Alice

Journey Outside the Classroom (And Around the World!) with Kula the Cat!

Today’s blog was submitted by feature author Sara Libby. She recently published a picture book Kula the Cat Travels the World.

What do you do when you have teachers and young kids, alike, who are bored at home and dealing with uncertainty all around them? Feed your imaginations and escape into the children’s picture book, Kula the Cat Travels the World. In it you can journey to faraway places, meet unique native animals, and take a lesson from Kula as he learns to appreciate all the beauty in the world – even the beauty he rediscovers in his own backyard!

Kula the Cat is a not only a lovable, fuzzy protagonist that will delight pre-school and primary school-age readers with his whims, but his colorful adventure can teach children about the joys of travel and the delight in experiencing environments outside of their own. In the book, Kula visits exotic locales in Mexico, Peru, France, Australia, and Hawai’i, and befriends native animals like a whale shark, a llama, and a kangaroo. The book would pair nicely with lessons about awareness of differences in habitat and animal life outside of where we live.

In addition, Kula’s self-discovery throughout his journey also reinforces the message that we can find beauty and wonder and excitement in our daily lives, if we look for it. Even the ordinary can be extraordinary if you change your perspective! This is a lesson that we can all take to heart.

Learn more about Kula the Cat Travels the World!

See songs that will pair well with this book from our friends at Songs for Teaching!

Call in the Reading Dogs

This post was submitted by John Keenan and Jo-Anne Wilson Keenan of Bay Song.

When kids struggle with reading, when they are afraid to read out loud in front of classmates, or when they just want to read for fun, it’s time to call in the dogs–reading dogs, that is.

Reading dogs visit schools, libraries, bookstores, recreation centers, and even hospitals to motivate children to read. Children take turns reading to a dog. The dog is a non-judgmental listener who unconditionally accepts the reader. The dog’s handler is trained to help when the child has difficulty with a word or a passage. A reading dog program may focus on reading activities for children in general (animal-assisted activity) or on a goal-directed intervention for struggling readers (animal-assisted therapy).

Struggling and reluctant readers often find reading difficult or embarrassing. Reading to a dog can transform reading into a less painful and even exciting experience (Lane & Zavada, 2013).

Researcher Donita Massengill Shaw (2013) reports that reading dogs change the dynamics of the room and the task. Children find reading dogs irresistible.

There is evidence that children who read to dogs demonstrate increased self-confidence, improved oral fluency, and greater motivation to read. In reading dog programs, children with learning disabilities spend more time reading, a key to improving reading proficiency (Lane & Zavada, 2013).

Research on reading dogs is grounded in numerous studies indicating that relationships with animals have positive social, physiological, and psychological effects on humans. Research studies are revealing the advantages of children reading to dogs. For instance, a study reported in Society and Animals (Levinson, 2017) concludes that reading to a dog improves oral reading proficiency more than reading to a peer.

PLOS One, a journal of the Public Library of Science, states that research on reading dogs is in its early stages and that high quality research methodologies are needed. Nevertheless, “Evidence suggests that reading to a dog may have beneficial effect on a number of behavioral processes which contribute to a positive effect on the environment in which reading is practiced, leading to improved reading performance” (Public Library of Science, 2016).

A reading dog and its handler are typically trained by a reputable organization that provides standards for canine-assisted reading programs. Examples of these organizations are Therapy Dogs International, The American Kennel Club, and Intermountain Therapy Dogs. An online search may help you identify a reading dog organization that serves your area.

As educators, we note that use of reading dogs is not a stand-alone method. It is best implemented along with other practices as part of a comprehensive approach to literacy.

Our singing group Bay Song decided that reading dogs deserve a song. In fact, our album Library Adventure includes two songs and two stories about reading dogs. These songs and stories complement reading dog programs.

Sources:

Lane, Holly B. and Zavada, Shannon D. W. (2013). When reading gets ruff: canine-assisted reading programs. The Reading Teacher Volume 67 Issue 2 pp. 87-95.

Levinson, Edward M. et al. (2017). Effects of reading with adult tutor/therapy dog teams on elementary students’ reading achievement and attitudes. Society and Animals Volume 25 Issue 1 pp. 38-56.

McKibben, Sarah (2018). Why schools are going to the dogs. Education Update ASCD Volume 60 Issue 2 pp. 1, 4, 5.

