Holiday Blog Experiment

At the end of the year I like to try something different with my blogs. This year I’m going to post very short “teaser” book reviews on Twitter, 2 books a day until the last day of school.

I have some great new nonfiction reference books for kids and the 2009 Cybils Easy Reader and Short Chapter Book Award Nominees.

If you’re already on Twitter, I’m @asuen1 (For a daily email, sign up here.)

Happy Holidays!

Copyright © 2009 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

On the Radio

I’m on Book Bites for Kids on Blog Talk Radio – Monday 6/29 at 2pm Central. Give me a call!

Literacy Links

Copyright © 2009 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Twittering My Day Job(s)

“Keep your day job” is the advice given to writers everywhere, and it’s something I’ve done my entire life. I wrote my first picture book when I was eleven, so going to school was my day job then. After college, I taught elementary school (K, 1, 5, and 6), raised children…and kept writing. I started working as an children’s literature consultant and then I sold my first book. That led to teaching at the university, both children’s literature and writing for children, which in turn led to my online writing workshops!

For ALL of my day jobs, I collect reference materials. With the advent of the internet, it’s become a LOT easier to share that information. The internet’s latest invention, a microblogging service called Twitter, has made it easier still.

I’ve created two Twitter microblogs so I can share the information I find:

asuen1 is my Children’s Book Biz Twitter
asuen2 is my Literacy Links Twitter

If you want to write children’s books, the asuen1 Twitter will give you information about agents, editors, and changes in the book industry.

If you’re helping children learn how to read and write, the asuen2 Twitter will send you links to literacy/education websites.

BOTH asuen1 and asuen2 will link to book awards and reading lists.

Twitter is a MICROblog, so only 140 characters are allowed. The “posts” I send will be a headline and a link for you to click. (After the link I’ll add a hashtag that “classifies” the link, such as #kidlit, #writing, #literacy, and #education.)

Q. What will happen to the other blogs?

A. The Kid Lit Kit blog is going on summer vacation. My last post for the 2008-2009 school year will be on June 1.

Picture Book of the Day will resume again tomorrow and continue throughout the summer.

Book of the Week and 5 Great Books will resume posting next week.

The posts on Children’s Book Biz News will come from the asuen1 Twitter. This means that most posts will be a headline, a link, and hashtags. (I will write “long form” posts on the WordPress blog, but most of my posts will be Twitter-based. I can share a link from the web via Twitter with just a few clicks!)

Enjoy!

Inservice Clock Hours | The Butt-In-Chair Club starts June 1st!
Copyright © 2009 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

5 Great Books for Memorial Day

George Washington — Soldier, Hero, President
by Justine and Ron Fontes (Authors)
A short chapter book biography about one of our famous veterans, George Washington. Easy reader

Memorial Day
by Jacqueline S. Cotton (Author)
This easy reader explains why we celebrate Memorial Day.

Memorial Day
by Robin Nelson (Author)
An simple introduction to the Memorial Day holiday. Easy reader

Memorial Day Surprise
by Theresa Golding (Author) and Alexandra Artigas (Illustrator)
A boy and his mom attend a Memorial Day parade, and the boy sees his Grandfather, a veteran, in the parade! (Picture book)

The Wall
by Eve Bunting (Author) and Ronald Himler (Illustrator)
A boy visits the Vietnam Veterans Memorial with his father to find his grandfather’s name. (Picture book)

Literacy Link
Try these Memorial Day Activities for Kids.

Twitter | Inservice Clock Hours | Virtual Author Visits
Copyright © 2009 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

How to Help Emerging Readers

Welcome to Day 2 of the Share a Story – Shape a Future Blog Tour for Literacy.

Today’s topic is Selecting Reading Material, and since the subtitle of this blog is “Books for Children Learning to Read” I was asked to write about How to Help Emerging Readers. (I’m a former K-1 teacher.)

Learning to read is a process

Learning to read is a process that takes years. It begins at birth, when parents first speak to their child. By age nine, most children are fluent readers.

Children learn to read in small steps, and they need adults to help them. It takes “600 hours of essential pre-literacy preparation before entering school” to help children learn to read by age nine. Children have very short attention spans, so this time is spread out over a period of years. (Reading to your child twenty minutes every day adds up!)

Don’t limit your reading to books. Our world is filled with words – and this is what many young children learn to read first. They read their names, and the words they see on packages and signs. (This is called enviromental print.)

