Devloping a love of reading in our kids part 1

The snow is covering the ground today as I write this post.  I love how the world slows down in the winter and provides time for reading.  I have loved to read for as long as I can remember.  I love how my kids have been developing that same love.

I think in order to talk about how to help our kids become great readers, we have to think about what happened in our lives that helped to turn us into readers and lovers of books.  Today, I am going to share my love of reading journey.  I am hopeful it causes you to think of your journey.  Which in turn will help you think of how to create this in your children.

My best early memories are of my father reading to me and my brothers and sisters.  My father read with  different voices for each character.  He loved reading to us the Happy Hollisters books and the different OZ books.   He use to tell me "Books are our friends." My dad took me to used-book stores, brought home books for me from trips, and took me to the library. 

Another great influence in my love of reading was Mrs. Chamberlain the librarian at Trailwood Elementary in Kansas City, Kansas.  She brought in the author Scott Corbet to the school.  I was so excited to meet a real author.  She let me work in the library and always acted excited to hear about what I was reading.  She would walk through the shelves with students suggesting books and talking about them.

Lee Bernd taught a literature class I took in Georgia.  She was truly a delight.  She loved talking about books, and enjoyed bringing in authors to our class.  She inspired me to be a better teacher.  She introduced us to Laura Seely, Betsy Duffy(Betsy Byars daughter), and Carmen Agra Deedy.  Lee passed away  6 months after our class was over.  I was so sad to hear of her death,  but so glad that I had the privilege to get to know her that summer.  She rekindled my love of children's literature.

These are just the top three.  There were other friends and teachers along the way.  I love finding a friend who loves the same author I do.  It is an instant connection.

So, who influenced your love of reading?
~ Becky

Reading-Top of the Line

One of my favorite reading tools for beginning readers is the top of the line reader.  I find it helpful for the reader, and quite honestly for me.

 This little plastic piece highlight one line of text so your child knows where they are on the page.  It is great for a child who looks away or looks up to get your help.  I find it easier to see where they are across a table.  I have a sister with Cerebral Palsy and as an adult she found it helpful when she was reading.  Due to her CP she moves her head and often loses her place on the page, and this was a great way to know where she was.

You can buy one of these from Amazon.

Enjoy!
~Becky

Get your "FACTS" in gear.

http://donnayoung.org/f13/math-f/chart/lgmulti.pdf

I had one of those moments recently with my third grader.  He does not appear to have his facts memorized.  Please note that he has completed daily lessons with Facts First.  This child should know his math facts.  We were all tired of having him ask us what they are. 

So this is my plan.  I am sharing it in case you are having one of those moments with your child.

1.  I explained to him that it was the end of the line.  We were no longer going to tell him the answers to math facts.  He was old enough to know them.  He was going to memorize them or he would be looking them up on this sheet of paper from then on.  I handed him a multiplication chart.

Please note: this speech is more for you than your child. I personally felt empowered. 

2. I told him he would be now be taking timed tests every few days.  I printed out several times tables ahead of time, and put them in a folder.  That way I would be able to present them on a moment's notice.  Here is another set, and an online multiplication speed test as well. 


I am copying the following from About.com for you.

The best way to learn the multiplication facts is by one fact family at a time. Always begin with the 2's, the 5's and the 10's, when these are mastered, move to the squares (sometimes referred to as the doubles) which are 2x2, 3x3, 4x4, 5x5, 6x6. Then move to the remaining fact familes, 4,6,7, 8 and 9. Never start with random facts. Do not provide random fact sheets until there is a strong comfort level with the fact families. Practicing random facts rarely leads to permanent learning. Stick with the above strategy and students are more apt to learn the multiplication facts.


 3.  I printed out another multiplication chart that we would color in when we mastered each fact family.

I realize this is not rocket science and you probably already know this.  But, I just wanted to share my renewal plan with you.   I will keep you updated on how it goes.  So far just having the table printed out has made me much less aggravated,and has put the responsibility back on him.   I am hoping he will tire of looking them up on the chart and begin to memorize them. 

Enjoy your week,
~Becky

The Winners are . . .

Hello,
The winners for the Give-away have been randomly chosen. Congratulations to Michelle and Joe.  I have contacted them.

I appreciate everyone taking the time to enter and spread the word. I loved reading the comments!  Thank you for your kind words.  I am very grateful that I get to help homeschool families each year.  I love what I do. 

Again, I have posted my new forms for the 2012-2013 school.  This is a great time of year to collect and date some samples of your student's work, and begin to put it all together.  It will make it much easier come springtime.

Thanks so much!
~ Becky Boerner M.Ed.
Current Ohio Certified Teacher

PS. If you live in Cincinnati my friend Lisa McAfee is also having an assessment give-away.  Click here for details. 

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