Reading to Learn All About Animals With Wings!

The focus in reading acquisition for second graders changes from a reader learning to read in kindergarten and first grade to a reader reading to learn in second grade.  Today, I had second grade students share new learning they had from an awesome nonfiction book, Animals With Wings by Shirley Petersen.

Camren learned, "that some bats can be about the size of a bumblebee."

Kayla learned, "that penguins have fur on their body and they can not fly like birds."

Austin learned, "ducks can fly."

Nathan learned, "robins can fly away when the weather gets cold."

Hunter learned, "penguins use their wings to swim."

Word Attack Strategies

One of the reading strategies that we teach our young readers is how to "attack" words using word work skills.

One of the strategies I use with my youngest readers is learning to read and write words by sight.  Students use magnetic letters, white boards, and various manipulatives to master this skill.

Older students work on picking out which words are "interesting" vs. "important words.  This strategy helps them to summarize the text they are reading.

In addition, determining how many syllables are in words helps even the  highest reader to "attack" longer words so that the students aren't overwhelmed by decoding the word and lose their comprehension focus.

Summer Reading Programs

If you are looking for ways to help your child continue reading in the summer, there are many programs being offered to help you do just that! If you need any further information on any of the following programs, feel free to contact me.

Keep Kids Reading All Summer Long

99% of parents think children should read over the summer. Scholastic is here to make that happen!

Welcome to the Scholastic Summer Challenge - a free online program designed to motivate and excite your children around reading books this summer. The Summer Challenge is an easy and fun way for kids to log the minutes they spend reading as they earn rewards and help Read for the World Record.

Here’s How You Can Get Involved:

• Help your kids sign-up at www.scholastic.com/summer.
• Download summer reading booklists (3-5), (5-7), (8-10), (10-12),(YA), (Full list), a welcome letter, reading pledge, reading log, andcertificate of achievement.
• Discover free reading resources for every day of the week with the new Summer Reading Calendar App.
• Download the Scholastic Reading Timer Mobile App. Kids can log minutes, time themselves reading and you can track their progress and get daily reading tips.

Barnes & Noble Summer Reading

A Free Book, Summer Reading Kit and More

Kids Earn a Free Book!

Here Is How:

Step 1.

Step 2.

Step 3.

Read any 8 books and record them in the Reading Journal
(PDF).
Bring the completed Reading Journal to your local B&N store.
Find a Store.
Choose a FREE BOOK from our selection on the Reading Journal list at the store... Enjoy reading!

Dig Into Reading at the West Allis Public Library

The 2013 Summer Reading Program begins June 3, 2013. By reading library books and/or magazines children may earn some or all of the following prizes: coupons to area attractions such as the Zoo, the Planetarium, the Public Museum, County swimming pools, the Pettit Ice Center, the Milwaukee Brewers and the Wisconsin State Fair. After every 10 books or 200 minutes, participants received a puzzle sheet, a grab bag raffle slip, and a sticker for the match game. By collecting three matching stickers kids earned a chance to win one of the big prize packages. The drawings for the grand prizes and 12 grab bags will be held at 1:00 pm on Wednesday, August 21, 2013 in the Constitution Room.

How kids 14-and-under can participate:

1. Read for at least 15 minutes each day for a month.
   (Grown-ups may read aloud to kids who are still learning.)
2. Add up your minutes and have your parent or guardian initial each week.
3. Once you've read 300 minutes, turn in your completed reading log  to earn your $5 HPB Bookworm Bucks reading reward for the month.
4. We'll award one top reader per age group each month with a TOP READER prize - a $20 HPB Gift Card!*

Make family reading goals this summer and
give rewards to your children.

• Set aside a time of day to read and help your kids stick with it.
• Help your kids select books to read. [ Reading Suggestions ]
• Post a checklist on the fridge and chart progress. [ Download Reading Log  ]

Think of fun, creative family rewards. Here are some ideas:

• Take a trip to the zoo or amusement park.
• Walk in your favorite family park.
• Camp out in the backyard with family or friends.
• Have a special lunch at your favorite pizza place.
• Take a trip to your favorite bookstore to pick out a new book.
• Present reading reward certificates. [ Download Certificate ]

Literacy tips for helping your child to continue their reading growth

Often times parents ask me, "What are some quick things I can do on a daily basis to help my child become a more successful reader?"  The following are tips I have found to be especially useful in helping to develop and reinforce reading skills in children of all ages. They are from Scholastic.

