Mrs. P's Reading is Cool Blog

Dragons Oh My! This is my special announcement on the winners of my 9th Annual “Be a Famous Writer” Contest

 
Drumroll please, or better yet, how about a little fire burst from a fire breathing Dragon!

 

Whew, that was hot!  But not as hot as the news I have to share!! The theme for the contest this year was the word Dragon. It brought a lot of very creative entries from K-4 schools across the country. 16 states entered the contest and the most entries came from TX and NY. Many of the stories came with illustrations too, which we loved receiving.

The grand prize was chosen by a panel of celebrity judges that included best selling author, Josh Funk. He’s the author of Dear Dragon (one of his many wonderful books), so who better than to judge a story about Dragons right? and Matthew Winner, elementary library media specialist and co-founder of literacy podcast All The Wonders, and of course me - Mrs. P ( some of you even know me as T.V. Actress Kathy Kinney).  Some of the things we considered in the winning selections were: Originality, creativity, compelling narrative, humor, sense of adventure and the development of a theme or point of view.

O.K. with another giant fire plume from a Dragon...
The GRAND PRIZE winning story, is.. from Ms. Young’s class at Brywood Elementary School in Irvine California. The story is called: "The Royal Fondue Party". The judges loved the creative problem solving of the characters, and how well the story flowed with it’s well written dialogue.

  

The winning classroom will be filled with actual books, audio books and digital books thanks to the sponsors of the contest: Mackin Educational Resources will provide a $500 gift certificate and audio book company Tales2GO will provide a classroom license valued at $250. Judge and author Josh Funk is also providing a copy of his book “Dear Dragon”. Award winning author Elissa Brent Weissman is also providing copies of her book “Our Story Begins” to the grand prize winner and will be Skyping with them. 2nd and 3rd place schools will also get a copy of “Our Story Begins”. Wow, that is something to breath fire about isn’t it! Oh, and wait, did I mention this story will also be illustrated by Robin Robinson and will premiere on my YouTube Channel in March? Yes, I will read this wonderful story for all of the world to see.

 

Boxes of beautifully illustrated books with music CD’s from Cantata Learning are also being provided to Ms. Haber’s 2nd graders at William Floyd Elementary School in Shirley, N.Y. who took 2nd place with their entry, “The Cursed Dragon”, and 4th graders from Mrs. Smith’s class at the Collegiate School in Henrico, VA, who took 3rd place with their story “Fly”.

Powell’s Books provided gift cards that were given out to:
4th place winner “Tail of a Tofu Dragon” from Ms. Hogan’s 4th grade at Silver Oak Elementary, in San Jose, CA
5th place “The Dragon, the Dragonfly and the Statue” Ms. Macinnes 4th grade at Pond Cove Elementary School in Cape Elizabeth, Maine

 

A host of other schools were also named to my extra special honor roll and given gift cards and special honor certificates because their stories had something extra special, like the story “There be Dragons” from Ms Bish’s class at Hope Chinese School-Gaithersburg in Germantown, MD. I’ll be making this story into a video too. You all know I am a strong advocate for anti-bullying and the inclusiveness theme of this story touched me so, that I thought it should have a place on my playlist.

Also on the honor roll are:

• The Dragon Hero - Mrs. Bullers 4th grade at Resurrection Catholic School in Lancaster, PA.
• Change of the Dragon - Mrs. Berghoff 4th grade at South Elementary School in Jackson, MO.
• The One Dragon - Ms. Plume’s 4th grade at Drummond Elementary in St. Ann, MO
• (Untitled - “He woke drenched in sweat…”) - Ms. Parker 4th at Mackintosh Academy in Boulder, CO
• The Tale of the Dragon and Chinchillas - Ms. Miller’s 4th at Lancaster Mennonite School in Hummelston, PA
• Bob’s Stuck - Ms. Vester’s 3rd grade at Harrison Street School in Geneva, ILL
• Joey the Dragon School Bus - Ms. Tiemens 1st grade at Meadow Ridge Elementary in Plymouth, MN

And because I love to encourage creativity in classrooms, 7 other schools are getting a copy of the book “Our Story Begins”, sent directly from Simon and Schuster. These schools all submitted stories that had a little something extra.

