Saturday, September 26, 2015

Getting Non-Readers Reading

I feel like I have been on a quest to get non-readers to read for the last 20 years. I know that pretty much every child will learn to read eventually. It literally takes time, practice, and internalizing strategies. This summer I created little books in simple language for summer school students to illustrate. I noticed that they took ownership of their little books, the words, and the information.
When school started this year, I had one child in mind when I created a simple repetitive book about the beginning of school.

School is Fun is one of three little readers in this "Illustrate My Own Reader" product!  Illustrate My Own Reader Bundle #1




 And guess what? This child was a non-reader last year in first grade, and after illustrating and talking about this little book, I would say that he read about 85% percent of the words successfully! He is on the way to becoming a reader. Most teachers I know are willing to try anything to get a child reading. This one is language impaired, and his disability has truly affected his reading skills. Through a combination of early intervention, speech, EL, Reading Recovery and our resource program, he is well on his way.
  I have also featured a few more illustrations from some other cool kids in my resource class in this blogpost today!

You may also like my newest bundle which includes Growth Mindset:
Illustrate My Own Reader Bundle #2









Monday, September 7, 2015

Hill of Fire......Kids love Volcanoes!


I love to co-teach, and it was really fun to come into a 2nd grade class as the guest art teacher! I have 3 resource students in the class, and I appreciate getting to know their whole class. Hill of Fire, byThomas P. Lewis, is a very readable and interesting beginning chapter book, that all children find ways to connect with. It is a true historic event that happened in Mexico, and anything that has to do with volcanoes is appealing to 2nd graders!
I have literature/guided reading unit for Hill of Fire:

and a volcano directed drawing/painting lesson:


And here's a tip: Use watercolor paper, and the colors with pop!
Laura