Happy Reading Over Winter Break!

 Happy Holidays!

We are very excited about the progress that each child has made in reading and writing so far this year!

Thank you to our Reading Therapy dogs and owners who share their time visiting classrooms and reading with students.  This week, children and teachers presented the dogs and their owners with handmade cards and books, including a very special treat for the dogs from Mrs.Kodel!  We all appreciate your visits so much, and look forward to seeing you in the new year!

A very special gift to share and to receive is a good story.  We asked students, "what is your favorite topic to read about?" 

Some topics shared were:
Puppies
Cats
Princesses
Our Earth
Space
Butterflies and     

Dr. Seuss Books 

Hopefully you will enjoy many wonderful books with your children during our Winter Break!
Practicing reading strategies daily will help to improve reading ability and comprehension skills!

Have an enjoyable break!

Reading is a Gift

A good book is a gift to receive and to share!  During this season of giving and receiving, it is great to think about the books that are dear to our hearts.
No matter what your age or stage, young and old can appreciate the wonders of reading!

According to "Children's Choices" cosponsored by the Children's Book Council and IRA (International Reading Association), here are some recommended books from children.  The books are enjoyable for children and teach concepts too!

Bailey  by Harry Bliss. Scholastic
Bailey the dog heads to school and he loves to paint with his tail as a paintbrush and really truly sinks his teeth into math!!






Bear's Loose Tooth  by Karma Wilson.  Ill. Jane Chapman.  Margaret K. McElderry
Bear has a loose tooth.  He pushes the tooth out only to discover another loose tooth!  Rhyming fun!

If You Give a Dog a Donut  by Felicia Bond.  Balzer & Bray
Playful and cute illustrations make this a simple and interactive book.  Great for making predictions about what the dog will do next!
             RRRalph  by Lois Ehlert.  Beach Lane.
                                               RRRalph is about a lovable, fun talking dog.  It is a story told through
                                               questions from the narrator, whom the dog answers with words like
                                               "bark" and "roof."

                                                                          
We hope that you enjoy these and other favorite books this month.  We will ask students to name their favorite selections next week.
Please share some favorites of your own if you would like!

Happy Reading!

Happy December!

We would like to welcome new students to our Reading Program!
Kayla
Julia
Jordan
Isabela
Athena
Alijah
Shalyn

Congratulations to Joshua, Taylor and Joie, and to all of our STAR READERS!

Here are some wonderful books to look for at the library this month:

The Snowy Day  by Ezra Jack Keats
The Hat  by Jan Brett
The Mitten  by Jim Aylesworth
Snowballs  by Lois Ehlert
The Gingerbread Man  by Jim Aylesworth

Reading Strategies - Reading Together

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving Break, and that you had enjoyable opportunities to read with your child each day! :)

When a child begins reading lessons, we review strategies found on a special bookmark.  The strategy "language" for the listener is very important in helping a reader determine which strategy is appropriate to use at the point of difficulty, and to help increase the child's use of strategies independently. This in turn helps the child to continue to make progress in reading.  When this strategy "language" is used at home by parents as well as by teachers at school, the child has an even greater opportunity to practice and internalize strategies for successful reading.

When reading with your child at home, it is great to remember these helpful
"Tips and Prompts for the Listener" found on our special bookmark, which I will be sending home with your child again this week.

Wait - Allow thinking time.  (5 - 10 seconds)

 

When the reader is in difficulty, say:

 

"Look at the picture for clues."

 

or say

 

"Get your mouth ready to use phonics. 

Make the beginning sound. 

Read to the end of the sentence. 

Think about what is happening in the story. 

Now reread, think what would make sense."

 

or say

 

"Use the consonant sounds to read the word."

 

or say

 

"Pull your finger through the word,

use phonics, and/or
look for smaller words hiding inside the larger word."

 

or say

 

"Is it _______or ________?"

(Give the student a choice between the correct word and an incorrect word.)

"How did you know?"

 

If an error changes the meaning of the sentence, say:  "Try that again."

 

 

I hope that you find these tips and prompts helpful! 

Have fun reading together with your child!  :)

 

 

 



We are Thankful

I would like to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving!

I am so excited about the progress the children have made so far this year!
I am truly thankful for teaching and learning with all of the children.

The students have shared some ideas about what they are thankful for too: 
My family
Books
Doctors and hospitals
My trampoline
My pets
The USA
Food
My teachers
Friends helping me
You helping me learn how to read
People who are coming over for Thanksgiving


I am thankful to the many people throughout history who have shared inspiration about teaching and learning:

"Tell me and I forget.  Teach me and I remember.  Involve me and I learn."  --Benjamin Franklin

"One person can make a difference, and everyone should try." --JFK

"The more that you read, the more things that you will know.  The more that you learn, the more places you'll go."  --Dr. Seuss

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!  :)

November Reading, Writing, and Technology

Technology is fun for children.  It also strengthens important literacy skills.  :)

Children reading online rely on critical thinking and strategies that involve research to find the information they need.  For example, a simple Web search requires students to assess a list of sites and then analyze Web content for importance to the question at hand.
"The Internet is here to stay, so starting to develop these skills early gives children a good grounding in the skills that they'll need their whole lives," says Dr. Laurie Henry of the University of Kentucky.

