------------------
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Read any good movies lately?
* Childrenís books made into movies provide great literacy motivator.
In the past few years, we have seen a lot of childrenís books come to life on the big screen. Preview trailers and television ads entice us to see the movie. Children canít wait; they donít want to miss this latest film event. However, what many children may not know is that this story came from a book that was written long before the movie was ever considered.
Parents can take advantage of a book-based movie and use it as a terrific motivator for getting children interested in reading. It provides a perfect occasion for families to share a book before heading out to the theater. Children can be introduced to the story for the first time, while parents may revisit an old childhood favorite. The activity can stimulate discussion and enrich the experience of both reading the book and viewing the film.
Children may ask whether itís necessary. After all, why read the book if you see the movie, but one cannot judge a book by its movie. Movie producers may or may not be true to the original book. Interpretation of books is as individual as readers themselves, and families can benefit significantly from discussions of plots, characters and settings before seeing the movie. Reading a book without any visual stimulants allows children the opportunity to use their imaginations to create their own characters and settings. After seeing the film, families can then engage in dialogue again by exploring these questions:
* Did the characters and settings look like you imagined?
* Did you get to know the characters better in the book or the movie?
* How were the movie and book alike and different?
* Were parts of the movie not true to the book?
* How did you feel when key scenes from the book were left out of the movie?
* How would you film the book if you could direct it?
* Why do you think moviemakers found it necessary to alter the book or ending?
If families have already seen a movie and not read the book, itís not too late to go back and read it. Comparisons can work both ways. Films are known to revitalize classic book interest. Publishers reissue them with new covers for mass appeal, and sales soar when movies are released. Try this the next time your family is planning a trip to the movies.
Chris Corter is head of youth services and storyteller at the Steele Memorial Library. She also is a member of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. Her comments are part of a monthly series of articles about literacy.
--------------------------
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Early detection of dyslexia pays off
* New diagnosis, remedial techniques can combat problem.
What do night show host Jay Leno, millionaire financier Charles Schwab, baseball pitcher Nolan Ryan, actress Whoopi Goldberg, brain surgeon Fred Epstein and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Wendy Wasserstein all have in common? Give up? They all have ìdyslexic brains.î Despite normal intelligence and superior talents in other areas, they all had extreme difficulty learning to read, and continue to be slow readers today.
Dyslexia, as defined by the National Institutes of Health and the International Dyslexia Association, is ìa specific learning disability that is neurological in origin and characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition, and poor spelling and decoding abilities.î
Dyslexia is not a visual problem. Dyslexics do not ìseeî words backwards. Rather, dyslexic children have trouble developing phonemic awareness, the ability to appreciate that words are composed of separate sounds or phonemes that can be taken apart and put back together. The brain primarily learns to read phonetically, and phonemic awareness is an essential precursor to successfully decoding words. What all dyslexics have in common is a deficit in phonological processing, a circumscribed weakness amid a sea of strengths. Critical thinking, reasoning, problem solving, creativity and imagination are unaffected.
Dyslexia is the most common of all learning differences, with a prevalence of 15 percent to 20 percent, or 10 million children nationwide. It accounts for 80 percent of all the children identified as learning disabled. Dyslexia occurs in children of all races, nationalities and socioeconomic status, and at all levels of general intelligence. Boys only slightly outnumber girls by a 1.5 to 1 ratio.
Exciting new neurological research utilizing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to watch the brain read reveals that when compared with a nondyslexic brain, the dyslexic brain shows a different pattern of activity during reading. There is an underactivation of the neural pathways in the back of the brain and a compensatory overactivation in the frontal areas. Dyslexic brains use neurological systems that are slower and less efficient, explaining why even mature dyslexics, who become accurate readers, never become automatic readers. Dyslexics remain relatively slow, not fluent, readers throughout their lives.
Though vulnerability to reading difficulties has a genetic component, the environment can play a major role. The classic dyslexic is born with a genetically determined ìglitchî in the reading systems of the posterior brain, a different blueprint. Other children develop into poor readers despite normal brain wiring, because of suboptimal environments at home and/or school.