 

Here they are:

• (Untitled “Hi! I’m Persephone.”)  - Ms. Keller’s class at Brooks Hill Elementary in Fairport, NY
• The Dragon Swim Team - Mrs. Davison’s 2nd Grade from Meadow Ridge Elementary in Plymouth, MN
• All About Dragons - Ms. Seymour’s 2nd Grade at H.M. Pearson Elementary School in Catlett, VA
• The Dragon Returns - Miss Gee’s 2nd Grade at H.M. Pearson Elementary in Catlett, VA
• The World of Dragons - Mrs. Apac’s 4th grade at Polaris Charter School in Manchester, NH
• (Untitled - “Sea Dragons”) - Mrs. Klein’s kindergarten at Faith Elementary School in Faith, NC
• The Kissing Dragon - Mrs. Eggers 1st grade at John F. Townley Elementary in Irving, TX

And lastly I would like to acknowledge the story “Dunker the Drowning Dragon”, submitted by Ms. Stanek’s and Mrs. Malespina in Somerville, NJ. This class of students submitted a beautifully illustrated story. I have sent them a copy of a book by Josh Funk.

 

So teachers check your email. You’ll find a Buncee for your students with an audio message. Also check your mailboxes in your school office. I was just overwhelmed with the wonderful stories this year all about the Dragon. So I wanted to spread the joy of reading with as many of you as possible.

Congratulations to all of the winners!

Keep Writing!  Your friend, Mrs. P

 

 

   

Celebrating Diverse Books #ReadYourWorld 3 Beautiful Multicultural Children's Books Reviewed by Mrs. P

 

I had the good fortune to be asked to be a book reviewer for Multicultural Children's Book Day this year.  I've been sharing this event online since its inception, so am thrilled to be able to participate in this way. Below are my three reviews, I hope you will enjoy them, Mrs. P of MrsP.com

The Cloud Artist: a Choctaw Tale by Sherri Maret with illustrations by Merisha Sequoia Clark. 
    
One of my favorite blog posts I've written is about lying in the grass, gazing up at the clouds, and finding a story there. So, you can't imagine my delight in receiving the beautiful picture book, "The Cloud Artist" by Sherri Maret.

This well told tale, about a Choctaw girl named Leona, who uses the sky as a canvas for her imagination, is sure to delight young readers. The protagonist is a strong young girl and we learn as we follow Leona through her journey that her strength is based in her heritage.  The inclusion of the Choctaw language version of the story on each page helps to bring awareness of her culture to readers as well.

There are many important lessons and beautiful messages to be found in this powerful story.  Following your dream, not for money, but for what makes you happy, is one that especially resonated with me.

I enjoyed how this story is about knowing where we are anchored.  The beautiful illustrations by Merisha Sequoia Clark aid in allowing readers to enter their own stream of imaginations in what lie in the clouds above.    The book has a wonderful activity page for teachers with free downloads. The author is a librarian, so the content of the activities is very good.  "This book is Existentialism for kids!"

 

Princess Sophie and the Six Swans: A Tale From the Brothers Grimm Retold and Illustrated by Kim Jacobs

 
I'm no stranger to the Brothers Grimm. I read many of their tales in my Magic Library, including The Six Swans. When "Princess Sophie and the Six Swans", retold and illustrated by Kim Jacobs arrived at my door, I was immediately captured by the illustration style harkening back to the original classics. 

This story, of an evil stepmother, a handsome king, and alas a brave protagonist named Sophie, embodies the classic fairy tale format. It doesn't stray far from the Brothers Grimm  stories, rich in symbolism and meaning.  There's a reason why they are passed down from generation to generation. "Princess Sophie and the Six Swans" is no exception.

