September 2019 Read-aloud favorites Fill your home with words ■ The Day You Begin (Jacqueline Woodson) Your child learned to talk The students in this story feel alone by hearing many words for different reasons, whether it’s every day. Now that she’s because of what they look like, how learning to read, seeing lots they talk, or what they eat. But the of words will make them children discover that when they familiar to her when she share their differences, they begin to comes across them in see just how well they do fit in. (Also books. Use these ideas to available in Spanish.) surround your youngster with words. ■ Night Night, Groot Label (Brendan Deneen) On sticky notes, help In this bedtime comic your child label furniture, book, Baby Groot is toys, and appliances with ready for bed after a long day. But their names. She could put his friend Rocket Raccoon has other each note on the correct item, ideas. He snatches Groot out of bed, then walk around the house and see and the two zoom across the universe how many words she can read. Idea: Let with their superhero friends. Will school, help her check the menu to find her create a nameplate for each person’s Groot ever get to sleep? out what’s for lunch. door—and even put one on the dog’s Collect ■ food bowl or the fish tank. Tigers & Tea with Toppy (Barbara Cut construction paper into fourths Kerley and Rhoda Knight Kalt) Post and staple the pieces together to create To Rhoda, her grandfather is “Toppy.” Use colorful tape to mark off a “bulletin word books. Your child might title one To everyone else, board” on the refrigerator. Your youngster “Food Words,” then cut words like cereal he’s the famous can post all kinds of things to read. Exam- and rice from food packages and glue wildlife artist ples: The school cafeteria menu, notes them all over the pages. She could put Charles R. Knight. from you, a joke. Then, make time daily her books on a shelf or on the coffee table This biography tells to read the board. For instance, before to pull out and read whenever she likes.♥ the story of a weekend adventure Rhoda and Toppy enjoy together. Tag along to the museum My school story and the zoo to see many of the artist’s drawings and paintings. w “What did you do in school today?” Instead of having your child tell you, ■ The Cloud Book (Tomie dePaola) encourage him to write it down. He’ll Can your youngster predict the work on putting events in order, and weather by looking you’ll learn all about his day. at the clouds? Ask your youngster to write a sentence Has she ever about what he did first. Example: “I rode the thought that a school bus.” Then ask, “What happened cloud was shaped like an animal? This next?” He might write: “We had reading and nonfiction book teaches readers about writing time. I went to lunch and ate with my common cloud types and the weather friends. We did math.” they typically bring. Tip: If your child isn’t writing yet, let him dictate his story to you.♥ © 2019 Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated September 2019 • Page 2 lily pads, he could float Books and the leaves on a puddle. Or if there’s an illustration of a bear in a cave, great outdoors maybe he’ll use sticks Reading can be a quiet indoor pastime and rocks to build a for your youngster—or a playful outdoor miniature hideaway adventure! In your backyard or at the for his teddy bear. park, read stories that take place outside. Explore science. Do a Then, try these suggestions for helping science activity related your child make connections between to a book. Say the main books and his world. character in a story is an Recreate a picture. Let your youngster choose earthworm. Your child an illustration from a book and use props to make might observe worms on his own real-life version of it. If the picture shows a pond with the sidewalk after a rainstorm to see how they wriggle. Or after reading about a windy day, he may want to make a colorful wind sock to see which way the wind is blowing.♥ A back-to-school Read-alouds for new readers recipe ●Q My son loves it when I read to him. Now that he’s learning to read on his own, what should I do differ- Your youngster can practice writing ently at story time? instructions as she whips up a recipe for a great school year! ●A Simply continuing to read aloud to your son is one Together, read recipes for favorite of the best ways to support his reading. Kids who have dishes so she sees how they include an pleasant experiences with books tend to become ingredients list and step-by-step instruc- better readers. tions. Then, suggest that your child Try following your child’s lead at story time. If write her own list of ingredients for a he points out words he knows, offer encouragement. great school year. Example: “1 friendly (“You’re right, that word is blue.”) Or if he asks what a 1 teacher, –2 cup reading, a dash of recess.” word means, give a quick kid-friendly explanation. (“Locomotive is a big word for train.”) Also, share your reactions to the book, and let your son do the same. Example: 1. Combine 1 friendly teacher “I was really hoping the train would make it up the hill. Did you think it would?” 1 ♥ with –2 cup reading. You’ll find that talking about stories is a natural way to boost his comprehension. 2. Sprinkle in a dash of recess. 3. Add –1 cup math games. 2 Let’s do research! Next, she should write a step for each My daughter Kara my phone to answer Kara’s questions. ingredient. Encourage her to use cooking asks a lot of ques- For instance, I help her type her topic words like those in the recipes she read tions. During a into the library database, and we look (stir, combine, blend). recent trip to the library, we read a non- at the list of suggested books. Then the Finally, listen while your youngster fiction book that answered her most librarian points us toward the section reads her finished recipe to you.♥ recent one: “Why do we where we can find get the hiccups?” what we need. OUR PURPOSE Now Kara keeps a list Kara is learning To provide busy parents with practical ways of questions she thinks her way around to promote their children’s reading, writing, and language skills. of. When we visit the the library, and Resources for Educators, library, we look up the she’s even learning a division of CCH Incorporated 128 N. Royal Avenue • Front Royal, VA 22630 answers. Our research to use a book’s 800-394-5052 • [email protected] is turning out to be far index to locate the www.rfeonline.com more educational—and information she’s ISSN 1540-5648 more fun—than asking looking for.♥ © 2019 Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated October 2019 Read-aloud favorites Writing is practical ■■Gymnastics Time! (Brendan Flynn) This nonfiction book takes readers Show your youngster how use- inside a gym to see gymnasts in ful writing can be by giving him action. It explains basic facts about real-life reasons to put pencil to the sport, such as how to get started paper. Here are a few ideas. and what equipment To-do lists the athletes use. What does your child want Part of the Sports or need to do this week? Help Time series. him make lists to keep (Also available track. He might list Lego in Spanish.) structures he plans to build (castle, rocket) or ■■We Don’t Eat Our Classmates chores he needs to com- (Ryan T. Higgins) plete (water plants, dust). Penelope Rex is a little dinosaur who Or maybe he’ll list upcoming ate her classmates on the first day of events, such as going to the book school. (Could she help it if they fair and eating dinner with Grandma. He Memory book were delicious?) Now no one wants can check off each item as he finishes it. Suggest that your child start a note- to be friends with Reminders book of favorite memories. Each night her. It takes a lesson before bed, he could write and illustrate Let your youngster be your secretary from the class gold- three things he wants to remember about and write reminders for you. Examples: fish to put Penelope the day. Examples: Jumping in a pile of “Buy milk.” “Sign field trip form.” Provide on the right track. leaves, listening to his teacher read a a pad of sticky notes (and a little spelling good book, learning a funny joke. ■■Space Taxi: Archie Takes Flight help) for him to jot them down. Then, set (Wendy Mass and Michael Brawer) up a place to leave the notes where you Note: If your youngster is just learning Archie Morningstar is excited to will see them. Encourage reading practice to write, ask him to write letters or words spend Take Your Kid to Work Day in by leaving notes for him, too. he knows, and help him fill in the rest.♥ his dad’s taxi. But when he climbs in the car, he discovers that his dad is a A record of my reading taxi driver for aliens from outer space.