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GLOBAL GIVE-A-BOOK NEWSLETTER Theme of the Month: Community Helpers
Global Give-A-Book’s September theme is “Community Helpers.”
Who serves us on a daily basis in our communities? Who helps protect us, feed us, and teach us?
From firefighters to police officers, to dentists and teachers, it’s important to remind our children to show honor and respect to the hometown heroes who epitomize community service.
As school is gearing up for an unpredictable year ahead, remind your child that his or her teacher is uncertain, too. We’re all in this together, and together we will walk through the unknown. Although learning may look different in our communities this year, the positive effects of reading remain the same. So here’s our tip for helping to create a normal routine amidst a not-so-normal year: encourage your child to spend 20 minutes reading every night.
Daily reading has been proven to help children’s communication skills and self-esteem. Children who read more have a better vocabulary than those who don’t often read. An expanded vocabulary helps children to express themselves more clearly, more accurately, and to cope with emotions in a healthy way. Further, students who read novels and other long fiction are more empathetic. They are able to place themselves in other people’s shoes more easily because they practice compassion in reading.
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon recently found during a six-month study that reading actually changed the structure of the brain positively. In the study, 47 poor readers were placed on a daily reading regimen with including decoding drills. The finding was an increasing amount in white matter in the language area of the children’s brains as measured with before and after MRIs. Pretty spectacular.
Every time you are tempted to skip that 20-minute reading assignment, think about what that means in the long run:
Student A, who reads twenty minutes every night, will spend 3,600 minutes reading per school year and will be exposed to 1.8 million words per school year.
Student B, who spends five minutes reading per night, will spend 900 minutes reading per school year and will be exposed to 282,000 words.
Student C, who spends one-minute reading a night, will spend 180 minutes reading per school year and will be exposed to 8,000 words.
Which child will succeed in school? In life? Which will your child be?
Happy Reading! Sylvia Hermosillo Director of Content
Quote of the Month:
“There are perhaps no days of our childhood we lived so fully as those we spent with a favorite book.”
-Marcel Proust
Book Recommendations: (& all under $10!)
By Heather Adamson. Each First Facts Community Helpers book has a table of contents, a glossary, an index, and a website to visit for more information. The information is clear and interesting. Minorities are represented in the photos, and vocabulary is appropriate to subject.
(PreK-3rd grade)
By Eric Carle is a delightful book that tells a fictional account of a baker who must create a special treat for the Duke and Duchess or be banished from their town forever. Find out what he whips up!
(PreK-2nd grade)
By Chris L. Demarest, was the winner of the New York Times Best Picture Book of the Year. It will certainly inspire your future firefighter. It is an alphabet book, but it provides quite a bit of information about the daily life of a firefighter. This was one of the few firefighter books that included female firefighters.
(PreK-2nd grade)
Ask a Reading Teacher:
To: Reading Teacher
Dear Reading Teacher,
My son Andres cannot write. He is 6 years old and I am worried because he seems to have no interest in writing his numbers or even his name. He went to preschool and to kindergarten. Should I have him tested to see if there is a deeper problem that needs to be addressed?
Sincerely, Andres’s Mom in Durango, CO
From: Interested Parent
Dear Andres’s Mom,
It is much too early to worry about having Andres tested. Every child writes at his or her own pace. He is still young. Give him time. Leave a pencil and paper out for him, but spend time doing fun activities that help develop his motor skills. For example, let him finger-paint. "Paint" with shaving foam on mirrors, use an etch-a-sketch, and do arts and crafts (cutting and drawing) to help with hand-eye coordination. Draw pictures in a tray of sand. Practice picking up Cheerios to help develop finger muscles. After a while, make a game by seeing if he can copy what you draw or paint with your finger in the foam or paint. Don’t push. Relax and praise his efforts.
Happy Reading, The Reading Teacher
UPCOMING PROGRAMS:
GGAB Director of Curriculum,
Jordan Oliver, is the published author of Drafted. She is also co-founder of Triple Braided Cord Co. In an effort to spread love and support for our hometown heroes, GGAB is excited to announce a partnership with TBC. We will be giving copies of Drafted to our heroes: police officers, firefighters, and military personnel. Subscribe to Global Give-A-Book newsletter and see us in action!
THIS MONTH’S CHALLENGE:
Showing Gratitude
This month’s challenge is to encourage your child to thank someone who serves your community. Let’s show our educators, police officers, firefighters, mailmen, and grocery store cashiers that they are recognized and appreciated!
AUGUST "READING WITH DAISY" CHALLENGE WINNERS: Mercedes and Carterman!
Congratulations to you both!
HAPPY READING!
OCTOBER TEASER:
Join us next month as we dive into the topic of “Government”. With the 2020 election only two months away, we want to equip our children with a basic understanding of our nation’s governing body.
STAFF SPOTLIGHT:
“As a published author, I often have people ask me if I love to read. After all, you know the saying: ‘The best readers are also the best writers.’ If you love to read, try spending some time practicing your writing skills. Whether it’s taking a stab at a short story, a poem, or even a letter to your best friend or a family member, getting into a writing rhythm will help improve your reading skills, too! Happy ready…and writing!”
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