Tag Archive for: reading

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The Children’s Book Comes to Life Electronically. Should We Be Alarmed?

“What is the use of a book,” thought Alice, eerily foreshadowing a critical question in the age of digital media, “without pictures or conversations?”

Soon enough, she plunges down the rabbit hole and finds pictures and conversations aplenty. But her question lingers for us today in modified form. With electronic books — a technology teeming with children’s titles, many of them stunningly rendered for the Apple iPad — mere pictures and conversations are passé, at least pictures that don’t move and conversations that you can’t hear. Nobody has to feel sleepy or stupid anymore, not with a fully charged iPad with a book on it. => http://nyti.ms/iXddyt

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Lego audio book helmet for kids makes actual reading redundant

Audio books are great for long car journeys or other places where you can't physically read a book, but I'm not sure if they're a great idea for kids who are still building their reading skills. This Lego helmet lets kids simply look at the pictures while the stories are read aloud to them. => http://bit.ly/fgACOE

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Poverty, Third-Grade Reading Proficiency Impact High School Graduation Rates

Poverty and third-grade reading proficiency have a huge impact on high school graduation rates, says a new study by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a private charitable organization that helps disadvantages kids.
Students who don't read at grade level by third grade are four times more likely to leave high school without a diploma than kids who are proficient readers, says "Double Jeopardy: How Poverty & Third-Grade Reading Skills Influence High School Graduation," which studied nearly 4,000 students nationwide. Overall, poverty compounds the problem: poor students are three times more likely to drop out or fail to graduate on time. And poverty impacts even the best readers, with poor proficient third graders graduating at about the same rate as subpar readers who've never been poor. more » » »

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what to say when your kids ask why they should read!

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. => http://bit.ly/i0rufA

Forget music lessons and sports clubs… reading in your teens is the key to a good career

Valuable lesson: Reading helps children develop socially and mentally, according to experts. (Posed by models)
Forget music lessons, sports clubs and trips to the theatre.
The only out-of-school activity that will really enhance a teenager’s career prospects is reading, research shows. => http://bit.ly/gEIhPN

Children will read if they see Mum and Dad doing it

Adult book-phobes will scoff at Michael Gove's ambition for schoolchildren to read 50 volumes a year, says Rowan Pelling. => http://bit.ly/hahCUa

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Australian all-rounder Watson also bats for charity and literacy

BANGALORE // The first thing that strikes you about Shane Watson, the Australia all-rounder, is his imposing physique.

The muscular opener for the world champions in one-day cricket has the torso of an Australia rules footballer and has been dubbed "Tarzan" in certain circles. Yet there is far more to him than initially meets the eye.

For one, Watson is the International Cricket Council (ICC) ambassador for Room to Read, an organisation that "seeks to transform the lives of millions of children in developing countries by focusing on literacy and gender equality in education". http://bit.ly/f18q8V

From Pivotal Books and Reading – 10 Tips to Improve Your Reading Skills

In the modern age of information, reading truly is a fundamental survival skill. Here are ten tips that anyone can use to improve their reading skills: => http://bit.ly/epTbSh

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Author posters


If you are wanting to decorate your library, classroom or kids bedrooms and freshen it up for the new year, have a look at all the author posters on the Allen and Unwin website.

They add a splash of colour and interest to any wall and inspire chldren with new books that they might not have tried yet.

Why Read Aloud?

Children's author Rick Walton has started a blog titled Why Read Aloud? He's collecting stories about reading aloud and being read aloud to. He says, "we will figure out a way to get your stories to the administrators and teachers who need to hear them. Your story of how being read to made your life better might motivate a teacher to read to her kids and make their lives better."

=> http://bit.ly/eNDnyn