News You Can Use
Teachers Take the Cake Where do kids get advice on what to read?
Reading Report Scholastic and YouGov conducted a survey of 1.043 kids ages 6-17 and their parents to learn about things like reading for pleasure, reading behaviors and family attitudes about reading. Maine Educator reviewed the survey and pulled some key data to help you learn more about this crucial topic.
Grades K-2
51% of Kids Turn to teachers or school librarians to get the best ideas about books to read for fun.
Book Fairs 51% of kids 9-11 and 49% of kids 6-8 say Book Fairs are a powerful source to get the best ideas about books to read for fun.
To help you
start the year right when it comes to reading, take a glance at these great tips from fellow MEA members. Maine Educator broke out the ideas based on grade levels. Pick and choose what works for you!
Top 10 Books Kids Still Love Social Media 26% of kids ages 1517, say social media is the best way to get ideas about reading books at their leisure 10
Maine Educator • September 2017
Harry Potter Diary of a Wimpy Kid Percy Jackson Goosebumps Dork Diaries The Hunger Games Junie B. Jones The Bible Dr. Seuss Magic Tree House
4Begin the school year off by promoting a sense of family/community/love so children will feel comfortable in their learning environment. The tips listed below won't matter if this is not achieved. Ex: Have students cheer for each others' successes, Penny Rees, promote "bucket filling," etc. Glenburn 4Use movement/motion to learn high frequency Elementary words. An example: Act out the word "my" by School Glenburn EA punching out the letters - right hand extended as students say "m," then left hand extended as students say "y," then students clap hands together and shout "my!" Children quickly learn to read and spell the words by using this technique. 4Use visual cues to learn diagraphs. Ex: Picture of a thumb to represent "th." 4Demonstrate reading strategies. Ex: Show how to sound out words by stretching out a rubber band slowly as you say the word. 4Help children to be positive risk takers. Sometimes a child, when first learning how to read, will not attempt a word for fear of being wrong. Ex: Teach the following to students to recite when needed - "Mistakes are good. They help us grow. They teach us what we need to know." 4Use centers for hands-on learning built around a theme. I'm a big believer in integrating subjects. Ex: Using the science theme of dinosaurs, the children go back in time, thanks to our time machine, to Dinosaur Land (part of our classroom is sectioned off and decorated as a prehistoric environment, complete with volcano and life-size baby dinosaur), where there are numerous centers. One of the literacy centers is to read the word family words written on large plastic eggs in a dinosaur nest. When completed, the egg hatches (child opens it) to reveal a baby (toy) dinosaur. 4Have students wear headbands or crowns with the high frequency words on them. Each crown has one word on it that the child must be able to read, when asked what the word is by another student or adult.
8-years-old Average age kids first read Harry Potter
1 in 5 Kids from low income families don't read any books over the summer. On average, kids read eight books.
