Active Reader

June 14, 2010

Volume 1, Issue 1

Parent Newsletter
This
Times Active Reader Times. Spring 2010. Childrens Literature

Newsletter

The Importance of Reading

Includes:

Ten book Do you remember the first
reviews book you read on your
own? Every student is
Tips for the
Parent: taught how to read in the
Encourage early years of academic
your child to education. Reading is the
read! basis of communication
and we improve our
About the reading skills through oral
Author
and written
communication. Stop for a
second and close your
eyes pretend like you
were never taught to read
and you had never read
that first book. Now open
Individual Highlights:
your eyes and look around improve reading skills and
you but remember you still teach new content
cant read. Would you be simultaneously.
able to find your way
This newsletter will
home without the ability to
include a number of book
read?
reviews as well as useful
Today as a teacher it is resources and websites
our number one goal to that will assist you in
ensure that all our encouraging children of all
students have the ages to be active readers.
necessary reading skills to
advance to the next grade
level. With the use of
reading strategies and
forms of assessment
teachers are able to

Florida Everglades
2 The Future of the Earth
Argentinas
In todays world it is
Disappearance important to educate our
children on the importance
3
of protecting mother
Kuwait 4 Earth. Yann Arthus-
Bertrand has
Parent Tips 5
photographed places on
About the Author Earth in order to illustrate
the importance of
6
sustainable development.
The Future of the Earth is
a book that leaves out
none of the major
ecological issues of our
time and offers solutions
for our future generations.
Throughout the panoramic
photos children can
understand that the future
of the Earth lies in their
hands. The large picture
book shows images of
flooded homes, garbage
piles, polluted coral reefs
and villages in Mali. With
the picture covering the
whole left side a short
quote or statistic in the top
right Each year, over fifty
thousand square miles of
forest land disappear
throughout the world.
Each picture has a short
summary about what the
photo is and how we can
prevent pollution and
improve living conditions. I
enjoyed this book
because of its visuals as
well as the informational
and encouraging text. This
book can be used as a
quality resource. Using
strategies like KWL and
Anticipation guides
students can learn new
information on protecting
the environment. This
book can be used as a
read aloud as well. This
book is beneficial to all
students to do its mind
opening photos and ideas
on The Future of the
Earth.
 Active Reader Times
Having a Bad Day?
Case of the Mondays?
Everyone will experience
a number of horrible, no
good, very bad days but
we must learn to improve
and brighten our day. As
you read Alexander and
the Terrible, Horrible, No
Good, Very Bad Day you
wont feel alone.
Alexander woke up with
gum in his hair and he
knew the rest of the day
would only get worse.
A picture book like this
Active Readers are
Good Readers
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy
Looking for a novel with a
historical background?
Lizzie Bright and the
Buckminster Boy is a
wonderful novel that was
awarded the Newberry
Honor Book Award. Gary
D. Schmidt wrote a story
of a young boy Turner
who just moved to
Phippsburg, Maine where
his father would be the
new minister of the town.
Turner has troubles fitting
in with the other boys and
The Florida Everglades
The Everglades National Park is the largest subtropical
wilderness in the United States and is home to endangered
species like the Florida panther and the West Indian
manatee. In schools around the U.S. students will learn
and be informed about the region they live in. Students at
all grade levels will learn about Floridas agriculture,
landforms, culture, customs, history, climate and
ecosystems. Everglades National Park by Susan
Jankowski is a non-fiction book filled with colorful pages of
Page 2 of 6
can be used in a number bad day. My mom says
of ways. This book can be some days are like that.
used in a read aloud and
-Quoted from Alexander
students will understand
and the Horrible, No
that everyone may have a
Good, Very Bad Day
bad day. Daily life
situations and problem
themed books can
illustrate the life journey
every student must
overcome.
The cat wants to sleep
with Anthony, not with me.
It has been a terrible,
horrible, no good, very
meets Lizzie Bright a novel and discover the
young African American history of Mangala Island
girl who lives on the and the friendship of
island. Mangala Island is Turner and Lizzie.
home to many African
This novel was easy
American who have
reading for students for
settled and founded a
grades 7-9. Students are
home. The two friends
introduced to the harsh
embark on many
treatment towards African
adventures and build a
Americans is the 1912.
friendship. The whites in
Students can connect to
the town are pushing to
the main characters and
have the residents of
the troubles of coming-of-
Mangala Island forces out
age.
of their homes. Read the
information, fact, book also contains a
photographs and passages glossary, chapter notes
about the Everglades. and, related websites.
This book can be useful to
This book can be used in a
the classroom and serve
number of useful ways.
as a trade book or unit
Students can create a flip
textbook.
book or cubing with
important facts and details For furthering education
about the Everglades. The visits to The Everglades
would give learners hands
on experience.
 Page 3 of 6 Active Reader Times
If you can read this, thank
a teacher.
1976 Argentina Camps ~ Anonymous Teacher ~

