*This is part of a sponsored collaboration ̊with the PreK12 Plaza. However, all opinions expressed are my own. #eBookPlaza #PlazaBilingue I've always loved literature and reading. These were the very reasons why I became a Literacy Specialist. I just couldn't imagine anyone being deprived of the joy that comes from the written word and vowed to help anyone I could to become literate. As an educator who loves being one, I will only stand behind educational programs or apps that spark this love of reading in children. That is why I am so excited to share the launch of app eBook Plaza on PreK12 Plaza! eBook Plaza is a new, free, bilingual, multimedia resource, providing teachers with blended lessons supporting English-language standards. It gives young readers access to hundreds of eBooks in a variety of reading levels that are available in both English and Spanish. Integrating technology and reading is a match … [Read more...]
10 Ways To Get Your Children Reading More At Home
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...]
Teach Children The Alphabet In A Creative Way! @JustJesse197 #Giveaway #Ad
Since becoming a parent, one of the things that I have learned is that no two children are the same. This has become apparent over the years just in my observations of my own sons. It was especially noticeable academically when both of my boys first began to read. While my older son learned how to read right away and without any difficulties, this was not the case for my younger son. The moment that I realized that he was a struggling reader, I began to tutor him at home and I used visual aids and technology to help him finally learn how to read fluently. My son had a lot of trouble with letter recognition and sounding letters out when he first started reading. As a Literacy Specialist, I know that many children also struggle with this in the beginning. Jesse the Jack’s ABC Zoo is an iBook and app that teaches children the alphabet in a new and creative way. Using eye-catching animation and well-known Jack Russell Terrier, Jesse the Jack, ABC Zoo … [Read more...]
How Can You Make Your Kids Read More This Summer?
I'm sure that most of you struggle with coaxing your children to read during summer vacation. Even though I am a teacher, my kids would much rather ride their bikes outside and play on their tablets than read any day. Believe me, teachers' kids are just as good as at other kids at getting out of doing anything that is remotely related to school work. The truth is that I don't even read as much as I used to because I am just so busy most of the time. However, I can tell you that reading is the foundation of everything that your kids will every do in school and it is important to encourage them to read as much as they can. Doing so will help them with their fluency, which is the ability to pronounce words properly when they are reading aloud. Also, reading frequently helps kids with their comprehension and their ability to clearly understand what is taking place in the text. So here is the million dollar question, just how can we all get our kids to read more when … [Read more...]
Get Your Kids Excited About Reading! #Literacy #Education
One of the most frequent questions that I get asked as an educator by parents is how they can get their kids to read more. It seems that in this fast-paced, technologically advanced world that we currently live in, taking the time out to read a book has become something of an anomaly. Unfortunately, it is something that I witness regularly with my own students as it is a daily struggle to get them to read. Many parents blame themselves for this but, the reality is that the Internet and the easy access that we now have to all kinds of information has decreased our attention span for reading to a certain extent. When I let my students go on the computers in my classroom they immediately become engaged but I rarely see the same enthusiasm when I put books in front of them. As a parent, I also worry about whether my children are spending enough time reading. There are many reasons why reading is such an important part of a child's academic and social development. Reading … [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...]
Read Them The Way
This evening, I was listening to my seven year old son read aloud as part of his homework. I couldn't help but think to myself that he is a much better reader than some of my students in the eighth grade. You would not believe how many teenagers these days barely know how to read. We could spend days debating back and forth about what the reasons are for this. The truth is that, in most cases, a love of literature begins very early in childhood and is a direct result of the literacy behaviors that children have observed being modeled by their parents or legal guardians. As a Literacy teacher, I knew early on how important it was to expose my boys to a variety of texts regularly. This included reading to both of them aloud in the evenings as well as discussions about the book before and after reading it. Many parents make the mistake of simply reading books to their children but not discussing their content and asking questions about what the story was mostly about. While reading … [Read more...]
