Here is the bulletin board outside of the Martin School Library. Mrs. Guindeira and I created this bulletin board for two reasons. One reason was to get in the Halloween spirit. The other reason was to remind students (and teachers) of the importance of reading daily.

The English language is made up of 44 phonemes, or sounds. In the corresponding video, the woman models how to pronounce each of these sounds correctly. Many times kids, and even adults, add an extra sound to the end of the consonant sounds. It is important for students to pronounce sounds correctly so that they are able to sound out words easily and accurately. Listen to this video if you're unsure of the correct pronunciation of a sound. I shared this video with my sister Mary. It helped her when she was helping her son learn how to sound out cvc words.

Reading aloud is a great way for children to learn new words. Literacy expert Sandra Wilborn suggests that parents:

1. pause during the read aloud to elaborate on a new word by giving a simple definition

2. connect the word to something your child knows, and use it in a sentence.

3. Reinforce the learning by using that new word at home in the weeks ahead.

Fluency is the ability to read accurately, smoothly, and with expression. When students read fluently, they are able to dedicate effort to understanding what they are reading. Therefore, reading fluently benefits reading comprehension. Fluency develops as students learn to identify sight words and decode unknown words efficiently. Read the newsletter from Growing Readers below to find out things that you can do at home to help improve your child's reading fluency.

PaTTAN is a great organization that has started a Literacy Initiative that is dedicated to the science of reading and supporting literacy efforts of school systems, personel, and families in Pennsylvania. On its website, PaTTAN has created PaTTAN Reads, which are videos of popular stories read aloud. To the left, I included the PaTTAN read aloud of The Book With No Pictures by BJ Novak. Click on this link, PaTTAN Reads, to check out the other read alouds that you and your child can listen to at home.

Having kids follow along in the book while listening to audiobooks is beneficial for many reasons. According to an article found on We are Teachers, here are the benefits of audiobooks.

1. increase word exposure and improves vocabulary

2. build background knowledge

3. reduce working memory deficit

4. remove printed word decoding anxiety

5. increase comprehension

6. develop grade-level appropriate content knowledge

7. give students educational independence

Click the link below to visit a Reading Rockets article that lists some favorite audio books.

The Right to Read Project is a website created by a group of teachers, researchers, and activists committed to the pursuit of equity through literacy. Click the link above to read their website post that outlines suggestions of ways that you can help your child in reading at home. I highly recommend this website because it is full of research-based, best practices that you can try out at home. In addition, it contains information that will educate parents in and deepen their understanding of literacy learning.

Recently I came across Homeroom, a question and answer column found in the Education section of The Atlantic Journal. Every Tuesday, educational experts, Abby Freireich and Brian Platzer, respond to a parent's question related to their child's education. I wanted to share their column from February 23rd called Homeroom: How to teach your kid to love reading. One of my daughters can't bear to put her book down. The other only wants to play dress up.

In this column, Abby and Brian provide parents with practical ways to encourage their youngest daughter who is a reluctant reader to read.

Their suggestions include:

• giving her a separate space to read away from her stronger reading sibling

• don't let her know that you are stressed about her reading. Kids easily pick up on stress and can become stressed by your stress.

• find "just right" books based on her interests

• designate time to read with her

• read books aloud to her, pointing to the words as you read

• take turns with reading aloud. Have her read aloud to you.

• talk about books as you read-Ask if the book reminds her of her own life or ask her to predict what she thinks will happen next

If your kid loves football, having him/her participate in ReadBowl will motivate him/her to read more at home. ReadBowl is a virtual reading challenge that takes place from January 11, 2021-February 7, 2021. Here is information from the Massachusetts Reading Association about ReadBowl:

We are sharing some information about a reading engagement program that is available to educators at no cost. The program has been developed by Malcolm Mitchell – a former New England Patriot Football player – who has become a published children’s author and literacy advocate. The program has been adapted for virtual, in-school or hybrid learning environments.

• Super Bowl Champion, Author and Literacy Advocate, Malcolm Mitchell, is hosting READBowl, a reading competition that engages students across the globe.

• READBowl begins on Monday, January 11, 2021, the day of the College Football National Championship and concludes on the Super Bowl, Sunday, February 7, 2021.

• READBowl provides teachers in grades Pre-K through 8 with a platform and tools to inspire and motivate students to increase reading minutes and prepare for milestone testing. Visit Malcolm’s Locker Room to hear his Friends talk about Reading. Enjoy Great Prizes.

• Registration is free! Open to Pre-K through 8th grade students (In-School, Virtual, or Hybrid), teachers can learn more about READBowl and register their students by visiting www.readwithmalcolm.com/readbowl.

• For questions about READBowl, contact the Read Team at readbowl@readwithmalcolm.com.

• For more information about Malcolm Mitchell's work to promote literacy, visit www.readwithmalcolm.com

It has been really great seeing students back at Martin!

Please remind your child to return summer reading packets and book bags (if not returned already) to school as soon as possible.

FYI, The Pigeon Comes to Boston!: A Mo Willems Exhibit will be coming to the Museum of Science in Boston starting on September 19th and extending through the fall of 2020. Visit this exhibit to see and interact with your favorite Mo Willems characters including Elephant and Piggie, Knuffle Bunny, and Pigeon! This exhibit is designed for students in pre-k through Grade 4 so bring the whole family along!

Are you looking for recommendations of books for your child to read over the summer?

On WeAreTeachers.com, you will find lists of 50 of the best books for students in Grade 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. Click on the links below to check out the book lists. You won't be disappointed!

Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5

Also, if you are looking for diverse books to share with your children, weneeddiversebooks.org is a great website to visit. Click on these links to check out their Summer Reading Series and Our Story App. Our Story App is a tool that helps you discover diverse books by completing an interactive quiz.

• keep a daily journal and write about what's going on, your thoughts, feelings, etc

• write letters or emails to friends and family members to keep in touch

• go on nature walks in your neighborhood and record what you see, hear, smell, and touch

• have family read aloud time to read everyone's favorite books

• work on a project together like a challenging puzzle

• cook or bake a recipe together

  • skills involved include reading directions, following directions, measuring, and mixing

• play fun games like HedBandz, Scattergories, Catch Phrase, Bananagrams, Boggle, and Scrabble Junior to practice skills in vocabulary, language, and spelling.

FYI there will be a Parent Literacy night at Community School on Wednesday December 11th from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Liz Garden, a principal of Leroy W. Mayo in Holden, who, also works for Scholastic, will be one of the presenters on Wednesday night. She is an amazing presenter who speaks about the power of book talks and ways to encourage kids to read. She is an engaging speaker who keeps your interest from start to finish. She gives a lot of great book recommendations!

Check out Liz Garden's Scholastic page: Liz Garden

If your child has asked the questions above, here is how you can help. Use the poster on the left to show him/her how to form these letters. Then, use the words from the poster.

To form the letter b, say:

• First the bat.

• Then the ball.

To form the letter d, say:

• First the doorknob.

• Then the door.

To form the letter p, say:

• First the pin.

• Then the pop.