Just 34 percent of fourth graders are reading at an acceptable level in grade four. Only 8 percent are "advanced" readers. On the surface, it may appear to parents that their children have four more years of grade school in order to become acceptable readers, but new studies show the importance of reading by grade four.
Findings by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Baltimore, are the first to show that kids are far more likely to drop out of high school if they can't read pretty well by fourth grade. Unless America dramatically improves the number of kids who can, a growing proportion of the them will live in poverty as adults. The Foundation contends that the tendency to drop out of high school begins in the early grades when children don't learn to read. They say dropouts "don't just happen."
What can parents do?
* Show that education is important by getting a GED if they didn't graduate from high school themselves.
* Do all they can to assure that kids attend school every day.
* Show an interest in their children's reading beginning in first grade. Have them read to you and help them with the words.
* Provide books they like. Let them pick out books at the library or grocery store. Some kids like comic books.
* Don't let them lose reading skills over the summer. Keep them in practice. Find books they will like to read.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Visit the New River Public Library Cooperative’s web page at and take a look at “Great Web Sites for Kids”.
The web sites included are for children up to 14 years of age.
They include topics such as dinosaurs, science experiments, computers, history, sports, and cultures of the world. Also included is a section for parents, caregivers, and teachers.
The web sites included are for children up to 14 years of age.
They include topics such as dinosaurs, science experiments, computers, history, sports, and cultures of the world. Also included is a section for parents, caregivers, and teachers.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Reading Tips for Parents
Read early and read often. The early years are critical to developing a lifelong love of reading. It's never too early to begin reading to your child!
Read together every day
Read to your child every day. Make this a warm and loving time when the two of you can cuddle close.
Give everything a name
Build your child's vocabulary by talking about interesting words and objects.
Say how much you enjoy reading
Tell your child how much you enjoy reading with him or her.
Read with fun in your voice
Read to your child with humor and expression.
Use different voices. Ham it up!
Know when to stop
Put the book away for awhile if your child loses interest or is having trouble paying attention.
Be interactive
Discuss what's happening in the book, point out things on the page, and ask questions.
Read it again and again
Go ahead and read your child's favorite book for the 100th time!
Talk about writing, too
Mention to your child how we read from left to right and how words are separated by spaces.
Point out print everywhere
Talk about the written words you see in the world around you. Ask your child to find a new word on each outing.
Get your child evaluated
Be sure to see your child's pediatrician you have concerns about hearing, sight, or language development.
From readingrockets.org
Read together every day
Read to your child every day. Make this a warm and loving time when the two of you can cuddle close.
Give everything a name
Build your child's vocabulary by talking about interesting words and objects.
Say how much you enjoy reading
Tell your child how much you enjoy reading with him or her.
Read with fun in your voice
Read to your child with humor and expression.
Use different voices. Ham it up!
Know when to stop
Put the book away for awhile if your child loses interest or is having trouble paying attention.
Be interactive
Discuss what's happening in the book, point out things on the page, and ask questions.
Read it again and again
Go ahead and read your child's favorite book for the 100th time!
Talk about writing, too
Mention to your child how we read from left to right and how words are separated by spaces.
Point out print everywhere
Talk about the written words you see in the world around you. Ask your child to find a new word on each outing.
Get your child evaluated
Be sure to see your child's pediatrician you have concerns about hearing, sight, or language development.
From readingrockets.org
Friday, July 23, 2010
National Day of the Cowboy, July 24
It was a tough and lonely job, but the historic American
cowboy endured it with courage and a song. Using and
modifying traditions passed on from Mexican vaqueros and
the Spanish before them, the cowboys became a basic part
of American Western heritage and legend.
On the National Day of the Cowboy, we celebrate their
contributions to the pioneering spirit of America.
As the cities of the American East and Midwest grew
in the mid-to-late 1800s, the need for food, especially for
meat, grew along with it. Then the great roundups and cattle
drives became a part of our Western heritage. The cowboys
worked long days and nights tending their herds despite
dangers from terrain they had to cross, unhappy Indians
and fierce outlaws whose goal was to steal the herds.
As the railroads developed, the need for long cattle drives
decreased. Over time, the cowboy techniques of riding and
cattle-handling became the focus of today's rodeos.
Take a look at Cracker westerns: books about the 'cowboys' on Florida's frontier. A few titles by Lee Gramling: Ghosts of the green swap, Ninety mile prairie, Riders of the Suwannee. You'll find them in the Florida section.
cowboy endured it with courage and a song. Using and
modifying traditions passed on from Mexican vaqueros and
the Spanish before them, the cowboys became a basic part
of American Western heritage and legend.
On the National Day of the Cowboy, we celebrate their
contributions to the pioneering spirit of America.
As the cities of the American East and Midwest grew
in the mid-to-late 1800s, the need for food, especially for
meat, grew along with it. Then the great roundups and cattle
drives became a part of our Western heritage. The cowboys
worked long days and nights tending their herds despite
dangers from terrain they had to cross, unhappy Indians
and fierce outlaws whose goal was to steal the herds.
As the railroads developed, the need for long cattle drives
decreased. Over time, the cowboy techniques of riding and
cattle-handling became the focus of today's rodeos.
Take a look at Cracker westerns: books about the 'cowboys' on Florida's frontier. A few titles by Lee Gramling: Ghosts of the green swap, Ninety mile prairie, Riders of the Suwannee. You'll find them in the Florida section.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Childhood Favorites
What is your favorite book that you remember reading from your childhood? What book comes to mind?
There are many of course, and when asking staff about their favorites, many were listed, and not one duplicate.
Some favorites mentioned:
Cat in the hat
Dick and Jane series
Ramona Quimby, age 8
Napping house
Alexander and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day
Hobbit
Black Beauty
Harriet the spy
Nancy Drew series
Encyclopedia Brown series
Little Women
Betty and Veronica comic books
Dorrie the witch
Heidi
Five little Peppers and how they grew
Quite a variety. Share your favorites with your family and remember to ask in twenty years what favorites are
remembered!
There are many of course, and when asking staff about their favorites, many were listed, and not one duplicate.
Some favorites mentioned:
Cat in the hat
Dick and Jane series
Ramona Quimby, age 8
Napping house
Alexander and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day
Hobbit
Black Beauty
Harriet the spy
Nancy Drew series
Encyclopedia Brown series
Little Women
Betty and Veronica comic books
Dorrie the witch
Heidi
Five little Peppers and how they grew
Quite a variety. Share your favorites with your family and remember to ask in twenty years what favorites are
remembered!
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