My Daughter's Literacy Journey, 3 years 3 months

For me, a reading specialist, it's great fun to see how my daughter's literacy is developing. This series follows her literacy development every few months.

At this stage in her life, we don't do much explicit teaching of letters-- with a lit specialist for a mom and an English teacher for a dad, we haven't been too concerned about teaching her to read and don't want to bombard her with games or drills that practice these skills- I'm hoping she'll show interest when she's ready. But, of course, we like to create a home environment that celebrates reading and literacy. It's always great fun to peek in on my daughter's playing-- this is where I get a true picture of her literacy development.

Here's a picture of my daughter's writing. It's developed a bit from several months ago. She's picked up on a couple conventions in writing, simply by observation: words go across the page left to right, we write in horizontal lines, there are spaces between paragraphs. It also seems like she's starting to group some of her "letters" together to make "words". When we ask her what she's written, she always has something to say. For example, her scribblings may represent certain letters (E, A, K...), or at times they represent a message ("Come play with me"), or a purpose (an invitation to a party). It's clear that she understands that we write letters and we use this writing to communicate in a myriad of ways. I look forward to these symbols becoming actual letters!

Over the past couple of months, there's been a couple other ways my daughter's literacy had morphed:

• She's retelling favorite books, sometimes summarizing pages, and other times retelling word-for-word. Hmmm, I curious to know if she retells word-for-word when the words chosen by the author are especially enticing and playful. When retelling Madeline the other day she said, using the exact language in the book, "the girls break the bread," as the characters were eating dinner. When never use this alliterative phrase around our house- but it definitely stuck with her as an interesting phrase. 
• She has definite opinions on books she wants to read. She dislikes certain books too.  
• She's taken with Bible story books, especially with stories about Jesus. She asks to study these pages in any given Bible story book- this habit started after Christmastime.
• She loves visiting the library- but mommy has lost a library book (ahh!)-- so unfortunately I've been avoiding the library until i can get my hand on said book!
• She "reads" board books to her little brother (4 weeks old). This usually involves jamming the book in his face so he can see the pictures.
• She writes cards and letters and "mails" them, or plays birthday party with them (these letters function as party invitations).
• She sings her abc's as she washes her hands (a way to keep our case germ-free with a new bambino). We suggested she does this, but it's cute to hear her doing it on her own.
• She also plays homework and classroom - this has become a new favorite after hanging out with a Kindergartener. 

Every child learns at a different pace. I thought it would be fun to track my daughter's literacy growth to see how she's growing and changing. I'd love to hear how your kids are developing too. I know some kids that can read at 3!! Impressive!! What do you notice about your child's literacy journey?

Perhaps I should be more explicit about teaching my daughter numbers, letters, words-- but at this point it's just fun to watch her discover these skills on her own!

My Daughter's Literacy Journey- 2 years, 9 months

Since I'm a reading specialist, I look at a lot of daughter's development in terms of her development into the reader and writer that she will become some day (I know I'm such a nerd). I hope to track her literacy development in monthly posts. I'm also interested to hear what you parents out there are experiencing with your child's literacy development. How do you see your child's literacy developing?

Writing Development/Alphabet Recognition:

When I see this (her scribbles):

I don't see scribbles. I see that her drawings have morphed from circular scribbles all over the page, to smaller, letter-looking, with a lot more control. When she draws/writes she points to her "letters" and says, "H, M, LMNOP...." Her pretending that her "letters" are indeed letters is a step on her path to writing real letters. If your child is "writing" or "reading" this should be praised. They are pretending because they want to be like a grown-up. And lots of pretending will lead my little one to find joy in reading and writing and learning her letters. 

Reading Comprehension:

Also when rereading stories to her, my husband and I will pause for her to fill in words. For example, "Lola and her mom were going to walk to the ---------- (library)." She's starting to fill in words, especially with her most loved books. 

How's your child developing their literacy skills?

Llama Llama I Miss My Mama!

I'm adding The Children's Book Review to my blogroll. I especially like the read alouds of Llama Llama by Anna Dewdney (See video below).


