As the Pockettales team continues building out cool new features and improvements in our website (btw, more new cool features are on the way!), we occasionally, come across some interesting resources for parents and educators.
Reading is probably one of the toughest areas to teach and definitely something that parents struggle with at home in knowing how to support their children. While parents and teachers can usually force children to read, what we want is for our children to have a love for reading; that with all the distractions in the world around us, our children will discover the joy, thrill and fulfillment that a beautiful and well written book brings to them. The other area of difficulty for parents is navigating the world of language terms they often hear when meeting with their child’s teacher. As the teacher explains the development of the language skills their child is gaining or having difficulty with attaining, parents can often get lost in all the terminology along with what to do with that information once they get home.
That’s why this free video series we discovered in our travels through cyberspace, is a nice introduction and resource for parents. Created by the Literacy Center at the Northern Illinois University, the videos include helpful information on topics including developing a love of reading, building reading habits, comprehension of fiction and non-fiction texts, phonemic awareness, and comprehension strategies. You can check out the video below and click on the link to view the other resources on their Youtube channel.
The link to the rest of the videos can be found here.
How do you encourage reading at home? Share your tips and ideas here!
Join us by adding your comments! If you haven’t already, let us help you sign up for an account to start using Pockettales in your class. Teachers and classes are always welcome! Sign up at Pockettales.com!
the level of recall actually was less when comparing an enhanced ebook to a standard digital edition” and that “the culprit seemed to be too much focus on enjoying what the screen could do rather than the material itself
My own children, ages 3 and 1, both love the Dr. Seuss books available on the ipad. Not only can they have the books read to them and follow along but they can also touch objects on the screen and have the app say what those objects are. The text is highlighted as it is read so children and see and hear the words and they are both very engaged. Of course, we don’t use the apps exclusively and we provide tons of great print books for our children which they also love. We believe it is always about moderation and allowing them to enjoy the fun of the apps but also knowing that the act of reading print books to our children is also an important bonding experience that an app just cannot give.
whittled down my favorites to just 25 apps I would recommend for a well-rounded collection. This list represents just 10% of the 250 books reviewed on our site (and includes insights from previewing over 1000 book apps overall).
Our Top 25 Children’s Book Apps:
Essential Fairy Tales & Nursery Rhymes:
The Three Little Pigs - Nosy Crow Interactive Storybook
Nursery Rhymes with StoryTime
Cinderella - A PicPocket Book
Extra Special ‘Wow’ Factor:
Teddy’s Day
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
The Penelope Rose
Great Enhanced Storytelling:
Fierce Grey Mouse
Sir Charlie Stinky Socks and the Really BIG Adventure
A Fine Musician
Digital Classics:
The Cat and The Hat – Dr. Seuss
PopOut! The Tale of Peter Rabbit
The Monster at the end of this Book
For the Very Young:
Scruffy Kitty
The Going to Bed Book
Pat the Bunny
A Present for Milo
For Older Kids:
Treasure Kai and the lost gold of shark island
Be Confident in who you are: a middle school confidential graphic novel
Trans-Media Chart Toppers:
Toy Story Read-Along
Angelina Ballerina’s New Ballet Teacher
Bedtime Favorites:
The Wrong Side of the Bed
Nighty Night!
Too Unique to Miss:
Bartleby’s Book of Buttons Vol. 1: The Far Away Island
The Strange & Wonderful World of Ants
Lazy Larry Lizard
Another great site to find Digital E-books is Digital Storytime. The site lists e-books that are available on the ipad and reviews them so you can get a good idea of what the story is about and about how the interactive elements work.
Whatever you decide about digital e-books, there is no doubt that there are going to be more and more published as publishers jump on the digital bandwagon.
What do you think about digital e-books for children? What are some of your favorites?
Join us by adding your comments! If you haven’t already, let us help you sign up for an account to start using Pockettales in your class. Teachers and classes are always welcome! Sign up at Pockettales.com!
As we continue to build out new features for Pockettales, we want to share with you some of the great changes and additions we have in development.
A few posts ago, we shared a new feature we are working on that we’re really excited about. We know that the teacher dashboard is going to be a great addition for teachers in helping them make better decisions for their reading programs.
Today we want to share with you another exciting part of the teacher dashboard; the Student Profile page. Below is a picture showing details on what that will look like.
The Student Profile page is a fantastic way for teachers to get a closer look at an individual student and what they are accomplishing. Unlike the main teacher dashboard page, which gives you a larger overview of everything happening, the Student Profile page will allow you to zoom in and focus on an individual student and what is happening as they use the tools within Pockettales.