In this tale we learn the lessons of patience and perseverance. We also learn the power that words hold.  Lovers of the Brothers Grimm won't be disappointed by this retelling!

 

 

Hands Around the Library - Protecting Egypt's Treasured Books by Susan L. Roth and Karen Leggett Abouraya.

 
Everyone knows I love libraries!  I spend much of my day sharing the values and virtues libraries hold.  Imagine my thrill to receive the multi-award winning, gorgeously illustrated, "Hand Around the Library - Protecting Egypt's Treasured Books by Susan L. Roth and Karen Leggett Abouraya. 

This true story is told in three perspectives. It contains the narrative, the visual, and the photographs of the actual event.  In some ways it's a history book too. It provides background context about Alexandria's ancient library to the modern library that is being saved in the story. It also contains additional resources to further explore about the revolution and even shares  protest-sign translations and graphic motifs that are used throughout the story.

When the first young man steps forward to join the library director in saving the library, we are comforted with the question "do our actions make a difference?" It's a book meant to spark a dialogue, whether it be about freedom of speech, protesting, or even fear. 

The community centered theme around their shared values to save the library is so well communicated through the richness and textured quality of the illustrations.  When we see the many different colored hands coming together to hold onto the Egyptian flag, we can also most feel it unfurling around the library. The message that the library brings the universe of ideas to you and is a safe place to share your ideas, plants the seed for young readers about the importance of libraries in their community.  What could be more important?

 

About Multicultural Children’s Book Day

Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2017 (1/27/18) is in its 5th year and was founded by Valarie Budayr from Jump Into A Book and Mia Wenjen from PragmaticMom. Our mission is to raise awareness of the ongoing need to include kids’ books that celebrate diversity in the home and school bookshelves while also working diligently to get more of these types of books into the hands of young readers, parents, and educators.  

MCBD 2018 is honored to have these amazing Sponsors on board.

2018 MCBD Medallion Sponsors

HONORARY: Children’s Book Council, Junior Library Guild

PLATINUM:Scholastic Book Clubs

GOLD:Audrey Press, Candlewick Press, Loving Lion Books, Second Story Press, Star Bright Books, Worldwide Buddies

SILVER:Capstone Publishing, Author Charlotte Riggle, Child’s Play USA, KidLit TV, Pack-n-Go Girls, Plum Street Press

BRONZE: Barefoot Books, Carole P. Roman, Charlesbridge Publishing, Dr. Crystal Bowe, Gokul! World, Green Kids Club, Gwen Jackson, Jacqueline Woodson, Juan J. Guerra, Language Lizard, Lee & Low Books, RhymeTime Storybooks, Sanya Whittaker Gragg, TimTimTom Books, WaterBrook & Multnomah, Wisdom Tales Press

2018 Author Sponsors

Honorary Author Sponsors: Author/Illustrator Aram Kim and Author/Illustrator Juana Medina

Author Janet Balletta, Author Susan Bernardo,  Author Carmen Bernier-Grand, Author Tasheba Berry-McLaren and Space2Launch, Bollywood Groove Books, Author Anne Broyles,  Author Kathleen Burkinshaw, Author Eugenia Chu, Author Lesa Cline-Ransome, Author Medeia Cohan and Shade 7 Publishing, Desi Babies, Author Dani Dixon and Tumble Creek Press, Author Judy Dodge Cummings, Author D.G. Driver, Author Nicole Fenner and Sister Girl Publishing, Debbi Michiko Florence, Author Josh Funk, Author Maria Gianferrari, Author Daphnie Glenn, Globe Smart Kids, Author Kimberly Gordon Biddle, Author Quentin Holmes, Author Esther Iverem, Jennifer Joseph: Alphabet Oddities, Author Kizzie Jones, Author Faith L Justice , Author P.J. LaRue and MysticPrincesses.com, Author Karen Leggett Abouraya, Author Sylvia Liu, Author Sherri Maret, Author Melissa Martin Ph.D., Author Lesli Mitchell, Pinky Mukhi and We Are One, Author Miranda Paul, Author Carlotta Penn, Real Dads Read, Greg Ransom, Author Sandra L. Richards, RealMVPKids Author Andrea Scott, Alva Sachs and Three Wishes Publishing, Shelly Bean the Sports Queen,  Author Sarah Stevenson, Author Gayle H. Swift Author Elsa Takaoka, Author Christine Taylor-Butler, Nicholette Thomas and  MFL Publishing  Author Andrea Y. Wang, Author Jane Whittingham  Author Natasha Yim

