Category Archives: reading aloud

Children Don’t Forget

Posted on June 23, 2017 by

I wish I could remember everything important, like the titles of all the books I intend to read this summer.  I can recall stories galore of yesteryear, with crystal clear pictures in my head.  The present often seems cloudy in … Continue reading →

Posted in Early Education, reading aloud, reading, Imagination, chapter reading | Tagged , , , , , | 43 Comments

Last (and Best) Parent Newsletter of the Year

Posted on June 20, 2017 by

My final newsletter to parents.  I tell them in a nutshell everything that mattered; the best thirty minutes of the day that made children’s minds come alive and made their hearts beat.  And every day, every thirty minutes, it happened. … Continue reading →

Posted in chapter reading, Early Education, Imagination, Jim Trelease, reading, reading aloud, Teaching young children | Tagged , , , , , , | 30 Comments

Reading “Little House on the Prairie”, Then and Now

Posted on June 16, 2017 by

I have two stories to tell; both happened on the same day this week, yet they are fourteen years apart.  Every year my last chapter reading book at school is Little House on the Prairie.  Here is what happened: Story … Continue reading →

Posted in chapter reading, Early Education, reading aloud, Teaching young children | Tagged , , , , | 45 Comments

1-800-Viola Swamp

Posted on June 3, 2017 by

Kate brought her mother’s beloved old book in to school this week.  Miss Nelson is Missing is a classic.  I love that book!  My children loved it.  Over the years I must have read it hundreds of times. The story is … Continue reading →

Posted in Early Education, picture books, reading, reading aloud, Teaching young children | Tagged , , , | 47 Comments

Look What Happened!

Posted on May 20, 2017 by

Independent reading.  SSR.  Call it what you like.  It is crossing over from learning to read words, to learning to read.  Parents and teachers alike take a deep breath and clasp their hands together when this happens.  There are no words … Continue reading →

Posted in chapter reading, Early Education, Imagination, picture books, reading, reading aloud, Teaching young children | Tagged , , , , , | 57 Comments

“The Stop Game”, From Dinosaurs to Poetry

Posted on May 17, 2017 by

I invented a game for reading-aloud children’s books that are, well…long or potentially boring in the eyes of the child.  Poetry!  Fact books!  In my heart, I know these books are hugely important.  I just needed to find a way … Continue reading →

Posted in Early Education, Imagination, Poetry, reading, reading aloud | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 33 Comments

The Heart of My Old Books

Posted on May 11, 2017 by

My dear old books have witnessed decades of children carefully listening to their words.  They have made children laugh, feel scared, ask hundreds of questions, and come to understand the heart of well-written words and a good story.  Words are … Continue reading →

Posted in chapter reading, Early Education, Imagination, reading, reading aloud, storytelling | Tagged , , , , , | 54 Comments