Just as our education systems are beginning to change their philosophy from whole class instruction to more individualized programs, we think that both the teacher dashboard and the new Student Profile area will help teachers to better individualize their students reading program. Teachers can see exactly what reading is happening and tailer their programs to fit the needs of all their students.
Join us by adding your comments! If you haven’t already, let us help you sign up for an account to start using Pockettales in your class. Teachers and classes are always welcome! Sign up at Pockettales.com!
One of the more difficult things in supporting and encouraging your child’s reading, is knowing the right kinds of books to purchase or borrow that fit with your child’s current reading level.
There are many things that can make it difficult or that you need to think about when choosing appropriate books for your child. These can include:
Finding a book that matches or engages your child’s ever changing interests;
Finding a book that is at their level (more about this in a minute)
Finding a book that appropriate, in that it fits within the context and values of your family
I wanted to expand on the second point as that can be a tricky area for parents. As we choose books for children, we of course want to allow children to have choice as that gives them ownership. However, we also want to ensure that children are reading books at their appropriate level to build reading skills and growth. A student in Grade 6 reading at a Grade 6 level but choosing books that are more intended for a grade 3 students because they are easier, is not providing enough of a challenge. Children also need to be reading books that are at or even slightly ahead of them to build vocabulary, as well as strength in comprehension and reading fluency. I am not saying that everything has to be chosen to challenge them. I myself like to read some YA materials, not only to keep up to date but also for enjoyment. However, if children are always reading books below their level, they are not building the skills they need as they move up through the grades.
I recently came across a couple of resources that I thought would be great for parents and maybe even teachers as they look at supporting their children as readers. The first is an article from the Royal Gazette Online. The author, Darnell Wynn, states that,
Parents want their children to read well and independently for enjoyment. Research has shown that children who read generously develop more expansive vocabularies and achieve higher levels of reading and writing development. Reading daily at home is beneficial for children to learn new vocabulary and information, increase speed and fluency, improve comprehension, experience different authors’ writing styles and ultimately develop a greater interest and love of reading and writing.
How can parents choose ‘just right’ books for their children to support reading and writing development? ‘Just right’ books means your child: l Is interested in the book l Can read and figure out almost all of the words l Understands what he or she is reading and can tell you about the story l Can read fairly smoothly
Noted educator and author Regie Routman recommends the five-finger rule in selecting the ‘just right’ book for your child. She suggests as your child reads, have him or her count on one hand any unknown words. If there are five or more different unknown words on a full page, the book is too hard for your child to read alone. However, you could read the book aloud to your child. Older children can read several pages before deciding whether a book is too hard. Ms Routman notes that sometimes a book that may initially seem too hard is ‘just right’ once the child has read enough for meaning to ‘kick’ in.
Ultimately, parents should make reading fun for their children. In addition to selecting ‘just right’ books, parents should never tie their opinion of their child to his reading ability by communicating that through attitudes and behaviours. Parents should not push their child to read at higher levels at the sacrifice of understanding. The best way to make reading fun is through conversation about what is being read.
Options for parents looking for ways to support a child’s reading can include scanning stories ahead for difficult or unusual vocabulary and going over these words in advance. Allow your child to read through a story silently before reading aloud (especially if your child is self-conscious about reading aloud). Alternatively, a parent can first read the story aloud and discuss the story content. Parents can add variety to the reading sessions by taking turns with the reading by sharing lines or pages. Read story beginnings aloud to your child to hook interest then let your child finish the story independently. If a story includes dialogue, assume the role of one of the characters and read using different voices, accents and inflections. When helping your child to understand and respond to stories, think about ways to get your child involved. For example, if the story takes place in an unfamiliar place, use an atlas to locate the place and share as much as you can to generate interest and knowledge about the location of the story. After reading the first few pages or chapters, stop and talk about the main character in the story and discuss possible events and endings that might occur. Connect the character to your life.
While the reading is progressing, check in to see how the character’s situation is progressing and how your child is reacting to the developments in the story. Have your child read sections aloud that she finds particularly interesting or confusing. You can give your child sticky notes to mark special pages for further discussion.
After the reading, discuss personal reactions to the story with your child. What was liked or disliked and were there any lessons learned? There may be an opportunity for a follow-up to the story and this can be done in art form, writing, drama or reading another book by the same author or similar genre. The possibilities are there to explore. Choosing ‘just right’ books and knowing how to engage with your child as a reader and as a supporter of reading is the best way to instill a love of reading and life-long desire to read. Our children learn to value reading when it is a shared and supportive home activity with adults who actively engage with books.
