February 24 - 28

Chapter Books: New York Times Bestsellers

Want to know what's big in books this week? Check out these chart-climbing titles from the New York Times' lists of bestselling chapter books.

TOP CHILDREN'S BOOKS:

WONDER, by R. J. Palacio. (Knopf Doubleday Publishing.) A boy with a facial deformity enters a mainstream school. (Ages 8 to 12)

THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN, by Katherine Applegate. (HarperCollins Publishers.) A gorilla living in a mall meets an elephant. (Ages 8 to 12)

BROWN GIRL DREAMING, by Jacqueline Woodson. (Penguin Group.) A memoir in verse; a 2014 National Book Award winner. (Ages 10 to 16)

THE CROSSOVER, by Kwame Alexander. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing.) The story of a hoops prodigy’s family, told in verse. (Ages 9 to 12)

KID PRESIDENT'S GUIDE TO BEING AWESOME, by Brad Montague and Robby Novak. (HarperCollins Publishers.) How kids can change the world. (Ages 8 to 14)


TOP CHILDREN'S SERIES:

DIARY OF A WIMPY KID, written and illustrated by Jeff Kinney. (Abrams Books.) The travails of adolescence, in cartoons. (Ages 9 to 12)

I FUNNY, by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein. Illustrated by Laura Park. (Little, Brown & Company.) A budding comedian. (Ages 8 to 12)

HEROES OF OLYMPUS, by Rick Riordan. (Disney Publishing Worldwide.) A new generation embarks on a series of adventures. (Ages 9 to 12)

GIVER QUARTET, by Lois Lowry. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing.) Exploring human connection in a post-apocalyptic world. (Ages 12 to 18)

DORK DIARIES, by Rachel Renée Russell. (Simon & Schuster.) Nikki Maxwell navigates the halls of middle school. (Ages 9 to 13)

February 17 - 21

What is it?

Fluency is the ability to read text accurately and effortlessly, using appropriate expression and phrasing.

Why is it important?

If a child is not fluent, it means that he is spending most of his attention on figuring out (decoding) the words, and that makes comprehension difficult. 

What can we do at home?

Repeated reading - Choose a passage that will note be very difficult for your child. Read the passage aloud to your child, and then read it together, helping your child figure out any tricky words. Next, have your child read the passage to you with a focus on accuracy. Finally, have your child read the passage to you again, paying attention to fluency and expression. The goal is to sound smooth and natural. 

Use different voices - When reading a familiar story or passage, try having your child use different voices. Read the story in a mouse voice or a cowboy voice or a monster voice or a princess voice. This is another way to do repeated reading, but it adds some fun to reading practice. 

Read to different audiences - Reading aloud is a way to communicate to an audience. When a reader keeps the audience in mind, he knows that his reading must be fluent and expressive. Provide a variety of opportunities for your child to read to an audience. Your child can read to stuffed animals, pets, siblings, neighbors, grandparents - anyone who is willing to listen. This is a good way to show off what was practiced with repeated reading.

Record the reading - After your child has practiced a passage, have him record it with a tape player or MP3 device. Once recorded, your child can listen to his reading and follow along in the book. Often, he will want to record it again and make it even better!

A Look Ahead:

• Mon 2/17 - No School (Presidents' Day)
• Wed 2/19 - McTeacher Night Fundraiser 4:30-7:30pm
• Thurs 2/20 - Spring Picture Day
• Thurs 2/27 - Panther Palooza 2:30-6:45pm
• Fri 2/28 - No School (County Institute Day)

February 10 - 14

Word Strategies for Young Readers

Good readers don't necessarily know every word - but they do have strategies for figuring them out.  Here is one way that can help your child unlock tough words. 

Find Words Inside Words

  Many words contain smaller words (can is in candle, end is in friend).  In the car or during a walk, ask your youngster to help you look for short words "hiding" in longer words (be and in inside begin, walk inside crosswalk).  She'll start to see examples everywhere, and the habit will help her when she reads books.

S-t-r-e-t-c-h  It Out

   If your child sees a tough word, suggest that she say the sound of each letter.  Then, she can put the sounds together.  Try this:  help her make a "word stretcher".  Cut a thin strip of construction paper, and let her decorate it with stickers   She can lay the strip so that it covers up a word in a book and slowly slide it to reveal each letter as she says its sound.

Use Context Clues

   Encourage your youngster to read an entire sentence before trying to figure out an unknown word.  Often, the word will become clear from the rest of the sentence.  To give her practice, write a note for her, and leave out all but the first letter of one word.  Have her think about what the missing word could be.  Example: "Let's go to the p _ _ _  after school." When she figures out, help her sound out and write the word ("park").

Adapted from Reading Connection, March 2013

A Look Ahead:

• Mon 2/10 - Beginning Band & Wind Ensemble Concert 7:00pm
• Tues 2/11 & Wed 2/12 - Parent/Teacher Conferences 3:00-6:00pm
• Thurs 2/13 - Valentine's Day Classroom Parties 1:30-2:15pm
• Fri 2/14 - No School (Parent/Teacher Conferences)
• Mon 2/17 - No School (Presidents' Day)
• Wed 2/19 - McTeacher Night Fundraiser 4:30-7:30pm
• Thurs 2/20 - Spring Picture Day