We’d like to also give a shout-out to MCBD’s impressive CoHost Team who not only hosts the book review link-up on celebration day, but who also works tirelessly to spread the word of this event. View our CoHosts HERE.

TWITTER PARTY Sponsored by Scholastic Book Clubs:
MCBD’s super-popular (and crazy-fun) annual Twitter Party will be held 1/27/18 at 9:00 pm. Join the conversation and win one of 12 five book bundles and one Grand Prize Book Bundle (12 books) that will be given away at the party! http://multiculturalchildrensbookday.com/twitter-party-great-conversations-fun-prizes-chance-readyourworld-1-27-18/

Free Multicultural Books for Teachers: http://bit.ly/1kGZrta

Free Empathy Classroom Kit for Homeschoolers, Organizations, Librarians and Educators: http://multiculturalchildrensbookday.com/teacher-classroom-empathy-kit/

Hashtag: Don’t forget to connect with us on social media and be sure and look for/use our official hashtag #ReadYourWorld.

 

Mrs. P’s Favorite Things of the Year - from National Headlines to Social Media Interactions with Literacy Advocates!

              
                                                                                                As 2017 comes to end, I like to reflect back on the year. It gives me an opportunity to really think about what made an impact on me. This year, there were many stories that touched my heart. The year was hard on a lot of people, with the hurricanes and fires, and so much bullying. But some amazing people and companies came forth with their messages and made a difference. I wanted to share these stories with you. I've also put their Twitter handles, so you can follow them too.

These first stories made some national headlines. Starting with one that I can watch over and over because I just am so moved everytime I see it. It’s librarian rock star, John Schumacher. Just watch this clip and you will see his infectious love of reading and the impact it has on the kids he meets all around the country. @MrSchuReads

The next story that caught my eye was the New York Public Library along with Brooklyn and Queens forgiving the fines of children. What a decent gesture, and such an important one. Providing kids continued access to books, what could be more important?

Every spring, many of you know I do an event for Poem in Your Pocket Day. I love Poetry and love to get kids excited about it. So this story really spoke to me. I was watching the PBS News Hour and saw Author Jason Reynolds share how poetry can entice young readers. It was magical and moving.  @JasonReynolds83

A cat lover I am, so seeing this story about Max the library cat go viral, just made me smile. Someone on Twitter even made this cat his own library card! So I had to have it on my list.
 @MyCoolCatMax

Through my Twitter community of literacy advocates, I’ve met some of the most amazing and collaborative teachers, librarians and companies. Here are some stories or events that I found powerful or just pure fun this year.

My good friend Shannon McClintock Miller did a post about the public service announcement that Burger King did about bullying. You all know I don’t do ads on my site, but I just have to tip my hat to a big commercial company on delivering such a powerful message.  @Shannonmmiller

 

Another highlight was being contacted by teacher Sean Forde, who is working in Milan, to help create two stories for #WorldReadLouds. Different teachers and authors read a page from a popular picture book. This brought people together to spread the joy of reading across continents.  @Sean4D

 

Geek Club Books brought to light a very important topic. They asked many authors and actors to activate their voices for autism by spreading a message of acceptance and inclusion and speaking out about bullying. I was fortunate to be asked to participate.   @GeekClubBooks

 

I’ve met all of the sponsors of my writing contest through social media connections. What would I ever do without these amazing and generous companies that help fill classrooms with much needed books?

