The PRIDE of Fairview

Ship AwesomeAhoy Mateys!                              

Be sure to stop by and visit Ship Awesome and take some treasure for yourself.  We love to share.

I have been receiving the readingrocket newsletter via email for some time.  I always marvel at how many neat educational news articles they are able to share.  Of late I have also subscribed to their podcasts on visits with authors.  The podcasts are interesting and supportive of reading instruction and learning.  The second series of podcasts are really videocasts and are aimed at the teacher role.  What a great way to get top quality Professional Development.  Please go to http://www.readingrockets.org/ and begin your treasure search.  Be sure to share any other interesting finds you discover on this site by adding comments in response to this posting. 

Poetry is such a wonderful way of expression.  It is individual and unique for each and every poet.  School Library Journal has a series of podcasts featuring poets reading their poems.  It is a special experience to hear the poet himself/herself reading the poetry.  There is a dept of understanding that is often missed with other readers. 

Click on the link for routing to the mp3 recordings.  You may subscribe to this resource and have it delivered directly to your computer. 

Happy listening.

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/sljPodcasts.xml

This little film clip speaks volumes with a clever use of words and video technology.

It is found on teachertube.com an interesting new resource for educators.

http://www.teachertube.com/flvideo/696.flv

Parents, I want to alert you to a new resource for finding the right book in the Fairview LMC for your child.  If you visit www2.milwaukee.k12.wi.us/fairview,  click on the Library Media Center tab on the left side of the page.  Next to the lion you will find Booktalks.  Click on this link.  During Spring Break I started podcasing a short synopsis of a book and a reading of 2-4 pages from the book to enable students to hear what the book is like.  The book is identified with its cover photo. 

I am not going to the classrooms to booktalk for the rest of the quarter.  Rather I am giving a bibliography listing of the new podcasts that students can listen to on the website.  My goal is to do the new 315 books in our last order.  I am open to having other people, parents or students assist with this task.  It is time consuming.  but hopefully it will be a more effective way of helping students find the right book. 

The Reading Rockets site is filled with information of many different kinds for different audiences.  One section is geared for the parent.  If you have questions about your child struggling with reading, I suggest you try Kids Who Struggle which includes answers and activities to do with your child.

The May issue of Child has some very interesting articles. ” Age-by-Age guide to great magazines for kids” has some great suggestions for magazines that you may want to subscribe to for your household.  Often these magazines cover a multiple age span and will appeal to more than one child. 

The other article I would like to point out is “the Poet in Every Child.”  Parents often wonder what they can do to foster the love of creative expression in their child.  It has many neat suggestions, some you have heard I am sure, but my favorite is “discuss language.”  Find unusual words, rhyming words, well phrased language and help the child appreciate the play with ideas and words.  Not one of the suggestions costs money, just time and thought. Our children are worth this cost.

This magazine is well worth a trip to the LMC and checking it out.