March is Reading Month is sneaking up on us quickly! With that, we promote "Reading Across America" on March 2, 2017. This is also Dr. Seuss's Birthday! What a fabulous way to celebrate Dr. Seuss's day but to read, read, and read some more! But don't stop there! There are 364 more days of the year to read!
I know... I apologize for writing about the upcoming Christmas holiday before Halloween and Thanksgiving. But, I promise, it is with a very good intention: creating a special memory - it may take a little time to create. I came across this idea on a Facebook post, wrapping 25 books up and placing them under the tree with a blanket. Unwrap one book each night leading to Christmas and read cuddled with the blanket. In the tradition of Advent calendars you could number these books and you could strategize the telling of the stories as Christmas approaches. There are so many wonderful stories that have been written about the wonderful holiday of Christmas. Let's focus on the story of the coming of Jesus. Here are some beautiful books to share with your family. You may already have some of these books - it's okay to wrap books you already have! The treasure is in the sharing of the story. - PS - if you like this, you can make it a tradition and re-wrap books for the next year. Create a new wonderful family tradition. Here are a few ideas for books:
What books would you add to this list? I would love to know. Today the 7th and 8th grade students visited the media center for a serious discussion about academic integrity and the importance of avoiding plagiarism. Everyone was clear about the facts: "Plagiarism is stealing another person's ideas, thoughts, or work and passing it off as their own." This was the most common answer to the the question: "What is plagiarism?" Why not to plagiarize? According to our students: "It's stealing, it's wrong, and It will disappoint God." We discussed how many of us can fall into the pits of plagiarism; usually because we have procrastinated, or perhaps we don't think our teachers will notice (but they always notice). The best way is to give plenty of time, create good research habits and to ask for help. We also discussed many different scenarios; sometimes people inadvertently plagiarize. We discussed how to avoid these situations too. Below you will find the presentation from today's class if you would like to discuss this further in your home, or refer back to it. Most of the resources came from Plagiarism.org. There you can find out more about writecheck and turnitin.com which are two different sources for checking your papers for plagiarism. Thank you for a fantastic first week of school!
I found this article How to Trick Your Kids Into Reading All Summer Long. While I am not an advocate for tricking kids into doing something that is good for them, I do believe that we can certainly do our best to create a positive environment for them. Sometimes it's like putting cheese on broccoli.
"Change your home so that reading is the most appealing activity available." The advice provided in this article is wonderful... preparing baskets of books (or whatever container suits you) and place them strategically in locations where your children will pick them up when they are bored, or need a little quiet time. The car is a perfect place for this. One of my friends commented while watching children fidget with each other at the laundromat "Don't children read books anymore?" Having that bag of books in the car or beside the sofa are fantastic boredom busters. Personally, I like to keep a log of books I have read. My children and I are constantly discussing what we are reading, comparing with each other and having little contests. This started when they were young and they still strive to keep reading. It comes as no surprise that reading to our children helps them grow and develop in many ways. Last month the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a statement calling for Pediatricians to talk with parents about reading to their children. Don't be surprised when you are asked those questions; "Do you use a car seat? and Do your children wear bike helmets?" will be followed up with "Do you read to your children daily?" Click here for an article from Huffington Post regarding this.
I think this is a great reminder for all of us. Reading out loud at the youngest age builds good habits and loving feelings about literature. Reading out loud stimulates language and cognitive skills. It also builds motivation and curiosity about the world around them. Reading out loud helps develop memory. As our children grow and learn to read on their own, the roles shift and we encourage them to read independently. Encouraging them to read out loud will advance students' comprehension skills. It will help us help them identify potential reading challenges and help them through those before they become a bigger problem. When children have an active listener, they will want to read more... and more! |
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February 2017
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