New fMRI evidence suggests that the deficit in phonological processing seen in dyslexic children may occur in children with adequate neural wiring who do not receive the language stimulation early in life necessary for the proper neural connections to form. This highlights the importance of providing a language-rich environment to infants and toddlers, with exposure to rhyme, rhythm, songs, word play and storytelling.
The proper environmental stimulation can increase the functional capacity of the brain. Recent functional MRI studies of dyslexic childrenís brains one year after they received intensive, evidence-based reading instruction, as recommended by the national reading panel (www.nationalreadingpanel. org), have shown that their brain activity during reading now more closely resembled the nondyslexic brains and their reading had significantly improved. Because a childís brain is most plastic when young, early identification and intervention offer real hope that many childrenís reading difficulties can be prevented.
For more information on dyslexia and other learning differences, see ìOvercoming Dyslexiaî by Dr. Sally Shaywitz and go to www.interdys.org and www.schwablearning.org.
Dr. Ellen M. McHugh is a pediatrician and a member of the Chemung County School Readiness Project. She also is a member of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. Her comments are part of a monthly series of articles about literacy.
Need to Read 7
Sunday, August 19, 2007
When technology and reading conflict
* Children better off flipping pages than pushing buttons on the remote.
Editorís note: Information in this article was excerpted with permission from ìThe Read Aloud Handbook,î 5th Edition, by Jim Trelease.
Modern technology surrounds us everywhere. No matter where we go there are cell phones, iPods, iPhones, MP3 players, wireless Internet and the list goes on. And it doesnít stop once we enter our homes. The average American home owns two or more televisions plus DVD players, VHS players and video game consoles.
Scientific analyses of television and its impact on children over the last 40 years still leaves many questions unanswered. One we know for a fact: Children who watch the most TV also have the lowest school test scores.
The U.S. Department of Education compared the scores of 13-year-old math students, based upon how much TV they watch. Their results indicated that for a student watching up to two hours of TV a day, their average math scores were 283. But what if they watched three to five hours of TV a day? Their scores fell to 274, and if they watched six or more hours a day, their scores were 260.
Is it the fault of TV viewing or the fault of families that allow children to waste that much time in front of a plastic box? Thatís someone elseís call. All we can do is raise a warning flag: If you allow your child to watch too much TV, youíre asking for academic trouble.
To help combat the effects of TV on reading and learning, families can start by following two simple suggestions: limit daily TV time and remove TVs from childrenís bedrooms. Give them a book instead!
This monthís book suggestions:
* ìAngus and the Ducksî by Marjorie Flack. This book is appropriate for children preschool to kindergarten age. Angus, the Scotch terrier, represents all inquisitive young children exploring and confronting their surroundings.
* ìLittle Tim and the Brave Sea Captainî by Edward Ardizzone. This book is appropriate for children kindergarten to second grade. Between 1936 and 1977, this popular British illustrator created a wonderful series of adventure books around the seaside lives of three children, all of whom are called upon to exhibit bravery, contrition and perseverance as they confront great obstacles in their seaside community.
* ìMick Hartle Was Hereî by Barbara Park. This book is appropriate for children in grades 3-5. Told through the eyes of an angry, grieving, yet plucky and funny 13-year-old sister, itís the story of her younger brotherís death from a bike accident, which would have ended otherwise had he been wearing a helmet. Park fills it with warm and often hysterically funny recollections of this terrific boy, who could unnerve anyone with her creative antics.
Excerpts from Jim Treleaseís book are running this month as part of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley Need to Read series about literacy.
-----------------------
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Plenty of summer left for good reading
* Greater S. Tier BOCES site lists more titles.
Hey, teens, what are you going to read besides the last Harry Potter book? Here are some suggestions with a brief description of each title:
* ìThe Book Thiefî by Marcus Zusak: historical fiction set in Nazi Germany.
* ìPants on Fireî by Meg Cabot: Katie keeps everyone else around her happy but not herself.
* ìAmazing Graceî by Megan Shull: Teen tennis sensation takes a break from fame.
* ìDairy Queenî by Catherine Gilbert Murdock: Sixteen-year-old DJ tries out for her schoolís football team.
* ìEnthusiasmî by Polly Shulman: Two friends fall for the same boy.
