Read Across America

“ You’re never too old, too wacky, too wild to pick up a book and read with a child.”
-Dr. Seuss

Each year on Dr. Seuss’s birthday, March 2, the National Education Association calls for every child in every school across the country to read with a caring adult. Hoffman School joins this annual Read Across America event each year by hosting special guest readers in all of the classrooms. We would like to thank all of the following people who read to our students on March 2, 2006!

5th Grade Guest Readers
Jill Engel, Executive Director of Human Resources
Jeanne Kennebeck, Administrative Assistant
Carol Christensen, LRC Director of Henking School
Dr. Hill, Superintendent of Schools
Barb Ramsey, Principal of Attea Middle School
John Swanson, Assistant Prinicpal of Attea Middle School
John Linden, Glenview Police Department

4th Grade Guest Readers
Maria Pontillas, School Services Coordinator at GPL
Sue Munro, Hoffman School Health Coordinator
John Linden, Glenview Police Department
Brett Clark, Director of Community Relations and Grants
Stacy Carver, Glenview Police Department

3rd Grade Guest Readers
Pam Cullotta, Principal of Henking School
Nina Malis, Administrative Assistant of Hoffman School
Jill Markowitz, Hoffman School Social Worker
Laura Nekola, LRC Director of Attea Middle School
Stacy Carver, Glenview Police Department
Pamela Clifford, Special Services Coordinator
John Linden, Glenview Police Department

In 1983 the U. S. Department of Education funded the Commission on Reading. They concluded that since nearly everything in the school curriculum rested upon reading, reading was at the heart of both the problem and the solution. They concluded that:

• The single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children.
• There is conclusive evidence to support the use of reading aloud not only in the home but also in the classroom.

Reading Matters Read Across America is a one day celebration of Dr. Seuss's birthday, but NEA promotes reading 365 days of the year with their Reading Matters Campaign.

Raising a Reader
NEA's Five Field-tested Tips For Parents

1. Start early. Read books with your child everyday, even babies. Remember, kids love rhyme and repetition.
2. Talk with your child a lot. There’s no better way to teach new words and ideas.
3. Teach about the printed word when you are reading. Move your finger from word to word. Point out that sentences start on the left and go to the right.
4. Teach comprehension skills. When you read, talk about what’s happening (the plot). As children get older, ask them to predict what is going to happen next. Ask them if they liked the story and why.
5. Surround your children with things to read. Have books, magazines, and writing materials in your home. Use alphabet magnets to create words. Let children see that reading is an important part of your life too.

A Parent's Checklist
by Mary Mastain

How many of these things do you do to encourage your child to listen, speak, write, and read?

• I take time to talk with my child everyday.
• I take time to listen to my child and answer his or her countless questions.
• I sing and recite nursery rhymes to my child.
• I read a book, magazine, or newspaper everyday, showing my child that reading is important.
• My child and I have library cards (the best of all credit cards),
• I take my child to the library regularly. We both select books to read by ourselves and aloud together at home.
• Together we look at books and magazines, each of us talking about what we read and see.
• I ask my child to tell me a story or describe something he or she has done or seen.
• I often write down what my child tells me and read back the "story" exactly as it was dictated to me.
• My child has his or her own bookshelf (or box or drawer) to hold books.
• I take time to read aloud to my child each day as often as my child will listen to me, or asks me to read to him or her, and I encourage all members of my family to do the same.
• My child watches carefully selected television programs, and I limit TV viewing so that there is at least equal time for reading.
• I praise my child's efforts and accomplishments so that he or she will have self-confidence and zest for new learning experiences.

Mary Mastain is a former member of the International Reading Association's Parents and Reading Committee.

Responding to Errors in Reading Based on the way most of us learned to read, we have told the child to “sound it out" when he comes to an unknown word. While phonics is an important part of reading, reading for meaning is the primary goal. To produce independent readers who monitor and correct themselves as they read, the following is recommended before saying "sound it out”.

* Give your child wait time of 5 to 10 seconds. See what he attempts to do to help himself.
* "What would make sense here?"
* "What do you think that word would be?"
* "Use the picture to help you figure out what it could be."
* "Go back to the beginning and try that again."
* "Skip over it and read to the end of the sentence (or paragraph). Now what do you think it is?"
* "Put in a word that makes sense here."
* "You read that word on another page. See if you can find it.""Look at how that word begins. Start it out and keep reading."
* Tell your child the word.

More importantly, focus on what your child is doing well and attempting to do. Remain loving and supportive. When your child is having difficulty and trying to work out trouble spots, try some of these suggested comments:

• "Good for you. I like the way you tried to work it out.”
• "That was a good try. Yes, that word would make sense there."
• "l like the way you looked at the picture to help yourself."
• "I like the way you went back to the beginning of the sentence and tried that again. That's what good readers do."
• "You're becoming a good reader. You should be proud of yourself. I am."
  
  From: "Invitations: Changing as Teachers and Learners K-12" by Regie Routman.

Ways to Help Your Child With Reading at Home

• Help your child find a quiet, comfortable place to read.
• Have your child see you as a reading model.
• Read aloud to your child - even after they read independently.
• "You read a page. I'll read a page (paragraph, sentence or word)"
• Read at bedtime. It calms and relaxes even the most active child.
• Reread favorite stories.
• Share the favorites of your childhood.
• Discuss the stories you read together.
• Recognize the value of silent reading.
• Keep reading time enjoyable and relaxed.
• Don't hesitate to put down a book if neither of you is enjoying it. Talk about what you did not like about the book.
• Visit the library often.