Reading Rockets Newsletter: July 2015

in

View this email in your browser July 2015 Newsletter In Focus | Books & Authors | Ideas for Parents & Teachers | Research & News In Focus: Outdoor Summer Learning Build reading, writing, and thinking muscles while exploring the great outdoors this month, and all summer long.   Patterns, Patterns Everywhere Try these four simple activities to help build pattern recognition and categorization skills in science and math (in English and Spanish). Then head out into the great outdoors to discover all the amazing patterns found in nature!   Share    Tweet Related resources: Nature Box Activity All Things Green Scavenger Hunt Nature Match (from Camp PBS Parents) Leafsnap (free field guide app for kids) Field Notes from a Young Scientist Science explorations give kids a chance strengthen observational and record-keeping skills by keeping a special journal to fill with sketches, notes, and graphs. Try these ideas to get your child started. (In English and Spanish).   Share    Tweet Download and print: Woodland Log Book Your Own Wild, Wild Wood Map Kids in the Garden With our garden-themed Reading Adventure Pack, kids can earn how to create a kitchen herb garden, nurture seedlings, and map out a fantasy garden. Activities are paired with recommended fiction and nonfiction books. Find more themed books, hands-on and outdoor activities, apps and more in Start with a Book's Our Green World section.   Share    Tweet   Rolling on the River Build a stick raft (and test the waters!), write an original river song, and explore the sounds of water with our rivers-themed Reading Adventure Pack. You'll also find great fiction and nonfiction books about ponds, rivers, and streams. Find more themed books, hands-on and outdoor activities, apps and more in Start with a Book's Oceans, Ponds and Rivers section.   Share    Tweet   Children's Books & Authors Our Big Summer Booklists Summer … the perfect season for cool drinks, fresh-air reading, and a towering stack of books inviting kids to visit new worlds, real and imagined Our children's literature expert, Maria Salvadore, carefully chose each book to keep your child reading (and listening) all summer long.   Share    Tweet Book Swap for Kids Looking to refresh your home library?  Try organizing a neighborhood book swap. Here's a simple how-to. One idea: have kids make a simple bookmark for each donated book with a short review or rating. (In English and Spanish)   Share    Tweet The Quiet Place: Our Interview with Sarah Stewart and David Small Writer Stewart and illustrator Small have published many award-winning picture books together, including The Journey, The Library, and the Caldecott Honor Book, The Gardener. Find out the secret to their joyful collaboration.   Share    Tweet Ideas for Parents & Teachers For Parents Madam President Join our summer blogger Carol Shen as she and her daughter Addie explore the idea of being President. With a candid "what if I were President" interview with her mom, see the world through a young girl's eyes.   Share    Tweet For Teachers Making Whole Class Work More Effective Literacy expert Timothy Shanahan shares 7 tips for making whole-class instruction more effective. Tip #1: Get close to the kids   Share    Tweet For Parents The Night Before the Museum Visits to the zoo, aquarium, or art museum create memorable learning opportunities for families. Here are 4 tips on how to build anticipation and extend the learning. (In English and Spanish)   Share    Tweet For Teachers First Year Teacher  Best practices in K–3 reading and writing instruction (including 10 self-paced course modules). Free.   Share    Tweet   For Parents Summer Listening The summer season is full of sounds! Create a fun and educational summer listening program for your child. Active listening is an important literacy skill and can be especially helpful for kids with learning disabilities.   Share    Tweet For Teachers Launching Young Readers Watch online anytime! Our award-winning PBS television programs about reading and early education.   Share    Tweet   Research & News Students' Reading and Math Skills Are Still All Over the Map National Public Radio | July 9, 2015 Study Says Reading Aloud to Children, More Than Talking, Builds Literacy EdSource | July 8, 2015 Screen Addiction Is Taking a Toll on Children The New York Times | July 7, 2015 Perfect Partners: Libraries and the Nationwide Pre–K Movement School Library Journal | July 1, 2015 "Kuplink, kuplank, kuplunk go the blueberries into Little Sal's tin pail." – from Blueberries for Sal, Robert McCloskey's 1949 Caldecott Honor book. Rediscover this timeless story with our animal-themed Reading Adventure Pack activities. Facebook Twitter YouTube About Reading Rockets Reading Rockets is a national educational service of WETA, the flagship public television and radio station in the nation's capital. The goal of the project is to provide information on how young kids learn to read, why so many struggle, and how caring adults can help. Learn about easy ways you can link to us to let others know about the many free resources available from Reading Rockets. Send your questions, comments, or suggestions to readingrockets@weta.org. Our mailing address is WETA/Reading Rockets, 2775 S. Quincy St., Arlington, VA 22206. We look forward to hearing from you! Copyright © 2015 WETA Learning Media, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in to receive newsletters from a WETA Learning Media project: www.ReadingRockets.org | www.ColorinColorado.org | www.LDOnLine.org | www.AdLit.org Our mailing address is: WETA Learning Media 3939 Campbell Ave. Arlington, VA 22206 Add us to your address book unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences