With young children, dictation offers a way for a parent or a teacher to record a child’s thoughts or ideas when the writing demands surpass writing skills. Dictation provides a chance for an adult to model many writing behaviors including handwriting, matching sounds-to-letters to spell words, and sentence formation.
Disability.gov has resources for students with disabilities, their parents, and teachers. You’ll find information about teaching strategies, using assistive technologies in the classroom, and preparing for college, financial aid, and scholarships. Resources for parents include tips for more effective Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings and helping your child make the transition from school to work. You can also look for resources in your state.
Audrey and Don Wood have collaborated on more than 50 books for children. Their internationally known books — including The Napping House, Heckedy Peg, and King Bidgood’s in the Bathtub (a 1986 Caldecott Honor book) — have been translated into many languages including Gaelic, Greek, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, French and Spanish. Both Audrey and Don write and illustrate their books, depending on the particular project.
You can watch the interview below, view the interview transcript, read a short biography of Audrey and Don Wood, or see a selected list of their children’s books.
This section of the Learning Network is designed to help parents stay connected to their children’s learning. Find homework help, creative activities, printables, games, and ideas from other parents and experts.
Parents who limit television, choose child care that is literacy-rich, and read and talk to their children often can help their children become readers. Learn about steps parents can take to promote reading in their children’s lives.
Have you ever watched a young child’s face light up to recognize a word or chime in at a familiar part of a favorite story? How do we kids turn into active, engaged readers and writers? In this section, we will explore the science behind learning to read and write.
Jack Gantos’ interesting life has provided the raw material for many of his books. Rotten Ralph, for example, was inspired by an aggressive red cat that Gantos once owned. The Jack Henry middle-grade fiction series was based on Gantos’ own adventures as a boy. The award-winning Joey Pigza books resulted from Gantos’ interactions with children with ADHD. And Hole in My Life, a book for teens, tells the true story of the time Gantos spent 18 months in prison. Gantos was awarded the 2012 Newbery Medal for his novel Dead End in Norvelt, featuring a 12-year-old character named Jack Gantos.
This practice guide provides you with information on how to support families as they practice foundational reading skills at home. Learning to read begins at home through everyday parent–child interactions, long before children attend school. Parents’ continuing support of literacy development throughout elementary school positively affects their children’s reading ability. This guide is geared towards kindergarten teachers and is a companion to the practice guide, Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade.
Maria Salvadore is Reading Rockets’ consultant for children’s literature and literacy. Maria curates our themed booklists and writes the blog, Page by Page, which explores the best ways to use kids’ books both inside and outside of the classroom. She leads parent workshops for Ready To Learn (RTL) at WETA Public Broadcasting in Washington, D.C. She has also taught children’s literature at the University of Maryland, reviewed books for School Library Journal, and has served on various book award committees, including the Boston Globe/Horn Book Awards, Golden Kite, and the Caldecott Committee.