* ìHarmlessî by Dana Reinhardt: What are the consequences of telling a lie?
* ìHattie Big Skyî by Kirby Larson: Sixteen-year-old Hattie inherits her uncleís homesteading claim in Montana in 1917.
* ìAn Abundance of Katherinesî by John Green: Colin has been dumped by 19 girls named Katherine.
* ìPeachesî by Jodi Lynn Anderson: Three very different girls spend the summer picking peaches in a Georgia orchard.
* ìChew On This: Everything You Donít Want To Know About Fast Foodî by Eric Schlosser and Charles Wilson: The one nonfiction title every teen should read.
If you are looking for more great books to read, check out the GSTeens Read! book blog, sponsored by the School Library System of the Greater Southern Tier Board of Cooperative Educational Services. Students are invited to leave comments on the books they have read and suggest titles for inclusion on the blog. For more information go to http://gstbookblog.blogspot.com/
Gina Beirne, a library media specialist at Southside High School in Elmira, is a member of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. Her comments are part of a monthly series of articles about literacy.
-------------------------------------------
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Steele Memorial Library forms book discussion group
* Program gives teens a chance to talk about their reading.
My 15-year-old year old son came to me recently and let me know it was time for him to work ... at a job at the mall. Quickly realizing that this job was going to cost me more than heíd make I had to respond with positive wisdom surrounding a negative answer. So I thought and thought, and I realized that every opportunity I or he will ever have can be taken back to our ability to read.
I offered him the opportunity to help somebody else. This was easy, as he loves to read. So I embarked on a self-directed research assignment to understand our communityís resources for helping people read. What a wonderful exercise. From my sonís guidance counselor came some great direction. Those calls led me to where else but the library! There I meet Chris Corter. She spent an hour with me helping me to understand the need and the resources ... the two ends.
What excited Chris so much was being able to talk about the resources and the need in our community. As with many things the devil is in the details. In this case it reduces to a lot of need and a lot of resources but a sometimes thin middle, that chasm between good intentions and sincere outreach for help.
Quickly comprehending the situation and Chrisí enthusiasm, we began to brainstorm. Chris pointed out there was a drop-off in reading at the middle school level. We agreed it would be opportune to have Eli facilitate a book discussion group this summer based on the summer reading assignments for Ernie Davis. The response so far has been encouraging and everyoneís hope is that we are onto something that will help ìmake the two ends meet!î
For information on this book discussion group and others available this summer in the community, contact Chris Corter at the Steele Memorial Library.
Fell Cadwallader of Elmira is a member of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. His comments are part of a monthly series of articles about literacy.
--------------------------
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Recorded books help reading skills
* Literature in CD, cassette or MP3 formats has value for the ages.
Listening to a story read aloud can be a wonderful and enriching activity for people of all ages. When I was a student, I always loved when teachers read aloud from books. There is something magical about hearing the words and language of a well-written story come alive with a human voice. For many years after leaving grade school, I rarely had the opportunity to hear a story read aloud. But in the last few years, there has been an explosion in the publishing world of books being recorded on CD or cassette and even in MP3 format. With the abundance of audio books now in my beloved public libraries, I am in heaven. I listen to stories while I walk the dog, drive the car, cook dinner, and while I clean house (except while the vacuum is running).
My 11-year-old daughter often joins me as I listen to a book while I exercise. (A good story can make exercise almost enjoyable!) As a middle school library media specialist, I will often listen to childrenís literature. At some point, because there is only so much I can exercise, I will go off to shower. My daughter, unable to stop in the middle of a good part (ìNooooo, you canít stop now!î) will continue to listen without me. Long car trips are a breeze. ìHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenixî got us to Maine and back a few summers ago. Shorter trips to Binghamton are made more enjoyable.
I often sense that people do not think listening to audiobooks is as good as reading the words off the printed page. Maybe it is seen as an easy out for those who struggle to read. Or just what you do for young children because they canít read for themselves. But I will argue that the benefits of listening to a book read aloud are too good to dismiss, for people of all ages and reading levels.
For the new or struggling reader, listening to stories introduces new vocabulary in context. When that new word appears in a printed book later, there is a better chance of decoding and understanding it. A well-read audio book demonstrates how important it is to read fluently.
