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"Reading" English

Mispronouncing uncommon words can be the mark of a reader. People who read a lot will come across uncommon words that aren’t normally used in conversation. So they won’t know their correct pronunciation—just the one that’s in their head. The other day my son said, “Tan-za-NEE-a? I thought it was […]

Book Reviews

Helping a six-year-old read

I’m working with a six-year-old. I’m really excited about it, because he’s totally into reading. In fact, he’s frustrated because he says he’s learning too slowly. What a great problem to have – a child who wants to push himself to read faster! Here’s how I prepared for our first […]

15-min. ideas 5-min. ideas Activities Tips

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 […]

Book Reviews

Hamish X and the Cheese Pirates

You know you’ve struck book gold when your kid can’t wait for you to read to him, but picks up the book himself and finishes it. That’s what happened with us and Hamish X and the Cheese Pirates. I sent a plea out to a friend (who is a great […]

Book Reviews

Great books for kids

If you’re looking for great kids’ books, look no further. Here are two lists of books that have been nominated for top prizes – so you know they’re the cream of the crop. Here are the five books nominated for the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award.The site has a review […]

15-min. ideas 5-min. ideas Activities Tips

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 […]