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We All Love to Read!

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Families that read together help to show our children that reading is valued. Children who are read to early on in life, associate reading as a pleasurable activity. We all like to do things that are pleasurable or that bring us joy, and children are no different. Reading aloud to your child is the best investment you can give to her or him.
***Highly Recommended: Jim Trelease's Read Aloud Handout


Make Reading a Part of Every Day

Want to know how to get your kids to love reading? It's a simple formula: children that are read to the most, crave reading the most!  Read to and with your child today and everyday. You can keep on reading together even throughout middle school.

Reading Increases the Vocabulary Word Banks of Children

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An average children's book contains a higher level of vocabulary than most conversations.

Reading Together Build Strong Concentration Skills

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Children who are read to, are able to focus on reading for longer periods of time.


Scholastic's Global Literacy Campaign

Read The Reading Bill of Rights:
The Reading Bill
of
Rights

The Benefits of Reading Aloud

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Reading aloud to our children assists them in so many ways. It helps our kids to:

  • Associate reading as a pleasurable activity
  • See that reading is everywhere 
  • Learn that reading is valued
  • Fall in love with language & reading
  • View caregivers as reading role models
  • Develop knowledge of written language syntax
  • Improve their attention spans 
  • Build a good vocabulary bank
  • Build skills to becoming lifelong learners
  • Work out and relate to the psychological issues they face in books (fear of the dark, new siblings, going to school…in a gentle and safe manner)
  • See that minds outside of our own have something important to say  
  • Become part of a community of readers 




"A good children's book is three times richer in vocabulary than conversation"

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- Jim Trelease

 

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"Children's books actually  contain 50% more rare words than prime time television or even college students' conversations " (Reach Out and Read Website).


Tips for a Fantastic Read Aloud

Conducting a pleasurable read aloud experience simply requires time, a great book and enthusiasm. Have fun with it! The more that your child sees you enjoying the experience of reading, the more he or she will crave reading too! Below are some essential tips for having a fabulous reading session:
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  • Read aloud daily - Have a set time and place for reading everyday
  • Read what you love - Your child will pick up on your excitement and enjoyment
  • Read with enthusiasm - Vary your volume, your pitch and the words that you emphasize
  • Create silly voices for different characters, if the story warrants it
  • Really, really emphasize the first & last sentence                                                                       - The way you speak your first line should be sensational, almost magical, like you are casting a spell.                                                                           - If anything is more important than the first line of a story, it's the last.  
  • Drag out the last line- the more slowly you say it, the more satisfied your child will be.
  • Involve your children                                         
    - Give children a line to repeat, a hand motion or a sound effect that they can add at the right time
  • Help your child to see the story
    - Point out details in illustrations to help your child to become a keen observer.                            - Discuss what she or he notices.
  • Invite children to use their senses
    - Help children imagine not only the sights in a story but the sounds, smells, tastes, physical sensations, and emotions, as well.- Periodically, stop and ask children to pretend to use their senses to explore a part of the story:  "Can you pretend to pet the puppy? How does the puppy feel? What do you think the characters hear? What do they smell?
  • Ask open-ended questions
    -  This allows your child to explain, rather than give 1 or 2 word answers
  • Ask for predictions 
       - What will happen next?
  • Try to read books together that are just above your child's reading level
      - This will allow your child to be exposed to    
        more complex sentence structures and 
         vocabulary.
  • Draw attention to new vocabulary words
  • Model “think aloud” techniques
       - I wonder, I think, I bet                                       
  • Ask all family members & friends to read aloud too to your child 
       - This will show your child that everyone reads:
       men, women, teens, elderly  
  • LOVE YOUR LIBRARY + Get a library card - This the cheapest, yet most valuable investment in your child's education.
  • Visit your library regularly to choose new and treasured favorites 
  • Get book recommendations from a librarian or consult other experts and blogs
  • Attend Read Alouds                                           
    - Visit your public library and go to NYC local bookstores like Books of Wonder (Union Square) or Bank Street Book Store (Upper West Side) to hear librarians and famous authors read aloud.

More Ways to Encourage Reading

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  • Ask all immediate and extended family members to read to him or her.
  • Read together everywhere. Read street signs, read on planes, read on the subway, at the beach, in the park, in waiting rooms
  • Let your child see you reading for fun. Your child will naturally want to mimic you.
  • Give books, comic books and magazine subscriptions as presents.
  • Keep a magazine rack in the bathroom.
  • Give older kids book lights, so they can read in bed.
  • Sign up for a FREE public library card and visit often!


FREE Books for Your Pre-Schooler

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The NYC Imagination Library is an initiative of the NYC DOE. The goal is to promote the development of emergent literacy & language skills that are important for every child’s success in school by encouraging all NYC parents to read aloud to their children from birth until age five. Just enroll your preschool child (age 0 to 5 yrs) in the NYC Imagination Library and a new, carefully selected, age-appropriate book will be mailed each month in your child’s name directly to your home. Books will begin arriving at your home six to eight weeks after your registration form has been received, and will continue every month until your child turns five. Your child will be eligible for this FREE program as long as you live within the five boroughs of NYC. 
Enroll today at: http://www.nycimaginationlibrary.org


Recommended Authors

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  • Eric Carle
  • Ezra Jack Keats
  • Jon Sciezka
  • J. K. Rowling
  • Kevin Henkes
  • Kate DiCamillo
  • Laura Ingalls
  • Maurice Sendak
  • Mo Willems
  • Nick Brute
  • Robert Munsch
  • Tomie Depaola
  • Roald Dahl


Online Read Aloud Resources

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  • Recommended Reading from NYPL
  • Jim Trelease - Noted Read Aloud Expert
  • Reading Rockets
  • *Read Kiddo Read - James Patterson's site
  • Guys Read - Jon Sciezka's site
  • Planet Esme.blogspot
  • Top 100 Picture Books - School Library Journal
  • Top 100 Children's Chapter Books - School Library Journal
  • Mem Fox


World Read Aloud Day

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Learn more about the power of reading and get reading activities at:

  • LitWorld.org




















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  • BPC Catalog
  • BPC Databases
  • BPC School
  • MyLibraryNYC
  • --------------------
  • 1. Birthday Book Club
  • 2. Citing Sources
  • 3. ESL and E-Books
  • 4. HW & Search Tools
  • 5. Information Skills
    • Dewey Decimal Call Numbers
  • 6. Library Events
  • 7. Library Songs
  • 8. Online Safety
  • 9. ***READING ROCKS!***
    • A. Everyone Loves to Read!
    • B. Amazing Authors
    • C. Award Winners
    • D. Books to Read Next
    • E. Comics & Manga
    • D. Music
    • F. Magazines
    • G. Online Stories
    • H. Poetry
    • I. Book Trailers
  • 10. Research
    • Primary Sources
  • 11. Parents & Caregivers
    • A. Reading With Your Child
    • B. Parent Links
    • C. Birthday Book Club Info for Parents
    • D. How to Help Our Library
  • 12. Subjects
    • A. Art
    • B. Gym & Health
    • C. Math
    • E. Science >
      • Science Fair Research
      • Solar System
    • F. Humanities >
      • 3rd Grade China Resources
      • American Revolution
      • Explorers
      • Maps
    • G. Spanish
  • 13. Summer Reading
  • 14. Teacher Page
    • A. Teacher Tools
    • B. Library Calendar
    • C. Comics in the Classroom
  • 15. Tech
  • 16. Grants
  • 17. Kids Only!
  • 18. Rosetta Stone
  • Book Fair
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