A struggling reader who listens to a story read aloud by a skilled reader hears what it is like to have a lively inner voice while reading. Then, in their own reading they can strive to hear this voice to bring the words to life. By listening to a fluently read story, they can learn to visualize in their heads as well, learning to ìseeî the story without pictures. This is an important part of reading successfully on oneís own. Finally, quality literature can be enjoyed by those who may not be able to pull it from a printed page, but can still appreciate the story and be enriched by it.
For those who are considered good readers already, listening to books continues to sharpen all of those same skills. And in our tightly scheduled lives, listening might allow one to enjoy the latest best-seller before it becomes yesterdayís old paperback. It also provides a wonderful opportunity to share a book with a loved one at exactly the same time. Ask my daughter how many times I have paused our CD player to talk about something happening in a story. She is likely to say I stop it too often. But itís a great way to find out what she thinks, and share my thoughts with her. As she grows older, I see our listening to stories together as a nice opportunity to bridge discussions between events in the books and her own life.
Have I convinced you yet? The next time you face a long car trip, or dreary household chores, either by yourself or with someone you love, consider visiting the library and stocking up on a few audio books. There are many titles that can be enjoyed by the whole family.
Maureen Frei is a library media specialist at Horseheads Middle School and a member of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. Her comments are part of a monthly series of articles about literacy.
Here are some suggested audio books that children would enjoy:
* All of the ìHarry Potterî books by J. K. Rowling read by Jim Dale. (Listening Library.)
* The classic ìCharlotteís Webî by E. B. White, read by the author himself. A beautiful, beautiful story. (Listening Library, 2002.)
* Imagine waking up one morning and finding that you are invisible. ìThings Not Seenî by Andrew Clements follows 15-year-old Bobby in an exciting and believable account of his sudden and unexplained invisibility. (Listening Library, 2003.)
* ìPeter and the Starcatchersî by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, narrated by Jim Dale (Brilliance Audio 2004), is a wonderful adventure, set on a ship named Never Land, of orphan Peter and starcatcher Molly, who must guard a trunk of magical stardust from greedy pirates.
* ìBud, Not Buddyî by Christopher Paul Curtis tells the heartwarming tale of 10-year-old Bud, a motherless boy living in Flint, Mich., during the Great Depression, as he escapes a bad foster home and sets out in search of his father. (Listening Library, 2000.)
* ìSarah, Plain and Tallî by Patricia McLaughlin, read by actress Glenn Close, is the classic frontier story of Anna and Caleb, their father, and Sarah, the mail-order bride who comes to live in their prairie home.
When technology and reading conflict
* Children better off flipping pages than pushing buttons on the remote.
Editorís note: Information in this article was excerpted with permission from ìThe Read Aloud Handbook,î 5th Edition, by Jim Trelease.
Modern technology surrounds us everywhere. No matter where we go there are cell phones, iPods, iPhones, MP3 players, wireless Internet and the list goes on. And it doesnít stop once we enter our homes. The average American home owns two or more televisions plus DVD players, VHS players and video game consoles.
Scientific analyses of television and its impact on children over the last 40 years still leaves many questions unanswered. One we know for a fact: Children who watch the most TV also have the lowest school test scores.
The U.S. Department of Education compared the scores of 13-year-old math students, based upon how much TV they watch. Their results indicated that for a student watching up to two hours of TV a day, their average math scores were 283. But what if they watched three to five hours of TV a day? Their scores fell to 274, and if they watched six or more hours a day, their scores were 260.
Is it the fault of TV viewing or the fault of families that allow children to waste that much time in front of a plastic box? Thatís someone elseís call. All we can do is raise a warning flag: If you allow your child to watch too much TV, youíre asking for academic trouble.
To help combat the effects of TV on reading and learning, families can start by following two simple suggestions: limit daily TV time and remove TVs from childrenís bedrooms. Give them a book instead!
This monthís book suggestions:
* ìAngus and the Ducksî by Marjorie Flack. This book is appropriate for children preschool to kindergarten age. Angus, the Scotch terrier, represents all inquisitive young children exploring and confronting their surroundings.
