Angela Maiers Puzzle lesson
Angela Maiers demonstrates to 1st grade students how piecing together a puzzle is similar to being a great reader

http://bit.ly/v2cRmm

Sorry, moms and dads, but it's your job -- not the schools' -- to find books to get your kids reading and to make sure they read them.
Here's some good news: This can often be as easy as teaching children to ride a two-wheeler or to throw a baseball. Case in point: When our son, Jack, was 8, he wasn't a gung-ho reader. Now, I'm sure my wife, Sue, and I have made a half-million mistakes raising Jack, but during that eighth summer of our stewardship, we did something right: We told him he didn't have to mow the lawn (hooray!), but he was going to read every day (boo). http://bit.ly/pl8GKy

Game show music playing
Come on down! Today we are playing a quiz called Guess The Children's Author.

It's simple to play. I'm going to give you clues (hopefully not too obvious) to guess who the author is. The answers will be at the bottom of the page. My son and I were playing a similar game recently showing off our knowledge of movie stars. So let us begin. => http://bit.ly/nvx11k

Why Should I Read?

Excellent question! Why should you? Why should anyone? You could be doing hundreds of other things instead – watching a movie, preparing dinner, going for a run, or spending time with your family. But when your kids ask you the same question, you’d better have an answer prepared. “Because I told you to” probably won’t cut it. “Because it’s good for you” isn’t going to work either. At least not if you don’t have some solid evidence to back it up.

"Because it’s fun"

Let’s face it, most kids don’t love school. >>>=> http://bit.ly/i0rufA

Our infant son was laid into a bassinette surrounded by picture books, open so he could see the pictures. His big sister had arranged them for him. At three, it didn’t occur to her that ten days might be a little young to begin his reading journey. So almost the first thing he met on arrival at home was books.

..

Rebecca and Ralph were not exceptional children except in the quantity of books they were exposed to. They were bright, and lived in an educated Western family on a quarter acre block, with pets, and most of all with books. They have both grown into book-loving, word-loving adults, committed to helping the world.

http://bit.ly/oZPVyC

PARENTS might label it a waste of time but the hours spent surfing the internet, chatting online, and even on the dreaded Facebook appear to improve children's reading skills.
An international online reading test conducted by the organisation for economic co-operation and development (OECD), a group of 17 industrialised nations including Australia, found that moderate computer use at home, either doing schoolwork or socialising, increased children's reading skills, particularly among boys. => http://bit.ly/kFBQAW

Why Should I Read?
Excellent question! Why should you? Why should anyone? You could be doing hundreds of other things instead – watching a movie, preparing lesson plans, going for a run, or spending time with your family. But when your students you the same question, you’d better have an answer prepared. “Because I told you to” probably won’t cut it. “Because it’s good for you” isn’t going to work either. At least not if you don’t have some solid evidence to back it up. => http://bit.ly/khtiTD

Want to write a great book review? Two of the Guardian's top children's book reviewers, Philip Ardagh and Linda Buckley-Archer, share their expert tips to help you get started http://bit.ly/jELI91

I choose to see the good in this. I *think* it has value ... What do you think?