Pike Lower School Reading

Children’s Books and Reading

I recently discovered this website in which you will find practical tips and techniques to help with many aspects of helping your child become a successful reader.

• You will find find helpful tips for making sure your child really understands what s/he is reading.
• There are many ideas for motivating your child to read including suggestions for outstanding children’s books that will inspire you and your child.
• You will also find plenty of enjoyable reading-related activities that you can do with your child to reinforce literacy skills as well as interesting facts and opinions that are in the news and are related to children’s books and reading.
• The list of topics on the left is easy to navigate, and the links are filled with good information. Make sure to read the section on non-fiction reading for some easy-to-use tips.

http://www.childrens-books-and-reading.com/nonfiction-books.html

You can subscribe to her free newsletter. She also has an rss feed.

http://www.childrens-books-and-reading.com/index.html

The Do’s and Don’ts of Read-Aloud

This is an excerpt from Chapter Four of The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease (Penguin, 2006, 6th edition). It is shared with author’s permission and has excellent information.

http://www.trelease-on-reading.com/rah-ch4.html

Grocery Store Literacy Activity Sheets

Everyday activities are a natural and effective way to begin teaching your young child about letters and words. Download and print these colorful “take-along” activities the next time you go to the grocery store or farmer’s market. You will turn your regular trip into a reading adventure.

http://www.readingrockets.org/article/33132

Building Comprehension Strategies

Here are some easy-to-implement and useful tips for building your child’s comprehension strategies.

http://childparenting.about.com/od/elementaryreadin1/a/comprehension.htm

Questions to Ask Before, During, After Reading

Below you will find a list of  useful questions to help you to have conversations with your child about his/her reading. The questions are not intended to be used all at once or every time you read with your child. Use them at your discretion and where they are appropriate.

http://iusd.org/parent_resources/questionsencourage.htm

2011 Notable Children’s Books: Association for Library Service to Children

Each year a committee of the  ALSC identifies the best of the best in children’s books. Notable should be thought to include books of especially commendable quality, books that exhibit venturesome creativity, and books of fiction, information, poetry and pictures for all age levels (birth through age 14) that reflect and encourage children’s interests in exemplary ways. Each title is followed by a brief summary of the book.

http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/notalists/ncb/index.cfm

International Children’s Library

I came across this site and thought others might enjoy knowing about it. The goal of the ICDL Foundation is to create a collection of more than 10,000 children’s books in at least 100 languages that is freely available to children, teachers, librarians, parents, and scholars throughout the world via the Internet. You can search for books by country, award-winning, recently added, etc. Because the pages of the books are photographed, the print can appear small. However, you can click on the print or the + sign, and the print becomes larger.
“The materials included in the collection reflect similarities and differences in cultures, societies, interests, lifestyles, and priorities of peoples around the world. The collection’s focus is on identifying materials that help children to understand the world around them and the global society in which they live. It is hoped that through a greater understanding of one another that tolerance and acceptance can be achieved.”

http://en.childrenslibrary.org/

“Guys Read”

I found this wonderful site called Guys Read, which is a web-based literacy program whose mission is to help boys become self-motivated, lifelong readers. There is a wealth of information on books for boys of all ages. Sections include Book of the Month, Guys Listen (audio books), Book lists  ( Funny, Historical Figures, At Least One Explosion, Outer Space But Without Aliens, How to Build Stuff, War, etc.), the Boys’ Blog of News.  Boys can post their opinions on books and add a new title if they wish.

http://www.guysread.com/