Mackin Educational Resources really inspired me this year when I saw how they used their voice for the the Hurricane relief  to the teachers in Texas and Florida. @MackinVIA

I also loved seeing Cantata Learning promoting “Loud Libraries”. Changing the perception of what can happen there.   @CantataLearning

And Tales2GO with their blogs posts that help teachers and librarians with so much valuable information and research resources about the value of audio books.  @Tales2GO

I know there were so many, many amazing stories out there this year, but these are the ones that really touched me. It may be in part because I feel like many of the these people have become my friends, though we’ve never met. But that is the positive power of social media isn’t it? I’ve had a very positive experience because I am in a wonderful and supportive community.

I’ll leave you with this happy story and video to close out my year of memorable moments! It is from Brinda Adhikari, one amazing mom.  Wouldn't we all love a bedtime story that was this much fun!

 

Collaboration & Creativity! How my Be-a-Famous Writer Contest Can be Used in Your Classroom! FREE resource roundup for K-4 Teachers

Stories are a key component to successful communication. That’s why I created my annual Be-a-Famous Writer Contest. The contest is now in it’s 9th year. Every year I select a theme. This year it is to write about Dragons. Teachers, I have a special page for you about the contest, so you can see how easy it is to enter. It’s all free, and if you win, your classroom is filled with books in every possible format! Really, what could be better?

                                                                                                              

All of the writing contest sponsors and I have something in common, our goals are to promote literacy. My sponsors also provide so many valuable resources to teachers. I’ve done a little round up of some of their recent blog posts that I think will aide in the final month of my writing contest. The contest closes for entries on December 15th.

I love this article from Tales2GO. It sets the stage for the power of a good story. It’s called The Irresistible Power of Storytelling.  There are some great research links in the article for you as teachers. Our brains love a good story, and this article will give you the proof of that statement. 

It will be fun for your students to learn how the illustrations are added to a picture book. This post from Cantata Learning, may inspire your students with the story they are working on. It’s a behind the scenes look at how art is added to a picture book. Every year when the winning classroom sees how our illustrator imagined their story, it’s always fun to learn their reactions.

This reading journal that you can download for free from Mackin Educational Services has a wonderful story map for students. This can aide them in plotting out their own stories for my writing contest.

Students are often inspired by other writers. One of the prizes this year for winning classrooms is a book called "Our Story Begins", edited by Elissa Brent Weissman. It’s a compilation of childhood works by some of today’s foremost children’s authors and illustrators, sharing the moments that inspired them to write or create as well as their earliest works.  For your classroom you can use this amazing curriculum guide. There are many ideas to spark the writing muscle.

I am also excited to share a PDF for your classroom on How to Draw Dragons.  Download How to draw 6 different Peace Dragons  This is from Linda Ragsdale and her Peace Dragon Project.  She has inspired so many classrooms with her work.

So happy writing everyone! I can’t wait to read your stories!

Why Write? Empowering Students Through Writing

                              
I am all about the three C’s! Communication, Creativity and Collaboration. These skills I believe are the essence for a happy and productive life.  I elaborate on this theme in my online learning lesson for classrooms. 

I created my writing contest because it allows children to practice the three C’s. And it allows teachers an opportunity for students to put the three C’s into practice. When we enable students an opportunity to put into action what they have learned, we help them reinforce the learning.

Writing improves communication skills by providing a vehicle for expression. It provides a path for relating thoughts and feelings and the sharing of ideas.

Writing also reinforces what we learn. It helps to support the long term recall of information. So after learning something knew, if we write it down, we are giving our brain a double dose of learning recall. Writing helps students master what they have learned.