Weve all know about with minimal water, food This novel also offers a
the Holocaust and sanitation. Each historical background.
Concentration camps chapter is a particular Students can read this
and the camps that event, object or dream novel during a unit
were formed after Pearl that occurred while in lesson or even chapters
Harbor but have you the camps. The Little form the novel can be
ever heard about the School gives the reader used as resources and
30,000 Argentines that a firsthand experience materials used during
disappeared between of Argentine Military lessons.
1976 and 1979? The camps. The book offers
Little School: Tales of a spin on the entire
Disappearance and novel. Read The Little
Survival by Alicia School: Tales of
Partnoy is a detailed Disappearance and
novel that tells a true Survival and experience
survivors story. The how the author survived
main character was the camps while being
taken from her home blindfolded the entire
and placed in time.
concentration camps

Being able to read

opens a whole new
Just a Little Bit world.
I remember my favorite moves.
book as a child was
This picture book is
Just a Little Bit by Ann
geared towards
Tompert. Just a Little
younger children. This
Bit is a story about an
book can be used to
elephant who wants to
introduce animals and
play on the seesaw. He
their physical Good children's
sits down on one side literature appeals not
characteristics as well
and his mouse friends
as the concept of math only to
climbs to the other side,
and balancing. Children
but nothing happens.
are introduced tot eh
the child in the adult,
Soon the giraffe, but to the adult in the
concept of weight and
monkey, zebra and lion
are sitting with the
balancing and equaling child.
two sides of a level. ~ Anonymous ~
mouse trying to get the
seesaw to move. Finally
s fly sits on the mouses
nose and the seesaw
 Active Reader Times Page 4 of 6

The Country of Kuwait

Whats your favorite
country? As students are
introduced to the
community surrounding
them they then advance
and expand on the
countries that are seas
away. Student will learn
information on Earth and
the many countries that
make up each continent.
Kuwait by Leila Merrell
Towers In Kuwait
Foster has published a because of the colorful
non-fiction book on the
country of Kuwait. The
book includes details on
the land, agriculture, oil
and money, the people,
religion and all the
characteristics and
features that make Kuwait
unique.
I enjoyed the book
images and pictures as
well as the interesting
facts about Kuwait.
This book can be used to
introduce a lessons topic.
As a teacher I can assign
each student a country
and instruct them to make
a fanny pack that includes
information about their
country.

A colorful picture book

Picture books are full of
illustrations, photographs,
painting and drawing that
depict the text. Students
are taught to use context
clues and refer to the
picture to help with
interpreting the text. Duck
on a Bike by David
Shannon is a picture book
filled with color and sight
words. The story line is a
duck riding a bike around
the farm and all the
animals he comes across.
This book can be used in
the classroom to introduce
sight words or commonly
used words. Words like
the, he, she, could, would,
went, where etc are just a
few words that are used
repeatedly in the text. This book
can be used to introduce new
vocabulary. During a read aloud
students can clap their hand
every time they hear the new
word. Picture book can be used
in a number of ways during
instructional content learning.

We have plenty of them!

