We all want the best for the youth in our lives. Developing skills that lead to a child having the best advantages to make the most of their talents, skills, and dreams must be started at a young age. Just like walking - skills were learned incrementally and practiced to the point where walking was easy and, from there, we could run if we chose. The time to lay the foundation for success is now. To get started, here are some key habits: Read to your child. Not only can you set aside 15-20 [Read More]
Leveled Book Sets enhance your childs reading program
Does the controversy over rating teachers according to student test scores bypass the underlying issue of why teachers become teachers?
Recently, the USA Today newspaper printed pro and con editorials on rating teachers according to student test scores. As a result, letters to the editor have appeared. There is agreement with Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), that teachers need to be well-prepared. But, there are other influences affecting teacher competence: resources, policies, class size, community, economics and population to name a few. In one letter, an ex-teacher from Missouri [Read More]
LILY—Launching Independent Literate Youth
Whether you are a teacher, parent, or supportive person in a child’s life, you want the best for that child. Part of offering the best is providing opportunities. One way to do this is through reading. Books open up the world, the universe to readers. They can be transported to different areas and times—or to their own area and time, knowing they are not alone. When choosing books for the child in your life, you might feel overwhelmed with the selection. Which book will be appropriate and hold [Read More]
Leveled Reader gets a little help from “Lily” choosing leveled books for March
March has so many birthdays, events and celebrations to acknowledge and, before we know it, April will be here! That’s too bad because there are so many books already leveled for you that, for instance, celebrate March’s ‘Women in History’ month. Lily just showed me the “Childhood of Famous Americans Ready-to-Read” book series. Wow. I got excited just looking at all the possibilities available in that series (even if there are a few books about men, too)! When Lily was looking for books on [Read More]
Guided reading programs can become boring – let Flat Stanley spice things up for teachers and parents who know it is hard work to keep kids interested in reading!
Part of our goal in being a “Leveled Book Resource” is to bring our teachers, parents and others that want to encourage kids to read ideas that help encourage today’s youth to spend time reading. Spring is almost here and Spring Fever might make your child want to do anything but read. Along with Spring, thoughts often turn to adventure and travel instead. You and your students or child may not be able to travel in the literal sense, but you can through books! One of our favorite choices [Read More]
As a teacher, parent or guardian of a child learning to read, do you realize your value?
“Indiscriminate reading is unprofitable to the mind.” Latin Proverb “The fact of knowing how to read is nothing; the whole point is knowing what to read.” - Jacques Ellul, 1912-1984, a French philosopher, law professor, sociologist, lay theologian, and WWII French Resistance leader. “Choose an author as you would a friend.” – Wentworth Dillion, 1630-1985, English poet born in Ireland. These quotes might be representative of how important your role is in helping your child or student [Read More]
We believe in the Teacher's dream!
I have spoken with many teachers and most of them tell me that when they started out they said “If I can help just one child I will have accomplished something in this lifetime”. We feel the same way at LeveledReader.com. With school budgets getting tighter and classroom sizes larger, teachers have less and less time to do the things they would like to do. Usually, k-12 teachers have to spread their time out over all subjects and this can mean reading does not get the attention it [Read More]
Schools and teachers need parents to support their reading programs
We hear that schools cannot “do it all.” That means it is our responsibility to be engaged in the learning process right along with our children. Sometimes that seems a little overwhelming. By knowing what our child is learning and reading about in school, and what they might be extra excited about, we can grab that opportunity to select contemporary and exciting books that have been leveled to compliment the guided reading program their school participates in. By reading these books to [Read More]
Encouraging a child to read – leveled book sets help
As a parent, I have always wanted the best for my son. Knowing children are individuals, so different from one another, one size does not “fit all.” You have to watch what each one is interested in, take that and run creatively with it. Buying books is a great way to expose kids to a wide variety of experiences related to their interest—knowing next month it will be a different interest. When I noticed a subject my son was interested in, one of the things I would do is find a children’s book [Read More]