Their Quest for Literacy sections has good tidbits and general information for parents about teaching reading.


This site is especially good for parents looking for a good book for their kidlets.



What good sites have you come across lately?

I'm Linking up to Learning All The Time. Please visit and check out the other posts from this week!

Be Well Read On!

Library Loot: Pretty New Books

So, I've been attracted to the new kids books lately at the library. Here's what I picked up this Tuesday:


This is the first time I was introduced to Nikki Grimes' Dyamonde Daniel book series. I can see a lot of my 4/5 struggling readers really enjoying this series. I just read the first chapter and am loving it. I think young urban students would really connect to the characters.








Eloise Greenfield has presented a collection of beautiful poems about The Great Migration of Blacks from the South to the North from 1915-1930. This book could be for elementary students, but if I was a high school history teacher I would use this books as a hook into talking about The Great Migration. The art is lovely as well!






I love Katie Klise's books, and this is no exception. I think young readers would really enjoy Over My Dead Body. Her books always have a lot of artifacts and illustrations- which is especially great for the reluctant reader.








The beautiful cover of this book called to me. It's a little dream-like and fantastical. Kids may not connect to the characters, but they will be swept away by the illustrations and story-telling.







I can't wait to share this for Non Fiction Monday. This fun book is about the invention of bubble gum!









Summer is before us. I saw this book about family day trips in Nor Cal- had to pick it up to see if anything spoke to me for our family of 3!








Enjoy your day! Hopefully you'll scoot over to The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader and check out all of the other fabulous Library Loot posts!

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!




Be Well! Read on!

Save Oakland's Libraries Now!

Many cities need to cut budgets drastically, my city of Oakland, CA, is no different. As of now, there are 3 budgets scenarios out there.  One scenario proposes to close 14 of Oakland's 17 branches. That is just craziness!! We've been up in arms about it for the last month or so locally.

Under Scenario A, the following services will be cut:

• 13 branch libraries are scheduled to close: Asian, Brookfield, Chavez, Eastmont, Elmhurst, Golden Gate, Lakeview, Martin Luther King, Melrose, Montclair, Piedmont Avenue, Temescal, West Oakland
• 4 remaining libraries – Main, Rockridge, Dimond, and 81st Avenue – would only be open 3 days a week
• Main Library will close its Children’s Room, Teen Zone, and Oakland History Room
• The Tool Lending Library and the African-American Museum and Library at Oakland (AAMLO) will close
• Second Start Adult Literacy will close
• Limited funding for new books, DVDs or other materials purchased
• Discontinuation of electronic services like downloadable books and databases

It's plain ridiculous that in a city with such high crime rates- libraries would be shuttered. I use our libraries all the time, mainly the Cesar Chavez, Dimond, and Main branches. As a teacher, I often get books to read to my students (ps. most schools don't have libraries anymore! Remember? The libraries and librarians were the first to go?). I also love walking to the library with my daughter- getting books for myself and books for us to read together. However, the biggest tragedy wouldn't be that I'd personally lose this beloved and valuable community resource, but I know closing our libraries will have a dramatic (negative) impact on our city.

I teach in East Oakland. I encourage many of our students to get outside and play. So often I hear the refrain, "It's not safe." And they're right. We've had several lock downs at our school this year because of mid-day drive-by shootings on the corner. Our kids (and adults!!) need somewhere safe to be, to learn, to explore, outside of their homes and classrooms. Many parks are deteriorating and unsafe. Where will my students get books? Where will adults go for literacy support? Where will families discover the love of literacy together?

It is hard to believe that our libraries could close. I know that our crime rates would go even higher. More kids would enter gangs.  Our adult illiteracy rate would climb. And I don't think I'm being overly dramatic. Giving access to books and literacy resources ensures a better future for the members of our community- have we lost sight of that plain truth?

This may just be a political stunt to get folks riled up- I really hope so.

See these community letters in support of our libraries 

 

What does your library brings to your community?

Read Aloud Thursday: Time for a Feast!

Even though my 18 MO daughter has a hard time sitting through an entire read aloud- we try quite a bit. We read several books before bed, and we like to grab a nearby book and read anytime we're lounging around the house snuggling- which happens pretty often (and is usually the highlight of my day)!