* ìLittle Tim and the Brave Sea Captainî by Edward Ardizzone. This book is appropriate for children kindergarten to second grade. Between 1936 and 1977, this popular British illustrator created a wonderful series of adventure books around the seaside lives of three children, all of whom are called upon to exhibit bravery, contrition and perseverance as they confront great obstacles in their seaside community.
* ìMick Hartle Was Hereî by Barbara Park. This book is appropriate for children in grades 3-5. Told through the eyes of an angry, grieving, yet plucky and funny 13-year-old sister, itís the story of her younger brotherís death from a bike accident, which would have ended otherwise had he been wearing a helmet. Park fills it with warm and often hysterically funny recollections of this terrific boy, who could unnerve anyone with her creative antics.
Excerpts from Jim Treleaseís book are running this month as part of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley Need to Read series about literacy.
-----------------------
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Plenty of summer left for good reading
* Greater S. Tier BOCES site lists more titles.
Hey, teens, what are you going to read besides the last Harry Potter book? Here are some suggestions with a brief description of each title:
* ìThe Book Thiefî by Marcus Zusak: historical fiction set in Nazi Germany.
* ìPants on Fireî by Meg Cabot: Katie keeps everyone else around her happy but not herself.
* ìAmazing Graceî by Megan Shull: Teen tennis sensation takes a break from fame.
* ìDairy Queenî by Catherine Gilbert Murdock: Sixteen-year-old DJ tries out for her schoolís football team.
* ìEnthusiasmî by Polly Shulman: Two friends fall for the same boy.
* ìHarmlessî by Dana Reinhardt: What are the consequences of telling a lie?
* ìHattie Big Skyî by Kirby Larson: Sixteen-year-old Hattie inherits her uncleís homesteading claim in Montana in 1917.
* ìAn Abundance of Katherinesî by John Green: Colin has been dumped by 19 girls named Katherine.
* ìPeachesî by Jodi Lynn Anderson: Three very different girls spend the summer picking peaches in a Georgia orchard.
* ìChew On This: Everything You Donít Want To Know About Fast Foodî by Eric Schlosser and Charles Wilson: The one nonfiction title every teen should read.
If you are looking for more great books to read, check out the GSTeens Read! book blog, sponsored by the School Library System of the Greater Southern Tier Board of Cooperative Educational Services. Students are invited to leave comments on the books they have read and suggest titles for inclusion on the blog. For more information go to http://gstbookblog.blogspot.com/
Gina Beirne, a library media specialist at Southside High School in Elmira, is a member of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. Her comments are part of a monthly series of articles about literacy.
-------------------------------------------
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Steele Memorial Library forms book discussion group
* Program gives teens a chance to talk about their reading.
My 15-year-old year old son came to me recently and let me know it was time for him to work ... at a job at the mall. Quickly realizing that this job was going to cost me more than heíd make I had to respond with positive wisdom surrounding a negative answer. So I thought and thought, and I realized that every opportunity I or he will ever have can be taken back to our ability to read.
I offered him the opportunity to help somebody else. This was easy, as he loves to read. So I embarked on a self-directed research assignment to understand our communityís resources for helping people read. What a wonderful exercise. From my sonís guidance counselor came some great direction. Those calls led me to where else but the library! There I meet Chris Corter. She spent an hour with me helping me to understand the need and the resources ... the two ends.
What excited Chris so much was being able to talk about the resources and the need in our community. As with many things the devil is in the details. In this case it reduces to a lot of need and a lot of resources but a sometimes thin middle, that chasm between good intentions and sincere outreach for help.
Quickly comprehending the situation and Chrisí enthusiasm, we began to brainstorm. Chris pointed out there was a drop-off in reading at the middle school level. We agreed it would be opportune to have Eli facilitate a book discussion group this summer based on the summer reading assignments for Ernie Davis. The response so far has been encouraging and everyoneís hope is that we are onto something that will help ìmake the two ends meet!î
For information on this book discussion group and others available this summer in the community, contact Chris Corter at the Steele Memorial Library.
Fell Cadwallader of Elmira is a member of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. His comments are part of a monthly series of articles about literacy.
