Parents As Reading Partners February 24, 2015 Michelle DeMarco

“In the end, there is no program or policy that can substitute for a mother or father who will attend those parent/teacher conferences, or help with homework after dinner, or turn off the TV, put away the video games, and read to their child. I speak to you not just as a President, but as a father when I say that responsibility for our children's education must begin at home. ” President Barack Obama Address to Joint Session of Congress February 24, 2009

“Every child. Every parent. Every day.”  3 Ways To Read Aloud  Read the Pictures  Read the Words  Retell the Story  Make it Routine  After Meals  Bed Time  Nap Time  Make it fun!!  Make up funny voices  Make up sound effects (or have your child do it)  Act out the story  Ask questions about what you’ve read  Have your child predict before turning the page

Why Read Aloud? In an era of high-stakes testing and education reforms and revolutions, research has repeatedly proved that one simple parenting technique is among the most effective. Children who are read aloud to by parents get a head start in language and literacy skills and go to school better prepared."Reading aloud to young children, particularly in an engaging manner, promotes emerging literacy and language development and supports the relationship between child and parent," concludes a review in this month's Archives of Disease in Childhood.In other words, reading that bedtime story may not only entertain and soothe Johnny, it may also develop his vocabulary, improve his ability to learn to read, and - perhaps most important - foster a lifelong love of books and reading.Developing that passion for reading is crucial, according to Jim Trelease, author of the best- seller, "The Read-Aloud Handbook." "Every time we read to a child, we're sending a 'pleasure' message to the child's brain," he writes in the "Handbook." "You could even call it a commercial, conditioning the child to associate books and print with pleasure."

10 Good Reasons to Read Aloud to Your Children 1. When you hold children and give them attention, they know you love them. 2. Reading to children will encourage them to become readers. 3. Children’s books today are so good, they’re fun for adults too. 4. Illustrations in children’s books rank with the best, giving children a life-long feeling for good art. 5. Books are one way of passing on your values. 6. Books will enable a child’s imagination to soar. 7. Until children learn to read themselves, they will think you create magic. 8. Reading together helps develop a child’s attention span. 9. When you give children this gift, you create special memories that last a lifetime. 10. Every teacher and librarian they ever encounter will thank you. NYS PTA website ( Buffalo Public Schools’ Title I Parent Center)

Reading has also been referred to as the mechanical prelude to engaging the content; what really matters is what the reader’s mind and imagination does with that content. If the goal for children is to become readers who can understand the message, think critically about the content, use their imagination, and make connections with the book, then listening to audiobooks can help them do all this while developing their listening skills. (Readingrockets, “Benefits of Audiobooks for All Readers,” ) Audiobooks can also be considered a bridge to reading, a way for young readers to enjoy literature at their listening comprehension level, which is significantly above their reading level. (Varley, “As Good as Reading?”: 255.)

Audiobooks can bring families together. We often hear of librarians and teachers who listen to audiobooks as they commute to work, but children are also commuters, spending many hours in the backseat of the family car while on vacation, on the way to soccer practice, and waiting in rush-hour traffic. Families can experience “communal listening,” choosing a book that will offer something of interest to all age ranges within the family. The littlest one in the car seat may not know what all the words mean, but just the experience of listening to a well-narrated story is beneficial. (Robin Whitten, “Speaking of Audio: Audio on the Go,” )

Benefits of Listening According to Jim Trelease, “ CHILDREN usually read on one level and listen on a higher level. It’s usually not until eighth grade that the reading level catches up to the listening level. This means that first-graders can hear and understand third- and fourth-grade books they can’t read yet.”

Check these out:  brochure.pdf brochure.pdf  brochure.pdf brochure.pdf  DOs.pdf DOs.pdf  DONTs.pdf DONTs.pdf 

Any Questions??