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!
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Cruising from one success to the next, Pockettales Founder Yaw Awing was featured in the Nov. 5 edition of the Post-Bulletin Newspaper. Developing the idea from his experiences as a young child, playing math games on the computer, Yaw talks about the early days in creating the popular online reading site. You can read the short excerpt here or if you have access to the print edition, you can read the full article there. Just another reason why Pockettales is so awesome!
After having written the blog post on how to choose a good read-aloud, I thought afterwards that I should have perhaps started with the why of reading aloud. In our busy days and schedules, it can be easy to dismiss prioritizing time to read aloud to our children. In his book, “The Read-Aloud Handbook”, Jim Trelease gives several important reasons to read-aloud. Surprisingly, I just came across this book recently and wish I had seen it years earlier. It is a treasure trove of research and resources for both teachers and parents.
Taken from his book, here are 10 reasons why you should read to your child:
1. It’s an accrued skill - It’s a time thing. The more you read, the better you get. Therefore the more time you spend reading to your child the better they are going to be prepared for actual reading. You are embedding those building blocks. Just because they can’t read yet doesn’t mean that they can’t still begin learning and understanding the process. Quite often, you will hear the kindergarten teachers talk about those students who have come into kindergarten not ready. A lot of times it is because families have not spent the time reading to their children right from an early age. The interesting thing is that often Kindergarten teachers can accurately predict how a child is going to do as they continue through to graduation. Some of that prediction comes from how they enter kindergarten.
2. Create life time readers and not just school-time readers. A lot of times I see parents butting their heads against teachers and homework policies. I have had numerous conversations about how school is for school and home is for home. And there is certainly a place for that thinking. Homework for homework sake is not good and is really what the fight over homework is about in my mind. However, this is not a post about homework per se. The point though is that, we want to build children who don’t just read for school. That just creates students who think that reading is just about schoolwork. Reading at home build’s the “want-to” of reading and not the “just-to”.
3.The best source for brain building at the early ages is through the ear. While young children are not yet ready to read with their eyes on their own, reading aloud to them, helps them to hear the words and associate it with what they see. The rich sounds of words help the child make sense of the words they will read later on.
4. To reassure your child - the whole reading with your child reassures them and comforts them. They can snuggle in your arms and feel safe. It is time well spent with your child that will pay huge dividends later on. They know that the time you spend with them is important and thus, they are important.
5. To entertain and bond with your child - The way you speak the text and interact with the book and your child builds reading as something done for fun. Using voices, emphasis, engaging children with the various elements on display brings stories to life as a tv brings live action to life. The important difference is that the stories you read can proceed at your own pace, not a pace dictated by the television. You can stop to explore, talk about what is going on, ask questions. You are an engaged, interactive audience not passively immobile with no control. I still remember my father reading “Danny, the Champion of the World”. It created an indelible memory in me that makes me remember my father every time I read that book. Now that he has passed away, it is nice to have something that I can remember as having been a bond between us.
6. To arouse curiosity and inspire - as with the previous point, as you begin to delve into the story, the pictures and the concepts, you inspire and grow curiosity within your child. And again, they can stop to think about what they are seeing, hearing and reading. They can go back to a previous idea if they need to. A book of poetry with original photographs can inspire your child to look at photographs in new ways or to create their own photograph album. The possibilities are endless with books. You can find and explore books on any concept regardless of the age level. Just because a child can’t read the book themselves does not mean that it can not still be read to them and explore the illustrations. The interesting thing is that children often have a higher level of listening comprehension than reading comprehension meaning that a child at a grade 4 read level can understand a grade 6 reading level if it is read to them. Often the books, I read in my class are of a higher reading level than what my students can actually read. We’ll talk more about this later.
7. Conditions the child to associate reading with pleasure - When you read with your child, it actually triggers pleasure sensations within our brains. And we always want to return to things that bring us pleasure. My daughter associates reading with getting to snuggle with her father. It is our time together and it brings us both happiness. Developing this joy in reading will help create a reading that is “want-to” reader rather than a “just-to” reader. We will always come back to reading because our brains have associated it with a time of happiness.
