DCES Reading Team

DCES Reading Team

Dear Families, June 2011

While summer is a great opportunity for fun and relaxation, the break from school skills often causes students to experience a lag in learning upon returning to school in the fall. Children acquire skills during the academic year, but they can lose ground if learning stops during the summer months. This is especially important in the area of reading.

Studies state that most students experience a three month loss of reading skills over the summer. The backward slide can accumulate yearly adding up to a year or more by middle school. The research points to summer reading as one way to stop the reading losses. Researchers recommend that each child reads at least four to six books during the summer to maintain their reading level. Simply enjoying books can help your child sustain and even bolster comprehension, vocabulary, decoding, fluency, and communication. Besides reading books, utilizing language arts websites can provide opportunities for additional practice. Some suggested websites are listed to assist you.

We know reading over the summer will help your child start the new school year with stronger reading skills and a deeper appreciation of the joy of reading. Thank you for your continued support. Happy reading and happy summer!

Mrs. Abel, Mrs. Gorham, Mrs. Langham, and Mrs. Noble

On-line Reading e-books
www.fcpl.org/information/general/kids_ebooks / TumbleBookLibrary is an online collection of books, animated, talking picture books which teach kids the joy of reading in a format they'll love. Encourage your child to read along and follow the text as the story is read aloud.
www.storylineonline.net
http://storyplace.org/storyplace.asp / Storyline On-line is a streaming video program where books are read aloud. Each book is accompanied with activities and follow-up ideas.
StoryPlace is a children’s digital library. Explore the pages full of stories and activities for all ages.
http://storynory.com / Storynory is a website where books or stories are told aloud.
http://www.timeforkids.com / TIME For Kids is a news magazine that motivates kids to read! Issues cover a wide range of real-world topics kids love to learn about - and it's the best nonfiction text you'll find.
http://bookflix.scholastic.com / Book Flix is another online collection of stories to motivate your child to read.
Username:
Password:
www.enchantedlearning.com / Enchanted Learning is a website that offers non-fiction reading. Students can search for information about their favorite animal, inventor, country and much more.
http://bookadventure.org/ki/index.asp / Book Adventure offers lots of activities and reading for your students.
www.timeforkids.com / Time for Kids is a news magazines that motivates kids to read nonfiction text on real-world topics.
Phonics
http://www.teachers.cr.k12.de.us/~galgano/dibel2.htm / Primary students can practice phonemic awareness and phonics skills such as letter sounds, letter recognition, rhyming words, word blending, and sound/word sorts.
http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/construct/ / Primary students can practice phonics skills such as building words from word parts or changing vowel sounds. Be sure that your child reads the words as they make words.
http://www.starfall.com/ / Starfall offers alphabet and phonemic awareness activities as well as e-books to read. It also offers many other modalities that promote reading and writing.
http://www.amblesideprimary.com/ambleweb/lookcover/lookcover.html / Read, Cover, Write Interactive spelling site
http://earobics.com/gamegoo/ / Game Goo provides activities including antonyms, synonyms, letter/sound, abc order, fact vs. fiction and much more.
Fluency
www.poetry4kids.com / This website will read poems aloud in a true voice. Your child can listen and read along with the poems to practice his or her fluency.
http://www.online-stopwatch.com/
Below are the Grade Level expectations
for Word Correct Per Minute
1st Grade: 40 + wcpm 2nd Grade: 90 + wcpm
3rd Grade: Fall Term 110 + wcpm / Use this on-line stopwatch to count to 1 minute. Your child can make a chart of words read per minute to see how his or her reading rate is improving.
www.rif.org/readingplanet/content/read_aloud_stories.mspx / This website offers a variety of resources of stories and songs that can be read along with. This website also includes Spanish read stories.
On-line Summer Reading Programs
http://www.scholastic.com/summerreading/ / Can’t miss book lists for all ages ranging from 3years old to young adults. Online reading, webcasted game show, and summit your own questions for the game show.
http://www.scholastic.com.summerreading/parents / Summer Reading Buzz: Ages Prek-12th grade. You can Feed The Reader Meter by logging how many books you read, Talk books, Buzz, and more.
Parent Resources
http://www.rif.org / Reading is Fundamental: This site offers ideas for parents to encourage your child to read.
http://www.literacyconnections.com / Literacy Connections: This is a great resource site for anyone working with a child who is learning to read or who is a fluent reader.
Writing
http://www.kerpoof.com / Your child can make you’re his/her own movie in the Kerpoof Animation Studio! Pick a background and characters from Kerpoof. See what each character can do. Then your child can write an animated story.
http://www.zaner-bloser.com/educator/products/spelling / Spelling Connections is for Grades K through 8th Grade. This website reviews valuable spelling patterns and strategies will helping students retain their knowledge using practical study tools and activities.
www.readwritethink.org/materials/acrostic
www.readwritethink.org/materials/shape / These websites will allow your child to write acrostic and shape poems. Encourage your child to use descriptive vocabulary. Your child will be able to print his or her poems.
http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/bookcover/ / The Book Cover Creator is designed to allow children to type and illustrate front book covers, front and back covers, and full dust jackets. Students can use the tool to create new covers for books that they read as well as to create covers for books they write individually or as a class.
http://storyit.com/ / Story It is a website that offers a place to motivate students to write. It offers story starters, poetry starters as well as poems and stories to read.
http://makebeliefscomix.com / Your child can write his or her own comic strip by adding dialogue bubbles and inserting characters with various emotions and much more.

