Hello,
I’m happy to share with you another one of my student’s book recommendations.
Cece is a fifth grader and she chose to read The Secret Language of Girls, by Frances O’Roark Dowell.
Cece is progressing wonderfully in her reading and writing and I’m looking forward to sharing with you another book recommendation she wrote. Stay tuned for more!
Happy Reading,
Kathleen
Dear Readers,
I had the opportunity to write a piece for the International Reading Association’s Teacher to Teacher Blog. Here is the link that takes you directly to my teaching tip: http://engage.reading.org/READING/Blogsnbspnbsp/BlogViewer/?BlogKey=8d900d02-ad6e-4a05-984a-9f6aa6bd7ffd
Please pass on this wonderful field trip idea to the parents, teachers, and librarians in your community. I look forward to reading your comments.
Happy Reading,
Kathleen
Hello,
I have the pleasure of sharing another one of my student’s storyboard books.
Bodhi is a third grader and he, chose to read, Henry and Mudge and the Forever Sea, by Cynthia Rylant.
I think Bodhi could have done the cover on the book, too!
Bodhi used only four main colors in his storyboard book but the colors he chose make the pictures really stand out!
Notice that even though Bodhi is using stick figures in each of his drawings, he chose major parts of the story in each frame.
This tells me that he remembered the main ideas of the story.
This looks like a fun story! After a day of swimming, they all stop for ice cream cones, even Mudge.
I also want to note how Bodhi numbered each of the frames in his storyboard book, just like a real book. Nice touch.
The day at the sea, and the story, is coming to an end.
But what a great time was had by all!
I feel like I read the actual book!
I’m very proud of Bodhi’s storyboard book. I was able to assess his reading comprehension skills and he was able to work on an engaging, fun, artistic project. He has made wonderful progress in his reading skills and it shows! Great work, Bodhi.
Happy Reading,
Kathleen
Hello,
One of my first grade students, Ben, is a very motivated reader but he was struggling with the elements necessary to be a fluent reader. One of my strategies is to use a student’s own writing to facilitate the reading process.
Ben had the great idea to take characters from one book he enjoyed and write a new story, with illustrations!
Ben’s book is titled, The Cow Good and the Cat.
I should probably mention that Ben is a zealous action figure fan. Luckily for me I am also versed in some of the action figures and their corresponding comics.
Here, Ben begins by introducing his characters.
The action begins!
I love Ben’s word choice on this page: meanwhile. Obviously he has heard this word used by adults. Another testament for why it is important to talk with your child and students. The more authentic language they hear, the greater their own use of language will be verbally and in their writing.
Ben uses great action words and visuals!
The story is winding down.
The end.
As a teacher, I am also taking note of Ben’s use of words with the long and short vowel sounds that we have been working on. And of course, I asked Ben to read his book to me. Reading his own work boosted his confidence in his reading skills because he was able to read more fluently.
Great work, Ben! I’m hoping there is a sequel to The Cow Good and the Cat!
Happy Reading,
Kathleen
Hello,
Sometimes we forget that reading what we write also makes us readers. This was especially true this summer for my student, Annika.
Annika had a new kitty named Harry who she was very excited about. This was a great teaching moment that I couldn’t pass up. I suggested Annika write a story about Harry. She loved the idea.
First, she created a web with all her ideas she wanted to include in her story.
Then, she began to put those ideas into sentences. This is her finished story!
Annika did a fabulous job of organizing her thoughts and including details. I was especially proud of her choice of words, like greenish. Great description!
After writing her story, Annika read her story over and over each time with increased fluency and expression! It was a great confidence boost for her that will carry-over to the books she chooses to read. Great work, Annika!
Oh, I had the pleasure of meeting Harry and yes, his eyes are greenish colored!
Happy Reading,
Kathleen
Hello,
I would like to share another student book recommendation. I am especially excited about this one because my student, Olivia, decided to write this one all on her own!
The book Olivia chose was, Dodsworth in London by Tim Egan. Olivia had already read Dodsworth in Paris and Dodsworth in New York. Now she has read all the Dodsworth books!
Olivia wrote a very nice summary of the story without giving away any of the mystery about what happens at the end. Great job, Olivia!
The Dodsworth books are also a personal favorite of mine. They are a wonderfully fun way to visit other cities without having to leave the comfort of your favorite reading chair. And, as Sleepy Bear would say, you can have your hot cocoa with goo-gobs of whippy cream, too!
Happy Reading,
Kathleen
Hello,
Today, one of my students made a wonderful breakthrough with his reading!
This is a third grade boy who is not shy about telling me how much he does not like to read. I told him that’s fine, but I love to read so I asked if he would mind if I read to him. He said no, he wouldn’t. So, I read a picture book and part of a chapter book he had been trying to read and then I read some poems. Last week I introduced to him Shel Silverstein’s, Where the Sidewalk Ends. I read a few of my favorites to my student and he really enjoyed them. I suggested he take the book home and share them with his family.
Today, I asked him if he had any favorites. Right away he turned to a page with two and he read them both to me! And, he read them quite well. I was nearly teary-eyed with joy for him and I told him so. Of course he thought I was silly but at the same time, he was beaming with pride. We spent some time reading more poems together and he borrowed the book for another week.
My student’s success today was a very much needed boost to his reading confidence. Sometimes as educators or parents we forget about the value of poetry reading, especially with the tomes on the bookstores with movie tie-ins are luring kids in. Often times those books are too challenging and frustration ensues. For now, this student and I will be reading more poetry and the smaller the book, the better.
Happy Reading,
Kathleen
