Hooray for Reading Day: Readers Theater

“Somewhere along the way I came to understand that reading skills are simply thinking skills applied to a reading situation. Is the problem that kids with reading difficulties really can't analyze, can't evaluate, can't classify? That they lack those thinking skills? Or can they not do those things in a reading situation? To find out, I began listening to students with reading difficulties talk, recording what they said to learn what type of thinking their talk revealed. As I listened, I saw what the skill-activity sheets weren't showing me: these students certainly can analyze, synthesize, and evaluate. They can compare and contrast and classify, and they can summarize an event, pulling out the main ideas. They can do the thinking. They just didn't yet know how to connect their thinking skills to a reading situation. They needed a strategy, a scaffold, that would provide the framework for the thinking they needed to do to read with certain skills.”

                          -Kylene Beers and Reading Strategies


This is a great quote and set of ideas from Kylene Beers who is one of the top thinkers, writers, and teachers in the field of reading instruction. Her experience as a reading teacher started as a literature teacher for secondary students, but she realized that her kids had not yet made the transition from “Learning to Read” to “Reading to Learn.” That is – they were still decoding, not fluent, and, therefore, not great at comprehension.

Reading is a tool we use to get at the knowledge we seek, which means it is kind-of odd that Reading is now a subject in upper grades rather than just in lower grades. Sadly, unless kids start school with a foundation for reading (and I mean in Kindergarten), then there is a good chance that “reading” will be something they need to study and work on well into adolescence.

Which brings me to a great kids book. Hooray for Reading Day by Margery Cuyler and illustrated by Arthur Howard follows Jessica the Worrier through a day at school and small-group reading time in Mr. Martin’s class. As the kids take turns reading from “Hot Pot” Jessica does nothing but worry about her turn and her fear of messing up in front of everyone – which she does.

Sure enough, Mr. Martin assigns everyone a part during “Reading Theater” day. This worries Jessica even more but she practices with her dog at home and on the day of the big presentation in front of parents and everyone – she does a great job.

I like Hooray for Reading Day primarily because Jessica’s teacher, Mr. Martin, uses a great reading strategy that parents can use at home with kids during the summer, over holiday breaks, or as a weekend activity. Readers Theater helps kids to build fluency. Fluency is vital to reading comprehension. Fluent readers understand pace and intonation and most importantly – they understand (comprehend) what they are reading.

As Kylene Beers put it, “…students certainly can analyze, synthesize, and evaluate. They can compare and contrast and classify, and they can summarize an event, pulling out the main ideas. They can do the thinking.”

As I mentioned in a previous post – kids like to do things over and over again. Readers Theater asks students to read the same thing many times to build fluency. Practice makes better and getting better leads to excellence.

Readers Theater Resources:
Aaron Shep
Literacy Connections
Readers Theater Book Resource List
More on Kylene Beers

Joke of the Day

This from a reader....


How do you have a party on the moon?







Answer:    PLANET!

OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and...you get the idea.

Helping Struggling Readers by Susan Fondrk

 and Cheryl Frasca

So, my 21-month-old daughter, Rhiannon, is well-versed in creating games that never end. Even if you are not a parent you, at some point, have found yourself caught in a never-ending game with a kid that he or she likes so much they don't want to stop, and that you also enjoyed - the first 100 times. While we were in Washington DC, my friend Cole pointed out that Rhiannon was throwing her straw on the ground so that he would pick it up as part of a grand psychological experiment. This is quite right.

Kids perform experiments all the time and want to repeat things all the time because that is how they (and we) learn. I’m not sure what she is learning by poking both of her wet fingers deep into my ear canals repeatedly, but it must be something. The great thing for us is that we can take advantage of this need to repeat and use it for good.

Right now Rhi is watching “Signing Times with Alex and Leah” over and over and over and over. Say the word goat or show her a picture of a goat and this girl will throw her hands to her chin and then prongs to her forehead faster than a lamb can wag its tail. She is also watching some French instructional videos over and over and over. She seems to enjoy the pictures, but she looks at me like she's asking why the cartoons can't speak right.

But there are other ways to use this need to repeat over and over again and at the same time begin to develop some reading comprehension skills - even for pre-readers. The beginning stages of comprehension are recognizing and recalling, which we can assess through simple who-what-where-when questions. That book that you have read at bedtime 4500 times is a great place to start. For us this might be Curious George Goes to the Zoo.