I love to stretch the creativity muscle. It’s one we need to exercise to keep our imaginations sharp. When we help students to engage in storytelling we are helping them develop important skills. Using my writing contest for creative or free writing time, give students an opportunity to explore writing styles, experiment with vocabulary, and also delve into problem solving by figuring out the resolution of the story they are creating. When we give students creative writing time where they know they aren’t being graded on every mistake, students tend to take more risks. And when they complete a story, they build confidence with their achievement.

So why write? Because writing encourages creativity and exploration.

Teachers you can use my 9th annual Be-a-Famous Writer Contest as a writing theme for your students. This year I have chosen the word Dragon for students to write about. So many classic fairy tales have dragons in them that I thought students would enjoy this topic. Plus author Josh Funk, who wrote Dear Dragon, is a judge this year and will provide a copy of his book to the winning classroom.

The contest is free to enter and the winning schools have their classrooms filled with books in every format from my amazing sponsors who all support literacy. Mackin, Tales2GO and Cantata Learning. Check out my prize page for complete details.  Also Our Story Begins, edited by Elissa Brent Weissman will be a prize. It’s a compilation of childhood works by some of today’s foremost children’s authors and illustrators, sharing the moments that inspired them to write or create as well as their earliest works. Chris Grabenstein, who was a judge last year is featured in the book.  The contest opens October 15th for entries.

                                  

 

Writing Resources for your classroom from Mrs. P

               
                                                                                    

If you’ve ever had your classroom Skype with me or had your students enjoy my online learning lesson, you know I stress communication, creativity and collaboration. This  allows teachers an avenue to get their students out of their routines and exercise their creativity muscles.

Writing allows us to communicate effectively. When children learn how to write, a whole world of possibilities opens up for them. I like to encourage them to learn to tell a story and then put their thoughts down in a journal, write a poem, a letter to a friend, or a short story. While there are basic rules and formats to follow when learning how to write, writing can also be creative and imaginative.

If you follow me regularly on my mission to instill a love of reading and writing in young children, you know that I also love to provide FREE resources for classrooms. Thankfully many companies that support literacy also provide an ample supply of free resources from research for teachers to activities for students. Children’s book authors are another amazing resource, as they also love to share with their young audiences. So here is my round up of writing resources for your classroom!

I especially love this YouTube series from author Jess Keating on writing. Your students will love listening to this author. They are short so will hold their attention and each video lesson gives them an action to do.

Author Josh Funk, has a “Want Fun stuff” for kids link on his website. There you will find activity kits and coloring pages. I adore the Dear Dragon activity sheer. It let’s students write a pen pal letter.

Read your class an author or illustrator interview from one of their favorite books. Mackin Educational Resources has a wonderful list. The one from Duncan Tonatiuh: From Comics to Codex is sure to catch the attention of your class. The first line in the interview starts “I became interested in writing when I was in elementary school.”  Also consider having an author visit your classroom via Skype. After you’ve read one of these interviews, you can have your class practice writing some questions they would ask their Skype visitor.

Kids love music so why not encourage them to write a song. Need some research as to why? Check out this blog from Cantata Learning. You can also sign up for a song of the month to keep the creativitiy flowing all year long.

Here is a whole list of great ideas from Tales2GO, my favorite audio book company. One of their many ideas is to have students - “Write an original story based on characters in the book”.

Comics are very popular with kids, so give Professor Garfield’s free site a look. Under the Create button you will find the Comic’s Lab. Students can write, assemble and print their own comic strips.

Here is a great link from Scholastic called 25 Way to Get Kids Writing.

I would be remiss to not point out a few of the resources I have on my FREE website and YouTube Channel. Bookmark my Teacher Page to have everything in one spot from my video playlists to the supporting blog posts.

Be sure to bookmark my Back to School FREE resource roundup to inspire creativity and literacy in the classroom. Remember my motto, “If you can tell a story, you can write a story”.

