Title I Times

May 2013

Miss Lambert Mrs. Sumsion

McBride Elementary School, 503-366-7791

Title I Advisory Committee Meeting

will be held May 14, 2013, at 2:30. Parents are welcome to participate. We value your input and involvement. Please call the Title I Staff (366-7744) if you would like to attend.

Kindergarten Garden Party

May 17, 2013 during the school day

Please come help us plant up some fun! Title I Kindergarteners and their parents are invited to help beautify our Title I Alphabet Garden. We’ll plant flowers, write plant names on labels, d enjoy a special story about gardens and have a treat! Plant donations are welcome. Please look for a special flier about this even or call the Title I room for more information.

Reader’s Theater

1st and 2nd Grade, June 4 and 6

Title I students will be presenting a short reader’s theater play for their classes. Parents, come join the audience for a great show! This event will be held during the school day during your child’s regularly schedule Title I reading time. Please look for a flier coming home soon with specific times and more information.

Wonderful Words—

Students learn new vocabulary at an astonishing rate! Kids learn words both at school and at home. They learn best when words are explained in a conversational way, with plenty of examples and applications, giving both examples and non-examples.

For example, if you wanted to teach a child what the word “gem” meant, you could tell him that gems are small pieces of special, beautiful stones. They are valuable! A diamond or a ruby is a gem, but a rock on the ground probably is not a gem. Gems are used to make jewelry, but sometimes they are used for other purposes. Some diamonds are used in saws to cut things.

Don’t hesitate to keep using new words. A child needs 8-10 interactions with a new word before it begins to stick, so keep talking!

Write, write, write

Ask your child to help you write out the grocery list, a thank you note to Grandma, or to keep a journal of special things that happen at home. When writing, encourage your child to use the letter and sound patterns he is learning at school.

Thank you parents for your wonderful home support! We appreciate all you do to help your child develop a love of reading.

20 Read-Aloud Reminders

By Bruce Johnson

From “Involving Parents in Their Children’s Reading Development”

  • Read to your children every day.
  • Use Mother Goose to stimulate language development.
  • Use Dr. Seuss books to introduce and reinforce rhymes.
  • Choose alphabet books for beginning readers.
  • Read stories you and your children enjoy.
  • Discontinue reading books that are not being enjoyed.
  • Read slowly and with expression.
  • Children learn by imitation. You are a powerful role model.
  • Stop and discuss new vocabulary when appropriate.
  • Encourage children to build mental pictures.
  • Allow for short discussion before, during, and after the reading.
  • Remember to ask open-ended questions such as “why” and “how.”
  • Try to connect or relate the reading to life.
  • Talk about what you are doing and why.
  • Stop when frustration hits.
  • Invite your child to read to you.
  • Transition to sustained silent reading.
  • Smile a lot.
  • Laugh at the funny parts.
  • Remember, above all, have fun.