Public Library of Science (2016). Children reading to dogs: a systematic review of the literature. PLOS One 11(2) e0149759 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4763282/

Shaw, Donita Massesgill (2013). Man’s best friend as a reading facilitator. The Reading Teacher Vol. 66 Issue 5 pp. 365-371.

Jo-Anne Wilson-Keenan, Ed.D. earned a doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Massachusetts. Jo-Anne has worked as a teacher, college professor, professional development provider, school principal, and Director of Reading for Springfield Public Schools in Massachusetts. She is a literacy consultant for the Hasbro Summer Learning Initiative. John Keenan holds a degree in English from Holy Cross College in Worcester, Massachusetts. He has a Master’s Degree in Educational Media and Technology from Boston University. He has worked as a teacher, photographer, golf coach, library media specialist, and webmaster. Currently, he focuses on writing and recording children’s songs.

Spelling With Legos

It’s important for students to have many opportunities to practice their spelling skills in a multitude of ways. With this activity, students can get creative and figure out how to put the Legos together to make letters and practice their spelling words.

What You Need:

Several small Legos (if possible, provide different sizes, colors, and shapes)
Paper
Pencil

Build a sample of a word with the Legos

What You Do:

1. Explain to the student that she will be working on spelling words.However, instead of using paper and pencil, she will use Legos to spell.
2. Show her your sample word you built with the Legos. You can take the word apart and rebuild it so that she can see the process. (Just remember how you previously built the word!)
3. Provide the student with various Legos in different sizes, colors, and shapes.
4. At first, you can have her attempt to spell words of choice.
5. After several tries, you can give her specific words to spell.
6. To add on to the activity and make it more challenging, you can have a spelling race with her. Take turns deciding on what word to spell, and then see who spells it first!
7. You can end the activity or challenge by tallying who was able to spell the most words with the Legos the fastest.

This post is from Shannon Gauger of Education.com

American Literacy in the 21st Century

According to the Alliance for Excellent Education, many of the more than 700,000 students who leave U.S. high schools without a diploma have low literacy rates. Furthermore, over 60 percent of middle and high school students scored below “proficient” level in overall reading achievements. Why are literacy rates important and what can be done to improve them in the U.S.? To learn more, check out the infographic below created by the University of Cincinnati’s Online Master of Education program.

American Literacy infographic

Literacy Rates in the U.S.

The ability to read is an essential skill that affects nearly everything else that we do in life. Proficiency in reading is something that everyone should aspire to. Unfortunately, only the minority of students are currently reaching it. The 2013 National Assessment of Educational Progress Reading Test revealed that over 60% of middle and high school students scored below the “proficient” level in reading achievement. About 37% of 12th graders were only able to read at the basic level and 25% scored even lower. The data came from the 2013 National Assessment of Educational Progress Reading Test.

Literacy Definitions

There are three types of functional English literacy: prose, document and quantitative. The prose involves knowledge and skills needed to perform prose tasks. Examples of this include news stories, brochures and instructional materials. Document requires abilities to process documentary tasks such as job applications, transportation schedules, food labels, maps, payroll forms and similar things. Quantitative requires an aptitude for numerical processing. For instance, people routinely have to compute their grocery needs, cooking ratios, time to complete tasks and so on. Sometimes it is necessary to balance a checkbook, calculate a tip, or fill out an order form.

There are four literacy levels: below basic, basic, intermediate and proficient. A score at the “below basic” level indicates no more than the most simple literacy skills. Meanwhile, basic level learners should be able to perform everyday literacy activities with little trouble. At the intermediate level, individuals are able to perform the more challenging activities. At the very top is the proficiency level, which indicates the presence of skills necessary to perform the most complex and challenging tasks. Those who are considered proficient can breeze through regular activities and can take on the more difficult jobs.

Challenges of Low Literacy

Low literacy rates present a number of challenges for individuals and families. For instance, 44 million adults are unable to read simple stories to their children. Because children pick up their parents’ habits, infrequent readers are likely to pass on this trait. The chances of employment are also impacted. As many as 52% of adults who read below the 5th grade level are out of the labor force and have a difficult time finding work. Education is a major determinant. Half of adults without a high school diploma have difficulty reading.

Benefits of High Literacy Rates

On the other side of things, high literacy definitely has its perks. Adults who are proficient readers tend to earn a much greater income than average. They also enjoy more employment opportunities. Studies show that the likelihood of employment goes up as an individual becomes a better reader. Up to 78% of excellent readers are employed compared to just 45% of those with less than ideal skills. It was also found that about 60% of employees with high literacy rates have jobs in management, business, financial or professional sectors.

