Meet Ellen Richard - Teacher, Mom and Creative Resource

Meet Ellen Richard and her family!  Via the Internet, I recently met this amazing teacher and innovative entrepreneur and she's doing something incredible to encourage young children in writing and spelling.  I was so impressed that I asked her to post a guest blog for me here so you could gain from some of her ideas.  I'm also posting her ideas and comments on my sister blog for educators. The topic is spelling and handwriting.  Take it away, Ellen!

Spelling is tough.  But,as a teacher from down in the trenches, I can tell parents that demanding kids write the same words over and over again is not the most productive use of your (or your child's) time. Educators, as a whole, have shifted away from rote memorization and endless tracing of inconsequential spelling lists and instead are spending their time figuring out ways to engage kids.  It's my experience that kids who truly are excited about the subject matter learn more and learn it faster.

Kids who have issues memorizing (there are many of them out there, not even counting those with identified learning disorders), are in a real pickle.  There is not context for the words, and there is not connection made.  Now, in all fairness, sometimes the words rhyme but more often than not they are just a group of words that the publishers of the textbook happened to think were appropriate for all the kids in a class.  One size doesn't fit all.  There are so many kids whose brains just work a little differently and, for those kids, spelling can be a huge problem.

I know, I know -- we have computers who do all our thinking, right?  Wrong!   Even in the age of SpellCheck and T-9 Alpha, kids need to know how to spell.  Why?  Because we still need to use a standardized, easily understandable common spelling for ease of communication.  That will never change and it applies whether your child is just learning to spell or whether they are an older student.

So what can you do to make spelling easier?
Three words:  authentic learning experiences.

Kids need to be engaged in what they are doing.  They need to see how and why spelling is so important.  Tracing or copying a list of words does not help the kids make essential connections that they need to learn how to spell words, or retain that information.  Whether you are thinking young children with growing small motor abilities or older students who've had some experiences with spelling, engagement is key.

I believe it is just fine to have young kids trace words to help them learn how to spell and/or print but here's the catch:  the words have to be meaningful to them.  A list of random words is not meaningful.  A letter to a friend is.  A story written by the child himself is also meaningful.  An article about the child's favorite sport or musician is too.  It's our jobs as educators (and yes, parents are the most important educators in a child's life) to find out what interests our kids and connect writing to it.

Ask questions; dig a little.  What is it that makes your child tick?  Use that to help her spell (and read and form letters and practice handwriting).  Here's the greatest part -- you can do all of this easily at home.  With your older students, let them do the writing while you write something together (a story, a book review or editorial, a fan letter, whatever).

If you are working with young children, you don't need fancy fonts on the computer to be able to have kids trace the words and become better spellers.  Simply make the dotted font yourself using good old paper and pencil.  Ask your child to tell you about his favorite character in his favorite book and jot down what he says in that dotted format.  Then, while he's still excited about the story, have him trace over what you just wrote and he just dictated to you.  Let him use blue marker if he wants.  He'll probably want to read it over and over and over again.  Why?  Because that story is the most interesting think in the world to him, at that moment in time.

Why Does This Work?

Just by talking to your child and writing down his story in a handmade dotted form, you are:

1.  bonding with your child and learning more about her likes and preferences

2.  giving her the opportunity to trace over her own story (that you jotted down)

3.  allowing her the chance to see the words that are important to her, her story and her vocabulary in the written form, and

4.  providing new reading material that is exciting, yet familiar, and fun for her to read.

Many of these ideas from Ellen can also be adapted with your older kids and the bonding is certainly as important as they grow older as it was when they were very young.

Thanks, Ellen!  What great ideas she has given you.  You're going to have a lot of fun.  I really like the way she balances a child writing over someone else's words and writing over her own.  Both are important.

Ellen has done more for us and young children.  She has taken these simple ideas and made them into a small business.  She started Letter Learning while on maternity leave from teaching this past January.  She missed teaching students, and had a million thank-you cards to write.  Because both of those things were on her mind, the idea for educational greeting cards was born!

