The Importance of "Just Right Books"

Students seem to be adjusting to the routine of school. Classrooms are busy and there's the familiar hum of learning swirling throughout the building. Teachers have begun the job of teaching. One of the first lessons each year is teaching kids how to pick books that are "just right". Easy books don't challenge enough. Difficult books are frustrating and kids can't learn how to "think their way through text" if all their time is spent decoding words. Just right books offer a balance of easy reading and challenging vocabulary and ideas. As adults, we rarely choose a book that is too difficult or in a subject that we have no background knowledge. These books are simply too hard to understand. For instance I would not be successful trying to read my daughter's organic chemistry book! As adults we tend to read material that entertains us, that we have strong interest in, or books that challenge us without frustration. The same holds true for kids. Here is one simple way to see if a book is in the ballpark for your child.

• Ask why the child has chosen a book. Check the true interest in the book (re-reading favorite text is encouraged as long as they're also choosing new text as well)
• Ask your child to pick a page out of the middle of the book and begin reading.

• If they do not come across any unknown words or difficult words, the book is typically too easy
• If they come across 4-5 unknown or difficult words, the book is typically too difficult
• If they come across 1-3 words that are unknown or difficult, the book is typically "just right"

As always, use your best judgment when helping your child choose reading material. Feel free to post any questions or contact me through email. (kathleen.heim@oldham.kyschools.us)

Happy Reading!
Kathy Heim
Literacy Coach

Welcome to a new school year!

Families and Students,

Welcome to a new school year! I enjoyed meeting new families and reconnecting with returning families during orientation today. Several kids stopped me to tell me what the have been reading over the summer. Now that's music to a literacy coach's ears! In addition, the school is looking so much better - shiny new floors, cleaned up classrooms - Mr. Mike and his crew deserve a huge thank you for all their hard work! It looks like everyone is ready to start the year.

I will be posting literacy related articles, links, and information throughout the year. Stop by often to check out our blog. In addition, please post questions and/or comments as needed.

l look forward to working with you and your children this year!

“School’s Out for Summer” These lyrics shout a feeling of freedom each summer as the school year comes to a close. Visions of days at the pool, playing outside all day long, and riding bikes endlessly become a reality as soon as the school doors close on that last day. There’s also a sense of melancholy, too. The structure we’ve become used to is suddenly missing, and learning new things about our world with our friends is no longer an every-day experience.

Yes, kids need the downtime that summer brings, but they also need to keep current with the skills they’ve learned during the year. Studies show that children who do not read during the summer tend to fall behind and spend time each fall catching up. One way to prevent this slip is to encourage reading over the summer. The public library, local bookstores and numerous web sites have extensive reading lists of great summer fiction and non-fiction texts. The important thing to remember is to consider the interests and reading ability of your child. Enlist the help of your child in selecting reading material…don’t forget to include magazines and news articles, too. Have fun exploring different genres and learning about our world with your child.
Check out the sites listed on this blog, too - there's lots of resources available! Feel free to post questions, email, or call me if you have comments or questions!

Have a wonderful summer!

Kathy Heim
Literacy Coach
kathleen.heim@oldham.kyschools.us

Kindergarten Literacy Night

Thank you to all the kindergarten parents who attended Literacy Night on Monday evening. It is our hope you gained a little insight about what your child is learning in school and picked up a few ideas for supporting your child at home. Below are the web sites we discussed. Enjoy...and if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!

The Internet offers a wealth of resources for both parents and children. We’ve collected numerous web sites for you and/or your child to explore. As always, monitor the sites your child is using and spend some time with your child as they use the Internet as a learning tool.

Most of these sites are free, but some offer memberships that allow access to additional activities.

