12 Weeks to Better Readers!

For the next twelve weeks I'll be posting excerpts from Judy Freeman's 12 Tried-And-True Ways to Get Your Kiddos Reading (from ReadKIDDORead). This is an EXCELLENT article in teaching methods to get children not only READING, but EXCITED about reading! In the world of technology...IPads, Nooks, Kindles, Playstations, Wiis, Kinects, IPods, Smart Phones...we must find a way to compete...To make READING as enjoyable and rewarding as all of these "gadgets". We have our work cut out for us. The answer? Incorporate reading into technology...find reading apps, iBooks, etc...but...never underestimate the power of a good old-fashioned book. To get started with a good reading routine with your child, try this baker's dozen of easy, tried-and-true ways to ease reluctant readers into good books.

Remember...One method a week will be posted here at The Need 2 Read. Try it for a week...and see what works for YOUR sweetie!

1. Read Aloud Something EVERY Day

If you have time to watch TV or surf the Internet, you can make time to read with your kids. You only have a limited window of read-aloud years, so rearrange your schedule to carve out reading time every day. There's always time for a story, a chapter, or at least a poem, a joke or a tongue twister. And start early - in utero isn't too soon. What new parents soon discover is that reading aloud is just plain fun.


"Always read with expression," my mother told me when I was a child, learning to read with those good-time kids, Dick and Jane. (And I did, even becoming a librarian when I grew up, where I read aloud with expression on a daily basis.) Lucky for kids today, children's books are far more attractive and engaging these days. Kids pattern themselves on you, their reading role models. Listen for the voices in the stories you read aloud. Do you need to read aloud like actors Meryl streep or Lawrence Olivier? Yes, of course you do. Ham it up and have fun. If you read in a monotone, so will your kids. They need to hear the characters; voices in their heads to have true comprehension of the books they read. And there's nothing they love more than to snuggle in close and listen to you read aloud to them.


As your children start to read independently, share the joy and have them read to you, too. Make your own recordings of stories so your child can follow each book and listen to you over and over. Read aloud on car trips, at the doctor's office, and before bed, of course. What's my favorite read-aloud picture book, a tour de force of great voices? "The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales" by the great Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith.

Author: Judy Freeman
Written For: www.readkiddoread.com

Help OIS Get an IPad!

Now through the end of the school year you can send your used CDs and/or DVDs to OIS and help us purchase Kindle Readers and/or an IPad for our school! Both CDs and DVDs must be in a case with the original paper cover AND they must be readable - no damaging scratches. With your help...we can do it! Thank you, thank you, thank you to those of you who have already sent in DVDs and CDs. We appreciate your support!! Spread the word OIS family!!

Free Recordable Book - A Story Before Bed

Record a free book “What are Little Boys and Girls Made Of?” ($9.99 value) by Adam Herrington at A Story Before Bed – it’s free for a limited time. No coupon code is necessary, just login and all you need is a camera and microphone on your computer to make the recording of you reading the story. This 10-page story with illustrations is recommended for ages 1 to 3. Here’s more about this book:

“What Are Little Boys Made Of?” is a popular nursery rhyme dating from the early nineteenth century. It has been fabulously updated with clever illustrations and will delight small children and adults alike.

After you record the story, you can preview it before saving and access it at anytime. You can even access your recorded story from an iPhone, iPod, or iPad with their new free downloadable app. And you can share it on Facebook if you wish. This is a great way to have relatives who don’t live close by to read your kids a bedtime story virtually!

NEW Barnes and Noble Kids' Club!

What parent wouldn’t want their kiddos to join a book club that’s fun, free, and offers rewards?! For this reason, I was super excited to hear about the new Barnes & Noble Kids' Club.

As members of this free club, your kids (ages 12 and under) will snag the following…

* 30% off the list price on any one kids’ book or toy (this 30% off coupon will be sent via email).

* $5 reward for every $100 you spend on kids’ stuff online and in stores (qualifying products include most children’s books, toys, games, puzzles and workbooks); you can receive up to 4 rewards every year.

* Special Birthday Offer: You’ll receive a coupon via email for a FREE cupcake or cookie from the Barnes & Noble Café that you can use anytime during your child’s birthday weeks, and a FREE create–a–book project on Tikatok.com (their partner website that allows children to create their own books).

* Every month, you’ll receive an email newsletter with additional offers and savings. Just for signing up, you’ll be able to get 25% off every day on Tikatok.com.

