Confetti: Literacy Training and S Week

This is my first "real" post...I feel like I need to introduce myself, but Buttons knows me, so I guess I don't. :)

So this past Monday all of the museum staff did a literacy training with our local public broadcasting station. It was great! They have a whole department focusing on early literacy education and our museum has teamed up with them. Note: public broadcasting (at least ours) is more than just tv, they have lots of great resources for anyone, or any educator, to use--check out your local PBS' website or call to ask what types of resources they have!

At our museum we have a story time every day, one of the things we talked about at training was how to read aloud most effectively. To me, and probably to most people who have spent a lot of time working with children, a lot of things seem pretty obvious, but I have realized and observed that not every parent realizes these things. Actually, until recently, I never thought to list these things.

Anyway, here is a list of tips for reading aloud that I put together using a lot of the points they made at the training:

· Read the book to yourself before sharing it with your children. Think about where you could pause to ask questions or explain something that your children may not understand.

· Talk about the book cover. Point out the title, author, and illustrator and what they do. Look at and talk about the art.

· Create a context. Look at the pictures and theme. Maybe the character looks sad; do you ever get sad? Why do you think this character is sad? Maybe the book is set on a farm; have you ever been to a farm? What was it like there? The love of books is related to the ability to put yourself in the story, creating a context helps bring the story to life.

· Read slowly so children can understand and enjoy the rhythm of the words and explore the pictures. Hold the book so everyone can see it.

· Add drama. Use different voices, facial expressions, and gestures. You can even incorporate props! Don’t be afraid to act silly or dramatic!

· Invite children to join in. Many books repeat phrases; after a couple times children will start to know what to expect—“Let’s all say it together!” You can also ask children to help with sound effects.

· Point out the illustrations. Many times the illustrations will help clarify unfamiliar words.

· Ask open ended questions. After reading help children to think about, remember, and discuss the story they just read. Encourage them to connect the story to their own lives. Remember to pause to give the children time to think about their answer.

· Read the book several times. You may grow tired of that story after one or two times, but remember, your child doesn’t have the same comprehension or memory for detail that you do. Reading the same book many times will help your child understand.

Also, S week was a long time ago, but here are my friends from S week:

SuperStick has super strength and never gets scared, and SuperSpoon soars through the sky to save the day!

Buttons, HAVE A GREAT FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL TOMORROW!!!!

Love ya,

Confetti