   

Summer Reading Round Up of Resources #SummerReading

    
                                                                                                     

I’ve written a lot of blog posts over the years about helping to stop the summer reading slide and the magic of summer reading. I thought I’d kick off the summer by gathering a list of resources to share with teachers and parents with links to sites that have valuable information and programs for summer reading.

 Did you know that 2 months of reading are lost over the summer? And that it takes 6 weeks in the fall to re-learn old material to make up for the summer learning loss? I learned this on the Mackin Education Services website. They know that reading is valuable, and a life-long tool that should extend beyond the classroom. Teachers you can check out their Summer/Take Home Reading Program.

Are you aware of the impact that reading to a child for at least 20 minutes a day can have? Well, checkout Cantata Learning's post 20 Ways to Read 20 Minutes a Day! They have  put together not only important research and the benefits of summer reading, but also have all kinds of ideas to make summer reading fun!  One of those ideas is The Cantata Learning story time videos. It’s a nice way for children to be read to online. It's free and is on YouTube. 

  

Research reveals audiobooks play an important role in children’s reading development because they allow children to focus on understanding words and the overall story, instead of decoding and struggling over words. Here is a link to Teacher Librarian Mary Ann Scheuer’s EdWeb Webinar about how to prevent the summer slide with audiobooks. Have you thought about preventing the Summer Slide with Audiobooks? Think how useful they can be for summer traveling. Tales2GO has put together a great post with lots of valuable information.  

Even YouTube has kicked off a global initiative called #ReadAlong month. The program runs throughout June and hopes to make an impact on the next generation of readers by helping them hone their reading skills, as well as encouraging a lifelong love of reading, according to the School Library Journal. The same thing I do with my YouTube channel every day of the year!

We Are Teachers also put together a program that kids will love because they get to color too. Using coloring as a tool to get kids not only reading but using their imaginations. It is the Color as You Go Summer Reading Challenge Bookmark. You can download the bookmark PDF on this link.

Be sure to bookmark the iWantToRead.org website. It’s is a fun place for kids to explore and engage with the titles they’re reading at home. It is a free space where kids can post book reviews, discover activity guides, download summer reading journal, and find additional books recommendations and resources

Need some book recommendations for summer reading? I’ve been enjoying the “Live from our Library: Best Books for the Summer on Scholastic. It’s filled with all sort of great links including their summer reading challenge.

And I'd be remiss not to include here an oldie, but still a goodie I have previously written on how to keep kids engaged in summer reading.

Happy Summer Reading!  

 

 

 

 

 

A to Z Vocabulary Builders from Mrs. P

By now many of you know how important I think communication is, especially if we have had a Skype together. My mantra to students is the importance of: collaboration, creativity and communication. And that is why I created my Vocabulary Builder playlist. Without a solid understanding of words students can’t understand others or express their own ideas.   
I like to think of my vocabulary as my very own communication toolbox. The more words I know, the better the chances of having the right tool when I need to communicate. Every time I learn a new word, I end up with a new tool. My new words also help me understand the ones I know better.

In my new playlist I have a word or two for every letter of the alphabet, from A to Z. Students can see the word, hear the word, get the definition of the word, and also hear it used in a sentence. Having the words used in context is much more effective than merely memorizing a word list.

Here are 8 tips to also help improve vocabularies:

