I Think I Taught Some of These Kids this Year . . .

CREATING A CULTURE OF LITERACY . . .

With the FAMILY READING PARTNERSHIP.

Creating 

Culture of Literacy 

Checklists.

 

Mem Fox's 

Read-Aloud Commandments

Visit Mem Fox's website at: www.memfox.net

• 1. Spend at least ten wildly happy minutes every single day reading aloud.
• 2. Read at least three stories a day: it may be the same story three times. Children need to hear a thousand stories before they can begin to learn to read.
• 3. Read aloud with animation. Listen to your own voice and don’t be dull, or flat, or boring. Hang loose and be loud, have fun and laugh a lot.
• 4. Read with joy and enjoyment: real enjoyment for yourself and great joy for the listeners.
• 5. Read the stories that the kids love, over and over and over again, and always read in the same ‘tune’ for each book: i.e. with the same intonations on each page, each time.
• 6. Let children hear lots of language by talking to them constantly about the pictures, or anything else connected to the book; or sing any old song that you can remember; or say nursery rhymes in a bouncy way; or be noisy together doing clapping games.

THE LIST CONTINUES HERE.

INTERNATIONAL LITERACY DAY

UNESCO

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization

*   * *   *

“We know that literate, educated women are more engaged members of society; their impact is far reaching from their homes, through their communities, and in their countries. When mothers learn to read, they teach their children and they are more likely to be advocates for their children’s education. Mothers who know how to read know how to follow instructions on a medicine bottle, and they are more likely to know the risks associated with AIDs and malaria.” In short, she said, “When you educate women, you improve nearly every aspect of society.”  - Laura Bush

*   * *   *

Some Literacy Resources (PDF format)

• Literacy Begins At Home: Teach Them To Read (National Institute for Literacy, 2007)
• Manual for Developing Literacy and Adult Education Programmes in Minority Language Communities (Asia-Pacific Programme of Education for All, UNESCO, 2004)

Links

• International Literacy Day (official UNESCO site)
• International Reading Association (a nonprofit, global network)
• National Literacy Trust (a registered charity in the U.K.)
• National Institute for Literacy (U.S.)

(Source: About.com)

28a7e8fe-9b3a-42bd-92bb-37940f5cf72d

28a7e8fe-9b3a-42bd-92bb-37940f5cf72d

28a7e8fe-9b3a-42bd-92bb-37940f5cf72d

28a7e8fe-9b3a-42bd-92bb-37940f5cf72d

1.03.01

Long, long ago the Irish pulled off a remarkable feat:

They saved the books of the Western world and left them as gifts for all humanity.

But they did more than this: they managed to infuse the emerging medieval world with a playfulness previously unknown. In the margins of the books they copied, the Irish scribes drew little pictures, thickets of plants, flowers, birds and animals. Human faces occasionally peek through the tangle, faces of childlike delight and awe.

from NYT Op-Ed Turning Green With Literacy by Thomas Cahill

Perhaps this explains the love of books passed down in my family and the steadfast commitment to literacy maintained throughout generations. Happy reading, all!

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

DR. SEUSS --- 106!

Read Across America Day (today) honors his life and work.
Read Across America games, activities, etc.

On March 2, the National Education Association calls for every child to be reading in the company of a caring adult.

A tribute to the Dr. from a loving fan:
(Click on the name below for more treats) 

Thank Yooos Dr. Seuss
Jung Ji Hoon 86

When I was a child
I was not allowed
To follow along with the reading crowd
But once in a while I'd get loose
And seek the rhymes of Dr. Seuss

I'd wish a private library
Of silly words and poetry
The thought provoking they induce
Those clever words of Dr. Seuss

A funny literary maze
A witty little turn of phrase
Not fairy tales and Mother Goose
Read me the lines of Dr. Seuss!

I've read other's along the way
And some are very good I'll say
But in all these years I've never found
A prose as unique as his sound
Try as we might we'll not reproduce
The splendid fun of Dr. Seuss

Even today I call on the past
Making childhood memories last
Though an adult and fully grown
I have a child of my own
We both enjoy cookies and moo cow juice
And the magical world of Dr. Seuss

THE POWER OF BOOKS

Yes, I truly believe in the power of books to change hearts, lives, even the world - simply by touching the mind and heart of their readers.

(So call me a cockeyed optimist)

Books can take us out of our own worlds, to worlds where we can imagine a better way. Escape, they used to call it. My childhood was difficult at times and, like many others, for succor, encouragement, and escape, I turned to friends I knew I could trust.


Mary Lennox understood how it felt to be ostracized and lonely. In spite of all her grief, she held on to her strength, curiosity and belief in herself. She also managed to cultivate empathy, kindness, and care.

(To read online, click here)

Meg Murry and Charles Wallace were constant companions in those years, as I visited them again and again. My troubles were small compared to Meg's, and she was so brave.

Friends, confidants, role models; they (and many others) are still with me.


My daughter's best friend was (and is) Anne Shirley, who, like my daughter, can talk anyone under the table.

And the grand kids? Who will walk the road with them? We'll just have to wait and see.



But yes, after all these years, I still believe. Perhaps all those years as a literacy volunteer, watching people actually change their lives as they dove into books has something to do with it.


These images came from Play.Blogger.Com. There are some wonderfully imaginative pictures there, but please be aware that some of the images are NSFW or may be down right creepy.

NOW THAT'S THINKING!

Great idea.

'Figures today show that unemployment is up to 2.4 million, the highest since 1995. And book sales are down and, they say, young people don’t read. SORT IT OUT: pay people to read. In public. Role models. Behind temporary barriers, so they’re not jostled or interrupted. Local booksellers and publishers can advertise on the barriers. Result: unemployment down, book sales up, and the whole country becomes more literate, imaginative and civilised.'

Two birds one stone sort of thing.

From a blog called sonofabook. I found the link on a blog that I visit quite often, Baroque in Hackney.

Some Ramblings

One of my daily news sources is the British Guardian, and today as I was reading, I ran across an article on Siobhan Dowd. Her book Bog Child, which she finished just three months before her death from cancer, has taken the Carnegie medal for children's literature. She is its first posthumous winner. What struck me most was a quote included in the article. She said,

"If a child can read, they can think, and
if a child can think, they are free."

I agree so very much. As a tutor for many years, I've seen a direct correlation between literacy and quality of life. As teachers we are charged with an awesome task, often under challenging circumstances. But we must never lose sight of its importance. If you're interested, here is the link to that article.

While sorting some papers I ran across this. It's just titled Hebrew Proverb.

"A child is not a vessel to be filled,
but a lamp to be lit."