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 […]
Tag: five-minute ideas
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
“Surprise!” When my son went to bed last night, this is what he found on his pillow – a Coles bookstore bag, with a book-sized lump in it. You’re eight, you don’t feel like going to bed, you’re dragging your feet, prolonging the inevitable… and then you find a new […]
Family Literacy Day – Jan. 27
Today is Family Literacy Day. This is the day! It’s the day you and your kid: 1) Read together. 2) Talk about your favourite book. 3) Listen to a book on tape. 4) Write each other a letter, which you drop in the mail for each other. Surprise! 5) Vote […]
Thank-you cards
A great literacy activity. Your kids have probably just received a bunch of gifts, and I’m betting that at least some of the senders weren’t in the room when they were opened. So that means thank-you cards. They’re not optional. In our house if you don’t want to write a […]
Hallowe’en literacy
Some ideas for working literacy into your Hallowe’en festivities. * Spell Hallowe’en. Talk about why it has an apostrophe (All Hallow’s Evening). It’s also interesting to note that many people no longer use the apostrophe and that’s OK too. Kids are often surprised to learn that spelling evolves. * Sort […]
Reading the signs
The other day on the subway, I noticed some ads. PizzaPizza’s ad said, simply:XL craving? and Bell’s said:More 3G coverage.Facebook anywhere.So let’s say you’re a child who’s just learning to read.XL? These examples do two things:1) They illustrate just how difficult reading can be. And tricky!2) They’re a terrific learning […]
Get your six-year-old reading
A mom came up to me in the schoolyard this morning. She said she wanted some help getting her child reading. Her son is six years old and in grade one. He’s frustrated because he’s not picking up reading a bit faster – so he’s clearly motivated to read. I […]
Alice in Wonderland – the trailer
Click on this image for a larger version. (It’s worth the click.) Disney has put its trailer for Alice back on YouTube. (They musta read my blog post telling them to put it back…) The trailer is quite something. Very exciting and Burton-esque, dark and whimsical, with that heart-pumping music […]
Explain the exclamation mark!
This activity will boost your child’s reading in five seconds. One of the most exciting things about reading is the exclamation mark. The other day, I was reading a book to a couple of kids in a kindergarten class. When I got to a sentence with an exclamation mark, I […]
Likes video games, running
There are lots of fun literacy activities for active kids. I was talking to a mom yesterday who said she has two sons – one of whom isn’t a good reader. He likes video games and is quite physically active. Here are some fun suggestions: * Write a simple sentence […]