She remembered how her own students sturggled often with spelling and handwriting and knew how much they love their family and friends.  She also knew that young kids love to "be like Mom" and since 80% of greeting cards are sent by women, it seems that greeting cards that help kids learn to write and spell are a long overdue instrument. Check out the birthday card above; it's an example of Ellen's cards.

Now It's Your Turn

Take time to sit down with your child and really talk with him.  Every child has at least one thing that really piques his interest.  It is your job to find out what that is.  Once you do that, the rest is easy!  So, now it's your turn.  Tell us what has helped you work with your child on spelling and writing at home.  Send a link to this blog to another mom or dad you know.  Share the complementary teacher blog with an educator you know who is enjoying a bit of R&R this summer.  It's when we take action from the words we read that we make a difference.

As always, I look forward to your comments.

Three Secrets to Helping Kids Read

Today I visited with Pat Montgomery of ParentsRule radio and we talked specifically about helping young children come to the reading table "at their prime time".  This post will serve as an additional resource to that interview (which you can hear via podcast anytime this week if you missed the live show).  Pat also has a blog with more information from her shows so you can find even more important information there.

Did you know . . .

Children begin to read normally between the ages of 4-6 (a few exceptions on either end of that spectrum) and it is important to know that each child comes to the reading table at a different time (and reading later than 4 doesn't mean your child is "behind").

Did you know that the vocabulary level of children by 1st grade can predict at least 30% of their success in comprehending what they read when they are 16 or 17?  The details are included in a longitudinal research study summarized in the book Beginning Literacy with Language.

THREE BIG IDEAS

Conversations are important.
Exploring print and books together is important.
Playing with the Language is important.

All of these work when they are consistently applied.  More details on all three of these concepts are covered in detail in my new book Anytime Reading Readiness (for parents) which makes a great holiday gift for a young family (or a stocking stuffer for yourself!)    Easy, fun activities that can be slipped into busy days, without too much "academic" pressure (which can be counterproductive) are what you will find in this family-friendly handbook.  It's also designed so you can find just the areas you need more information and ideas on or, if you want an overview, you can read from front cover to back.

If you are looking for a great gift for the preschool or kindergarten teacher in your life, you can choose the companion book to Anytime Reading Readiness, called Before They Read.  Covering the same three big ideas mentioned above, this takes a more academic focus for easy application in the classroom while retaining the important essential elements of reading readiness and emergent literacy.  A plus is that this book's margins are full of teacher tips and more ideas for involving families in complementing what is happening at school.  I purposely wrote both these books at the same time to give families and schools a target for working together because that is the way children learn to read most easily.

Here are a few of the resources mentioned on Pat's program today:

Indistructibles, great wordless books for "reading" and exploring with young children

Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton, one of Cathy's early favorite books

Singing (which we didn't get to) is always great - check out Fran Avni's CDs for great songs that are fun (and foster learning).

Join my revolution to draw families and schools together without an "academic hothouse" approach.  Reading and writing are tools for life, not just something that happens as an assignment or work in the classroom.  The most important part of reading, talking, and playing with language at home is that it gives time for a strong relationship between adult and child to grow.  That is the best part of literacy, combined with the fact that literacy is the doorway to all learning.  As a parent, don't worry if you're not a bookworm:  think - "It's bigger than the book" because it is.  The interaction you have with your child will grow literacy skills but it also helps the two of you grow closer.  It helps you understand your child more deeply; it helps your child connect with you.

You can also be a part of the revolution by sharing the resources from  TLA's website with schools, parent-teacher organizations, community family-friendly groups because literacy is everyone's business and children's literacy is our future.  TLA is currently booking me for events and conferences for 2010 and 2011.

Post questions you have in response to the radio show or to this blog and The Literacy Ambassador will be happy to respond!

