How to Read Books with Your Child |
Beyond Kindergarten, read-alouds are still beneficial. Reading aloud gives you the opportunity to show your child how to read: with ease, expression, and fluency. It will help them master the language and build their vocabulary. You will also be fostering an interest and an appreciation for reading. Here are some tips when reading with your child:
-Create a comfortable, reading-friendly environment where distractions are minimal. -Read daily. Set aside a special time everyday for reading (i.e. before bedtime). As 1st graders are learning to become independent readers, allow them to read to you as well (depending on the difficulty of the book). -Think-aloud by modeling what you're thinking as you read. Make connections to yourself, your experiences, to other books, or to the world (ie. "This reminds me of...") Show what to do if you get stuck on a word (i.e look at illustrations, what makes sense in the context). -Ask questions and discuss. Throughout the story, ask questions like, "Why did he or she do that? What do you think will happen next?" At the end, share what you liked about the story, what surprised you, etc. -Be a role model. Model reading yourself and share what you've read with your child. -Retell the story through a performance together. Take on the role of the characters and use special voices. |
Literature on Measurement
Inch by Inch By Leo LionniSummary:
An inchworm finds himself in a predicament when a hungry robin lays eyes on him. He convinces the bird that he is useful because he can measure things. The story continues as the inchworm measures the robins’ tail and other birds as well. When one bird asks the inchworm to measure its song, the inchworm does not know what to do because he cannot measure songs. The inchworm manages to measure himself out of this sticky situation. Book Review:
Math- The theme of the book is measurment. Interestingly, it uses non-standard units (i.e. an inchworm) to understand standard units (i.e. an inch). The illustrations are the main text feature and they illustrate how an inch compares to other things. The illustrations also show what different kinds of birds look like. Math vocabulary in the story includes measure and inch. Literacy- The book Inch by Inch is fictionalized because the animals talk to each other and the inchworm measures the animals. The content of the book is age-appropriate, but the readability level is 2nd grade, meaning first graders would struggle reading it on their own. Other vocabulary that may be new to the child include flamingo, toucan, heron, pheasant, hummingbird, and nightingale. The writing style is easy to understand and flows nicely. Bibliography: Lionni, L. (1960). Inch by inch. New York: I. Obolensky. Activity for Inch by InchHave your child choose one of the birds mentioned in the story (i.e robin, heron, toucan, hummingbird, nightingale) research about it, and write a haiku poem about that bird. A haiku poem has three lines. The first and third lines have 5 syllables and the second line has 7 syllables. Have your child draw a complementary picture of the bird on construction paper, large enough to fit the haiku poem on. Find a picture of an inchworm online, copy it onto a word document, and resize it to be exactly one inch. Copy the inch worm multiple times. Cut the inchworms apart. Have the child use the inchworms to measure the bird they created for the poem. Ask, "How many inches long is the bird? How many inches long is the beak? Wings?"
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The Long and Short of It By Cheryl Nathan and Lisa McCourtSummary:
The Long and Short of It is a book about comparisons and size. The features of many animals (like the neck of a giraffe) are compared to everyday objects (like a bedroom door). The book is fun, the colors are vibrant, and there are many animals to learn about! Book Review: Math- The content is about measurement, specifically comparing sizes, and the comparisons are accurate. The math vocabulary includes longer than, shorter than, as long as, and as short as. This is the language needed to describe things and make comparisons between two objects. The story line is about animals and the length of their different physical features, it includes human features also. The illustrations help you visualize those features. Literacy- The writing style is interactive because it asks questions like, "Could you fit an aardvark's snout in your lunch box?" The words are playful and curve around the pictures. The story flows nicely and the presentation captures interest. The vocabulary includes animals that may be new to your child like an elephant shrew, an aardvark, or a mangabey monkey. Bibliography: Nathan, C., & McCourt, L. (1998). The long and short of it. Mahwah, N.J.: BridgeWater Books. Activity for The Long and Short of ItIn this activity the child will draw a picture of an imaginary animal using the descriptions you provide. For example, the body must be the same size as their fist. The picture must be a side-profile. Read the descriptions as they draw. Here is a list you can use:
A body as big as your fist. A neck as long as your pencil. A head as big as your thumb. Fur shorter than a staple. Nose as short as your finger nail. A tail longer than and as wide as a crayon. Eyes smaller than a penny. Ears longer than a key. A mouth as long as a paper clip. Feel free to make up your own descriptions. It may be helpful to model the drawing first. It would also be helpful to have the items for the child to look at (penny, key, paper clip, staple, pencil, and crayon). Then have your child write about the drawing using the math terms (longer than, shorter than, etc.) to describe their animal. They can also use other descriptive words. |
References:
Images
Books- http://mhpbooks.com/book-industry-alive-and-kicking-new-report-reports/
Inchworm- http://www.shopzeus.com/product.php?sku=zeusd1-KIMR-834533
Hummingbird- http://www.supercoloring.com/pages/category/birds/hummingbirds/
How to Read Books with Your Child
Fun ways to read with your child http://www.greatschools.org/students/homework-help/21-read-with-your-child.gs
10 Tips to Help You Raise Kids Who Love Reading http://childrensbooks.about.com/od/forparents/a/resolutions.htm
Activity for Inch by Inch
Inch by Inch Lesson Plan http://www.scholastic.com/browse/lessonplan.jsp?id=%20%20943
Activity for The Long and Short of It
Smart Books http://www.k-state.edu/smartbooks/Lesson071.html
Images
Books- http://mhpbooks.com/book-industry-alive-and-kicking-new-report-reports/
Inchworm- http://www.shopzeus.com/product.php?sku=zeusd1-KIMR-834533
Hummingbird- http://www.supercoloring.com/pages/category/birds/hummingbirds/
How to Read Books with Your Child
Fun ways to read with your child http://www.greatschools.org/students/homework-help/21-read-with-your-child.gs
10 Tips to Help You Raise Kids Who Love Reading http://childrensbooks.about.com/od/forparents/a/resolutions.htm
Activity for Inch by Inch
Inch by Inch Lesson Plan http://www.scholastic.com/browse/lessonplan.jsp?id=%20%20943
Activity for The Long and Short of It
Smart Books http://www.k-state.edu/smartbooks/Lesson071.html