Every feel like youre a
burden on someone?
Plenty Porter is a novel
about a young girl in a
large family during the
Great Depression. The
book takes place in rural
home in Illinois. Plenty is
the 11th child in her family.
Her parents had used all
their favorite names
already and didnt know
what to name the next
child. The doctor looks at
her mother and asks
Think youll have by Brandon Noonan and
another? and her father can be another novel used
replies No, eleven is during a unit plan. This
plenty, which is how novel can be used in a
Plenty received her name. number of ways in the
The reader will experience classroom. This novel can
the rough times during the be geared towards
great Depression and the students from 5th-8th
struggles of feeling like a grade.
burden on your family.
Plenty lives and works on
her familys farm and build Quote from: Plenty Porter
a relationship with her the Novel
next door neighbor.
Plenty Porter was written
 Page 5 of 6
Traditional Literature
Traditionally parents read
their children bedtime
stories. These stories
were tall tales, dreams, or
life lessons. Next time
your child asks you to
read a bedtime story pick
one out that is about a
person I history. John
Henry by Julius Lester is a
picture book that tells the
story of the African
American folk hero who
was able to do more
manual labor than anyone
known. His story is his
experiences working on
the railroad tracks.
This picture book is both
poetic and humor.
Children of all ages will
love to hear other people
Tips and Quotes
Always remember reading
is the key to success.
Reading is our connection
to our self, the world and
the people surrounding us.
An article from Lifestyles
titled How to make
reading fun for young
children by Darci Paschal
stated
Remember that at a
young age children learn
to mock their parents
behaviors. This can be a
great help when the
parents themselves love to
read. If your child sees you
pick up a book they are
going to be inclined to do
Active Reader Times
story.
John Henry can be used
in the classroom as well.
When introducing a new
historical character I can
start by introducing the
person through a story.
The story will give a brief
background of the
character as well as a
brief summary of why the
person is significant today.
Traditional
Literature
introduces
Diversity
so as well. If it can be of books. Typical library
worked into the families card holders can checkout
schedule try setting up a up to 20 books at a time!
family read time. Thirty
Some quotes to think
minutes is plenty of time
about:
and can be done easily
before bedtime. Also,
remember that reading to
Once you learn to read,
toddlers increases the
you will forever be free.
curiosity and they may be
Fredrick Douglass
more inclined to learn to
read sooner.
So next time your child A writer only begins a
says Im bored! What can book. A reader finishes it.
I do? Your response can Samuel Jackson
be Lets go to the library.
The Public Library is an
Share Reading
amazing place where
there are endless choices with Children
 Websites for Parents
Active Reader Times There are many resources
available on the internet
and in your community to
help you encourage your
20011 Barletta Lane
child to read. Check out
Estero, FL 33928
your local library for
PHONE: reading groups or read
(404) 969-9668 aloud sessions or look at
any other these websites.
E-MAIL:
bburchf@eagle.fgcu.edu
Reading Rockets is a
Works Cited.
Internet4Classrooms - Helping
Students, Teachers and Parents
Use the Internet Effectively."
Internet4Classrooms - Helping
Students, Teachers and Parents
Use the Internet Effectively. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 15 June 2010.
Author: Brittany Burchfield
<http://internet4classrooms.com
>.
"Reading Rockets: Reading
About the Author
Were on the Web! Brittany Burchfield is the
See us at: author of Active Reader
www.bburchfield88@blogspot.co Times and currently
m attends Florida Gulf Coast
University. She is seeking
a degree in Elementary
Education as well as a
ACTIVE READER
TIMES
20011 Barletta Lane
Estero, FL 33928
wonderful and useful site.
The site offers many tips
in English as well as in
Spanish. The site offers
author interviews, award
winning book lists, tips for
reading with your child as
well as many other tips to
use at home.
www.readingrockets.org
Comprehension & Language
Arts TeachingStrategies for
Kids." Reading Rockets:
Reading Comprehension &
Language Arts
TeachingStrategies for Kids.
N.p., n.d. Web. 15 June 2010.
<http://readingrockets.org>.
Quotes found on: "Richmond
Public Schools." Richmond
minor in Marketing.
Brittany has lived in
Florida for two years now
and misses her family in
Georgia dearly. She is the
oldest of four children and
cant wait to start a family
Education.gov is a site ran by
the U.S. government that
provides tips in reading to your
child, publication lists and tips on
preparing your child for school.
www.ed.gov
Another helpful site is Internet
for Classrooms. It has links to
help encourage children as well
as give advice on choosing a
book.
www.internet4classrooms.com
Public Schools. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 June
2010. <http://richmond.k12.va.us>.
"U.S. Department of Education." U.S.
Department of Education. N.p., n.d.
Web. 15 June 2010. <http://ed.gov>.
All images found on Google.com.
of her very own. Once she
graduates she hopes to
teach 2nd grade and one
day middle school social
studies.