Nurturing Literacy

Next week, the testing marathon begins. The PSSA ELA (English Language Arts) assessment takes place from April 13 through April 16^th, followed on April 23^rd by the Mathematics assessment. So, if your kiddos seem a bit stressed or just sick of “test prep”, you’ll know why.

In spite of personal opinions about the PSSA, we all must acknowledge the reality and prepare accordingly. You may have heard these suggestions before, but I think they bear repeating. Start today to get your child ready so that he or she can put forth their “best self” and not feel anxious and overwhelmed by this lengthy test.

• ENHANCE PHYSICAL STAMINA

Your child’s physical stamina plays an important role in his ability to maintain alertness during the assessment. Pay particular attention to diet during this time. Eliminate junk foods, increase protein and be sure your child is well hydrated. Obviously, adequate rest is essential. Not only on school nights, but the intervening weekends as well, your child’s bedtime routine should be kept in place. This is not the time for a late night sleepover! No one knows your child better than you so consider the amount of sleep he needs to be at his best and make sure he gets it.

• REDUCE STRESS

Play and physical activity during this testing time will help your child relax and let off steam. If possible, make sure your kids play outside for a bit after school each day. We know physical activity reduces stress and periods of playful exercise will help your child let off steam and feel relaxed. Additionally, if your son or daughter is prone to anxiety, take the time to listen to their concerns. Sometimes, just an understanding heart can do wonders to reduce the emotional angst kids often feel during this time. If necessary, teach your child some deep breathing exercises and let the teacher know if you think your child’s stress level is critical.

• MAINTAIN READING ROUTINE

Even though your children are doing a lot of reading and thinking during the test, if is still important to maintain the at-home reading routine. Perhaps, you can change it up a bit by reading aloud or offering lighter fare, such as humorous stories. Revisit old favorites or search out few bedtime tales that will reduce anxiety and provide a chuckle, allowing your child to calmly drift off to sleep without worrying about THE TEST. Good luck!

Wouldn’t it be great to know that you could provide your child with an additional $250,000 or more over the course of his lifetime? Guess what? You can and it’s easy. According to the Children’s Reading Foundation, “for every year you read with your child, average lifetime earnings increase by $50,000. By the time your child starts kindergarten, you make a $250,000 gift to your child by reading aloud just 20 minutes a day!” Wow, that’s an impressive statistic. What are you waiting for? Here are some recommendations to get you started.

From preschool through primary grades, many of Tomie dePaola’s books hit the mark. This talented man is the author and illustrator of a variety of books ranging from retold legends to stories based on his own experiences. My youngest son was actually the one who introduced me to this author. He discovered The Mysterious Giant of Barletta, written by dePaola, during one of our frequent library visits. For years, this was Joe’s favorite read aloud. Two of dePaola’s most lovable characters are Stega Nona and Big Anthony. Big Anthony tends to get himself into the kinds of trouble that youngsters enjoy and relate to.  Slip into the library and check out some of these entertaining tales.

Patricia Polacco is an amazing author. She draws on her own family experiences, and uses rich language to weave memorable tales. Many of her stories span the ages and can easily be enjoyed by everyone in the family. Thunder Cake, Thank you, Mr. Falker, and My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother are three of my favorites. Hope you enjoy your reading time even more now that you know you are not only building your child’s literacy skills but also his future financial portfolio.     

Okay…The news isn’t good.  You’ve seen the report, talked with the teacher and realize that your child is faltering in Reading. Whether this occurs at six or sixteen, it feels like a punch in the stomach as you realize that your child is not proficient in a skill that will profoundly affect his future. Once the shock subsides and you are convinced the school is providing appropriate support, it dawns on you that the buck doesn’t stop there. In spite of limited time and resources, you know that as a parent or grandparent, you must provide some at-home support. In my professional career, I’ve seen this scenario play out many times. One thing I can say for certain is that children who are lucky enough to have proactive, informed and supportive parents, are the ones who make the best progress and grow as readers.  Based on current research and my own experience, here are five essential ways you can help your struggling reader:

