Professional Books
Empowering Families
Practical Ways to Involve Parents in Boosting Literacy
Pre-K — 5
Co-author Susan E. Busch
Description
The home–school connection is important to student literacy achievement. However, it can be time-consuming to develop and implement programming that keeps families engaged and involved. Empowering Families makes it easier to accomplish these goals! Chock-full of step-by-step plans for arranging a variety of parent/caregiver meetings and literacy booster events, the book enables educators to get families involved in their children’s learning in ways that are fun and non-intimidating.
By hosting these events at your school, you’ll be empowering families to…
- read aloud to their children at home;
- minimize the summer slide;
- encourage male involvement in literacy;
- help their children avoid homework hassles;
- and much, much more!
Bonus: The book includes ready-to-use handouts for your events, such as announcement sheets, follow-up evaluations, and tipsheets that describe ways parents can reinforce literacy at home. Handouts are photocopiable and the tipsheets are also available for easy download . Spanish versions of tipsheets are also available on our website.
Reviews
MiddleWeb calls Empowering Families “the most useful tool
in promoting student literacy at home that I have ever come across.”
View Full Review Here.
“Finally, a resource that bridges the gap between home and school. This book is full of fabulous strategies that help reinforce learning at home by helping parents feel empowered and knowledgeable about how to help their child be successful academically. This is just what we’ve been looking for!”–Michelle Shipley, Principal, Painted Stone Elementary
Parents in Touch says Empowering Families is “an invaluable book… a comprehensive look at a vital area of learning which will give the best results when applied throughout the school
– and this book makes doing so easy and achievable
– and provides great encouragement.”
View Full Review Here
For more information (from the publisher’s website)
The Read-Aloud Scaffold:
Best Books to Enhance Content Area Curriculum
Grades Pre-K — 3
Description
This compendium of outstanding read-aloud choices for grades pre-K–3 will enrich and extend content area instruction, helping busy teachers to meet curriculum requirements within the confines of their busy schedules.
It’s a familiar and unfortunate story: educators everywhere are being asked to do more teaching with less—less money, less staff, and less time. One easy way to provide more content area instruction to very young readers is by scaffolding beneficial learning subjects within memorable read-aloud activities. This augments the instructional curriculum and keeps learning fun—without adding to the educator’s already-full plate.
Read-Aloud Scaffold: Best Books to Enhance Content Area Curriculum, Grades Pre-K–3 offers teachers and librarians over 700 content area connections through carefully selected, recently published children’s trade books. These selections include fiction and non-fiction titles that represent outstanding read-aloud choices that will augment the instructional curriculum, covering subjects ranging from history to holidays to special events, and from biographies and memoirs to poetry and character education. “A Closer Look” suggests outstanding read-aloud choices related to key units in the curriculum and features discussion points, cross-curricular activities, writing prompts, and related online and print materials.
Reviews
Read-Aloud Scaffold received a “Recommended” review in the May issue of Library Media Connection
For more information (from the publisher’s website)
Children’s Book Corner
A Read-Aloud Resource with Tips, Techniques, and Plans for Teachers, Librarians, and Parents
( Published by Libraries Unlimited )
This four-book series includes:
Booklist calls Children’s Book Corner “fresh and original… should be a winner for schools, libraries, and homes.”
Children’s Book Corner is a popular four-book series spanning Pre-K through Grade 6. Author Judy Bradbury provides detailed read-aloud plans (with pre-reading, while reading, and follow-up questions), supplemental language arts activities, writing prompts, exclusive author and illustrator reflections, an extensive annotated bibliography of hundreds of titles organized by subject, and more.
Each book in the Children’s Book Corner series provides a complete read-aloud program suitable for classroom, school or public library, or home use. Detailed plans for read-aloud sessions are provided for dozens of books in a variety of genres. Also included are popular Parent Pull-Out Pages intended to be duplicated and sent home; Up Close and Personal pages, with exclusive insights from children’s authors and illustrators; and Write Away! sugggestions, offering writing prompts. The Book Notes section furnishes an extensive annotated bibliography of children’s books, organized by subject and cross-referenced by title, author, and illustrator. A valuable resource for those committed to promoting reading and fostering reading skills!
Children’s Book Corner
A Read-Aloud Resource with Tips, Techniques, and Plans for Teachers, Librarians, and Parents
Level Pre-K-K
Description
Create memorable experiences for young listeners! Filled with practical suggestions and techniques, this resource contains more than 50 read-aloud plans for outstanding picture books that can be used with Pre-K and kindergarten children. Each read-aloud plan provides bibliographic information, time estimates for reading the book aloud, a brief summary, and a detailed session plan consisting of a Pre-Reading Focus (ways in which to introduce the book), a While Reading portion (with questions and answers to pose as you read the book), and Follow-Up Discussion to bring the session to a satisfying close.
The profusion of fresh ideas and activities for pre-reading, discussion, and application will save you valuable time selecting and preparing your next read-aloud. Reproducible Parent Pull-Out Pages with helpful tips are perfect for sending home with children. You will also find a section on Tips and Techniques for Teachers and Librarians, an appendix highlighting 200 additional resources, and subject, title, author, and illustrator indexes. A wonderful foundation for your read-aloud program, this book will enable you to confidently select and introduce quality titles that will have young children brimming with excitement.
