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.

To continue the thoughts of the last post on the importance of conversation as a way to help your student comprehend.

The way to start or continue a conversation with your child is to read with them.  Books can provide doors for sharing family history, values clarification, problem-solving strategies, “hot topics” like race relations, sexual attitudes, and a way to explore world thinking. Books-stories, words provided visually (paper& print) auditorially (CD, DVD, podcasts) virtual (visual & audio via the web).

An example of how a conversation with a picture book can enhance understanding of learning let me share what happened with The Rust, Trusty Tractor by  Joy Cowley.  The minute I saw the book I imagined sharing this “farm” story with my urban students to engage them in conversation about something they had not experienced but which might provide background knowledge to build their understanding for future reading.

With the cover of the book as an impetus we talked about rust and how it occurs.  Then onto trusty and its significance as a word we were all expected to practice.   As I thought about it, this was pretty deep subject matter for 4 year olds.  Yet they did have a handle on what is involved in the action of trust.  This conversation also allowed clarification or redirection for those students who did not have a clear understanding of the word. 

As we read through the book, the harrow, plow, seed drill, and baler, old farm implements and now residents of farm implement museums, were given an initial introduction to the students.  I doubt that they could tell you today what the purpose of the implements were, but at least they should have a memory of the word somewhere buried in their brain.  The intent is that having heard the word, the next time the student meets one of these words, a ping may be made in the brain to recall both the sound and some connection as to meaning.  This is how the conservation builds comprehension.

While I will never say “don’t read to a child”, I would like to expand the directive to include “talk to your child.”  I work with students from age 4 to 14.  I am always brought up short in their inability to carry on a conversation on a topic or in an interactive exchange.  They listen, rarely question, and move on.  Hence my word of encouragement to parents and teachers is to converse with the child.  Listen to what they say, how they say it, and what they don’t say.  Then prod and encourage their framing of a question about something not clear in their thinking.

I am convinced from my observations that some of the so called phonics difficulties lie in the child never having heard the word or not having the word in his active vocabulary.  It is almost impossible for me to read a word I haven’t heard and have no idea of  meaning.  There is no peg of previous knowledge or experience to hang this new idea on.  The advice is  to talk with your child in a two-way conversation and find out what they are thinking.  Have the child struggle a bit with putting their thoughts into words.  It is through this struggle that they grow in understanding.  Asking questions can help them think in new directions.  But even greater gain can be acheived if the child hears a great variety of words (vocabulary) in many different contexts and accents.  Children will speak and read words which they have heard.  If you hear your child speaking in ways that are unfamiliar to you, find out who they have been listening to.  If your child has difficulty decoding a particular word, ask yourself when was the last time that word was used in conversation with the child.  When the student brings home a list of sight words to learn, spelling words to practice, or vocabulary words for word study, take a couple of the words and try to weave them into your conversation with the child.  Your help is priceless.

I am particularly aware of this when I read with the K4’s or K5’s.  We examine such words as “liar,” “rotten,” “trust,” “plow,” and many many more.  I am truly amazed at how much the little ones do know and equally amazed at how they can express their understanding.

Turn off the TV and have a conversation between family memebers. You will be undergirding the reading writing ability of your student.

Along the main hallway at Fairview School are posted READ posters of our great staff.  Each staff person has their special book in hand.  We hope to encourage students to read by showing them how important reading is to the staff.  Visit the hallway and see the staff in action!

Staff also check books out of the LMC.  Tracking the number of books that patrons check out of the library is part of the encouraging strategy.  During the month of February, staff checked out 246 materials.   When students see staff using the library, they will “catch” the idea that reading has value.