--------------------------
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Recorded books help reading skills
* Literature in CD, cassette or MP3 formats has value for the ages.
Listening to a story read aloud can be a wonderful and enriching activity for people of all ages. When I was a student, I always loved when teachers read aloud from books. There is something magical about hearing the words and language of a well-written story come alive with a human voice. For many years after leaving grade school, I rarely had the opportunity to hear a story read aloud. But in the last few years, there has been an explosion in the publishing world of books being recorded on CD or cassette and even in MP3 format. With the abundance of audio books now in my beloved public libraries, I am in heaven. I listen to stories while I walk the dog, drive the car, cook dinner, and while I clean house (except while the vacuum is running).
My 11-year-old daughter often joins me as I listen to a book while I exercise. (A good story can make exercise almost enjoyable!) As a middle school library media specialist, I will often listen to childrenís literature. At some point, because there is only so much I can exercise, I will go off to shower. My daughter, unable to stop in the middle of a good part (ìNooooo, you canít stop now!î) will continue to listen without me. Long car trips are a breeze. ìHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenixî got us to Maine and back a few summers ago. Shorter trips to Binghamton are made more enjoyable.
I often sense that people do not think listening to audiobooks is as good as reading the words off the printed page. Maybe it is seen as an easy out for those who struggle to read. Or just what you do for young children because they canít read for themselves. But I will argue that the benefits of listening to a book read aloud are too good to dismiss, for people of all ages and reading levels.
For the new or struggling reader, listening to stories introduces new vocabulary in context. When that new word appears in a printed book later, there is a better chance of decoding and understanding it. A well-read audio book demonstrates how important it is to read fluently.
A struggling reader who listens to a story read aloud by a skilled reader hears what it is like to have a lively inner voice while reading. Then, in their own reading they can strive to hear this voice to bring the words to life. By listening to a fluently read story, they can learn to visualize in their heads as well, learning to ìseeî the story without pictures. This is an important part of reading successfully on oneís own. Finally, quality literature can be enjoyed by those who may not be able to pull it from a printed page, but can still appreciate the story and be enriched by it.
For those who are considered good readers already, listening to books continues to sharpen all of those same skills. And in our tightly scheduled lives, listening might allow one to enjoy the latest best-seller before it becomes yesterdayís old paperback. It also provides a wonderful opportunity to share a book with a loved one at exactly the same time. Ask my daughter how many times I have paused our CD player to talk about something happening in a story. She is likely to say I stop it too often. But itís a great way to find out what she thinks, and share my thoughts with her. As she grows older, I see our listening to stories together as a nice opportunity to bridge discussions between events in the books and her own life.
Have I convinced you yet? The next time you face a long car trip, or dreary household chores, either by yourself or with someone you love, consider visiting the library and stocking up on a few audio books. There are many titles that can be enjoyed by the whole family.
Maureen Frei is a library media specialist at Horseheads Middle School and a member of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. Her comments are part of a monthly series of articles about literacy.
Here are some suggested audio books that children would enjoy:
* All of the ìHarry Potterî books by J. K. Rowling read by Jim Dale. (Listening Library.)
* The classic ìCharlotteís Webî by E. B. White, read by the author himself. A beautiful, beautiful story. (Listening Library, 2002.)
* Imagine waking up one morning and finding that you are invisible. ìThings Not Seenî by Andrew Clements follows 15-year-old Bobby in an exciting and believable account of his sudden and unexplained invisibility. (Listening Library, 2003.)
* ìPeter and the Starcatchersî by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, narrated by Jim Dale (Brilliance Audio 2004), is a wonderful adventure, set on a ship named Never Land, of orphan Peter and starcatcher Molly, who must guard a trunk of magical stardust from greedy pirates.
* ìBud, Not Buddyî by Christopher Paul Curtis tells the heartwarming tale of 10-year-old Bud, a motherless boy living in Flint, Mich., during the Great Depression, as he escapes a bad foster home and sets out in search of his father. (Listening Library, 2000.)
* ìSarah, Plain and Tallî by Patricia McLaughlin, read by actress Glenn Close, is the classic frontier story of Anna and Caleb, their father, and Sarah, the mail-order bride who comes to live in their prairie home.
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