Encouraging Writing and Young Children

Tweet     One of the best ways to reinforce reading skills is through writing. Graves (1983) wrote children want to write. They want to write from the beginning of school. Before school, he continues, young children write on walls and pavement. Children may seem like they are scribbling, but there is meaning behind it; the children need only be asked what the scribbles mean (Graves, 1983). There are many ways...

Best Reading Gift Ever

Tweet Best Reading Gift Ever I love to read a book before I go to sleep. I often would curl up with a blanket on the couch and read until I felt tired enough to go to bed. Now that winter is here, reading on the couch, even with a blanket was getting quite chilly. So on a recent shopping trip to the local mall, my husband bought a reading light for me to read in bed. It is a simple LED light that hooks on to the side or...

Sight Words

Tweet Sight Words A sight word is a word whose spelling is not straightforward and does not allow a beginning reader to determine what word it represents just by sounding it out according to the rules. Beginning readers recognize sight words from having memorized them or by drawing their meaning from the context in the text. Reading researcher Diane McGuinness estimates that there are approximately 100 common words in...

Olympic Learning Opportunities

Tweet The 2012 Olympics Games and Learning  　 　 　 　 　 　   　   　     Here are several different ways to use the Olympics for Learning: 1. Make a list of the countries that will be participating. Put them in alphabetical order. 2. Take a map of the world and find each country on the map. 3. Make a list of all the sports that will be participating in the Olympics. 4. Go to the library and...

Teaching Reading in the Kitchen

Tweet Teaching Reading in the Kitchen   Fun ways to teach your child to read in your Kitchen. 1. Give your child a strip of paper with the alphabet written on it. Hang it with tape on a low kitchen cabinet. Now ask your child to put all your spices in alphabetical order. 2. Make a grocery list up with your child. Give your child a piece of paper and have him/her make a list of things to buy at the grocery store. Your...