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By: Keith Schoch (2013)
From activating prior knowledge to exploring language to capturing character, discover ten ways to integrate poetry into your language, reading and writing lessons.
By: Reading Rockets (2013)
Poetry is full of joy, expressiveness, and the pure delight of language. Explore how to introduce poetry to young readers, the value of nursery rhymes in learning about language, writing poetry in the classroom, great poetry books for sharing, and interviews with beloved children's poets. Visit our National Poetry Month section for more resources. As poet Carl Sandburg said, remember that with poetry you're stuffing "a backpack of invisible keepsakes."
By: Reading Rockets (2013)
Sharing wordless books is a terrific way to build important literacy skills, including listening skills, vocabulary, comprehension and an increased awareness of how stories are structured. Here are some tips for sharing wordless picture books with a child.
By: Reading Rockets (2013)
Electronic books are becoming more and more commonplace. Here you'll discover practical tips for sharing e-books with your child, and how to keep the focus on reading and the story.
By: Melissa Taylor (2012)
Most kids love stories, but not all love to read. Discover 10 creative ways to encourage active kids who would rather run than read, to enjoy digging into books.
By: Reading Rockets (2012)
The winter holidays are a great time to create low-key learning opportunities centered around books, storytelling, writing, and family adventures.
By: Rachael Walker (2012)
Where can your school, library, or community group find free or low-cost books for kids? There are a number of national organizations as well as local programs you can turn to for help filling the shelves of your library, classroom, or literacy program and putting books into the hands and homes of young readers.
By: Reading Rockets (2012)
Finding the right book for your child means finding something your child wants to read AND making sure it's at the right level for your child.
By: Lesley Morrow (2012)
With the Common Core, literacy is intentionally taught within content areas. See what a CCSS mini-thematic unit in science might look like for children in the primary grades.
By: Reading Rockets (2012)
Science fiction is a type of fiction where the stories revolve around science and technology of the future. Science fiction texts are often set in the future, in space, in a different world, or in a different universe or dimension. As exciting as these books can be, it's useful to remind your child that while science fiction may be based loosely on scientific truth, it is still fiction.
By: Rachael Walker and National Education Association (2012)
Share music and playful rhythms to help students generate and organize writing ideas. Kick off Music In Our Schools Month on Dr. Seuss's March birthday with this pre-writing activity.
By: Reading Rockets (2011)
Reading aloud is one of the most important things parents and teachers can do with children. Learn about how reading aloud builds many important foundational skills, such as introducing vocabulary and providing a model of fluent, expressive reading, and find tips on how to read aloud with children at home and in the classroom, while building comprehension and helping children recognize what reading for pleasure is all about.
By: Reading Rockets (2011)
Keeping kids interested and motivated to read is sometimes a challenge. Learn how to effectively motivate young learners, including tips from kids for teachers and parents, classroom strategies that work, and guidance for motivating struggling readers, reluctant readers, and boys.
By: Carole Cox (2011)
Using students' questions as a basis for investigations in science education is an effective teaching strategy. Not only do students pose questions they would like answered, but they are asked to find ways to answer them. This article also recommends nonfiction science books that use a question and answer format to find information and model how to communicate what you know.
By: Carole Cox (2011)
By reading and writing about the lives of real scientists, students can learn more about the nature and history of science and how important scientific discoveries were made. Students may also begin to see themselves as scientists by trying on scientists' lives for size.
By: Carole Cox (2011)
Inquiry-based, discovery-focused science instruction is widely viewed as best practice today. Students learn science best when it is integrated with other areas of the curriculum such as reading, language arts, and mathematics. This includes reading textbooks, newspapers, magazines, online information, and children's and young adult literature, both fiction and nonfiction.
By: Elaine K. McEwan (2011)
Reading in the "comfort zone" means that students read well enough to understand the text. Here's a simple technique that students can use to determine if a book is right for them.
By: Kathryn Glasswell and Michael P. Ford (2010)
Leveling mania has gripped many elementary schools. The use of carefully leveled texts designed to meet the developmental needs of many readers is a common feature in current reading programs. Although popular leveling systems — Reading Recovery, Benchmark texts, Lexiles — may vary in terms of the number of levels and discrimination among them, at the core they all attempt to classify texts in terms of their perceived difficulties for specific readers. In a desire to match readers to texts, books are scrutinized, classified, and sanctioned for reading only when the match between reader and text has been firmly established.
By: Reading Rockets (2010)
Libraries and bookstores are great options for building a home library. Another great resource for books is a book swap. Consider organizing one for your neighborhood or block. It can be a simple afternoon undertaking, or with more time and effort, a fun event that will become an annual tradition! Below are some suggestions for organizing a book swap for kids.
By: Reading Rockets (2010)
Sharing lots of different kinds, or genres, of books with your child exposes him to different words, different kinds of images, and whole new worlds. This tip sheet suggests some genres to try with your young reader that complement 'traditional' fiction. Some are suggestions for read alouds, while others may be ones your child can read on his own.
By: Reading Rockets (2010)
In preschool, your child will learn many types of skills. Reading books together in which the characters are going through the same thing can also help your preschooler develop these important skills. Below are four books in which the characters are learning some of the same skills as your preschooler. Consider adding these to your next stack from the library.
By: National Education Association and Rachael Walker (2010)
Combine two great American treasures — Dr. Seuss and your local newspaper — for some reading and writing fun in your classroom or at home.
By: National Education Association and Rachael Walker (2010)
Seuss silliness is contagious! Spread it to your classroom writing centers.
By: Reading Rockets (2010)
Reading Rockets helps parents and teachers address the aftermath of natural disasters with children through reading and books.
