This week are parent-teacher conferences at my school. If I had to choose the number one question that most parents ask me every year it would have to be how they can get their kids to read more at home. Many of them have noticed that their children are only interested in spending time on the Internet or on their electronic devices than with a good book. As a Literacy Specialist, I know all too well the importance of having kids read outside of school. Not only does it improve their reading comprehension, but it also helps to better their reading stamina and their fluency. These are all skills that they will need to navigate texts academically as well as on the state exams. Here are some of the tips that I give the parents of my own students to help them support their children in reading more at home: Create a reading nook or area in your home where your child can read quietly without interruptions that is stocked with books, newspapers and magazines that they like … [Read more...]
#CaptainUnderpants Strikes Again! @Scholastic
As long as I have been a Literacy Specialist, I have been familiar with the popular children's book series Captain Underpants, by Dav Pilkey. These books have always been a staple in my classroom library and have enticed avid and reluctant readers alike over the years that I have been an educator. My middle school students love to read all about the antics of Captain Underpants and heroes George and Harold. In their latest adventure titled, Captain Underpants and the Revolting Revenge of the Radioactive Robo-Boxers, we are forced to consider a world without UNDERPANTS! When we last saw our heroes, George and Harold, they had been turned into evil zombie nerds doomed to roam a devastated, post-apocalyptic planet for all eternity. But why, you might ask, didn't the amazing Captain Underpants save the boys from this frightening fate? Because Tippy Tinkletrousers and his time-traveling hijinks prevented George and Harold from creating Captain Underpants … [Read more...]