*The more books children own and the more reading they do at home, the better their reading skills.

*The more independent reading that students do in school, the more their skills improve. (Cunningham & Stanovich, 1996).

*Independent reading builds fluency. (Bridge, Winograd, & Haley, 1983; Dowhower, 1987; Herman, 1985)

*Students read more when they choose their own books.

*Students who read widely and often are higher achievers than students who don't. (Guthrie et al., 1999)

*The one summer activity most strongly and consistently related to learning is reading. (Heynes 1978)

What do all of these tips have in common?  The only way to become a better reader is by reading as often and as much as possible!

Family Reading Corner: Get ready for spring with active books

Stretch! Bend! Jump! Dance! It’s time to shake off the weary winter weather and move with a spring in your step. Read one of these children’s books about movement and exercise and be ready to act out the motions with your young listener.

• “Twist with a Burger, Jitter with a Bug,” by Linda Lowery, illustrated by Pat Dypold. This rhyming, rhythmic, bouncy book is illustrated in collage with bold shapes and colors. The catchy text gives the message that we can move, dance, and find rhythm in life all the time. This book may introduce some new vocabulary to your child in these dance names: mambo, jig, polka, jitter, jive, rumba and waltz.
• “Who Bop?” by Jonathan London, illustrated by Henry Cole. A colorful book with a jazzy beat shows animals with music and moves. Cool Cat plays the sax and bunnies do the sock hop. The text is a tongue-twisting rhyme. “Get down, play that thing! If it’s got that swing it means EVERYthing. Jazz-Bo knows it. Says, ‘Hope I don’t blow it!’ He squeezes them blues right out of his shoes.”
• “How Can You Dance?” by Rick Walton, illustrated by Ana Lopez-Escriva. Get ready to move like the animals do when you read this book. “How can you dance as you swim in a pool? Dance like a frog feeling fine, keeping cool. How can you dance when you’re mad as a bee? Dance around, around, around — wildy.”
• “Dancing in My Bones,” by Sylvia Andrews, pictures by Ellen Mueller. Dancing, bouncing, clapping, toe-tapping and singing; the catchy stanzas rhyme and repeat. Illustrations are happy watercolors with big-headed, smiling children, rainbows and flowers.
• “Tumble Bumble” by Felicia Bond. A zig-zagging and growing parade of animals have mishaps and fun as they tumble, bumble along. The book ends with a quieting down as everyone heads off to bed.
• “Get Up and Go!” by Nancy Carlson. The author/illustrator uses Lou Ann Pig, Henry and their animal friends to show why exercise is important and all the ways to do it.
You can be involved with sports, play at the park, hike, garden, or dance in your living room. Moving is good for a healthy body.








(from: http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20130410/NEWS01/304100099/Family-Reading-Corner-Get-ready-spring-active-books)

Hard work pays off!

Congratulations to Matthew B., Des'nee T., and Elisha S. who have completed the Title One reading program! These hard-working readers are using multiple reading strategies independently, are able to retell key events in stories, and are able to make connections between texts and their own lives.  I will keep checking in with these students as they continue to learn new information within the classroom.

Jefferson is Going Green!

Jefferson is celebrating Earth Week this and next week.  I had the terrific opportunity to help Mrs. Hendricks' class and Mrs. Galewski's class make bookmarks out of recycled materials.  Look how awesome they turned out:

In addition to helping them, I have found several books about recycling that you can check out of the library to help your children continue to learn about the 3 R's (Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle) at home:

Another way that you can teach your children about recycling is by recycling their old books.  How can they do this?  You can have your child take their old books to Half Price Books or Goodwill. Other children will be able to purchase and read these gently-loved books.  This is "Reusing."