Pre-kids I didn't see the point in board books, but now I love them. I love that they allow my wee one to interact with text at any early age- turning pages, understanding how we hold a book, pointing to pictures/illustrations that interest her, etc...

Today we read Feast for 10, by Cathryn Falwell. We picked it up at the library last week.

Reading level: Ages 4-8
Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: Sandpiper (February 1, 1995)


As a mom, this is a book I would want to read to my child again and again. It gently teaches good family values (cooperation, responsibility, and sharing). It's a counting book and I like that it goes through 1-10 twice, once while the family is shopping for the feast, and then when the family is preparing the feast.

As a teacher, I see how the book encourages early literacy skills and number sense (it is a counting book, after all!). How does it teach early literacy skills? The rhyming scheme builds phonemic awareness (awareness of sound patterns in words), which is a foundational literacy skill. The words Falwell uses builds your preschooler's ever-expanding vocabulary (for example: cart, grocery, fry, bunches of greens, dill pickles, ripe, plump, peel, platters, jar, hungry folks). Building your child's knowledge of words early on will help them to be a better reader later on.

I think this book makes a great read aloud for any preschooler.

The only caveat I have is the absence of the father in the book. I feel like this book is trying to be modern(the family does recycle after all), but the father is at home while the mom shops with 5 kids. Does that really happen anymore? My husband shops, cooks, and cleans just as much as I do-- and if I had 5 kids, I'd make sure I would have my husband around to help at the store. Also when the family is in the kitchen the dad is taking out the trash and the mom is baking- hmmm, a little too stereotypical for me. I don't want to scrutinize the book too much, because it's a great read (and nitpicking is no fun)...I just wish it was a little more in sync with the changing roles of the modern family.

Have you read this book? What did you think of it?

p.s. Reading aloud is one of THE BEST ways to make your child a reader. What have you read aloud to you child/students this week?

I'm linking up at Hope is the Word. Join the fun!

Be well! Read on!

Oakland Locals: Fairyland is a Must See!

I can't resist sharing about my family's recent trip to Children's Fairyland in Oakland, California. I live nearby and have known about Fairyland for a long while, but just visited for the first time last week; I instantly became smitten. Fairyland is directly off of Lake Merritt, near downtown Oakland.

The park opened about 60 years ago- and everything at the park does harken back to that era. But it is simply a wonderful place for toddlers and preschoolers to come and interact with storybook scenes and characters. I loved the idea of it so much that I bought a membership before I set foot into the park. My toddler loved as well (everything is her size!), and I look forward to many mornings exploring the different attractions.

Those of you looking for thrills and chills- stay away! Your 2-7 year old will enjoy Fairyland. It's simplistic- with play and stories at the forefront. As you may has guessed, I love that Fairyland has a focus on childhood literacy, in addition to play and creativity. Isn't that what being a kid is supposed to be about?

From Fairyland's Website:

Children’s Fairyland is much more than amusement park. Since our beginnings, we’ve been a place where stories come to life, where reading is celebrated, and where childhood literacy for the whole community is our goal.

Stroll through Fairyland and you’ll see the ways in which we put our commitment into action:

• Our Reading Room is a cozy storybook hut filled with books for readers of all ages—from colorful picture books to children’s magazines to chapter books.
• The Marilynn O’Hare Art Center, open on weekends, invites children to express themselves with crayons, clay, paint, and other art materials. 
• A field trip to Fairyland can enhance your teaching curriculum while giving kids a memorable day away from the classroom, in a beautiful park on the shores of Lake Merritt.

Favorite childhood stories come to life in the nearly 40 storybook sets throughout Fairyland. The Three Little Pigs’ three little houses, Humpty Dumpty’s wall, Pinocchio’s castle—stroll through our park (or run through, if you’re a child) and discover them all.

