Past Issues

Past issues:

Below is last month's issue of the Reading Rockets newsletter. You can read other past issues by clicking the links to the right. Click to read the current issue.

October 2009

LD Awareness Month

Highlights in this issue:

Read current issue here.

In Focus

Learning Disabilities Awareness Month

Discover the basics about LD and share your knowledge with a colleague or friend. Find basic briefs on specific types of learning disabilities, a glossary of terms, e-cards, book lists, inspirational stories, and lots more resources.
LD Awareness Month >

"The Bossy R"

At DeZavala Elementary School in San Marcos, Texas, spelling patterns are easy to learn when they come alive for one second grade class. Teacher Steve DeLeon takes on the role of the "Bossy R" to show how this letter behaves around vowels.
Watch video clip >

Spelling and the Six Syllable Types

Learn about the six written syllable conventions used in English spelling and why you need to teach them, in this excerpt from Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) by Louisa Moats.
Read more >

Spelling and Dyslexia

Spelling instruction that explores word structure, word origin, and word meaning is the most effective way to help children with dyslexia to spell better. Find out why spelling is such a challenge for kids with dyslexia and classroom accommodations that can help.
Read more >

Find lots more spelling and word study resources here >

Books & Authors

"Let the wild rumpus start"

Go on a "Wild Thing" reading adventure! Our newest family literacy bag, based on Where the Wild Things Are, encourages parents to have some hands-on fun and learning with their kids, centered around fiction and nonfiction books.
Download "Wild Things" literacy bag >

A Fall Harvest of Books

Gather up this basketful of stories about pumpkins, old monsters, ghosts, and a magical harvest. Meet a boy from Beijing who foils a greedy ghost, tag along with Duck & Goose as they search for the perfect pumpkin, and sing along with a monster who meets a roaring end.
Browse booklist >

Family, History: Our Interview with Jacqueline Woodson

Woodson knew she wanted to be a writer since she was seven years old. She writes about people who seem like they could be in the world, tackling tough issues like race relations. Woodson also writes poetically about families — the traditions, the colorful characters, and the way that family grounds you. "I'm here because of the quilts, I'm here because of the language," she says.
Watch video >

Classroom Strategies

Inquiry Chart

The Inquiry Chart (I-chart) encourages students to gather information about a topic from several sources based on questions that they develop themselves. The I-chart can help kids to:

Foster critical thinking and strengthen reading skills
Generate meaningful questions about a topic and learn to organize their writing
Build upon prior knowledge as they share interesting facts with classmates

Go to strategy >

http://www.readingrockets.org/

Strategy Swap

Teachers, have you used the I-chart or any of the other strategies from our library in your lessons — especially in science, social studies, and other content areas? We'd love to share some of your real-world examples with our readers.
Submit your examples here >
(select "Classroom Strategies" from the dropdown list)

Ideas for Teachers

Exquisite Prompt Writing Challenge Starts in October!

The Reading Rockets Exquisite Prompt writing challenge gives K-12 students a chance each month (October through June) to flex their writing muscles - and win fabulous prizes! The first of every month, we'll publish two new writing prompts, inspired by the 18 authors and illustrators participating in the Exquisite Corpse Adventure, sponsored by the Library of Congress and the National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance.

What's an Exquisite Corpse, you say? Writer M.T. Anderson explains it all on our contest page.
Go to Exquisite Prompt web page >

VoiceThread: Online Storytelling Made Easier

VoiceThread is a storytelling platform gives students an independent voice in sharing what they've learned. An easy way to capture student voices, combined with flexible editing tools like "image doodling" and voice-over narration, allow students to produce meaningful content and learn digital skills as well. Video, audio, and photo content can all be uploaded to the site.
Explore Voice Thread >

See how teacher and PBS Media Infusion blogger Janet English uses VoiceThread and the new PBS series The National Parks in her classroom to help students develop personal narratives.
Visit the PBS Media infusion blog >

Ideas for Parents

Kids.gov: The Official Kids' Portal to the U.S. Government

Why do leaves change color in the Fall? Let the U.S. Forest Service explain! Nearly every government agency and all the states have created kid-friendly websites explaining their own areas of specialization — including topics like space and flight, our planet, national parks, money, how laws are made, and much more. There's a special section for educators, too.
Explore website >

Books Without Barriers

Bookshare provides accessible books and periodicals for readers with print disabilities — and it's free for all U.S. students with qualifying disabilities, thanks to a grant from the Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs.
Visit Bookshare >

Research & News

Self-Control in Early Childhood May Predict School Success

Recent research has shown that the ability of young children to control their emotional and cognitive impulses is a remarkably strong indicator of both short-term and long-term academic success. Unfortunately, studies also show that many American kids don't have basic self-regulation skills (what child psychologists call "executive function") and that this deficit is revealing itself as early as preschool. The question is: can self-regulation be taught, and at what age?
Read full story >