Keeper of Your Children's Dreams: Celebrating Literacy is A Key

SWEET REFLECTIONS

Today's blog is a time for reflection - take a deep breath, listen carefully and you can feel that same emotion, that same pride you first felt on that first day you met your new little one. Whether you are a parent (or a grandparent or other relative), I believe every one present at the first moments of life has this great rush of dreams and love for that baby.  The start of a new life is inspiring to us all.  But sometimes the whirlwind of life, the pressures and worries, can drive that feeling away or at least bury it a bit. 

SNUGGLE AND CUDDLE TIME

Reading with your child can help you recapture that understanding that every possibility is open; every life a new chance for the world to be a better place.  I love the words from Nancy Tillman's On The Night You Were Born, "So whenever you doubt just how special you are and you wonder who loves you, how much and how far, listen for geese honking high in the sky (they're singing a song to remember you by): . . .   They take us back to those singular, life-affirming moments that are the core of our relationship with our child.

Whether you have a newborn, a toddler or a preschool child, think back to that time and those feelings and use them as motivational fuel.  One of the truest, most satisfying ways we as parents (grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, etc.) can keep those dreams alive is by creating a rich literacy environment for that young child.

IT'S SIMPLE AND EFFECTIVE AND PAVES THE PATH TO READING

Have that feeling close to your heart?  Here's the next step (no academic hothouse).   Learning how our language works can be a natural, relationship-enriching experience for both child and family.  Sitting down for just two or three minutes can rekindle that connection we had from the very beginning and remind us of what is most important in life. Look at the outside of a book together.  See if you can guess together what it might be about.  It's that simple to begin.

A CHAT WITH TUMBLON'S GRAHAM SCHARF

I was personally reminded of just those connections when I spoke last week with Graham Scharf, father, educator, entrepenuer and co-founder of Tumblon.com, a great place for parents to find resources for understanding and nurturing their child's growth, an inspirational place to connect with the joys of parenting.

Graham and I were talking about how easy and rewarding it is to create a literacy-rich home environment for your child.  To the left you'll see he and his lovely wife with their two little "readers".  We talked about finding the most delicious books for sharing like Mem Fox's Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes and The Little Red Caboose, books with my three R's of books for young children

Rhythm, 
Rhyme and
Repetition.

These kinds of books are easy to find in your local library or at the bookstore down the street or at the mall.

We also talked about how important it is for children to hear lots of conversations (not only for their language development but also for their emotional and social development).  It is so empowering to a child when they know they are loved and when several someones in their life often say that to them and show them their care with a listening ear.  My mom loved to talk with our son when he was small (here's one of my favorite pictures of them talking about a single thing, a toy squirrel)

CONSISTENCY

One of the last highlights of the conversation with Graham last week was the idea of consistency.  I don't want any parent to think that you have to be the Martha Stewart of mothers or the Mr. Rogers of dads.  I do want you to know that you are the single most important influence in your child's life and that you are the most powerful, natural teacher you child will ever have. Learning doesn't just happen at school.  Think about what you have already taught your child to do (sit up, make raspberries with their lips, walk, talk, hug, empathize).

If you don't read with your children now, just try doing it once a week to begin with.  Set aside a few minutes before you tuck your child in for a quick read.  Remember, at this age, it doesn't have to be more than 2-3 minutes long.  You have time for that; it's less than a coffeebreak and you know (when you think back to those early emotions) that your child is worth the effort to give that little bit of time wholeheartedly to him.

Once you begin to enjoy the story with your child (no correcting and directing), you'll want to add more reading times and you'll be motivated to carve out those times because you see how much it means to your child and to you.  Reading aloud with your child is also a "destressor " for you both when you simply enjoy it together rather than making it an academic exercise.

