Do cheer up, Alice dear! This is the first Alice in Wonderland – the namesake. It’s Alice Liddell, one of three girls to whom Lewis Carroll told the original story of Alice Through the Looking Glass. They urged him to write it down, and the rest is history. The Globe […]
Month: February 2010
Dry-Erase Crayons
Things that make you go “d’uh!” This is one of those inventions that you wish you’d thought of. Dry-erase crayons. How good is that? No mess, no smell, no drying out. But do they work? This is the best part – they really, really do work well. The colours are […]
Bubblegum writing
Another tip from Lori Jamison, speaking at the recent Reading for the Love of It conference. When she’s trying to get young children to sound out words, she calls it “bubblegum writing.” She tells them to pretend the word they want to write–let’s say, “camping”–is a piece of bubblegum. With […]
Early writers – adding detail
Yes, Lori Jamison’s workshop was packed. And for good reason. Here’s another excellent tip she shared. When her kindergarteners were starting to write sentences (towards the end of JK or in SK), they would write this way: “I like my cat.” And that would be it. I’m finished, teacher! How […]
Why Percy Jackson is awesome
Now this is a goood book. How do I know that Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief is a good book? Here’s how: The other day my son was home sick with an ear infection (he’s fine now). Even when he’s sick, he normally never stops moving around, playing sports, […]
We’re now gkreading.com
We have a new – and improved – web address. Getting Kids Reading is now at www.gkreading.com. The old address (http://gettingkidsreading.blogspot.com) will still work. And the content hasn’t changed. But the address is just a bit easier to, um, read. And isn’t that the point? Yes. I’d like to thank […]
Plastic plate as whiteboard
Here’s another great idea from Lori Jamison’s workshop. A cheap, plastic plate can be used as a mini-whiteboard for kids. They’re durable, easy to store and inexpensive. And best of all, dry erase marker wipes right off! Kids can practise their writing on them, wipe off what they’ve done, and […]
Lessons from a kindergarten teacher
This is a kindergarten teacher – and a teacher of teachers. Lori Jamison introduced a roomful of kindergarten teachers at the recent Reading for the Love of it conference to a handful of “mini-lessons” to get kids reading. Her first point was, “what do we want kindergarteners to know about […]
Video-kid ideas needed
As you may know, when I’m not blogging or mothering I’m a freelance journalist. I’m currently writing a magazine article about how to get kids who love video games, to love reading as well. One of the ways to do this is to use technology, that has a literacy component, […]
Finger Puppet Book Bags
A little gem from the literacy conference. It’s a knitted book bag, with finger puppets that adhere with snaps to the bag. A knitted string lets the child hang it around her neck and take it anywhere. Each bag has a theme. For instance, the Ocean bag has a handpainted […]