By: Sharon Ruth Gill (2009)
The features of recent children's nonfiction picture books, a genre that is exploding in both quality and quantity, are described in this article. Recent nonfiction books reveal an emphasis on the visual, an emphasis on accuracy, and an engaging writing style. Suggestions are included for choosing and using nonfiction picture books in the classroom.
By: Wendy B. Meller, Danielle Richardson, and J. Amos Hatch (2009)
Teacher read-alouds are a vital part of literacy instruction in primary classrooms. Learn how to conduct read-alouds that feature high-quality children's books which will prompt children to think and talk about social issues that impact their daily lives.
By: Reading Rockets (2009)
Having interesting things to read at home is a great way to keep kids motivated. Below are a few questions to ask yourself about your home library. Some simple changes on your part can help you create an amazing home library, and help your child develop an early love of reading!
By: Kathleen Rogers (2008)
How can parents help their children find books that are not "too hard" and not "too easy" but instead are "just right"? Here's some advice.
By: Reading Rockets (2008)
Starting a home library for your child shows him/her how important books are. Having books of his/her own in a special place boosts the chance that your child will want to read even more. Here are some ideas for creating your own home library.
By: Kathy E. Stephens (2008)
Exposing children to a variety of informational text will stimulate development of background knowledge, vocabulary, and comprehension skills. In this article, take an imaginary trip to a children's museum and learn how to choose quality, high-interest informational books for young readers.
By: Reading Rockets (2008)
By: Reading Rockets (2008)
Every time you pair a book with an experience, you are giving your child an opportunity to learn more about their world. Below are some suggestions for books and corresponding activities to extend your child's reading experiences.
By: Reading Rockets (2008)
Every time you pair a book with an experience, you are giving your child an opportunity to learn more about their world. Below are some suggestions for books and corresponding activities to extend your preschooler's reading experiences.
By: Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS) at the University of Virginia (2008)
Different book leveling systems each have unique ways of describing the age- and grade-level appropriateness of books. This chart provides equivalency information across six leveling systems: Basal level/PALS, Guided Reading, DRA, Rigby PM, Reading Recovery, and Lexile.
By: Reading Rockets (2008)
Many New Year's resolutions focus on developing healthy habits. Here's one that is important to make and keep: provide a regular diet of books and reading for your preschooler. Try this menu of reading activities:
By: Reading Rockets (2007)
You don't need to have a book in hand to help your child become a better reader. Interesting experiences give kids a broader framework for new information they might encounter in books, and when kids have lots of experiences to draw on, they have a better chance of making a connection with what they read! Help your child build background knowledge this summer with these activities.
By: Reading Rockets (2007)
Reading over the summer not only keeps your child from losing ground, but actually improves skills for the coming year. Here are some suggestions to keep a book in your child's hands over the summer months.
By: Reading Rockets (2007)
Favorite stories get shared many times over. Here's some advice about how to find a good children's book and what to do once you're reading together.
By: U.S. Department of Education (2005)
Creating a library of your child's books is a great way to show her how important reading is. It will also give her a special place to keep her books and will motivate her to keep pulling books from her own library to read. Here are some ideas for getting started!
By: Maria Salvadore (2005)
Kids and adults alike can't wait for the release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince on Saturday, July 16. Young readers have embraced the young wizard and his friends, and have made Hogwarts, the rivalry between its Houses, the names of the faculty, and the passion for Quidditch household terms.
By: Maria Salvadore and Susan Hepler (2005)
Use the power of stories to explore what's different and the same, new and shared, about ourselves and our experiences. These nine new books find wonderful ways to express universal themes through African Americans, both fictional and real.
By: Annette Lamb and Larry Johnson (2005)
Encourage students to become better listeners and readers through audiobooks.
By: Mary Haga (2005)
Part of teaching reading is motivating the children to practice, practice, practice. Find out how to use children's poetry to encourage kids to read.
By: AARP (2004)
Books can be the perfect gifts for grandchildren of any age. But, with such a variety to choose from, selecting the right book can be a challenge. This article provides some hints to make the process a little easier.
By: Jane McFann (2004)
The statistics are consistent: Young male readers lag behind their female counterparts in literacy skills. This article looks at the social, psychological, and developmental reasons why, and suggests solutions — including the need for more men to become role models for reading.
By: Valerie G. Chapman and Diane Sopko (2003)
Combined-text books integrate a story format and an expository or informational format within one book. When used for instruction, combined-text books are best read in layers: illustrations; informational text; narrative text; and additional details, such as sketches and page borders. Addressing various layers individually during read-alouds provides a perfect opportunity to model revisiting text for various purposes.
By: Denise Johnson (2003)
Audiobooks have traditionally been used in schools by teachers of second-language learners, learning-disabled or -impaired students, and struggling readers or nonreaders. In many cases, audiobooks have proven successful in providing a way for these students to access literature and enjoy books. But they have not been widely used with average, avid, or gifted readers. This article lists the benefits of audiobooks for all students.
By: Judith Gold and Akimi Gibson (2001)
This article discusses the power of reading aloud and goes a step further to discuss the power of thinking out loud while reading to children as a way to highlight the strategies used by thoughtful readers.
By: Lori Rog and Paul Kropp (2001)
One of the keys to helping struggling readers is to provide them with books that they can and want to read. Fiction for struggling readers must have realistic characters, readable and convincing text, and a sense of the readers' interests and needs. Non-fiction books, newspapers, magazines, even comic books can hook students on reading.
By: Bernice Cullinan (1994)
This list is meant to introduce children, and the adults who care for them, to newer books in the field of children's literature. This list is organized by age range and then by the author's last name.
- For older articles, see the Children's Books Archives >