BUILD ON POSITIVE EXPERIENCES AND GROW THE HABIT

Once you've broken the ice with the routine, try adding just one more night - go for a few weeks at that level and don't beat yourself up if you miss one as you are setting the new habit.  Stay on target and try again.   If you read twice a week, aim for three times (researchers tell us that at least three times a week is the minimum we eventually need to make a consistent impact). 

READY FOR MORE?

Listen to more tips and ideas from the conversation between Graham and me at his podcast of the event on Tumblon.com.  You can also learn more about the power of conversation, reading with your child and playing with the language through my new book, Anytime Reading Readiness, available now through Maupin House Publishing.

Webinar - Just Right Books - Sponsored by Mygiftedgirl.com

This blog serves as a follow-up and a place to share extra resources after the webinar held the evening of October 29, 2009.  It was hosted by Mygiftedgirl.com's founder Audrey Borden, and presented by literacy expert, Cathy Puett Miller. Although the focus of this webinar was gifted children, many of the resources here will also be terrific for all families, with children of all ages so read on and see what you can find that works for your child.

Selecting books for any child, but especially those who may read several months or years above children the same age, is a challenge. Remember to:

Let your child be part of the process and help them find time to read.

Look for books that tap into your child's passion and interests (don't forget nonfiction like books listed on the I.N.K. database (a free resource). Visit I.N.K.'s blog for a special (and very timely) article on What Does Age Appropriate Mean Anyway?

Rely on experts like media specialists, librarians and family-friendly resources like The Reading Tub to help you find great books for your child.

Send the message to your child, "You can read ANYTHING". Of course, if you have materials inappropriate for the social and emotional age of your child, my advice is to keep it in a place your child has no access to. Save leveled reading for "required reading from school" and classroom instruction.

Help your child learn to cope with the limitations and restrictions he or she may feel from school by encouraging a passion for learning and a love of reading at home. Give your child positive reading experiences in a wide variety of circumstances, but never overwhelm your child with more "academic" work.  The best learning, at home or school, happens when the activity is integrated and interwoven into a child's nature experiences.  Remember that you are the commercial for reading and that motivation is an important indirect component.

Remember your child is a whole person.  He or she very well may be socially and emotionally closer to their chronological age, even if academically or in special areas, they are much advanced.  Celebrate your child's age where they are and help him or her find the balance between stimulation and

age-appropriate development.  Talk with early childhood and childhood experts to learn what is "normal" for your child.

LET'S FIND THE JUST RIGHT BOOK TOGETHER


I believe there is a book for every child.  If you have a child that isn't excited about reading, maybe it's just that he or she hasn't found the book to "turn him on".  Commit yourself to helping her find that book (the journey and the search will be almost as much fun as finding it when you do it together).

Here are great books for your child to read on his/her own or with you (based on average grade level reading). If your child reads above or below grade level, adjust accordingly. I purposefully listed books under the 9-12 year area that are "safe" content for younger children.


Ages 4-8
On the Night You Were Born by Nancy Tillman
Oops by Arthur Geisert - a wordless book with a great story YOU can tell
The Let's Get Ready Series
Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson (and the rest of the "Bear" series
Morris and Boris by Bernard Wiseman
Dewey: There's A Cat in the Library by Vicki Myrion
Dandelions by Eve Bunting
Special Goin’ Someplace by Patricia McKissack
Help, I’m A Prisoner in the Library! By Eth Clifford
Big Words for Little People by Jamie Lee Curtis
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Sieszka
The Van Gogh Café by Cynthia Rylant
Time Warp Trio Series by Jon Sieszka
When Jesse Came Across the Sea by Ann Hest
Baa-Choo by Sarah Weeks
Saving Lilly by Peg Kehret
Our Library by Eve Bunting
White Star: A Dog on the Titanic by Marty Crisp

