For the Week of September 10th

Informational Text

It is very important for students to learn how to read informational text. In order to help your child to master informational text reading skills, it is crucial that he/she practices reading informational text. So, on your next trip to the library or book store, be sure that some of the books your child picks are informational.

 The really great thing about informational books is that they don't need to be read cover to cover. For example, a child may pick a book on snakes because they are fascinated with poisonous snakes. Let him/her know that it is just fine to read the information about poisonous snakes and skip the rest of the book. By skimming and scanning through the book before reading, the child can see which helps the book provides for finding information within that book. This will help your child figure out how they can find the information about poisonous snakes in that particular book. By going through this process, you are helping your child to learn to read informational text.  This strategy is especially helpful for reluctant readers because they can read the parts of the book that they are most interested in and can skip the rest. Plus, unlike chapter books which usually have few or no pictures, informational books are usually filled with pictures, captions, charts and graphs which make them even more interesting.

Whether your child is reading small parts of a lot of books or a whole book at a time, as long as they are spending some time the majority of the days reading, their reading will improve.

For the Week of August 27th

I enjoy the beginning of school. Everyone gets a fresh start. The students are excited to be back and are eager to learn. I also like the start of school because it gets me back into routines which have been abandoned during the summer. Routines like going to bed at a decent time, eating wisely and following my fitness plan all seem to work better during the school year. So welcome to the 2012-2013 school year. I want all of my students to have a productive, happy, and successful year.