Tag Archives: reading aloud

Writing to an Author

I write and I read.  When I read something that knocks my socks off, I write to the author.  This doesn’t happen often.  Perhaps that’s because it takes quite a lot to knock my socks off.  Yet when I do … Continue reading

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Marinating Vocabulary

‘Marinating Vocabulary’.  I heard Pam Allyn, a guru on reading and reading-aloud, speak those words last week.  They hit me like a stone.  Each time I read aloud from a chapter book those words do far more than go into … Continue reading

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Why Do I Write Picture Stories and Read Chapter Books?

My first project of the school year is writing picture stories with the children.  Language is critical to learning in all academic areas, so its only natural that creating picture stories is an excellent tool for teachers. Its a fun … Continue reading

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My Summer of Reading

This summer I immersed myself in great children’s books and quite a few young adult (YA) books that I’d never read, for a host of reasons.  So many wonderful books for older children were written when my children were very … Continue reading

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Chapter Reading

Chapter reading is one of our treasured moments of the day. We bring to life the imagination, the world, and the past. The anticipation of ‘what happens next’ stirs excitement every day. Children listen and think. They ask questions. Ask … Continue reading

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Reading Aloud = Academic Success + Pleasure

This is about more than reading; this is about academic success, learning to read, and loving to read.  It’s about young children and older children, and what happens along the way.  Here are worrisome statistics and great stories.  You should … Continue reading

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The Power of Books; You Have to Read It to ‘Get It’

The best part of my day as a teacher, and the most important part, is reading aloud to children.  I read picture books at least twice a day and a chapter book every day.  I always become moved and emotionally … Continue reading

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Reading Aloud Makes a Big Difference. Here’s Proof.

I love a good story, especially one that involves reading aloud and the stunning difference it makes with children.  Here is a favorite story of mine, from the million-copy best selling book, The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease: “During his … Continue reading

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The Things Children Say

Children’s comments and questions range from curious to humorous.  Young children are unbridled, and anything involved with learning and exploring has a question; that’s why the things they say are quite wonderful.  As I sorted through oodles of paperwork this … Continue reading

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Camp Songs; Why We Love Them

It took me until adulthood to realize that my love for music stemmed from my childhood summers at camp.  I spent a month every summer at camp in the hills of Salt Rock, West Virginia.  A half a century has … Continue reading

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