Additional Websites:

www.enchantedlearning.com - puppets, nursery rhymes, poetry, crafts

www.aaronshep.com - reader’s theater scripts

www.teachingheart.net/readerstheater.htm - reader’s theater scripts

www.americanrhetoric.com - listen to famous speeches

http://www.storylineonline.net/ - listen to celebrities read stories aloud

www.carr.org/read/ - an annotated list of recommended books to read

www.rif.org/readingplanet - reading and writing games and activities

www.kidsreads.com - authors, book reviews, games, trivia

www.starfall.com - a website with interactive activities for primary children.

www.guysread.com - books recommended by author, Jim Scieszka

CLASSICS AND NEW FAVES READING LISTS

http://www.kidsreads.com/lists/reading-lists.asp

Newberry Medal and Honor Books, 1922 – Present

http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/newberymedal/newberyhonors/newberymedal.cfm

Caldecott Medal and Honor Books, 1938 - Present

http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/cald_hon.html

Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Awards

http://www.annapolishigh.org/~media/html/black.htm

Storyline Online-Screen Actors Guild members reading children’s books aloud (accompanying activities)

http://www.storylineonline.net/

Coretta Scott King Book Awards

http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/rts/emiert/cskbookawards/index.cfm

The award is given annually to an African American author and an African American illustrator

The World of Brian P. Cleary Excellent site for parts of speech, poetry, math, word games, etc.

http://www.brianpcleary.com/ (copy link directly into your browser)

Multicultural Children’s Literature

http://multiculturalchildrenslit.com/

The Reading Corner

http://www.carr.org/read/ An annotated list of “good books to read” for readers in grades 2-8

Teachervision.com: Summer Reading Lists

http://www.teachervision.fen.com/ List of book titles and story descriptions, including printable reading activities

Education World

http://www.education-world.com/summer_reading/ Annotated reading lists and activities

International Reading Association

http://www.reading.org/resources/tools/choices.html “Choice” lists of books for children

Carol Hurst’s Children’s Literature

http://www.carolhurst.com/index.html

Click on “All Reviewed Children’s Books” -- children’s books arranged by title, author and grade level

Young Adult Library Services Association Booklet

http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/booklistsawards/booklistsbook.htm

American Library Association/Great Web Sites for Kids

http://www.ala.org/gwstemplate.cfm?section=greatwebsites&template=/cfapps/gws/default.cfm

Reading is Fundamental/Reading Planet for Kids

http://www.rif.org/readingplanet/

Scholastic: http://www.scholastic.com/summerreading

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/summerreading

Reading Rockets: www.readingrockets.org

Public Service TV: www.pbskids.org

Stories-It: www.storyit.com

Join a reading program at your public library:

Frederick County Public Libraries:

http://www.fcpl.org/index.php

Carroll County Public Library

https://library.carr.org/