Ages 9-12
Marie Curie by Vicki Cobb
Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis
The Number Devil by Hans Mangus Enzensberge
In English, of Course by Josephine Nobisso
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norman Juster
Over the Wall (and the Desperado Who Saved Baseball) by John H. Ritter
Poppy by Avi
Sadako and the 1000 Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr
Be A Perfect Person in Three Days by Stephen Manes
What Darwin Saw: The Journey That Changed The World by Rosalyn Schanzer
Adventures & Challenges: Real Life Stories by Girls & Young Women by Suzanne Beam
Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
Fever 1793
The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford
The Last Book in the Universe by Rodman Philbrick
The Tale of Despereaux: Being A Story of A Mouse, A Princess, Some Soup and A Spool of Thread by Kate DeCamillo
The Trumpet of the Swan by E. B. White (author of Charlotte's Web)
Hachet by Gary Paulson
The Eye, The Ear and the Arm by Nancy Farmer
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli,
Millicent Min, Girl Geniuis by Lisa Yee
January's Sparrow (a picture book but high level content) - by Patricia Polacco

Ages 13-15
Adventures and Challenges: Real Life Stories by Girls and Young Women by Frances A. Karnes and Suzanne M. Bean
Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
The Lives of Christopher Chant by Diane Wynne Jones
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Waiting for Normal by Leslie Conner
The Island of the Blessed by Nancy Farmer
A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Straton Porter

Ages 16-18
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
The Gifted Kids's Survival Guide: A Teen Handbook by Judy Galbraith
Hercule Poirot series by Agatha Christy
Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd
I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
All Things Bright and Beautiful by James Herriot
A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
More Than A Test Score by Dr. Robert Schultz
Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson

Links to help families of gifted children

Parents' Books

Some of My Best Friends Are Books: A guide for parents of preschool through high school gifted children.

When Gifted Kids Don't have All the Answers



Online Resources for Parents


An extensive booklist for families from Duke University's TIP program website.

Dr. Katherine Bolman's Art and Architecture website with photographs and information to explore.

National Association for Gifted Children

Dr. Linda Silverman's resources on Gifted Development.

Article on the balance between structure of school and freedom of home – reading for points, leveled readers, etc. – by the way, be an advocate for your child.

Info on the Javits Grant and a way to contact your representative or senator about this important issue



Want to get gifted kids involved in an incredible, creative project involving people from all over the world? Check out The Dream Rocket.

A special offer just for you . . .
purchase any of Cathy Puett Miller's books (see below for availability), send a copy of your receipt/confirmation for that order to tla@readingisforeveryone.org , and you'll receive a free customized 10-title book list for your gifted child.  Requests must be received by December 31, 2009 to qualify.  Book purchases which qualify are:


Powerful Picture Books: 180 Ideas for Promoting Content Learning (an annotated list of over 180 picture books all that connect to content area (subject matter) learning.  In eBook format, this title is an excellent resource for parents, librarians and teachers.  Available through  Inspiring Teachers. 


Anytime Reading Readiness:  Fun and Easy Family Activities That Prepare Your Child to Read 
for parents of 2-5 year old children.


Before They Read:  Teaching Language and Literacy Development through Conversations, Interactive Read Alouds and Listening Games - a must-have pick up resource for preschool and kindergarten teachers.

SPECIAL REQUEST:

What questions do you have about reading (and writing) and gifted children?  Post them here or on MyGiftedGirl's forum and we'll be happy to respond to as many as we are able.


"What we teach children to love and desire will ALWAYS outweigh what we teach them to do."  Jim Trelease, author of The Read Aloud Handbook

How Do I Find The Time To Read With My Young Child?

Are you frustrated because you have great intentions but just can't seem to find time to read regularly with your child? You know it is important but it just seems to get squeezed out. You aren't alone.

Here are a few secrets to finding that time and making it rewarding for both you and your child:

1) think about the importance of reading with your children. It is when we reflect on where our time is going that we as adults most often get our priorities back on track. Reading aloud with children is the "single most important activity" to eventually build the skills necessary to be a good reader. It isn't worksheets; it isn't flashcards (who remembers favorites of those - do you?).