1. TAP INTO YOUR CHILD’S INTERESTS: Consider your child’s preferences and passions, as you gather many kinds of texts that will pique his interest.  Your child is no different than you or me.  Your interests drive your reading choices. I’m just not going to pick up a football magazine and devour it, but my husband will disappear with that very same magazine and not emerge until he’s read it cover to cover. Books, magazines, and news articles on topics of interest can be the gateway to reading for your child. Make it fun, let your child join in the search as you forage through the library, bookstore, or garage sale to find high-interest books to enjoy.
2. USE A GENTLE APPROACH:  Introduce the joys of literacy through the “back door”.  As parents and grandparents, often our well-meaning intentions often become counter-productive. We are hell bent on helping our child but in the process become overbearing and wind up instilling a strong dislike rather than a love of literacy. When we “lower the boom” and insist on a certain amount of reading each day, attaching rewards or punishments to the task, it backfires. Instead of a heavy-handed approach, why not simply talk with your child and mutually decide on a quiet time to read, either together or aloud. If your child is reading independently, you could read the first few pages aloud and discuss them together, encouraging him to read on his own for another ten or fifteen minutes. Reading aloud has no age barrier. Perhaps, you will read the first part of a news article to your eleven year old, whetting his appetite for the rest of the article. Perhaps you will institute a family read-aloud once or twice a week. Perhaps you will hustle in from the library with several awesome books (picture books included no matter what the age) about a person, a hobby, or a pet that your child loves. No doubt, your child is acutely aware of his reading deficits and already suffers from a bruised ego. The last thing you want to do is create a power struggle about reading when what he really needs is your affirmation, attention, and support. Use your creativity, sneak in the back door, and gently unlock the key to the pleasures of reading for your child. Joining forces with your child in a firm but friendly fashion, will ultimately foster reading improvement in a way that rigid rules never can.
3. EDUCATE YOURSELF: There is a wealth of material available to help you understand and support your child. Talk to your child’s teacher and the reading specialist at your child’s school, read relevant books, articles, and blogs. Attend parent workshops aimed at fostering literacy in the home and develop a plan to support your child at home, especially during the summer months. Knowledge is power.  A clear understanding of your child’s learning difficulties and methods that offer support is a crucial component of helping to remediate and move your child towards an appropriate reading level.

No one escapes parenthood without having to deal with a host of problems. Much has been done in the area of reading research to shed light on reading difficulties and how to remediate them. In this case, slow but steady wins the race. Maintain a calm, consistent approach, regularly talk to the teacher, affirm and support your child in every way possible and you will see growth and hopefully, instill a love of reading at the same time.  A problem shared is a problem cut in half. If your child struggles with reading, please share your comments and anything that has helped you cope and support his reading  journey.

While reading another blog a few days ago, I learned that tomorrow, February 26, is “Tell a Fairytale Day”. Who knew? I love the idea of telling a fairytale. To me this implies reciting a traditional tale the way you remember it or making one up yourself. Either way is valuable. Kids love it when grown-ups share their sense of fun, creating and adding voices and sounds as they go along. When time is short, and you’re looking for a easy way to interact with your child and foster literacy, try this approach. Remember, literacy skills involve reading, writing, speaking and listening. Anything you can do to build these skills will pay off for your child.  Happy TAFD!

Ah, this snow day is such a gift.  From the window, the late afternoon sun makes it look like a summer day…that is until my eyes drift down to the blanket of white.  It’s toasty inside and I’m primed to write my post . I remember snow days when my kids were young.  Their rosy cheeks and smiling faces usually made up for the parade of puddles and array of wet boots, gloves and coats that decorated our house. I also remember wishing I knew of a way to pull the kids together in spite of their various ages and find something that was both fun and productive. Most of the time, I resorted to hot chocolate and movies to quiet the troops. Nothing wrong with that, but perhaps, next time you’re in that situation, you’ll remember the magic of fairytales.

Now fairytales have a bad rap. Many folks think they are ancient stories meant only for little kids.  Not true! Folk and fairytales are an important part of our “cultural literacy”. Cultural literacy is nothing but a fancy term that refers to the body of literature that people in particular culture are expected to be familiar with. The log of stories we carry in our head enables us to “get it”, when someone says, “John has the Midas touch” or “Aunt Mary is like the Pied Piper”.  When my daughter and I taught together, we were shocked to learn how few fairytales our seventh graders knew. We put our heads together and developed a unit designed to fill this gap.  For several weeks, seventh graders read, wrote, watched videos, and performed reader’s theatre scripts involving a cast of characters from traditional tales. They loved every minute of it and we knew this heavy dose of “cultural literacy” would stand them in good stead for the rest of their lives.

If you’re looking for a way to engage multiple-age children at one time, you can’t go wrong with fairytales.  There are many beautiful retellings complete with rich language and exquisite illustrations. Those by Paul O. Zelinski are among my favorites. Check out his versions of Rumplestilskin, Rapunzel and Hansel and Gretel.  Of course, if you really want to work some magic, find a quality book of traditional tales and pair them with the funny fractured fairytales so popular today. The True Story of the Three Little Pigs and The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales, both by Jon Scieszka, are sure to give a chuckle. Kids also love stories by Trisha Speed Shaskan, such as Honestly, Red Riding Hood Was Rotten, and Seriously, Cinderella Is SO Annoying.   Just google “fractured fairytales” and you’ll find a ton of other stories that switch up the characters, setting, problem or point of view from the traditional tale and create a new experience for all. They’re fun and get kids thinking (and hopefully talking… hint! hint!) about looking at a situation from various perspectives. No, fairytales are not just for little kids. Revisit this genre and see for yourself.