Welcome new bear readers!

This week I'm excited to begin to work with 10 little bear readers from Mrs. Hendricks and Mrs. Galewski's rooms. We will work together over the second semester to learn letter sounds, how to blend sounds together to read and write words, and how to retell key parts of stories.  I look forward to working with these kindergarten students daily and for them to share what they have learned with you.
Welcome to...
-Naomi          -Genesis
-Kendall        -Tina
-Mikeyah      -Rosie
-Blenda         -Hailey
-Antonio       -Danica

The Five Finger Rule

Do you know about the "five-finger rule?" Open the book to a middle page and have your child read that page. Whenever they come to a word they don't know, have them hold up a finger. If they are holding up five fingers before they finish reading that page, the book is too hard. If they don't hold up any fingers, the book is easy. If they hold up two or three fingers, the book is most likely a good level to help move them foward in their reading skills.

(from Wild About Reading)

Making inferences

As the first semester comes to a close, many of my second grade readers are transitioning from learning to read to reading to learn more.  Therefore, I am beginning to teach them more comprehension strategies to use.  One of the comprehension strategies we are working on is making inferences. What are inferences and how can you help your child with this strategy at home?
When we make inferences we are asking ourselves, "What does the author want us to learn?" I encourage the children to think about their own background knowledge and use it to help them understand or connect to the books. You can use questions such as "When is the story taking place? Do you see the moon or the sun?" "How do you think the character is feeling right now? Do you see a smile or a frown on the character's face?" "Why do you think the character acted like this? Would you have acted the same way?" You can continue to ask questions, such as "What do you think will happen next?" These questions will help your child to stay engaged with the text and excited to read more!

 

Best beginning chapter books

Some of my wonderful second grade readers have begun reading chapter books. This is an exciting leap from solely reading picture books (but it doesn't mean they should stop reading those!). The article below talks about the best beginning chapter books for your little reader.

Kylie Jean
chapter book series
Written by Marci Peschke and Illustrated by Tuesday Mourning
Drama Queen (Kylie Jean)
Cupcake Queen (Kylie Jean)
Blueberry Queen (Kylie Jean)
Singing Queen (Kylie Jean)
Rodeo Queen (Kylie Jean)
Spelling Queen (Kylie Jean)
Dancing Queen (Kylie Jean)
Hoop Queen (Kylie Jean)
Pirate Queen (Kylie Jean)
Football Queen (Kylie Jean)
They’re pink books – with a main character that loves pink and the illustrations are in black and PINK. Plus, the stories are perfect for girls — Kylie Jean experiences things like getting the part in the ballet, or being the rodeo queen, things that readers can relate to and would want themselves.

The Legend of Diamond Lil: A J.J. Tully Mystery (J. J. Tully Mysteries)
written by Doreen Cronin, illustrated by Kevin Cornell
J.J., a search-and-rescue dog, doesn’t like that his charges, a chicken and her chicks, want to spend time with the neighbor’s new dog, Diamond Lil. But, soon J.J. starts to like Diamond Lil just as much as the chicks. Then, when a possum tries to steal the chicks, it seems that Diamond Lil is involved. Is everything as it seems?

Have Fun, Anna Hibiscus!
written and illustrated by Atinuke
Anna Hibiscus lives in amazing Africa but in this story, she goes by herself to visit her Granny Canada in Canada where it’s snowy and cold. Anna gets to wear warm clothes and eat new foods. She even gets comfortable with Granny Canada’s dog and makes new friends. This is a delightful story of a sweet girl on an exciting new adventure.

Ellray Jakes Walks the Plank
written by Sally Warner, illustrated by Jamie Harper
I bet a lot of kids will relate to this story about Ellray and his little sister. Little sister overfeeds Ellray’s class fish and kills it. Ellray takes the blame to protect his sister, after all family is family, and gets to help find a new class pet.

The Seals That Wouldn’t Swim, Field Trip Mysteries
written by Steve Brezenoff, illustrated by Marcos Calo
The Field Trip Mysteries are the field trips of Cat and her classmates. In this particular adventure, they are at the aquarium to see a seal show. But the seal show is cancelled and the kids discover that two of the seals have been drugged. It’s up to them to discover the person behind it.

Earwig and the Witch
written by Diana Wynne Jones, illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky
Earwig is a spunky young orphaned witch who loves her life and does not want to be adopted. But she is. By a strange couple. Earwig discovers that the woman is a witch and the man is a much worse . . . and she is made a servant, not a daughter. Don’t worry, Earwig isn’t about to suffer in silence. With the help of a talking cat, she schemes to learn about magic, even getting the witch to teach her. Quirky and entertaining!

Heidi Heckelbeck Casts a Spell
written by Wanda Coven, illustrated by Priscilla Burris
Eight-year old Heidi Hecklebeck is a witch pretending to be a normal girl. She’s supposed to keep her magic a secret from others. It’s just so hard when Melanie Maplethorpe ruins Heidi’s part in the play. Heidi just can’t resist casting a spell to make Melanie forget her lines. Of course, Heidi won’t feel better about ruining the play, and learns a valuable lesson.

Missing! A Cat Called Buster (Rainbow Street Shelter)
written and illustrated by Wendy Orr
Josh always sees the orange cat, Buster, sitting on the porch with his owner, Mr. Larsen. When Mr. Larsen is taken to the hospital, Buster runs away from home. Josh and his family search for Buster everywhere. Will he end up at the Rainbow Street Animal Shelter? And who will he live with now? A nice story of animal love and family closeness.

Fancy Nancy: Nancy Clancy, Super Sleuth
written by Jane O’Connor, illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser
Fans of Fancy Nancy are growing up, and so is Nancy. Nancy and her best friend, Bree, star in this early chapter book with Preiss-Glasser’s beautiful illustrations. AJ liked the story and read it in under an hour.

Zeke Meeks vs the Putrid Puppet Pals
written by D.L. Green
Zeke Meeks is a funny early chapter book with lots of entertaining illustrations. Third grader, Zeke, is annoyed with his classmates who all jump on the latest marketing craze – Puppet Pals – and won’t play basketball with him anymore. Eventually Zeke is tired of playing by himself so he gets his own Puppet Pals. The story is entertaining and brings to light commercialism and peer pressure.
- See more at: http://imaginationsoup.net/2012/02/best-beginning-chapter-books-books-winter-2012/#sthash.bmhYrrvE.dpuf