2) carve out time in 10-20 minute increments. Your schedule may not allow more or your child may need small doses so that he leaves with a pleasant taste in his mouth about the experience instead of a negative one because he was asked to sit still for too long.

If you don't read regularly with your child now, don't try to make it a daily thing right away. It's kind of like eating a healthier diet. Very few of us will completely change what we eat at one time. We work on it gradually, with goals, and slowly we change. That kind of change is more likely to become habit. Parents are the best ones to set this example, according to Johnny Appleseed.

If you read with your child, once or twice a week, add one day. Wherever you are, if you aren't reading every day with your children, bump it up a day.

3) recognize the reality that, with your schedule, you may not be able to have a story-time or reading time together every single night, especially during the weekedays with homework, extra activities, baths, dinner, etc. I'll share a secret with you. Research seems to indicate that families who read at least three times a week MINIMUM with their children have a greater impact than those that read less frequently. Am I telling you that so you will not try to read with them every day? No. But I am saying use that framework as a minimum goal. Look at #4 to see what to do on the days you legitimately can't find time.

4) When you cannot read with your child, read the world. While running errands in the car, there is always an opportunity to read. Our world is full of text - signs, billboards, maps, restaurant take-out menus, business banners or signs. At home there is junk mail, laundry labels on clothing, soccer schedules, notes and reminders on the refrigerator or calendar. Think about the grocery store and how much there is to read there (your list, labels and nutritional information, advertisements, etc.) Reading is Fundamental shares more ideas in their summer article but you can use these tips anytime to remind you . Show your child that reading is truly a tool for life.

These ideas ensure your child gets a daily dose of practice with reading but it fits into today's family schedules. The key is consistency.

5) Last, but not least: If your child is a beginning reader, that doesn't mean that your time together should always be your child practicing reading to you. There are two reasons to flip it around and read to him or her sometimes:

first, the books your child can read on his own with little or no help from you often contain "controlled vocabulary". That simply means that these books have been specifically written so that your child will mainly see words that she already knows. That's important for her practice so she becomes fluent (starts to put words into phrases and sentences rather than reading one word at a time). However, if you limit your child's reading to these controlled vocabulary (or leveled) books, you also limit his exposure to new vocabulary, which if that is all the diet of reading he has, can stunt his reading growth. Some of my favorite books about words (that will help you introduce your children to new words in a fun way are Maisey's Amazing Big Book of Words, Big, Bigger, Biggest, and any of Karma Wilson's picture books.

Secondly, if you are the one doing the reading, you can read books with higher levels of vocabulary (which will grow your child's listening vocabulary - the words she knows and understands when she hears them). That will connect later to his reading vocabulary (he'll recognize words more easily when he has them in his listening vocabulary already). Try sharing the chapter book, Charlotte's Web, a chapter or a partial chapter at a time. Give your child a crayon or pencil and a piece of paper and suggest that he draw a picture about the story since there are few pictures in this book.

You can also share books with more complex ideas and have great discussions over what is happening (or will happen) in the book. Even among picture books, there are many that are written beyond a beginning reading level such as Fancy Nancy's Favorite Fancy Words, The New Way Things Work, or The Librarian Who Measured the Earth. Reading these types of books with your child helps him/her with his understanding (comprehension). That can happen even before the child is a reader in the conventional sense. Don't fall into the trap of limiting what your child is exposed to or what you choose to read together. Let your child's interest be your guide.

Talk with your spouse, your best friend, your mom or dad about how you can find time in your busy day for reading with your child. Even a fellow co-worker may be struggling with the same challenges in this area as you. Reading together, sharing a book, can even be a stress-reliever for you and your child.

Please take a few minutes to share. Send a link to this blog along to a friend. Share with us in a comment how you make time for reading in your busy schedule in a comment on this blog. I'm sure others would benefit greatly from your additions to this post ( and I know I would love to hear from you!)