General Sites:

Education.com
Includes lots of parent resources and activities – browse by age or grade.
http://www.education.com

I Know That
Includes lots of activities across all content and grade levels. You don’t need to subscribe to access most activities.
http://www.iknowthat.com/com

Zoodles
Free, but registration needed.
http://www.zoodles.com/

Language Arts Sites

Handwriting pintables
http://www.handwritingworksheets.com/print-k/choose.htm

Fast Phonics
http://www.abcfastphonics.com/index.html

Starfall
Lots of learning games
http://www.starfall.com/

Storyline Online
Celebrities read quality picture books
http://www.storylineonline.net/

Clifford/Scholastic
Clifford books to read and fun activities:
http://teacher.scholastic.com/clifford1/

Allkids
Includes a list of online reading sites
http://www.allkids.co.uk/kids-online-stories/index.html

Big Universe
Kids and parents can preview books, or subscribe to read entire books online ($7:00/mo.)
http://www.biguniverse.com/

Readaquarium/Gamequarium
Lots of site word activities
http://www.gamequarium.com/readquarium/sightgames.html

Math Sites:

Math Cats
http://mathcats.com/

IXL Math:
http://www.ixl.com/math/grade/kindergarten/

Helping Writers at Home

Teachers at Centerfield teach writing using a writing workshop model. This means students have the opportunity to write on a daily basis. They study accomplished authors to learn from experts, they write about important matters, keep their ideas in a writer's notebook, and they share personal pieces and listen to their peer's work. Writing workshop is a dynamic part of the day.

Here are some suggestion when working with your child at home:

* Basic punctuation, spelling, and grammar are learned through practice, trial, and error. If this is a struggle for your child, try editing one sentence, and then letting them edit the next. Use teachable moments, but don’t over-edit to the point of exhaustion or frustration.
*Keep in mind that unedited pieces guide your child’s teacher’s lesson plans. Papers edited by parents don’t show teachers what deficiencies need to be addressed.
*Encourage your child to write for a variety of purposes: grocery lists, diaries, to-do lists, letters to relatives and friends, etc.
* Write in front of your child to model writing as a daily adult habit.
*Keep resources available: dictionary, thesaurus, spell checker, etc.
* Some children are inspired by writing “tools” like special pens, paper, staplers, construction paper, etc.
*Tell stories together! This helps build idea development, creativity, sequencing, vocabulary etc. *Play with words to build vocabulary.
*Encourage your child to read their writing aloud. This will help correct errors and improve writing fluency.
*Check spelling by reading written work backwards.
*Point out your favorite authors and how they make reading enjoyable.
*Allow your child time to think before getting started on a written assignment; take the time to listen to their ideas. This oral rehearsal helps students organize their thoughts, sequence their ideas, and check for missing detail.

Students will make mistakes, but they will also surprise you with creativity and enthusiasm! You will be amazed by your child's progress this year. Most of all enjoy the writing process and celebrate great thinking and unique ideas! Ask and most importantly, LISTEN you your child's writing! If you have any questions regarding writing, please contact your child’s teacher, or me. We are looking forward to a wonderful year of writing!

Coaching Readers

Often children will come to you for help with their reading material. Sometimes the family routine includes reading with each other. When you are tempted to give a child a word, or say the traditional “sound it out”, try some of these strategies instead:

 If a child needs help with one-to-one matching:
o Use your finger to track your words
o Point under the word(s)
o Did it match? Did you have any words left over? Was it just enough words? Try again.

 If the reader needs help dealing with difficult words:
o Why did you pause?
o Back up, try it again…get your mouth ready (for the first sound, and then slide through the word
o What would make sense there?
o Do you know any part of the word?
o What could it be? Does that look right? Does that sound right?
o Think about the story
o What can you do to figure this out?

 If the reader isn’t self-correcting:
o Check it…does that sound right?
o Does that make sense? Try it again.
o Does that look right?
o Was there a tricky part?
o Can you back up and try again?
o I noticed you seem unsure…what are you noticing?
o Do you think you are right?

 If the reader isn’t reading with fluency:
o Can you put your words together and say it quickly?
o Say it as if you are talking
o Look at me. Say it to me as if we’re talking.
o Try it like this – child repeats you while looking at the words.
o Can you read it again and help me really feel what is happening in the story?

 If the reader isn’t thinking about the text:
o Sometimes the picture can help us think about the story.
o So let’s review; what’s happening now?
o What are you thinking?
o Oh no…what do you think will happen next?
o Does that make sense?
o Huh? Let’s go back…