Dear Parents
I came across this great article about reading over the holidays and wanted to share it with you. I will do #9 and 10 and you can do the rest!!
Have fun reading!!!!
Top Ten Ways to Encourage Children to Read Over Winter Break
10.
Set expectations. I expect my students to continue to read daily
over break. I expect the same of my own children at home. I tell them up front that
I will be checking in after break and want to know what they read. As a parent,
I ask my boys what they are reading each day and talk to them about the book
when they’re done. There is not a question of
if they will read
on a given day, but
when and
how much.
9.
Make plans. As my friend Donalyn Miller says, readers make plans.
In my classroom we will plan out what we think we will read before we leave for
break. In my home we will plan out the best time for us to read, daily. My
students know I plan to read a book a day over break. I need to plan ahead so
that I have enough reading material to make it over the long break. I ask them
to think about the books they are reading – do they need to take more home? My
own children ensure they have reading material to read each day. If they don’t,
we jump down to number 8. (Or, we jump to number 8 if it is Saturday, rainy, or
we’re just in the mood.)
8.
Visit a library or a bookstore. Just going to either one of these
places is great – you are immediately surrounded by a community of readers!
Both of my boys have library cards and a trip to the library is guaranteed
during winter break. I immediately head to the new picture books and plop on
the floor and read as many as possible. They usually head to the non-fiction
books and look for something new on their current obsession. The bookstore is
just as wonderful and we could all spend hours there.
7.
Connect them to an author. I’ve seen it in my classroom and I’ve
seen it at home – when children connect to the authors of the books they are
reading, magic happens. Luckily, in this era, this is easier than ever. Kids
can tweet out their love of their books to the author who wrote them. Many
authors will tweet back. At home and at school we also check out the author’s
website. Sometimes you can email them, but even more than that the resources
are often incredible. Watch book trailers; find out the story of why they wrote
the book, and more.
6.
Talk. In my classroom I make time to sit down with each child over
the course of two weeks and talk about what they’re reading. This is just as
important at home, if not more so. I want to know what my boys are reading and
what they are connecting to. I want to be there when they read the
sad/hard/scary/funny part and get to discuss the reaction they had. I want to
discuss why they feel this is
the best series of all time and debate it.
We connect through books and the discussion around them strengthens that bond.
5.
Make it fun. We hold read-a-thons in my giant bed on a regular
basis on the weekends. It’s a great feeling to look up from my cozy spot and
see both of my boys curled up near me reading their books. If it is cold
outside, we hold our read-a-thons downstairs by the fire with hot chocolate.
There are challenges to see who can read the most, book talks to try and
convince family members to read the book next, and more.
4.
Make it important. When we value something, we devote time to it.
By doing so, we show its importance. That’s why when I heard this idea from author
Linda Urban; I knew I was going to steal it. In Linda’s family they bring their
books to the dinner table on Tuesday nights. Whatever you’re currently reading
is welcome. Finger food is on the table for dinner and for the entire meal
everyone reads. Let me say that again,
everyone reads. Think of
the message that sends children!
3.
Give books. We give books to everyone on our list. I include my
boys on the title discussions for each recipient so they can see the thought
that goes into matching the perfect title with the recipient. We talk about how
wonderful the gift of a book is because it gives the person we’re giving it to
an experience. (For more on giving books, and Chronicle’s #givebooks campaign,
check out this link:
http://www.chroniclebooks.com/landing-pages/givebooks/)
2.
Get books. Books are part of the gift of Christmas in our home. I
can think of no better way to send the message that I want you to be a reader
than to give books. My boys can tell me titles that they are looking forward to
reading and I will purchase them, but I also buy some because I think they will
be a good stretch. I also give them gift cards so they can go to the bookstore
and pick out their own books. If you are looking for great titles this year,
look no further than the Nerdy Book Club nominees for 2013:
http://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com/2013/12/01/our-2nd-nerdversary-and-the-2013-nerdy-award-finalists/
1.
Be a role model. In the classroom I share my reading life with my
students. Returning from Thanksgiving break I will tell them what I read over
break and share titles. I want them to know I am a reader. I do the same with
my children at home. If I don’t model it, they won’t do it. Be a reader.
Magazines, novels, comics, newspapers, etc. – let them see you read. Let them
see you react to books. Inspire.
Katherine Sokolowski has taught for fifteen years and currently
teaches fifth grade in Monticello, Illinois. She is passionate about reading
both in her classroom and also with her two sons. You can find her online
at http://readwriteandreflect.blogspot.com/ and
on Twitter as @katsok.
