Title One

Program Contact Information:

Krista Poulin, PreK-5 Curriculum Coordinator, kpoulin@bonnyeagle.org

Erin Maguire, 6-12 Curriculum Coordinator, emaguire@bonnyeagle.org

For information about building-level Title One specifics, please contact the Instructional Coaches below:

Giving Students Choice

Research has shown, and students have shown us, that they are much more likely to read a book they have chosen, a book recommended by a friend or especially a book recommended by their classroom teachers than a book assigned to them.

Think back to your own reading experiences - didn't you want to read something that interested you???  Our kids are no different.  I have gone into classrooms and started kids on their lifelong reading lives by simply bringing in current, interesting new books, recommending a book especially for one student, hooking kids on a series or just by asking them details about what they are reading.

A wonderful blog by one of the most famous literacy gurus, Donalyn Miller, and 3rd grade teacher Colby Sharp,  is called  The Nerdy Book Club.  You can sign up to get a blog post each day or simply go onto the site when you want.  They have a post every day, seven days a week, on the latest and greatest new books, Top Ten Lists for various genres, reviews of new books & older books, and a Reading Lives post each week that gives bloggers an opportunity to write about their reading lives.  I have written a post myself  - it is about my obsession with recommending books no matter where I am - from the most likely places such as book stores to a few more unlikely places such as the doctor's office or a hospital!

Of course there will always be times when students will have to read what is assigned to them, but in the meantime, if we want our kids to be life long readers and to see reading as a fun, enjoyable and engaging activity, then we have to let them make their own choices.  When students have choice - they are much more likely to read.  

Happy Reading!  Mary Lou Shuster, Certified Literacy Specialist, Buxton Center Elementary School (retired)

Promoting Life Long Reading

Written by Mary Lou Shuster, Certified Literacy Specialist, Buxton Center Elementary School (retired)

The Title One program in elementary schools today is different than years ago.  We try to narrow down several targets or elements of literacy that each student is being challenged by and help overcome those challenges so they can exit our services more quickly and be returned to their classrooms.  It is not our intent to keep students in Title One services the entire year.  It is our biggest hope that we can help them learn some useful strategies that can carry back into the classroom in order for them to be successful without us. 

Parents often ask what they can do to help at home and this can often be specific to the ages and stages of your child.  But the one thing that will never change, not matter what the age of your child, is the need to read with and to your children.  Nothing can replace this time put aside to spend with your child.  There will always be a book that is a bit too hard for your child to comprehend, no matter what the age, but with your guidance through a read aloud together, will be something that will be incredibly worthwhile for you both.

So I will first offer you some great websites for discussions on reading to your child and places that discuss different book lists if you're not sure where to get started.  Many are by ages and others by genre.  If you are on Twitter, you can follow authors, librarians and book lovers such as myself, @litcoachlou, to listen in on the discussion and titles of the newest books to hit the shelves.

Reading Rockets is a fabulous website and one where you can find just about anything concerning reading and literacy.  I am linking to their information on Reading Aloud and its importance including some videos, links to other strategies and literacy blogs.  This is a website to bookmark!

http://www.readingrockets.org/

Next is a website created by Jon Scieszka, author of the famed Captain Underpants & Time Warp Trio books.  It is called Guys Read because Jon realized the need to honor boys - what they like to read, what they find funny, and what they like to write.  He created a website just for them with book lists of top books by age groups and book types. He has also written a complete series of books by topic and each of these books is filled with short stories of each genre.  For example, he recently came out with Guys Reads Other Worlds, short stories about fantasy & science fiction and another one is called Guys Read The Sports Pages.

http://www.guysread.com/

Jim Trelease has been the father of the read aloud with his Read Aloud handbooks.  This is a great resource for books by ages & stages as well as genre.  It makes a wonderful baby shower gift.  He is constantly updating it so it contains not only the classics but the latest and greatest.  In addition he has a great website in which you can download many of his pamphlets on reading, for free, simply by asking his permission through email.  They have such great titles such as Why Read Aloud to Children? and Ten Facts Parents Should Know About Reading.  There are many more great resources and links on this website not to be missed!

http://www.trelease-on-reading.com/index.html