1. Sit with the book and your kiddo but don’t open the book.
2. Point out things on the cover. If the characters appear on the cover point to them and ask WHO they are.
3. Ask “Who are the other characters in the story?” (Zookeeper, Man with the yellow hat, animals)
4. Ask “Where did George go?” (the zoo, to see the lions, to the rain forest)
5. Ask “What did George do at the zoo?” (gave the animals snacks, found the bird, fixed the fence)

Simple answers and simple questions, but they are important questions and can become more complex the more you read the book. Kids like the repetition of the same book again and again (although I admit to hiding The First of Octember).

The same who-what-where-when questions can be used as kids get older and start to develop reading skills. Have kids read short sentences independently or with your help and then answer the same questions. Eventually ask the 4-Ws about full paragraphs and chapters of books.

Recalling and recognizing are the beginning of reading comprehension, but you don’t have to wait until kids can read to start building the reading muscles.

Take advantage of what kids already do - over and over and over again ñ and turn them into teachable moments.

8 Great Parent Habits That Teachers LOVE

In a recent issue of Scholastic Instructor writer Suzanne Tingly describes 8 Great Teacher Habits Parents Love. Her advise is for teachers and how they can prevent difficulties with parents during the school year, and she makes some great points:

1. Give parents as many specifics as you can.

2. Write positive or encouraging comments.

3. Provide timely updates and information.

4. Invite parents to lend a hand in your classroom.

5. Give parents plenty of lead time.

6. Send home good news.

7. Go beyond the regular curriculum.

8. Have clear rules and consequences.

My guess is that every teacher has learned the hard way that these eight guidelines can save a lot of heartache. The fact is, while the teacher is working hard at school (and at home) to prepare and teach the best lessons possible, parents are at the same time working hard to provide the best they can for their kids. This often leaves it up to the kids to provide the communication between school and home. 

I wonder if the lines of communication ever get crossed? You bet they do. 

With the new school year quickly creeping up, it's a good time to think about how parents can maximize the effort of both teachers and students. So, not only do teachers need to have good habits, parents do too.

8 Great Parent Habits That Teacher LOVE

1. Make a point of listening to both sides of every situation.

Nobody would ever accuse a child of lying, but that doesn't mean the whole truth is getting home. Through no fault of the child, he or she is seeing the situation, whatever it is, from their own perspective and may not understand all the details. Whether it is the reason for a detention or low grades on homework, listening to the teacher first-hand can clarifying a lot of misunderstanding.

2. Read the syllabus, class expectation or grade level expectations and understand time lines.

There are differing of opinions on homework but it is never the case that students did "Nothing" during the school day. Enough cannot be said for helping even the youngest students be organized and keep track of their work. By knowing what teachers and students are up to parents can stay on top of class requirements, project due dates and test dates. This is also a great way to catch any learning issues early. Internet based grade-books and teacher web-sites make this easy.

3. Ask teachers for rubrics and grading criteria.

Teacher don't give failing grades because they dislike students. Teachers develop  grading and achievement guidelines and rubrics based on grade level expectations and state standards. It's important for parents to know what is expected from students and what the child should be able to accomplish based on the child's grade level or age. Obviously not every student is at the same place developmentally, but comparing your child's work to rubrics and standards will give you an idea of what he or she needs to work on.

4. Take advantage of any opportunity to go to school and meet teachers.

Most schools have an "Open House" or "Orientation" at the beginning of the year and parent-teacher conferences at other times. Don't let these be the only times you go and make an appearance. Make a point of visiting regularly (schedule your appointments first) and getting the know teachers (and principals) personally. Many parents never miss a sporting event but find it hard to make it to school for academics updates. Teachers love meeting with parents and can provide specific insight into learning styles, needs and social dynamics that parents may not be aware of.

5. Trust teachers' professionalism.

Teaching is an art and a craft. Those who take on this profession not only understand their subject area but are also experts in how kids learn. Trust their judgment because teachers don't take the responsibility given to them lightly.

6. Keep track of your child's homework.

Making it a habit of requiring that you look at all homework, review the expectations and even initial the homework helps your student stay on track and means there won't be any surprises. Have students complete homework in a common room where you can monitor and help. Discuss the work and have the kids teach you (this is high-level thinking).

Take everything out of the book bag every day. You might be surprised at what is hiding in there. (I won't tell you what I saw climbing out of a student's book bag during class one day.)

6. Don't do homework or projects for your children.

Sometimes parents don't know the line between helping and doing. Teachers can always tell and this really isn't fair - to your child. Getting the grade is not the point. Learning is the point. Like everything else is life - the learning is in the process.

7.  Speak positively about school and teachers.

We realize early on that children learn by observing.

"I don't know where my child learned to use such language!"