The Reading Rocket site has another way to think about helping your child choose the appropriate books for their level: How can parents help their children find books that are not “too hard” and not “too easy” but instead are “just right”? Here’s some advice.
Five finger rule
Choose a book that you think you will enjoy.
Read the second page.
Hold up a finger for each word you are not sure of, or do not know.
If there are five or more words you did not know, you should choose an easier book.
Still think it may not be too difficult? Use the five finger rule on two more pages.
Choose a book that is a good fit for you!
Read two or three pages and ask yourself these questions:
Will it be an easy, fun book to read?
Do I understand what I am reading?
Do I know almost every word?
When I read it aloud, can I read it smoothly?
Do I think the topic will interest me?
If most of your answers were “yes”, this will be an easy book to read independently by yourself.
Will this book be too hard for me?
Are there five or more words on a page that I don’t know, or am unsure of?
Is this book confusing and hard to understand by myself?
When I read it aloud, does it sound choppy and slow?
If most of your answers were “yes,” this book is too hard. You should wait awhile before you read this book. Give the book another try later, or ask an adult to read the book to you.
Tips on reading with your child
When they can’t read the word, say…
Can you sound it out?
Fingertap it.
Can you think of the word or movement that helps you remember that vowel sound?
What is the first and last sound? What word would make sense?
Does it have a pattern that you have seen in other words? (ex-an, ack)
How does the word begin?
You said_______. Does that make sense?
What word would make sense that would start with these sounds?
Put your finger under the word as you say it.
When they want to read a book that is too hard, say…
Let’s read it together.
This is a book you will enjoy more if you save it until you are older — or later in the year.
[Be honest!] When people read books that are too hard for them, they often skip important parts. You will have more fun with this book if you wait until you can read it easily.
I hope that that gives some good guides to helping you with choosing good books. Your child’s teacher or your local community librarian can also give you some good suggestions on books to share with your child. They have had many years of guiding students to good books and are excellent resources.
As hinted at, Pockettales has been thinking up some great additions to the Pockettales site to include more functionality and tools for teachers. As you can see below, we are putting the finishing touches on a new teacher’s dashboard.
While our vision is to make Pockettales a great way for students to share and be introduced to great books, we also feel that there is a great opportunity to get real-time data into the hands of teachers to help them make better decisions in planning, maintaining and adjusting their reading programs to be more individualized to the needs of their students.
On the dashboard, you can see several areas to allow teachers to manage what is happening as students use Pockettales. You can use the dashboard to
track daily, weekly, all time usage and statistics,
see daily newsfeeds of what is happening as your students use the site,
see the reading levels of books your students are reading either individually or as a class.
quickly see the most popular books being read
Quickly filter data
And much more!
This is a really exciting part of the Pockettales site and one that we think will be very popular with teachers.
What do you think? What do you like about the new teacher dashboard? Is there anything you would like to see?
Join us by adding your comments! If you haven’t already, let us help you sign up for an account to start using Pockettales in your class. Teachers and classes are always welcome! Sign up at Pockettales.com!
So, I was organizing my kitchen cupboard to make room for the three new Jamie Oliver books I received for Christmas (and boy, does he have a lot of cookbooks), when I came across this delightful book by Liz Franklin called Cooking Italian with Kids.
While it’s a little old for my children, it got me wondering if there was a way to combine favorite children’s literature books with some great cooking experiences in the kitchen. Combining books with food is always fun. Getting to make the food is even more fun (Though it can get messy. Our apologies in advance!).
Some of the books have some very obvious food elements that you can do as a snack to go along with the book. You can either read the story first, point out the foods that are mentioned, then make the snack or make the snack as an introductory activity, then eat it as you read the book. So taking a look around Google, I came up with some great ways to combine children’s literature with some cooking ideas:
1. Chocolate Chip cookies with If You Give A Mouse A Cookie: this is a great series of books with a progressive story line which circles back to the beginning by the end of thestory. Kids love the silly things that the animals do and the illustrations are very nicely done. There are a few books in the series that involve food but chocolate chip cookies are lots of fun for kids to make and taste great.
2. Pancakes with Curious George Makes Pancakes: While Curious George oftentimes elicit expressions of disbelief (and why exactly does the Man with the Yellow Hat keeping leaving that monkey by himself?), children love how Georgegets to do all the things that they don’t get to do but wish they could. In this case, they can make pancakes. The nice thing is that they are not difficult to make. If you want to be even more experimental, try sticking bamboo skewers or popsicle sticks in them as they are cooking to make pancakes on a stick.