Reviews
“A very positive and user friendly approach to reading with the very young. The attractive presentation really ensures that many teachers and librarians will repeatedly return to this excellent handbook…. This book is worth reading by all practitioners in the area of library services to children and young adults, especially within the learning community of the school.”-Orana
“More than 50 read-aloud plans useful for PreK-Grade 1 classrooms, with suggestions for 200 more titles, covering fiction and nonfiction. Plans include tips for reading aloud and discussion questions.”-Teacher Librarian
“[I]ncludes tips for the novice teacher or librarian.”-Library Media Connection
“Provides the blueprints for starting or enhancing a read-aloud program.”-Christian School Teacher
Children’s Book Corner
A Read-Aloud Resource with Tips, Techniques, and Plans for Teachers, Librarians, and Parents
Grades 1 and 2
This volume focuses on read-alouds for children in grades 1 and 2, providing book lists, book selection ideas, and pre-reading, “while reading” and post-reading activities. Parent Pull-Out Pages with helpful tips are provided for duplication. An extensive Book Notes section furnishes additional suggestions to aid in structuring a complete read-aloud program. Over 2600 entries appear in the indexes provided. This book will enable you to confidently select and introduce quality titles that will have young children brimming with excitement. Grades 1 and 2.
From Booklist:
This book is the second of four books promoting the reading aloud of quality picture books and early chapter books by teachers, librarians, and parents. “Read-Aloud Plans” for 53 different titles include suggestions for introducing each book, for questions to pose while reading, and for follow-up discussion. The reading plans are followed by a chapter on “Tips and Techniques for Teachers and Librarians.” Twelve pull-out pages of ideas for parents can be reproduced and sent home. A section of “Book Notes” provides an annotated list of read-aloud titles helpfully arranged by subject. The book closes with a glossary of book terms and subject, title, author, illustrator, and resource books indexes. This fresh and original book should be a winner for schools, libraries, and homes. — Sharon E. Cohen Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
“Bradbury provides ideas that adults can use with grades 1 and 2 to read aloud to children in a fun way, including many reading techniques that enhance all the reading skills in a pleasurable way. Many of the techniques can be taught and used by volunteers or paraprofessionals who can conduct read-alouds in any school or public library setting….This volume is worth the price to build a larger repertoire of successful read-aloud ideas, and to see that every child is experiencing a regular diet of active listening.”-Teacher Librarian
“This resource book contains over fifty read-aloud plans for outstanding books to read with children in first and second grades. Related titles are highlighted relating to each of these plans. Youth librarians will find this of particular help as it offers Tips and Techniques and an extensive Book Notes section that lists hundreds of titles by subject with a brief summary of each….School librarians can make this title available for teachers of grades 1 and 2. Public libraries can use it in their children’s programming as well provide access for parents to get ideas for reading aloud to children.”-Christian Library Journal
“This fresh and original book should be a winner for schools, libraries, and homes.”-Booklist/Professional Readiing
“Provides the blueprints for starting or enhancing a read-aloud program.”-Christian School Teacher
Children’s Book Corner
A Read-Aloud Resource with Tips, Techniques, and Plans for Teachers, Librarians, and Parents
Grades 3 and 4
This third volume in the four-book Children’s Book Corner set provides a complete program for those starting a read-aloud program at home, in their classroom or school, or their public library. This volume focuses on read-alouds for children in grades 3 and 4. It provides book lists, book selection ideas, as well as pre-reading, while-reading, and post-reading questions and activities. Parent Pull-Out Pages with helpful tips are provided for duplication. Helpful appendices and an index furnish additional aids to structure a great read-aloud program. New in this book, is a section, Up Close and Personal, of personal notes from children’s authors discussing their books featured in the read-aloud section. Also new to the section is Write Away!, providing writing tips and activities. Grades 3 and 4.
“The best thing about this collection is that it is an excellent list of read-alouds for this age group. This book has other valuable aspects, such as interesting author pages, bibliographies of many worthwhile read-alouds with no detailed prescriptions, and pullout pages for parents that provide tips to enjoy reading with their children…. Recommended.”-Teacher Librarian
Children’s Book Corner
A Read-Aloud Resource with Tips, Techniques, and Plans for Teachers, Librarians, and Parents
Grades 5 and 6
This fourth book completes the Children’s Book Corner series set. It provides a complete program for those starting a read-aloud program in their classroom, or in a school or public library, or at home. This volume focuses on read-alouds for children in grades 5 and 6. Many of the read-alouds are novels and longer chapter books, but this volume has a sprinkling of wonderful picture books for older readers as well. It provides book lists, book selection ideas, as well as pre-reading, while reading, and post-reading questions and activities. Parent Pull-Out Pages with helpful tips are provided for duplication. Helpful appendices and an index furnish additional aids to structuring a great read-aloud program. Other features include “Up Close and Personal,” a section of personal notes from children’s authors discussing their books featured in the read-aloud section, and “Write Away!”, a section providing writing tips and activities. Grades 5 and 6.
“The 25 read-aloud plans in this teaching resource provide a brief summary of each advanced picture or nonfiction book, and suggest questions to pose while reading each chapter aloud to the class. The second half of the book recommends poetry and story collections for independent readers, and provides reproducible pull-out pages for informing parents about reading aloud to their children.” -Reference & Research Book News