|
|
By Michelle Kahen, Associate Director
The globe is an excellent resource for examining the world and seeing how geography affects climates and cultures & their relationships with the rest of the world. Children love globes for their round shape and bright colors and, of course, for the fact that they spin. The globe is also a way to reminisce the experiences we have had traveling or think about the places we want to visit. In addition to all that, you can also use the globe to enhance your child’s reading skills!
Label the globe with small post it notes and include the North Pole, Arctic Circle, Northern Hemisphere, Equator, Southern Hemisphere, and South Pole. Now, choose a country and ask your student to find it on the globe. Give clues about where the country might be located. Ex: Australia is located in the Southern Hemisphere below the equator, etc. Once the student finds the country on the globe, you can talk about the country. If the child has an interest in a specific country, you can both later look it up in the Encyclopedia and gather some fun facts about the country. Globe Trotting - Fact Matching Game Choose two countries of interest. Write the name of each country on two separate index cards and lay them down side by side. Write fun facts about each country on index cards. Mix up the cards and place them face down. Each card should have one fun fact. Have the child turn over the card and read the fact and ask the student to identify the country the fact is describing. If answered correctly, the card should be placed under the index card with the country’s name. If the child answered incorrectly, review the correct answer and place the card down again. Repeat until all cards have been matched with a country. Some facts may apply to both countries. In that case, the card can be placed in the middle. Reading Strategy Play Read this play with your student and review strategies that are used by successful readers
As the scene opens, a young girl named Alice sits under a tree trying to read a book. Obviously frustrated, she repeatedly mutters “I don’t understand!” as she falls asleep. A worried-looking Rabbit enters, carrying a large pocket watch and several library books. RABBIT: I’m late! I’m late! ALICE: (waking up) Hey, where are you going? RABBIT: I have to get these books back to the library before it closes! It’s my favorite place on the planet. I just love to read! Book Suggestion This beautiful story reminds me of you, our dedicated volunteers, who enrich our children’s lives while enhancing their reading skills:
Little Trisha is overjoyed at the thought of starting school and learning how to read. But right from the start, when she tries to read, all the letters and numbers just get jumbled up. Her classmates make matters worse by calling her “dummy” and “toad.” Then, in fifth grade, a new teacher comes. A real character! He sees right through the sad little girl to the artist she really is. When he discovers Trisha’s secret-that she still can’t read-he sets out to help her prove to herself that she can and will!
|
|
Now I Understand!
Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco 
The autobiographical Thank You, Mr. Falker is a story close to author Patricia Polacco’s heart. It is the tale of her “hero,” a teacher who “unlocked the door and pulled [her] into the light” and her personal song of thanks and praise to teachers like Mr. Falker, who quietly but surely change the lives of the children they teach.