8. Creates background knowledge - Allowing your child to find and read books based on their interest, helps them to build knowledge that is relevant to them. I remember being fascinated with Napolean when I was in Grade 3 (Yes, I know I was weird). My mother took me to the public library which had a very limited number of books on the subject and none at my level. So, instead of telling me that there was nothing for me, my mother took the time to go through the material with me and help me to understand and read what I could not. Young children can interact with material as their parents engage them with the text, questioning, pointing out elements of the pictures, etc.
9. Builds book vocabulary - Just engaging with books with your child helps to build the vocabulary of using books. Table of contexts, page turning, reading from left to right, front cover, etc, are all things that children begin to understand just by sharing books with parents.
10. Provides a reading role model - Seeing your parents, older siblings, heros reading is hugely important. I just had a conversation with a parent about their child’s reading at our recent report card interviews. She was complaining that her child doesn’t like reading much at home for pleasure. I asked her what the reading was like for the parents. She looked a little sheepish and stated that she didn’t particularly read much for pleasure either and realized on her own that there may be a connection. If you prioritize reading and make it important at home, your children will know it is important and may be more likely to pick it up themselves. Getting them their own library card, bringing books, books, and more books into the home, going to bookstores, sharing what you are reading, having conversations about reading and books; these are all things that show how important it is. Having their role models doing this … it just makes even more of a case for getting into it themselves.
The Read-Aloud handbook is a great resource for parents and teachers. You can probably find it at your local library. If not, you can find quite a bit of good information online at http://www.trelease-on-reading.com/rah-intro.html.
What do you think? What reading traditions have you started with your children to develop a love of reading? 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!
Reading out loud to your children, whether you are a teacher or a parent, is one of the best ways to encourage and share the love of reading to your children. However, some books are better than others for this as I discovered last year when I went to share a great book I had found with my class.
I had just finished reading The Mysterious Benedict Society and was so excited to share it with the students. As I was nearing the end of the book I was reading with my class, I thought it would be the perfect next book to read aloud. It had action, adventure, interesting young characters and humour. Or so I thought.
Once I started reading the book out loud, I realized that the book was far too long with way too much descriptive text. The students quickly tuned out during the long expository moments and got lost in the fine intricacies of the plot as they had failed to pay attention to the other parts. It wan’t a failure. Some students loved. But it was definitely a harder book for them to get into.
So what makes for an exciting and captivating read aloud book?
It tells a rich story in simple language: This was my problem with the “Mysterious Benedict Society. It was a very rich story but the richness of it made it difficult for the students to get into it as a read aloud. A read aloud should move the story forward easily without getting bogged down in too much descriptive language. While descriptive language is important in developing intense, vibrant and complex ideas and literature, it is hard to get that across as a read aloud. Much better to leave that to the children to read on their own. It’s easier to digest that amount of detail when you are reading with your own eyes.
Is enjoyable for the reader too: I have found this to be very true with books my child loves. It is hard to maintain the enjoyment of a book when it has been read over and over again. While repetition is good for young readers, it is hard to get across any excitement when you are not enjoying it. However, if you allow your child to choose a book, then choose one of your own during your reading time (or even hide the book in questions as we have done) you can at least show your child that there are other books to enjoy. If you are a teacher, this job is a little easier. There are lots of good lists out there to help you choose a read-aloud that others have found to be good. A librarian can also be great in helping you choose a good read-aloud. Part of this also comes from experience and trial and error. My experience with the Mysterious Benedict Society showed me that that was not the ideal book. The kids will be gracious though and I just finished anyway and chalked it up to experience. Some of the ones the kids did love though were the Shiloh series and the The Series of Unfortunate Events though I only read the first three. And here is the difference which is important in picking a book you will enjoy reading. The books I have enjoyed reading the most have been the books where I can get into the characters and act them out. There are exceptions to this but this has been the one rule that has helped me. With both the books mentioned above, I have been able to develop the character in front of the kids and act the voice parts of it out in front of them. There are other books that don’t fit this but are still good read alouds but I have noticed that the students really get into the stories if I can bring out the characters in interesting ways. For example, the novel, “Shiloh” takes place in the Southern States so I like to use my form of a southern accent for the characters. It usually surprises the students and brings attention to the characters and setting. But above all it makes it fun for me which the students can see.