3. Strawberry Shortcake with Cook-A-Doodle-Do: a favorite dessert of mine (being a good Nova Scotian boy!), this is a fun story to read. Rooster—rebuffed by Dog, Cat, and Goose just like his Granny was—finds companionship in the kitchen with Turtle, Iguana, and Potbellied Pig. As Turtle reads the recipe aloud, Iguana continuously confuses the instructions to great comedic effect. Scattered through the story are sidebars with cooking tips that offer information on the ingredients, measurements, and techniques mentioned in the text.
4. Blueberry Muffins with Blueberries for Sal: This classic story by Robert McCloskey,has a little girl and her mother setting off in search of blueberries for the winter at the same time as a mother bear and her cub. A quiet comedy of errors ensues when the young ones wander off and absentmindedly trail the wrong mothers.
5. Soup with Stone Soup: Two hungry travelers, denied food by the inhabitants of a mountain village, publicly declare that they can make soup from a stone. Only they need a carrot… and a potato… and a few more ingredients to make it taste really good. Everyone in the town contributes something, pronounces the soup delicious and learns the magic behind it: sharing. Their are several versions of the story but the version retold by Heather Forest includes a recipe for Stone Soup though any simple recipe for soup would work.
6. Popcorn with The Popcorn Book: This is a nice “night lunch” book. Make some popcorn and eat it while reading this fun book by Tomie De Paola just before bedtime.
Some other books you can use include:
In the Night Kitchen
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Bread and Jam for Francis
The Pie and the Patty Pan by Beatrix Potter
Too Many Tamales by Gary Soto
The Little House Series
Four Famished Foxes and Fosdyke
Pineapple Poet and the Curse of the Smoothie Man
Green Eggs and Ham
The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog
My Mom Loves Me More than Sushi
Happy Cooking and Reading!
Do you have any favorite books that could be used as a cooking experience with children? Let us know in the comments!
Join us by adding your comments! If you haven’t already, let us help you sign up for an account to start using Pockettales in your class. Teachers and classes are always welcome! Sign up at Pockettales.com!
What’s even better than reading a classic book for the hundredth time; a book that you could probably recite from memory?
Seeing your favorite book come to life on the big screen.
Now, I know what you are saying. So many times, you look forward to the movie adaptation only to be so disappointed that you come out of the theater weeping like the Mock Turtle in Alice Wonderland (I’m looking at you, directors of The Shipping News and The Series of Unfortunate Events! Why, oh, why?). I remember one of my absolute favorite books, which I still read every year at about this time, being made into a movie a couple of years ago. It was the film adaptation of The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper, and I couldn’t wait for it to come out. What I hadn’t anticipated was that the director and screenwriters would change just about every aspect of it that made it such a classic book. From the setting to the ending; nothing was sacred. In short, it was a horrible movie and never did well.
That is why I am so looking forward to the film adaptation of The Hobbit. Having seen “The Lord of the Rings” many, many times and loved it’s dedication to the source material, I know that The Hobbit will be beautiful, exciting and faithful to what made “The Hobbit” one of the most important books of the 20th century. If it can even elicit a bit of the feeling I had opening the illustrated version of the Hobbit I was introduced to when I was in Grade 3, it will be wonderful.
You’ve probably seen it but here is the first trailer for “The Hobbit” coming out next year.
Do you have a favorite book that has been made into a movie? Did you like the movie? Let us know in the comments!
Join us by adding your comments! If you haven’t already, let us help you sign up for an account to start using Pockettales in your class. Teachers and classes are always welcome! Sign up at Pockettales.com!
As if you didn’t need more reasons to read to your children, the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), which assesses 15 year olds from the world’s leading industrialized nations, released their findings of a sub-group looking at the affects of adult participation in their children’s education.
The findings stated that,
Fifteen-year-old students whose parents often read books with them during their first year of primary school show markedly higher scores in PISA 2009 than students whose parents read with them infrequently or not at all. The performance advantage among students whose parents read to them in their early school years is evident regardless of the family’s socioeconomic background. Parents’ engagement with their 15-year-olds is strongly associated with better performance in PISA.
Thomas Friedman, a reporter with the New York Times recently wrote an article on the need for parents to stop complaining about their schools lack of ability and start taking some responsibility for their child’s achievement.