Unlike a paper book, the Internet offers dynamic texts with audio, links to different sites, and videos.  There are many benefits to online reading:
* Interactive sites can match your child's learning style:  hands on, auditory, and visual.

* Websites offer context clues and organizing structures such as clickable definitions of unfamiliar terms, diagrams, and subheads, which help emerging readers develop strong comprehension skills.

* Exploring websites helps children with prediction, and allows them the opportunity to  predict what they will read next.

Eplore Technology Together and HAVE FUN!

Some great books to look for at the library:

In November  by Cynthia Rylant

Every Autumn Comes the Bear  by Jim Arnosky

I Know It's Autumn  by Eileen Spinelli

Happy Reading!!

Happy November!

Here are 15 great things that parents can do to help children read:

Read to your child frequently.
Listen to your child share the day's activities.
Talk with your child about things we hear, see and do.
Help your child become independent by giving responsibility.
Read something every day.
Your child sees you enjoying reading.
Monitor your child's TV viewing and programs.
Praise your child's efforts and accomplishments.
Provide your child with books and magazines.
Take your child to the library.
Initiate word and listening games to encourage attentive listening.
Show your child that you are interested in school and support the school.
Encourage good health habits (adequate rest, well balanced diet, etc.)
Ask your child to tell you stories and describe events.
Provide your child with experiences (brief trips and excursions).
Encourage your child's curiosity and enthusiasm.

Star smiles go out to our wonderful readers!
Jayden
Anthony
Ariel
Jasmine
Joshua
Joie
Evan
Angel
Lui Sandro

We would like to welcome new students:
Taylor
Nathan
Trevani
Austin

I am so excited for all of the students' progress and accomplishments in reading and writing, including Alyssa and Travis!  Keep up the GREAT JOB!!  :)

Fun Fall Books

It was great to see parents at conferences this past week!

Thank you for reading with your child at home, each day if possible.  The children love to share the books that they read with you at home during their lesson times.  Reading at home with your child is not only enjoyable, but it is contributing to your child's increased reading success.  Each take home book is helping your child gain reading fluency and confidence in choosing the correct strategies for independent reading.

We celebrate the reading progress of each student!


Some fun books to look for this week at the library:

Apples and Pumpkins  by  Anne Rockwell.  Brightly colored collage illustrations tell the story of how a pumpkin is grown in this fun story.

It's Pumpkin Time  by  Zoe Hall.  This book provides a great lesson about how pumpkins grow into big pumpkins from tiny seeds.

Apples, Apples, Apples  by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace.  This is an adorable story of a bunny family's outing to an apple orchard, providing useful information about apples.

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything  by  Linda Williams.   There is LOTS of child participation in this fun cumulative story. 

HAPPY READING!

A Wonderful Week!

We had a wonderful week of learning and growing in reading, writing and literacy!

The children are making great progress.
Star smiles go out to our super star readers!  :)
Jayden
Anthony
Ariel
Alyssa
Joshua
Joie
Evan
Angel
Travis
Max
Jasmine
Lui Sandro

We would like to welcome all of the wonderful Reading Therapy Dogs and their owners to Jefferson!  They began their visits this month in our "Children Reading to Dogs" program.  The children look forward to seeing the dogs in our school.
We appreciate the visits so much!  Children are practicing reading skills and learning kindness, compassion and respect for a dog.  The children and dogs share a story in a relaxing environment.  Children's reading skills and confidence grows.  :)

Some recommended book titles including the theme Nature/Seasons to look for when you visit the library:
Apples and Pumpkins  Lois Ehlert
Leaf Man  Lois Ehlert
Planting a Rainbow  Lois Ehlert
This is the Rain  Lola Schaefer
Owl Moon  Jane Yolen

Happy Reading!!  :)






 

October is here!

We want to celebrate the success of each student!

Reading star smiles go out to all star reading students:
Jayden
Anthony
Ariel
Alyssa
Joshua
Joie
Evan
Angel
Tyler
Lui Sandro
Max
Jasmine

We are focusing on individual learning goals each day for reading and writing.

Thank you to all parents for reading with your child at home!  Each student is so excited to share  books daily.   

What a wonderful time to visit the library and participate in all of the fun and interesting activities the library has to offer!

 

Welcome!

Welcome to Mrs. Kodel's Title One reading blog!  This blog will share information regarding reading and literacy strategies.  I look forward to a great school year!