1. Read, Read, Read - remember reading should be a pleasurable activity too, and if you come across a word you don’t know - look it up (see why I recommend #2)
2. Have a Dictionary close by - make friends with the dictionary. It’s probably the most indispensable resource to improve your vocabulary. I find words all of the time that I need to look up. I have a dictionary on my bookshelf, and one online.
3. Play word games - Honestly, what’s more fun than playing a game? The bonus is that you are learning and it’s just happening naturally. Scrabble and Boggle are great ones to play to learn new words. Crossword puzzles are also amazing vocabulary builders. But you can also make up your own games. For example: Take an old magazine and cut out words and hand them out. Each person reads their word and makes up 3 definitions for that word, and everyone else had to guess which is the real one.
4. Learn a Word a Day! - I once got a calendar and on it each day was a different word. I would try and use that word in a conversation each day too so it really stuck in my brain. You can randomly open the dictionary to get a new word each day. If you learn just one new word every day, you’ll be amazed how quickly your vocabulary will grow.
5. Listen to audio books - listening really helps in learning new words. Students can listen to books that are at a higher grade level and this increases their vocabulary. Here is a good article from Tales2GO.
6. FREE online resources of books and music - Try a story time video from Cantata Learning, as students usually love to sing along and this also helps the build new vocabulary words.
7. Get good book recommendations - Try the I Want to Read website from Mackin Educational Services which has a list by grade of books for students.
8. Watch my FREE Vocabulary Playlist and write a story - here you can learn 31 new words. Take these words and write a story using these new words. This will help the words stick.

Don't forget to bookmark my teacher page, made just for you!

                      

 

Read it Forward this Spring with a visit to the library! “A Library...From a Book’s Perspective” Debuts in Mrs. P’s online Library!!

March is the beginning of spring, and it offers lots of fun ways to spring into action with reading. On March 2nd we celebrate National Read Across America Day, an annual event established by the National Education Association (NEA) to honor children’s author Dr. Seuss.  We spring our clocks forward, so why not spring our kids into action with celebrating reading and creativity, too!

And what better way to celebrate literacy than by sharing the words of talented young authors? I’ve added the video of "A Library...From a Book’s Perspective!"the Grand Prize Winner of my 8th-annual “Be a Famous Writer” contest, to my Young Author Playlist. This 4th class had the clever idea to share what it's like to be a book in the library.  It includes beautiful and original new illustrations from the gifted artist Robin Robinson.                                    

So let’s all Read it Forward this spring by honoring young authors and the power of words and the power of the library! Here are a few suggestions for things you can do to encourage your own young readers and writers and also build your school library:

• Join the celebration by reading to your child for 20 minutes each day during the month of March.
• Go to your local library, check out a few books and ask your child to read them to you.
• Connect readers with Mackin's  free website "I Want To Read" that offers an astounding array of helpful resources for young readers.
• Take the time to learn more about engaging students in reading from this article at Tales2Go.
• Enjoy free musical story videos from Cantata Learning.
• Check out the Grant Channel at Mackin to find new resources for your library.
• Discover this tool box to transform your school library.

Also please thank these amazing companies that sponsor my annual writing contest and fill winning classrooms with books. They really care about literacy. You can let them know you appreciate them by signing up for their newsletters. You’ll get so many great tips for your library and classroom and they offer many free resources too.   Trust me, you don’t want to miss bookmarking their pages for your classroom and library!  The contest is brought to you by Mackin Educational Resources , Cantata Learning, Tales2GO and Powell’s Books!

Bee a Reader! Valentines For Young Readers - Un-bee-lievably Easy Instructions For Your Class

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. I 'm just wild about creating Valentine's for young readers.   Here’s a new activity for all your young writers and readers in your classroom or at home that love animals! I've provided T-riffic step-by-step directions and Un-Bee-Lieveably cute messages for readers. I've written posts in the past about how to make Valentine's with heart designs and vintage valentines you can just print if you are short on time. You can find the link to these free printables to download at my previous post on Valentine's for writers and readers.   

                                                              
Here's what you’ll need:

• Scissors
• Colored paper and some newspaper with printed words
• Heart stickers
• Glue
• Puffy paints or colored pencils

Now just follow these simple instructions:

 

 

 

Students can make any animals they love.  I used googly eyes, but paint or stickers can be used instead. Now add sayings for all of the young readers to inspire a love of books. A bookworm would have been cute here too! The sky is the limit when it comes to creativity.  Here are a few ideas!

 

Happy Valentine's Day Readers!  Reading is Cool and So are You!