The original storybook sets were designed by local architect William Russell Everitt, whose whimsical creations featured wildly off-kilter walls, bright colors, and—most important—child-size proportions. In the more than 55 years since we opened, we’ve gradually added and remodeled many sets, but always in the original spirit.Puppets have been used to tell stories to children and adults for thousands of years. Fairyland’s Storybook Puppet Theater isn’t quite that old, but we’re proud that it’s the oldest continuously operating puppet theater in the United States.

Since we first parted the curtains in 1956, we’ve presented hundreds of delightful and wondrous tales through the magic of puppetry. Some of the Bay Area’s—and the country’s—most gifted puppeteers have worked backstage at the puppet theater: Luman Coad, Frank and Dorothy Hayward, Tony Urbano, and Mike and Frances Oznowicz. As a teenager, Frank Oznowicz—later and better known as Frank Oz—helped his parents prepare puppet shows after school and on weekends; later, he built on that experience to help create the Muppets and to direct feature films.

And so our morning begins:

Entrance to Fairyland (The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe):

There are a few animals. But they are not for petting. However, my daughter did spend 15+ minutes sitting on a rail, watching the donkeys (at the Pinocchio attraction):

Pinocchio's House:

Jolly Trolley:

Just-right doorways for toddlers (mine pictured):

There are story book boxes throughout the park. You put in a Fairyland Key (one time fee of $2) to listen to the story that corresponds to the attraction. Surprise, surprise I LOVE that they have this! What a great way to promote literacy! BTW- this "big girl" (a total stranger to us), was not to thrilled to have a toddler pecking at her heels.

Alice and Wonderland's Maze of Cards:

Wild West Junction. Kids (only) can climb inside of these structures. Great for preschoolers on up:

Aesop's Playhouse for Children's Theater:

Willie the Whale. Kids (best for kids 3+) can climb inside the Whale's mouth:

The park is trying to bring things somewhat up to date by adding attractions such as, The Woman Who Outshone the Sun:

Mary Mary, Quite Contrary:

I'm getting excited just writing this post! There is so much we didn't get to explore on our first trip: the puppet theater, the Alice and Wonderland tunnel, the musical tunnel, the reading room, the chapel, etc... Good thing we got a membership! I look forward to reading these stories with my daughter, and helping her  make connections with what she read and what she's experiencing when she visits the park.



Be Well! Read On! And if you're local, and have a young child around, go visit Fairyland!

Let's Hear it for the Moms!!

On this Mother's day, I want to celebrate my mom- who took me (along with my 3 siblings) to the library, read me bedtime stories, gave me good snuggly feelings about reading, and treated words like they were treats to discover. She was my first (and best?) teacher- thank you mom!!

I'm the 2nd from the right left, with the gang

Here's a poem my good friend sent to me.....how wonderful and true it is:

THE READING MOTHER

by Strickland Gillilan

I had a mother who read to me
Sagas of pirates who scoured the sea,
Cutlasses clenched in their yellow teeth,
"Blackbirds" stowed in the hold beneath

I had a Mother who read me lays
Of ancient and gallant and golden days;
Stories of Marmion and Ivanhoe,
Which every boy has a right to know.

I had a Mother who read me tales
Of Celert the hound of the hills of Wales,
True to his trust till his tragic death,
Faithfulness blent with his final breath.

I had a Mother who read me the things
That wholesome life to the boy heart brings-
Stories that stir with an upward touch,
Oh, that each mother of boys were such.

You may have tangible wealth untold;
Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.
Richer than I you can never be --
I had a Mother who read to me.

Happy Mother's Day to all you Moms!

How did your mom encourage a love of literacy in you? And if you're a mom, how do you try to encourage a love of literacy in your child?

Recently I moved the books off the bookshelves in my daughter's room. Now, I try to leave books around the house (in the living room, my bedroom, my daughter's bedroom), instead of tucking them away neatly. I noticed they get used more now that I moved them to places at my daughter's level.

Take a minute and leave a comment- I'd love to hear your thoughts!!

Read On!

Library Visit

I'm trying out this new feature where I report out about what I checked out at the library for the week. If I was one of those super organized moms/teachers, I would visit the library with my toddler weekly. But my visits are not as consistent as they should be (reason being-we have a lot of great books at home and I have a Kindle). Hopefully this new feature will inspire me to take a weekly trip to my local library (only a short walk away!). My social, book-loving daughter certainly loves it- and that's reason enough, eh?