Improving Literacy in Middle and High Schools

Reading may seem like a simple skill to some, but it can be difficult to master for many. As we have seen, this has enormous consequences for both the individual and the country as a whole. Educators need to step up to bridge the gap in order for all children to have a bright future ahead of them. There are a number of effective classroom and intervention practices that teachers can use to improve outcomes. Start by identifying the most common problem areas for struggling readers. These include vocabulary, comprehension, fluency, word decoding, phonics, and phonological and phonetic awareness.

The next step would be to provide solutions for each of these problem areas. For instance, it would be helpful to provide explicit vocabulary instruction. Time should be devoted to the widening of the students’ range of known words. They should be taught to embrace the unknown instead of being intimidated by it. After all, the dictionary is always there for assistance. Teachers should also provide direct and explicit comprehension lessons. It is not enough to merely read the words on the page. Students must be able to get a clear grasp of what it all means on a deeper level.

Instructors should provide their classes with opportunities for extended discussion of the text’s meaning. Short stories, poems and novels need to be dissected to get to the bottom of every element. After all, words can have different meanings and context can drastically affect what is being said. There is also a need to enhance student motivation and engagement in class. The discussions should be done in fresh and exciting new ways to capture interest. Another solution is to make intensive and personalized interventions available for struggling readers. They are the ones who require the most attention.

Technology can be harnessed to boost this campaign. Schools can use electronic references, such as dictionaries and encyclopedias, to provide students with instant access to learning aids. Teachers can use videos, animations and diagrams to illustrate a point. They may also use text-to-speech software, spell checkers, word prediction apps and other related programs. Instructors must think of creative ways to incorporate these widely available digital tools to enhance classroom discussions.

What Three Little Pigs Can Teach About Reading & Writing

This post was submitted by Liz Buchanan, originally published in her blog on March 17, 2015.

In my songwriting life, I’ve become a little obsessed with characters in threes. My initial “Three Piggy Opera” was so much fun that on my next album, Once Upon a Tune, I included my own songs about The Three Bears, Three Billy Goats Gruff and Three Little Kittens. You can find all these songs at my Songs for Teaching Page.

What’s with all the threes? Plus there are all the variations and parodies of the above stories: The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs, The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig, Los Tres Cerditos. How about The Three Little Tamales or The Three Little Javalinas! The three-character theme is a staple of many a kindergarten curriculum.

Why three? This is probably all explained similarly elsewhere, but here’s my take. The three somebodies are a perfect way to teach about the elements of the typical linear story. Stories have a beginning, middle and end. Stories have a protagonist who wants something. Stories have an antagonist who thwarts what the protagonist wants. Protagonist figures out in the end how to overcome antagonist.

Hey, that’s just what they taught us when I got my MFA in fiction writing (though of course there are the feminist variations that just go in circles). What makes a good story all comes down to … The Three Little Pigs!

So at my most recent kindergarten concert, I lined up three children holding their three cut-out houses, of straw, sticks and bricks. I said, “Just like these three pigs, stories have three parts: a beginning, middle and end.” The first pig is the beginning of the story, the second pig is the middle, and the third pig finally figures out how to solve the problem.

The Three Billy Goats Gruff unfolds in exactly the same way. The Three Bears gets more complicated, because Goldilocks isn’t your classic bad-wolf antagonist, she’s just a bit confused about what to do upon encountering a strange house in the woods. But in a slightly more advanced way, the story’s scenes develop with essentially the same three-part structure.

It also occurred to me that The Three Little Pigs is a perfect way to lay the groundwork for writing a simple, cohesive essay. You know: state your premise, develop your ideas in three tidy segments, and tie it all together in a conclusion.

Now, I wouldn’t go telling kindergarteners to write essays based on the three pigs structure (though in this current weird world of ‘kindergarten is the new high school’ somebody might be trying to do that). But I do think that learning the structure of the ‘story of three’ provides an effective overlay for the logical analysis, organization and presentation of ideas.

Again, I’m sure I’m not the first person to think of this. But for me, it was an aha moment.

Do kids get the connection? Do they better understand literature and write more cohesive essays after carefully studying The Three Little Pigs? I don’t know. I’d love to hear from teachers on this topic.

I do firmly believe that giving students a chance to embody the story through singing, moving and acting deepens their understanding and might even make them better writers. Plus they’re having a lot of fun – we can still do that in education, right?