MSI Press Blog

  Today's tip for parents from two talented teachers comes from  365 Teacher Secrets for Parents  by Cindy McKinley Alder and Patti Trombly. #93 Functional Reading   Once you learn to read, you will be forever free ~ Frederick Douglass   Just as inside your home there are so many opportunities for reading, out in the world there are, too. While you don’t want to turn every outing into a reading lesson, there are many ways you can gently, naturally encourage reading while you and your child are out and about. Many young children learn to recognize store and restaurant signs and have fun reading them. Play a game, and see how many she can recognize during a drive. Point out that she is reading! At the grocery store, she may recognize cereal names and the like. Can she read some items on the menu at the restaurant? Very early readers are helped along by reading common things around the house that you have labeled with notecards: refrigerator, stove, closet, bedroom...

  Today's tip for parents from two talented teachers comes from  365 Teacher Secrets for Parents  by Cindy McKinley Alder and Patti Trombly. #92 Help Wanted! Practice doesn't make perfect. Practice reduces the imperfection. ~Toba Beta             As with many of the ideas in this book, most of the ideas in this chapter will require your help. Whether your child is a new reader or a fluent reader, many of these strategies and ideas will be new to him. Perhaps he will recognize some from school. Perhaps not. Regardless, many will require some preparatory work from you and, especially at first, some guidance from you as well.             In the classroom, teachers recognize the need for different types of teaching strategies at different times. Often, when a subject is new, a teacher will share a lesson or explain a new skill to the whole class. The next step is not...

  Today's tip for parents from two talented teachers comes from  365 Teacher Secrets for Parents  by Cindy McKinley Alder and Patti Trombly. #91 Variety is the Spice of Reading You don't get harmony when everybody sings the same note. ~Doug Floyd   As a parent, you want to encourage your child to read. Most experts agree the best way to do that is to read, read, read. You may think you need a library full of books at home to make that possible, but that’s not necessarily true. Don’t get stuck thinking that to be reading, your child must have an actual book. There are many different sources of reading materials besides books, and encouraging your child to read them helps expose your child to different genres. It also may help your child learn to love reading more. Become aware of the different opportunities in your house and in your child’s life for reading. Perhaps your child would love a subscription to a nature or animal magazine. Kids love getting mail addressed ...

  Today's tip for parents from two talented teachers comes from  365 Teacher Secrets for Parents  by Cindy McKinley Alder and Patti Trombly. #90 The "Pros" of Poetry   Poetry is plucking at the heartstrings, and making music with them  ~Dennis Gabor   Using poetry or verse as reading material for a change can prove to be very motivational for reluctant readers and quite enjoyable for all readers. Poems are usually short, sweet, and highly entertaining. Finding poetry that fits your child's interests (such as humor, nature, realistic…) is easy to do. A librarian or bookstore employee can help you find anthologies to suite any child. If your child especially seems to enjoy reading poetry, you might try to gently suggest ways to increase academics through the use of poems. Perhaps you could:   ●       You can pause, while reading him a poem, and omit the rhyming words for him to fill in. ●    ...