Sometimes deals with mature subjects or issues: Read-alouds can be great books to have quick discussions about in the moment. Just yesterday, I had a conversation with my Grade 3’s about compound interest as the read-aloud I was reading involved the young character deciding whether or not to put his money in the bank. There are lots of examples of places that read-alouds can speak to students on difficult subjects. With the teacher or parent reading the books, they can help students to understand the complex issues or plot. One of the books I have read to the students, Holes, is a great contemporary novel. However, it all hinges on a series of plot devices including flash backs. If the students in Grade 3 read the story themselves, they would most likely miss these elements. However, I can certainly help them understand what is going on and they always love the story and the quirks in the plot. Reading books that are more mature than their actual reading level brings in and exposes them to higher level ideas and vocabulary with the help they need to assimilate them into their own world of reading and writing. I also enjoy reading these books to the students as it allows me to help students grapple with interesting and thought provoking ideas and concepts.
Or is very, very, very funny: Some books, no matter what age level they are, are just fun to read to the students. If you have a great book, it doesn’t matter what age level it is actually for, students and children of all ages will love it.
Now, I know what you are thinking, dear readers. What books do I use in my class? Here are some of the books I use in my class though it does sometimes change.
1. Little House on the Prairie/ Farmer Boy: These are timeless classics and they are great to remind students of how much things have changed. While the language can be a little archaic (indians, etc), they can also be great conversation builders especially if you are doing a pioneer unit. They have some great stories in them and students always enjoy them. I usually start my year with either one of those books.
2. Loser: This is a fairly recent book but the short chapters and the
details in it that students will recognize in their own lives make it a lot of fun to read.There are some very humourous moments in it as the book describes the life of a boy growing up. There are also some deeper issues in it about how people view others, what makes people different and how we treat others who don’t always fit in. It’s also a great book to talk about perspective. This is one of my all time favorites!
3. Series of Unfortunate Events: This book has great characters I
enjoy acting out and lots of interesting vocabulary. This isn’t a book for everyone thoughand some may not like the topics in it but the students have always enjoyed them. I only read the first couple though.
4. Shiloh: I love to use my Southern Accent on this book (bad as it is!) and the students completely side with the main character as he fights to save the life of an animal. Some good discussions on whether it is
good to lie and steal if it is intended for good. Some great action in this book.
5. Holes: A great book to read with great action and plot details. If you take time to explain what is going on throughout the book with the plot pieces all weaving together the students will enjoy it even more. A good one especially for the higher kids in your class.
6. Because of Winn-Dixie: An easy read but fun. Another book where I get to use my southern accent badly!
7. Stone Fox: A short chapter book, this story will have your students mesmerized. Warning! Very sad ending. I often find myself on the verge of tears reading this book and you are guaranteed to have tears from some of your students.
8. Danny the Champion of the World: This is a sentimental favorite of mine which allows me to add it to this list. My father read this to me and I enjoy it so much as a tale of a father and his son exploring the world together.
Let us know in your comments below!
What books do you enjoy reading to your children? What would you add to the list? Are there other ways you use to separate good books from books that make great read-alouds?
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That would be Sir Ken Robinson of course (Not Ken of Barbie and Ken fame. Not that that Ken doesn’t deserve a lifetime service award for his work over the years but I digress)!
Sir Ken, a proponent on changes to our education system, recently spoke at a conference on changing the traditional paradigm of education. It’s a great video by RSA Animate. They have taken his speech and created some beautiful graphic illustrations underneath that complement and enlarge the ideas. Watch the video beneath and then share some time with me as we look at some of the issues involved.
