Young Author and Illustrator Shares His Book

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

Student Writing to Help Reading Fluency and Confidence

 

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

Another Great Student Book Recommendation

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

Poetry For a Reluctant Reader

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

Student Storyboards – From a First Grader!

Dear Readers,

I am always very excited when any of my students make progress using a new strategy. This is a storyboard book completed by Mac. He is a first grader getting ready to start second grade in the fall.

Mac chose to make a storyboard book after he read Mouse and Mole, Fine Feathered Friends by Wong Herbert Yee.

 

 

Mac did a fine job of summarizing the story in pictures.

 

Mac needed more squares so he divided two squares into halves. Great way to incorporate math into the literacy lesson!

In the story, Mole misspelled the word cardinal. As is common with young readers and writers, the letter b and d are interchanged.

Luckily for Mole, Mouse saw the mistake and helped him out. I like how Mac included this very important detail in his storyboard. Great work, Mac!

As you have probably guessed by now, I am a big fan of using storyboards as a comprehension tool. They engage the kinesthetic learner, they make assessing comprehension fun for the student and the teacher, and the student has a project to add to portfolio to reflect upon for many years to come.

Happy Reading,

Kathleen

Book Recommendations for Reluctant Readers and Everyone Else, Too!

Hello,

I want to share with my readers a wonderful website, www.KeenReaders.com. Each month the site posts book reviews by their team of readers; and I’m thrilled to be a member of the team! The books we read are chosen for their readability for the reluctant reader, both boys and girls, ages middle grade to young adult.

I hope you visit the site and the book reviews. If your child finds a book on the site that sparks his or her reading interest, you can share your success story here and I’ll pass it on.

Happy Reading,

Kathleen

Student Storyboards to Check Comprehension

Hello,

Storyboarding is a great tool to check a student’s comprehension of a story. Kids love to draw and color so it’s win-win for everyone!

As you know, Fiona is one of my students who is reading all the books in the Poison Apple series. She recently finished NOW YOU SEE ME by Jane B. Mason.

Here is Fiona’s first storyboard:

I discovered she is quite the artiste, too! Great job, Fiona.

Fiona is nearing the end of the series with MIDNIGHT HOWL by Clare Hutton.

And, here is her second storyboard:

Great story detail in your pictures, Fiona!

Readers, I hope you have a chance to use storyboards with your students and children at home. Share with me your success stories, too.

Happy Reading,

Kathleen