Read, Share and Give

Reading readiness skills are very important for a child’s future educational success. They give kids the skills to grasp the foundations of language and words and to turn them into ideas and concepts in all other subjects.   One of the most important elements in reading readiness is showing students that reading can be fun.  It is not all work and no play!

I recently learned about a great opportunity to take the books you are already reading with your kids and students and make them even more meaningful and powerful.

The Early education program KinderCare is spreading the message that reading to young children is a vital tool in building reading readiness skills among young learners. The book-share initiative  “Read. Share.Give.”  was started to increase the availability of age-appropriate books for families of young children. Every family that attends KinderCare can register for the program and will receive a book which they can then read to their children. Afterward, the family passes the book on to another family member, neighbor or friend. KinderCare tracks the books with tracking numbers and encourages each family to continue the process of sharing the books.

KinderCare, in conjunction with the co-founder of its parent company Knowledge Universe, developed a unique project of book sharing in 2011. This program aims to ensure that families have access to books which they can read to their children and prepare the children to become competent, and later, independent readers.

The program  "Read. Share. Give".  has already shared 15,070 books!  Each share triggers a donation from Knowledge Universe which enables the program to buy more books and expand reading opportunities.

I found this quote from the co-founder, Lowell Milken, that I believe is especially meaningful:

It's our job as educators and Americans to look out for the future and help kids everywhere have access to reading materials.  How can you help?  If you have a book that you would like to donate, just go to the Read.Share.Give website and generate a label that you can place inside the book and then just pass it on!!  Our country will thank you later!

Comprehension and Fluency, Annoying Cinderella, and a FREEBIE!

The new push in my district is to 'teach within the text, 'teach about the text' and 'teach above the text' in order to improve comprehension.  They even flew Irene Fountas in the train the administrators.  The two books below have become a literacy reference for the many that are striving to put best practices into their classroom and improve both fluency and comprehension.  I have to tell you that I have only read the book below and it is jam-packed with theory and practical application and more ideas than you can try in one year!  The yellow book was recommended to me by a friend of mine and I hope to get this one as a 'summer read'....yes I confess, I am a book junkie.  But, it has served me well!  One recommendation I have for all teachers that use Pinterest--start a board based on good reading materials that are based on best practices to spread the wealth of knowledge that all teachers need!  You can even go back through my posts and pin the ones I have reviewed in earlier posts to make it easy!

Comprehending and Fluency Fountas and Pinnell K-8

Comprehending and Fluency Foutas and Pinnell K-2

Comprehending and Fluency Foutas and Pinnell k-2



Have you been to goodreads.com??  Apparently everyone but me has!  But just in case you haven't, you might want to check it out.  It is a haven for the constant reader!!

My team and I are just now ending our unit on Cinderella Around the World. I LOVE this unit!  I am so sad to see it drop down to the first grade teachers.  My kids have had a blast and I plan to write the unit up more formally and share all of the great ideas my team has had.  Today, we read Seriously, Cindrella is  Sooo Annoying and my kids loved it!  They were very upset that Cinderella was portrayed as a lunatic...one of my students described Cinderella as 'muy loco' today.  He was not happy about it!  So apparently some of my boys have grown quite fond of 'Cindy' also!

Until tomorrow!!!

31 Card Contraction Scoot Game---In Color!

If you have never played Scoot, then you and your students are missing out!  My kids LOVE to play it.  In fact, they beg to play it.  They don't even mind playing it for a rainy day recess game.  They haven't figured out that they are thinking....or learning.....or may even be assessed!  To them, getting to move around the room quickly is a treat in itself.  And, it works, because the students move in a certain pattern, which prevents them from running willy-nilly around the room.  

So my recommendation for today:  Try scoot.  What the heck!  Tomorrow if Friday anyway!!!