Another finding from PISA states that,
students whose parents reported that they had read a book with their child ‘every day or almost every day’ or ‘once or twice a week’ during the first year of primary school have markedly higher scores in PISA 2009 than students whose parents reported that they had read a book with their child ‘never or almost never’ or only ‘once or twice a month.’ On average, the score difference is 25 points, the equivalent of well over half a school year.
What is amazing is that this finding reaches across demographics and income levels. Even families in low income areas can see a increase in achievement by reading to their child.
In another study done by the National School Boards Association’s Center for Public Education, the authors note that,
Monitoring homework; making sure children get to school; rewarding their efforts and talking up the idea of going to college. These parent actions are linked to better attendance, grades, test scores, and preparation for college
Yes. It is sometimes harder and far easier to sink in front of the tv or computer after a hard days work. I know that I often have to rethink my priorities and tell myself that this moment, these few moments before bedtime, are precious moments with my children. The computer/tv can wait. My children’s childhood and future cannot. And if you did not believe it before, lots of very smart people have now shown us that it is true.
To see the articles and studies follow the links below:
What can parents do to help their children succeed in school?. (2011, November 10). PISA In Focus. Retrieved November 27, 2011, from www.pisa.oecd.org/dataoecd/4/1/49012097.pdf
What do you think? Let us know in the comments area!
Join us by adding your comments! If you haven’t already, let us help you sign up for an account to start using Pockettales in your class. Teachers and classes are always welcome! Sign up at Pockettales.com!
I don’t know about you but it’s getting cold here. While it’s not the coldest I have ever experienced (you don’t know cold until you are walking in -30 degree weather with a windchill that makes it -42 degrees to the school which is still open even when buses don’t run!), it is still cold enough to put on the Bing Crosby Christmas album, get some good books and snuggle on the couch with your child.
Winter time is always a great time to bring out those wonderful winter theme books that you have been saving all year. One of the new blogs I have been enjoying, Ohdeedoh.com, has some suggestions for winter books that I think are great. I thought I would share them below plus add some of my own favorites that didn’t make it on their list. These books also make great read alouds.
Snowflake Bentley by Jaqueline Briggs Martin, Illustrated by Mary Azarian
I also love the TA novel, The Dark Is Rising. While it isn’t for all people, the mix of celtic/Arthurian legend and the winter solstice give a unique look at the winter season.
So grab a good book, a comfy chair, some hot chocolate and enjoy some of these wonderful winter tale’s to drive the cold winter away!
What do you think? What are your favorite wintry books to share? Let us know in the comments!
Join us by adding your comments! If you haven’t already, let us help you sign up for an account to start using Pockettales in your class. Teachers and classes are always welcome! Sign up at Pockettales.com!
.PNG "The Monster at the end of this Book")
I wanted to expand on the second point as that can be a tricky area for parents. As we choose books for children, we of course want to allow children to have choice as that gives them ownership. However, we also want to ensure that children are reading books at their appropriate level to build reading skills and growth. A student in Grade 6 reading at a Grade 6 level but choosing books that are more intended for a grade 3 students because they are easier, is not providing enough of a challenge. Children also need to be reading books that are at or even slightly ahead of them to build vocabulary, as well as strength in comprehension and reading fluency. I am not saying that everything has to be chosen to challenge them. I myself like to read some YA materials, not only to keep up to date but also for enjoyment. However, if children are always reading books below their level, they are not building the skills they need as they move up through the grades.
Everyone here at Pockettales would like to wish you and your loved ones a Happy and Safe New Years!
So, I was organizing my kitchen cupboard to make room for the three new Jamie Oliver books I received for Christmas (and boy, does he have a lot of cookbooks), when I came across this delightful book by Liz Franklin called Cooking Italian with Kids. 
elicit expressions of disbelief (and why exactly does the Man with the Yellow Hat keeping leaving that monkey by himself?), children love how Georgegets to do all the things that they don’t get to do but wish they could. In this case, they can make pancakes. The nice thing is that they are not difficult to make. If you want to be even more experimental, try sticking bamboo skewers or popsicle sticks in them as they are cooking to make pancakes on a stick.
good Nova Scotian boy!), this is a fun story to read. 
5. Soup with Stone Soup: 
6. Popcorn with The Popcorn Book: This is a nice “night lunch” book. Make some popcorn and eat it while reading this fun book by Tomie De Paola just before bedtime.
Quick question …
As if you didn’t need more reasons to read to your children, the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), which assesses 15 year olds from the world’s leading industrialized nations, released their findings of a sub-group looking at the affects of adult participation in their children’s education.