Yes you do.

Kids will not only pick up your words, tone and mannerisms, they will learn your attitudes too. Speak about school and teachers with respect, humor, and admiration.

8. READ WITH YOUR CHILDREN!

This should be the number one things parents do with kids from infancy. It is bonding time and creates good, life-long readers. Notice I didn't write "Read TO your children." Reading TO kids is important for fluency. But I like the idea of reading WITH your kids. Have conversations about books and stories. Quiz each other. Take turns reading aloud. Make a game of reading and let them see you reading for information and for pleasure.

Subversive Poetry for KIDS (that adults will love too)

First, understand that I am a teacher advocate. I taught for a long time and I love the art and science of teaching – it is a passion. But, there have been many hundreds or thousands or perhaps millions of students through the decades turned off to POETRY because of teacher.

Typically this happens because, A) the teacher knows a lot about poetry and loves it but doesn’t know how to teach it, or B) the teacher knows nothing about poetry and so uses the English textbook or reading adoption and so the kids only get those selections. This, my friends, is a crying shame, because the truth is that kids LOVE poetry.

Kids of all ages will gobble poetry up and write some of the most insightful, lyrical work you have eve laid eyes on if given the opportunity, guidance, and passion. I recommend introducing kids to poetry early and often AND it just so happens that using poetry in reading lessons is a great way to get struggling readers to stick with it because poems are typically not long, daunting sections of text loaded like a minefield with words ready to tie the tongue of every unsuspecting reader who isn’t quite capable of mastering every phoneme thrown his or her way. Also, poems for kids are great for grownups too as read-aloud at bedtime or choral readings.

Which brings us to our recommendations for this week:

take me out of the bathtub and other silly dilly songs
written by Alan Katz
illustrated by David Catrow
Margaret K. McElberry Books
ISBN: 0-689-82903-5

Don’t Say That Word
written by Alan Katz
illustrated by David Catrow
Margaret K. McElberry Books
ISBN: 0-689-86971-1

Alan Katz and David Catrow might possibly be the most perfect match of writer and illustrator since Hunter S. Thompson and Ralph Steadman brought us Gonzo journalism with Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. And the beauty of take me out of the bathtub and Don’t Say That Word is that any adult who knows the work of Thompson and Steadman will quickly see the comparison. Manic, subversive, gross, unpleasant, and rebellious, these poems and illustrations for elementary readers might be called Fear and Loathing in Rhyme. Don’t be scared off by the comparison though; these are great books that speak more to the snakes and snails and puppy-dog tails side of childhood as opposed to sweet rhymes about eggs falling to pieces (but even that poem wasn’t about an egg – more on that in a later post). Be prepared for booger and fart jokes – which kids LOVE by the way.

take me out of the bathtub and other silly dilly songs is a re-writing of songs that most kids already know. The title poem, for instance, is sung to the tune of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” but find our protagonist in the bathtub while wearing roller skates and a great visual of his backside as he flies through the air.  “Stinky Stinky Diaper Change” (to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”) relates the less satisfying parts of being a big brother. Catrow's illustration here does not spare the reader as the baby is flown out the window like a kite only to have his diaper impair the flight of a flock of birds. Other poems include an homage to baby-sitters, the joys of being dirty, and every kid’s bane – cleaning the bedroom.

Katz takes a different tact in Don’t Say That Word. Here, he tells one story in rhyme. Catrow’s cover art shows our hero, think Calvin crossed with Bill the Cat, sitting in the corner savoring a mouthful of soap. As you might guess, the theme here is all those words that kids love to say and hear but which adults are quick to point out – are not nice. We are not talking about cursing here. This is not the seven words you can’t say on television – this is the seven words Mom doesn’t want to hear come our of your mouth:

WARNING: Graphic Content Ahead (eh?)

Booger
Burp
Poop
Butt
Barf
Toilet and
Fart

This is a particularly clever outing for Katz and Catrow, as those seven words never actually appear in the book. Just as our pug-nosed young man is about to say the word his mother yells, “Don’t say that word!” This actually employs an excellent reading strategy for kids to fill in the missing words – similar to a cloze activity.

Catrow’s illustrations here are wonderful and deserve a close inspection because there are visual jokes all over every page. The family dog silently watches the boy’s adventures at and seems to relish the trouble the boy endures for his language. We can only imagine the torment the boy has put the dog through although we get an idea on the back cover as the boy blows his “Pork Radish N Cheese Chip” breath in the dog’s general direction.

Get your kids reading poetry and use poems they can relate to and will excite them.

Remember - read with your kids every day!

Mr. G