Learning to read requires direct instruction

Children don’t learn to read just because they listen to someone else reading. Learning to read also requires what teachers call direct instruction. That includes talking about the names of the letters and the sounds they make (also known as phonics.)

Once a child understands that letters have sounds and those sounds can make words, the child begins to read short words. This is why books for beginning readers have titles like Go, Dog. Go! and Hop on Pop . Short simple words are the best place to start.

Learn to read with easy reader books

Books for children learning to read are called easy readers. While picture books are read to a child by an adult, easy readers are meant to be read by the child himself. (You’ll know you’ve found an easy reader when you see the words “read,” “reader,” or “reading” on the cover.)

Learning to read takes place on a continuum, and the books reflect that. Easy readers range from 8 page books with a single word or a simple phrase on each page to 64 page books divided into chapters.

The books are called easy readers, so use them for easy reading. Don’t ask your child to read something that is too hard for him, or ask him sound out the words on every page. When your child is reading aloud, have him read books he can read by himself. (And if sounding out a word doesn’t work, say the word for your child so he can keep reading.)

Your Child’s Four Reading Levels

As children learn to read, they have four very different reading levels.

1. Independent – A child can read on his own.

2. Instructional – A child can read with help.

3. Frustration – A child misses 5% of the words. (When you’re learning to read, knowing 95% of the words doesn’t give you an A. That missing 5% means frustration! Use the five finger test to avoid this level.)

4. Listening – A child understands what you read. (Children who cannot read yet understand the spoken word. This is why picture books have sophisticated language and easy readers do not.)

Read and Repeat

How can you help your emerging reader? Make your twenty minutes a day, a “you read to me and I’ll read to you” time. Ask your child to read to you. Have him read a book he can read by himself. (This is the independent reading level.) Your child may read the same book over and over, but that’s all part of the process. Only with repetition will the words in the book become part of your child’s long-term memory.

Then it’s your turn. Read a harder book to your child. (This is your child’s listening level.) Together you are creating a family tradition of reading. You are also making a down payment on your child’s future, twenty minutes at a time.

This week’s 5 Great Books!

This week’s 5 Great Books are all easy reader classics! (You may have read these books when you were learning to read.)

Days with Frog and Toad
by Arnold Lobel
Frog and Toad spend the day together. (Easy reader with chapters)

Fox at School
by Edward Marshall (Author) and James Marshall (Illustrator)
The school day doesn’t quite the way Fox has planned. (Easy reader with chapters)

Go, Dog. Go!
by P.D. Eastman
Dogs in cars are on the move! (Easy reader)

Hop on Pop
by Dr. Seuss
Simple rhyming words are Dr. Seuss’ magic! (Easy reader)

Nate the Great
by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat (Author) and Marc Simont (Illustrator)
Can boy detective Nate the Great solve the case? (Easy reader)

Selecting Reading Material for Other Ages

Visit today’s other Share a Story – Shape a Future stops for

1. The ABCs of Reading: Infants, Toddlers & Preschoolers with Valerie Baartz
2. Helping Middle Grade Readers with Sarah Mulhern
3. Booklists and Read Alikes with Sarah Mulhern
4. Using Non-fiction with Mary Lee Hahn

Enjoy the week-long Share a Story – Shape a Future tour! I’ll see you here next Wednesday. 

Learn how to write a children’s book.
Copyright © 2009 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Welcome!

I’m moving here from my Easy to Read blog.

Why? 

In the Easy to Read blog I only wrote about easy readers, but I realized that when I teach reading I always use a mix of picture books and easy readers. It’s part of the Daily 5:

1. Read to self
2. Read to someone
3. Listen to reading
4. Work on writing
5. Word work

What does this look like in the classroom or at home?

• The child reads easy readers by himself. (Silent reading is #1 Read to self. Reading aloud is #2 Read to someone.)
• The adult reads picture books to the child. (#3 Listen to reading.)
• There are writing materials available for the child to use. (#4 Work on writing). (I blog about writing at Picture Book of the Day.)
• The adult points out new words and talks about the letters and sounds. (#5 Word Work).

I invite you to join me here at 5 Great Books: Books for Children Learning to Read where I’ll be posting every Wednesday.

You can subscribe by email or  subscribe with RSS.

Learn how to write a children’s book.
Copyright © 2009 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.