**To join the Kids’ Club, fill out an enrollment form at your local store and then hand your completed form to a bookseller. You can also sign up for the program online by clicking the “FREE! Join Now!” button here. Your loyalty card will arrive approximately 10 days after it is requested.

Book Reviewers Needed - 8-12 Year Olds!

Are you an 8-12 year old who loves to read and share their opinions? If so, consider signing up for the Bella Books Young Reviewers Circle. Bella Books is looking for young readers to share their thoughts about The Sword of Darrow (a book that is set to be released next year) and what you’d like to see in the sequel to make it even better than the first.

Here’s what kids who participate will receive…

* A special, personalized pre-release edition of the magical new children’s book, The Sword of Darrow

* An official BenBella Books Young Reviewers Circle membership certificate

* A signed copy of The Sword of Darrow when it’s officially released next year.

* Their name, actually printed in the book, recognizing them as a member of the BenBella Books Young Reviewers Circle.

Sounds pretty cool!

Click here for more information!

Ready to sign up?! All you need to do is send an email to youngreviewers@benbellabooks.com. Be sure to include your child’s name and mailing address to send the book. Parents, please help with the sign up process! Kiddos, be sure to ask before you sign up! Have fun and let me know if you participate by leaving a comment below...

Kohl's Cares - Help OIS Win $500,000!

I love Kohl's. Shopping there is fun and the time, effort and funds they spend giving back to the community are even better. They currently have a program called Kohl's Cares. They're using the month of August to tally votes on Facebook for schools entering the race to win $500,000!!! Here's what you need to know:

*$500,000 will be donated to 20 eligible schools nationwide, for a total of $10 million. Donations are made possible by the Kohl's Cares cause merchandise program.

*You, your school and your community can go to www.facebook.com/kohls to vote and submit program funding ideas.

*The 20 schools that get the most votes and meet eligibility criteria will receive half a million dollars each!!

That's amazing!! The good news is, you can vote for your school up to five times AND you have 20 votes - which means you can vote for 4 different schools - or more schools if you want to spread the love. This is GREAT for people like me who work at one school and have a child at another - I was able to vote for both schools, be fair and not feel guilty - because it only allowed me 5 votes for each. PLEASE - we would love for you to cast your five votes for Odenville Intermediate School. There are things we, our students and community, are in need of desperately...a play ground, cafeteria, music program, art supplies, and of course...materials for our library and classrooms. Won't you do your part and vote today?

Just go here to vote. The children of Odenville THANK YOU! Spread the word!

How to Create an Addiction to Reading

When a student says, "I don't like books" or "I hate reading", my response? You just haven't found the right book yet! The key to creating readers is to find what interests each particular child - and give ample opportunities to read. Reading should be cherished and time to read created - and made fun. Make a visit to the book store or library a privilege, a family outing. Seek out author visits, special events and reading reward programs. Best of all? You can find most events through libraries and book stores that are FREE - offering inexpensive family fun - take advantage...and watch your child's love of reading grow.

So how do you create a reading addict? Here are a few suggestions:

First and foremost, set a good example! Parents should be the reading model for their children. Keep lots of books and various reading material around your house. Turn off the TV and designate reading time in your home.

Find reading material that fits your child's interest - do they play sports? Cheerleading? In the band? Do you have animal lovers? Crafty critters? What do they spend their time doing, what do they love and what excites them? I assure you, there's a book about it!

Be in the book know. Read the same book as your child / teen so that you can have fun discussions about it. This helps them to work on comprehension - you could even create a parent child book club! An added bonus? You'll know what your child's reading, gain an insight to their likes and dislikes AND you'll be reading the same book, so if the book contains something you disagree with, whether it be morally/spiritually - you'll find it because YOU'RE reading it!

Read aloud together every day. Add fun by reading outdoors , at a park, in various rooms around the house - and don't forget to let your children read to you! Encourage them to ask questions and interject...get their imaginations flowing!

Purchase magazine subscriptions in your child's name, like Sports Illustrated for Kids, Highlights for Children, or National Geographic World. Encourage older children to read the newspaper and current events magazines. You can even subscribe to some magazines for free, such as Lego Club (you can find it in the "free reading" section of the website. Magazine subscriptions make GREAT year long gifts - and they can be used after they're read...for school projects and crafts!

Take your children to Book stores and libraries as fun outings - it makes for a great family outing and is often FREE.

