Does this title sound familiar to you? As my son and I were reading the book in which this quote was found, I immediately thought of the very popular “Dick and Jane” books that were introduced several decades ago. Although I have never been impressed with the “Dick and Jane” series, I am now understanding why they were so popular.
My five-year-old is just beginning to read. It has been extremely exciting as I could almost watch the lightbulb come on as he made the connection in his head between the letters, sounds, and words. However, it has been extremely difficult to find books that are at his level. When searching through two different library collections, I quickly realized that no two people think of “Level 1″ the same way. I wish that there was some national ranking system for authors and publishers to follow. This would make it much easier for parents and teachers to select books at the child’s ability level.
Fortunately, this new series we discovered about a robot named Otto and two monkeys named Flip and Flop, is written in the same format as the “Dick and Jane” books. My son and I both enjoy them because they are much more interesting than their predecessors. The humor included by author Kevin Milgrim is at the perfect level for preschool and early elementary children, but it is cute enough to make adults chuckle as well. My only disappointment in the series is that there are only four books and, unless you borrow them from the library, they are very expensive to purchase.
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Written by Laura on August 9, 2010
My older son, who just turned five, has recently made the profound connection between letters and words. He has been able to identify the sounds each letter makes for quite awhile, but he is just beginning to really sound out words that he sees. His confidence is growing as he is able to read some very easy beginning readers. These books have a lot of repetition, but there occasionally are word
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Written by Laura on August 2, 2010
If someone were to read a complicated recipe to you, do you think you could complete all of the steps correctly in order to make the food being described? Probably not. Our brains can only handle so much information at once, and it can be very difficult to listen, understand, and then carry out so many steps. This is exactly the issue young children face when parents or teachers say too many di
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Written by BRWI Staff on April 2, 2010
Once children have entered school, it is expected that they will learn how to read. However, we, as parents, can do much to prepare our young ones for the adventures in reading that lie ahead.
One important skill that can help ensure reading success is book awareness. Many children will pick up on how a book works simply through experience. Reading to your child on a daily basis will allow him
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Written by BRWI Staff on October 21, 2009
If you think back to your middle school and high school days, you may remember having a set of vocabulary words that had to be learned for each chapter or unit in a text book. You may recall a commonly used activity where you write the word, look up the definition, and use the word in a sentence. Although not the best way to learn vocabulary, it probably helped you learn the new words at least f
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Written by BRWI Staff on August 31, 2009
As the parent of a preschooler, you have probably experienced the repetitive nature young children love to encompass when choosing a book to read. In my home, we are currently reading From Head to Toe by Eric Carle at least five or six times each week. Around Christmas time, I have come to dread displaying a copy of The Polar Express because my oldest child, although he pretty much has it memori
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Written by Laura on August 28, 2009
Have you ever sat and listened to someone who is reading in a monotone voice? It can be extremely boring, and it is difficult to pay attention to what is being read. Children react the same way when we adults read in a slow, monotone, or otherwise boring manner. When you read to a child, you want to grab their attention. If you read with excitement, they will respond with excitement.
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Written by BRWI Staff on August 12, 2009
As children begin to learn to read, they are taught to slowly sound out the words. Usually, students begin by studying one syllable words, such as “cat” and “ball”. However, it isn’t long before they are ready to move on to longer, more challenging words. When they get to this point, children can sound out these longer words by breaking them down into smaller parts
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Written by BRWI Staff on July 17, 2009
Have you ever listened to a beginning reader reading a book with which they are not very familiar? It is often choppy and monotone as the child struggles to sound out each word. Although it is obviously important that children learn how to use phonetics and context to read a selection, it is also vital that they learn how to read fluently and with expression. Part of this can be taught through
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Written by BRWI Staff on June 5, 2009
All words are made up of a combination of various sounds. You can help your child identify the beginning or ending sound of a word using poems, rhymes and even tongue twisters. Here are a few activities to try with your child that will get them listening to the specific parts of words.
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Written by BRWI Staff on March 18, 2009
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