Millarville’s Cool News

(Page 11)

January 27th is Family Literacy Day and I have been given the opportunity to share some ideas about literacy in this month's Gateway Gazette
    Read aloud to your children, not just when they are babies and toddlers but when your child has begun to read for their own enjoyment
    Read for enjoyment; read with excitement;  read to relax;  make reading a part of the daily routine; if you are away from home, take books along
    Let your child see you reading books, newspapers, magazines, manuals, cookbooks, poems, maps, letters, e-mails
    Talk about the books before, during and after reading; encourage your child to ask questions and ask questions of your child; as children get older encourage critical thinking i.e. do they agree or disagree with the author
    Read stories with repeating parts and patterned stories and encourage your child to chime in
    Children pretending they are reading books once they have memorized them is not cheating, it is part of the learning process and builds confidence
    Point to words in picture books; have children make pictures in their heads about what they hear or read
    As your child begins to read, let them choose books to read to you that aren't too difficult; take turns reading or read together to support your young reader
    When children are encountering new words, help them use a variety of strategies to figure out the word: use the sounds of the first letters and think what word would make sense, check to see if the letters match the word, look for parts of the word that are familiar; read ahead to decide what would make sense; go back and read again
    Get involved in the activities this month that promote Family Literacy by checking the Foothills School Division website for the January Literacy Calendar at: www.fsd38.ab.ca; and explore the suggestions at: www.familyliteracyday.ca
    Share your love of reading with someone you love, not just today but throughout the years!

Pam Irving
Learning Support Teacher
Millarville Community School