Now, I think everyone agrees that things in Education need to change. I agree with everything he says to some degree. I think that, like all speakers who make their living on a soapbox, that there are elements of embellishment to help make his point. There are several examples of creativity and wonderful learning going on in traditional schools all over the country. Oftentimes we forget that in the rush to change. We do have great things happening.
Having said that, there is a change that is needed. My question though is this:
When have we talked about this enough?
We have made these arguments so many times, in so many ways. I don’t think there are many out there that would disagree that we need change. There are lots of engaging figures and videos out there that have been talking about these issues for years already (you can see two of them here and here).
I think teachers and educators are tired of the conversation. They want to see action.
After several sessions from our principal laying the foundation for 21st century education and changes in education, one of the teachers I work with leaned over to me and said, “I’m glad that we’re finally looking at some practical ways of doing this. I get so tired just talking about the theory.”
Now, I know what you are saying. Theory is important. It is the foundation of what we are trying to do; the reason for making drastic changes.
But a lot of teachers are practical. They agree that there needs to be change but they want to know how to do it. And here is where I believe the real issues are.
1. The Conversation Doesn’t Need to Stop; It Just Needs to Move Forward:
Most teachers want to know that it can be done. They want to change but they don’t want to fail. As Heidi Jacobs Hayes states in Curriculum 21 (2010), teachers are not “resisting new approaches; (they) just want to do it right.” They understand the theory but are overwhelmed with all the buzzwords and elements needed to put it into place. As I work with my elementary staff on this, the resistance comes from a fear of failure and chaos. They feel so safe with their worksheets and textbooks. They can control the situation and know what to expect. These changes are trying to throw all that out and replace it with an unknown which is scary. They say, “Why would I trade what I have for that? Where are the supports? Where are the resources? How do I know this is going to work for my students?” We need to now move the conversation to the HOW of 21st Century Education. Which brings me to my second point …
2. Industries Around Education Need To Change and Be More Proactive
Now, I know that someone is going to say that there are lots of resources out there on how to do this. There are websites galore all expanding on the how of 21st century education and PBL (project based learning). Here is one example here.
But these resources and websites are not typically on the radars of most schools and teachers. They need to be searched out and found, then adapted to school and teachers unique needs. This takes time and unless there is an active and micro-managed movement in the school, teachers are not usually going to take the time to do it. There are many reasons for this including a lack of experience in searching effectively and the building (or lack of building) of a personal network of teachers, educators and leaders.
Teachers, schools and districts typically still rely on the big industries surrounding Education to supply their resources in bringing concepts and learning to the class. Yes, these rely on the curriculum and are developed around them. But, for the most part, they have not changed in style or format since we were younger.
If we want to create a change and a movement towards 21st Century learning, we need to bring the big companies on board and “encourage” them to start creating resources that are more in line with 21st century pedagogies. These are the companies (Pearson, McGraw-Hill, Scholastics, etc) that can help transition teachers to developing the skills students need. Replacing textbooks with resources for implementing and creating 21st century skills can also help bring relevancy to these companies as more and more institutions move away from textbook. However, as schools and teacher continue to use and depend on these companies for resources, they need to be targeted.
3. Where Are All the Small, Creative Industries?
We continue to talk about how we are training students for jobs that don’t exist yet, that students are finding work that does not involve being hired by a large company/firm, that university degrees may be irrelevant in tomorrow’s economy but schools continue to guide students to the big universities and faculties that have always traditionally drawn students. Where are these opportunities for students? Why do we continue to push students towards the large faculties?
Recently, I had a student helper in my class who was in her Grade 12 year. She had been planning to go to post-secondary and go into law. As she worked in my class, I continually gave her projects that included designing and creating my bulletin boards for various subjects. As I watched her and saw her work blossom on my walls, I realized that she had an incredible gift for graphic design. When I talked to her about it as a possible career, she was amazed that that was even a possibility.