Telling the kids their bed time is at 7:30 - when you really don't mind if it's 8 allowing them time to read in bed. They are happy to stay up "late" in bed to read!

Place books in all areas of your home - sitting around in baskets, on book shelves and out as displays on tables or even between book ends on dressers and night stands. It's always a good idea to have books in your purse and/or car for times when you get caught in traffic or have to wait at the doctor's office.

Create a COMFY reading place in your home or their rooms - one that is a special place to cuddle up with a good book.

Purchase or make your child book plates. Personalizing a book with a sticker or name label creates a sense of pride and belonging - and also helps when a favorite book is lost at school or a friend's.

And most importantly, make reading a privilege, not a requirement. If you make a child read "for pleasure" in order to earn TV time, toys, gaming time, etc...you will only create a resentment for reading that will build over time. Most adults who do not enjoy reading, my husband included, have been forced as a child to read material they did not choose in order to "earn" time doing things they DID enjoy. THIS is never the answer.

Remember...read to succeed...it truly is the key to knowledge.

What do Boys Want?? NON-FICTION!

Our school libraries will remain largely unused by boys if we don’t have what they genuinely want to read. There may well be many books in our libraries that will benefit boys, broadening their experience, helping them mature, widening their vocabulary, giving them confidence, and aiding the rest of their learning; books achieve such things not by their high literary quality – though some of them will have this – but by being read.

Our challenge is to value boys’ reading tastes, whatever they are; to feed demand for the popular; and to tempt boys by the very best.
We can never be confident that we know enough about which books boys want to see in their school library – or even more crucially, about which books would draw in those who never visit it. Our own guesswork is not good enough – we need to learn from the users. Talk to boys; if you are genuine about your need to know their reading tastes, they’ll respond to this: boys long for what's real...the gross, the unexpected, the astonishing...the TRUTH. That's why boys tend to lean more toward non-fiction. Now, don't get me wrong. Each child is different. However, research shows that the vast majority of boys prefer non-fiction reading material. So why do boys, on average, tend to read less than girls? Think about the number of female educators we have. Females have reading habits far different from boys..and while never done purposely, female teachers do not always offer what appeals to male students in the area of reading. I have been guilty of this myself. What do you see women reading while waiting at the doctor's office or on a plane? Fiction. Romance novels, mystery novels, etc. Men? Non-fiction. Time magazine, Sports magazines, newspapers... Eye opening, isn't it?? Therefore, find non-fiction to put in your son's hands...or that student who is a reluctant reader...and you might just have something.

Here are some frequent conclusions from surveys and experience;
Boys are more likely to read for a purpose, if they can see the point in it. What am I learning? What facts can I find? THIS is why boys often prefer non-fiction, books with photographs and captions...and "fun facts" books. These non-fiction interests can then spark an interest in the fiction books - sports, cars, animals, geography...Boys often crave the subject of the moment, and switch to new ones fast.

Magazines are a big hit with boys: Lego Club Magazine, Sports Illustrated for Kids, Ranger Rick...because...they have articles about REAL stuff!

So, think non-fiction when you're trying to coax your son into reading...and if your son doesn't require coaxing...then you're one of the lucky ones!

Check out one of my favorite resources for boys, when it comes to reading: Guys Read. Bookmark it on your computer...you never know, you might learn something!

President Obama Urges Parents to Read

President Barack Obama urges parents to read to their children. There is no replacement - video games, television, sports...we all enjoy these activities, but it is crucial to set aside time to read with our children...in school and at home.

Barack Obama:
"In the end, there is no program or policy that can substitute for a parent – for a mother or father who will […turn off the TV, put away the video games,] read to their child. I speak to you not just as a President, but as a father, when I say that responsibility for our children’s education must begin at home. That is not a Democratic issue or a Republican issue. That’s an American issue."

You can find President Obama's full speech to the Joint Session of Congress, Feb. 24, 2009, here.

*The National Children's Reading Foundation suggests reading aloud with your children for 20 minutes daily to build their listening and language skills - no matter what their age!

Links of Interest for Parents: Step Into Reading

Listed below are some printable guides for parents to use when reading to and with their children. It's never too late to create an atmosphere of reading in the home. If it is important to us as parents, it will be important to our children.

Reading Aloud To Your Child

Choosing Good Books for Children of All Ages

Helping Your Children Become Readers

Talking With Your Struggling Reader