I do love going to the library. I like browsing through the new fiction books, DVDs, and cookbooks. I absolutely love running into neighbors, talking with friendly strangers, and feeling connected to the local community. It really is such a gift that books are made available publicly- for anyone and everyone to access.

My local library- The Dimond Branch, Oakland CA

Here's what I checked out:


For my daughter (17 months):

• My First Spanish Word Board Book, by Angela Wilkes My daughter loves these DK board books with real pictures. This book is packed with small images of everyday things, and showcases a lot of the words that she knows (banana, duck, apple, bread, table, book) or has heard often. My daughter also goes to daycare in a home where they speak Spanish only. I thought this books would help me brush up on some Spanish vocabulary, and help her to make a connection to the words she uses at home and daycare. We'll see how it goes...

For my students (elementary):

This spring I began doing read alouds (when you, as the teacher, read a book out loud to your students) weekly. Since I am a reading intervention teacher I usually have specific goals I'm working on with the students (expression, comprehension, teaching reading strategies, etc...) and much of the time I am working through a reading intervention curriculum with the students. I felt these different curriculum were effective on many levels, but weren't fostering a motivation to read (and that needed to change!). Reading a book to the students once a week for 20 minutes has dramatically improved their motivation to read (while building their knowledge about the world and their vocabulary!). Engaging read alouds are essential for many reasons (I could go on forever!), and my students' change in attitude proves it! I usually use read alouds as a teaching tool to focus on particular reading strategies. But sometimes we read a book just for fun!

• Owl Moon, by Jane Yolen I love Jane Yolen. I was introduced to Owl Moon during my teaching credential program. This book is beautifully written. A daughter and her father go "owling" together. I would use this book to focus on author's craft or visualization. 
• Mrs. Katz and Tush, by Patricia Polacco You'll probably see Patricia Polacco turn up often on this blog. I love her books- and her characters, themes of love, community, and the importance of history, all keep me coming back to her books again and again. And since I love her books so much, my students always do too (funny how that works). I chose this book blindly- I had never read it. But it's simply perfect for this week. There's a Seder in it (Passover is observed this week, I think). What a great way to teach my students about Passover (building their background knowledge) and share a heartfelt story about friendship and community. I'm excited to read this one. Bonus: The setting of this book is my hometown- Oakland, CA.
• My little Car, by Gary Soto. Again, I love Gary Soto. I chose this blindly too (well, knowing that i enjoy Soto's writing). Soto stories often convey the life of the Mexican American youth, and my students have always connected to his books. This story I like, but don't love. I would use this to have the students share connections and reflect on the character's poor decisions.

For Me:

• The Essential New York times Cookbook, by Amanda Hesser Recipes for me and my hubby!
• Too Many Cooks by Emily Franklin Recipes for the family!
• Ortho's All About Additions We may add on to our house- we'll see.
• One-Yard Wonders, by Rebecca Yaker and Patricia Hoskins  I would love to learn to sew well. This book motivates me to make my Christmas presents this year.

Why do you like your library? What book(s) have you checked out recently?

Take your kids to the library early and often!

Read on!

Bay Area Writing Project- Summer Opportunities

For those SF Bay Area folks---

The Bay Area Writing Project is a dynamic organization located in the Bay Area. They are a great resource to both teachers and families in the Bay.


For Parents:
Does your 4-9th grade child love to write? Consider registering him/her for a Summer 2011 Young Writers' Camps.  These 3 week camps are located in San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley. Check it out! Has your child already attended a BAWP camp? Write a comment below to and share your experience with the camp. If interested, hurry to register your child!

For Teachers:
Unfortunately, the registration for  BAWP's 2011 Summer Institute for teachers is closed (Maybe they are flexible??). This is an amazing opportunity. I have had several friends attend the seminars and the summer institute and it is always an enriching professional development. Keep BAWP on your radar, because they also have Saturday Seminars for Teachers throughout the school year.

Write a comment below to share your experience with BAWP.

Read On!