My point is that if employers want students that are creative, adaptable, collaborative and skilled in the areas that entrepreneurs in all areas want, they need to be proactive in getting into the schools and engaging with students, teachers, districts to open the eyes to the different possibilities. Maybe they need to go in and help schools develop an apprenticeship program to draw out the work force they need. Maybe it’s just to help schools understand that there is more out than just the big faculties. I, myself, had always thought that if I had been guided differently, I might have chosen to go into graphic/web design myself. You never know. But if this is what the business world wants then they need to help shift the paradigm.
These are by all means not the only ones. There are also issues revolving around time and work schedules, spaces, etc. But those require more drastic changes; whereas the ones I am highlighting can make changes right away in ways that create the need and desire for bigger changes.
What do you think? What do you see happening in your schools? Has change happened easily? Where is the resistance coming from? How do you think needs to change?
Let us know in your comments.
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Interesting article on CNN.com on getting children to read more. Teaching children to read is such a fine balance in schools. Getting children to love reading but also to impart upon them the skills they need to become better readers can be tricky particularly amongst boys. While we want to encourage children to read, by putting into place a variety of reading programs like Accelerated Reader; a lot of times those same programs drive children away from a love of reading.
James Patterson says,
“The best way to get kids reading more is to give them books that they’ll gobble up — and that will make them ask for another. Yes, it’s that simple. 1 + 1 = 2. Kids say the No. 1 reason they don’t read more is that they can’t find books they like. Freedom of choice is a key to getting them motivated and excited. Vampire sagas, comics, manga, books of sports statistics — terrific! — as long as kids are reading. Should they read on e-tablets? Sure, why not? How about rereading a book? Definitely. And don’t tell them a book is too hard or too easy. “Great Expectations”? Absolutely. “Finnegans Wake”?Well, maybe not. And remember, books can be borrowed free at libraries.”
In the article, James Patterson also pinpoints the important role that parents need to play in encouraging reading at home by being role models. In my years in the classroom, one of the differences in children who are readers and children who are not, is the priority that parents place on reading for enjoyment. The more children see the influential people around them prioritizing and loving books and literature, the more children are encouraged to read. There is a crucial partnership that parents and teachers need to have.
Here are several tips I give to parents when asked about how to foster reading at home:
Find a place and time free of distractions: While bedtime is the most popular time to read, anytime where you can focus on the book with the child is important.
Be creative and Use expression: Even though it may not be the thing that you are most comfortable with, using voices and expression bring stories alive for children. They will sit rapt and attentive as they listen to the stories you are reading.
Re-read favorite books: We know. We feel your pain as you site reading Cat and the Hat for the 20th time in one day. However, re-reading a book allows children to learn stories and words by heart which is part of the process of reading. Those words are used in many other places and children learn to recognize those same letter combinations in other places. Children also begin to feel confident as readers when they begin “reading” their favorite books even though they are actually just re-telling the story from their memory. These are important first steps.
Talk about the books you read: Talking with your child about the books you are all reading begins to help students understand that there are messages and ideas behind the words and that it is important to delve deeper and think about what is happening. Checking with your child by asking about the chapter or pages they have read also provides accountability for children who may be rushing to do other activities.
Allow children to choose: While you may have loved Black Beauty when you were younger, children today may not understand the context and be turned away. Allowing children to choose from their own interests, as it fits in the context of your family values, gives children a sense of ownership over their own reading.
Pick both fiction and non-fiction books: We generally tend to gravitate to the fiction section of the bookstore, but there are some great non-fiction books out there that can really connect students. Imagine getting a Stars and Constellations book and going outside at night and seeing the constellations you have bee just reading about! Some powerful learning and connections can happen.
These are just some tips I give to parents. This is why Home Reading programs are so important to classes. In my class, it’s not about giving another thing for homework. It’s about fostering, enabling and supporting parents in developing children into fanatic readers.
