kinder tours
I am currently knee-deep in kinder-considerations right now, as my 4.75 year old (her precise calculations, not mine) is rapidly approaching school age. It's a grim reality out there, knowing many precocious young minds will soon become a statistic of test scores in our nations public schools... but I digress.
The point of this post is to commend a kindergarten classroom I visited in which a poster listing several steps to raise a reader hung in the front window. Unfortunately, I only read them, and silently congratulated the busy teacher on her efforts to provide useful information for parents of young children. Later, I wished I had written them down to post in my classroom window, so I finally sat down and made my own version in English and Spanish. Both can be downloaded here.
As firm believer in the use of graphic images to support understanding, I was pleased to find this sweet comic strip created by Mr. Fitz, a brilliant middle school teacher and comic strip creator stationed in Florida. Here they are together:
10 Ways to Raise a Reader
The point of this post is to commend a kindergarten classroom I visited in which a poster listing several steps to raise a reader hung in the front window. Unfortunately, I only read them, and silently congratulated the busy teacher on her efforts to provide useful information for parents of young children. Later, I wished I had written them down to post in my classroom window, so I finally sat down and made my own version in English and Spanish. Both can be downloaded here.
As firm believer in the use of graphic images to support understanding, I was pleased to find this sweet comic strip created by Mr. Fitz, a brilliant middle school teacher and comic strip creator stationed in Florida. Here they are together:
10 Ways to Raise a Reader
- Read to your child every day. It's never too early to start---even newborns respond to
hearing you read.
- Continue reading together even after your child learns to read. Older children still
enjoy listening to others read.
- Make stories come alive for your child when you read. Be animated and use different
voices.
- Be patient---let your child read aloud at his or her own pace. Offer help only when
needed.
- Discuss what you read together. Ask questions, and listen attentively to your child's
answers.
- Make reading time special. Cuddle up in a quiet, comfortable spot. Your child will
associate reading with feeling secure, relaxed, and loved.
- Encourage your child to read at least 15 minutes a day, either to you or independently.
- Take along your child's favorite books wherever you go. Read on the bus, in line at the
store, or in waiting rooms.
- Take your child to the library often and check out a variety of age-appropriate reading
material.
will learn that it's a great source for information and fun.
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| Comic Strip source |
How about incorporating writing in this list; if kids see themselves as writers and have others (i.e., parents) write to them and with them (notes, lists, reminders, invitations, thank yous, etc.), they'll come to realize the many functions of written language in a natural way. Writing is a wonderful way into reading.
ReplyDeleteYes! I can't believe I didn't think of that. I have a feeling I'll continue adding to this list as the years go by.
ReplyDelete