That is why we designed PocketTales to help children rediscover a love of reading by helping to share and find great books!
What do you think? Do you think parents do enough to foster reading at home? Or do you think schools need to do more? What influenced you as a reader? Let us know in the comments!
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We knew that Pockettales was awesome! Teachers love it, kids love it and now big name publishers have told us that they think our idea could have an amazing impact on student learning!
The Global Education Challenge is a new award sponsored by Houghton-Mifflin Harcourt Publishers to identify innovative, game-changing ideas for improving K-12 student outcomes around the world. Amongst the many amazing entries, Pockettales stood out as an amazing product that focused on developing a love of reading through goal-setting, game mechanics, social interaction and feedback.
As Michael Muldowney, Chief Financial Officer of HMH states, “The goal of the Global Education Challenge was to rally innovative thinkers worldwide to share creative ideas for tools that address the issues inhibiting student achievement, and identify solutions that foster positive student outcomes. These winning ideas illustrate the power that communities can have in generating tangible education solutions.”
We are so proud of the great team behind Pockettales. A lot of hard work and incredible passion goes into developing a top notch product by our developers and it is nice that they are getting some well deserved recognition from one of the largest book publishers!
Join us by adding your comments! If you haven’t already, let us help you sign up for an account. Teachers and classes are always welcome! Sign up at Pockettales.com!
My name is Ian Hancock and I am so happy to be the newest member of the Pockettales team! As we are going to be seeing a lot of each other over the coming days, weeks and years, I thought I would take a moment to tell everyone a little about myself.
For the last twelve years, I have worked in the Education field primarily as an elementary teacher. I have taught all ages of students but my real passion is to teach Grades 3 and 4. I am currently teaching Grade 3 in a private school in beautiful British Columbia, Canada! I am also currently the Head Teacher for Grades 4-6 and love having the chance to work with and learn from my colleagues. I recently completed my Masters in Educational Technology which has helped me to combine my two passions, Education and Technology (go figure!). I have enjoyed the opportunity to enhance and inspire my students learning through the use of technology and 21st century skills. I am also interested in technology outside of the education field and am currently developing an app called iWishfor. I love design as it pertains to web development and print media. I also have to admit that I have a bit of a fetish for different fonts, which is a little embarrassing!
A little more about me: I love traveling, singing and listening to all types of music, from Broadway to bluegrass! I love Italian food and barbecue pizza. I have two beautiful children who love reading and being read to.
Which brings me to Pockettales. I am so happy to have been asked to be a part of this team. I am passionate about reading and books and feel that children these days don’t get to have the same feeling of wonder from opening a new book or finding a new author that I had as a child. There are so many distractions and messages bombarding kids and it can be hard to encourage readers. That’s why I love the idea and driving force behind Pockettales. In the followings weeks and months, I want to encourage Pockettalers with news, resources and thoughts on books, reading and other topics. It’s going to be a blast and I would love to have you join us.
Join us by adding your comments! If you haven’t already, let us help you sign up for an account. Teachers and classes are always welcome! Sign up at Pockettales.com!
It’s been a busy start to the year for Pockettales and there has been so much happening since we last wrote on our blog that we felt that we needed to let all the Pockettalers in on some of the exciting things going on behind the scenes.
First of all, we want to introduce our newest member to the team, Ian Hancock. While we will let him introduce himself, we are so excited to have him as a part of our team. Ian will be sharing news about new Pockettales updates and features as well as giving insight to things happening in education and with educational technology.
Cruising from one success to the next, Pockettales Founder Yaw Awing was featured in the Nov. 5 edition of the Post-Bulletin Newspaper. Developing the idea from his experiences as a young child, playing math games on the computer, Yaw talks about the early days in creating the popular online reading site. You can read the short excerpt 
great to remind students of how much things have changed. While the language can be a little archaic (indians, etc), they can also be great conversation builders especially if you are doing a pioneer unit. They have some great stories in them and students always enjoy them. I usually start my year with either one of those books.
