Tag Archives: reading support

Mar13

Guest Blog Post: “Tips to Encourage Children to Read” by Chris Lewis

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Tips to Encourage Children to Read

Guest Post by author, Chris Lewis

It is certainly handy when a book’s character or series matches the values you want to encourage. An association to a series could also support children in finding a common connection with other children.

We all learn in different ways. Sometimes you can learn at the same time you do something you enjoy. The following are a few tips to encourage children to read.

1. Look for relatable characters.

Connection with characters in a story may make it easier for children to learn from their experiences and perhaps appreciate a topic from a different view. Sometimes a situation can be better understood by a child when they see themselves represented in a group or activity.

2. Try something a little bit silly or unorthodox.

Animals are often used in picture books for their relatable factor. There are lots of examples in books where animals talk and live like humans. Sometimes, characters are a mix of both human and animal characteristics. Some stories have objects which are living, for example, a talking teapot. 

3. Think about the format. 

There are lots of book formats to choose from, but in summary, the choice is a physical version or an electronic copy. New books typically attract a new cost, but you can get access to free books from the library, or you can browse the Internet for a variety of free ones. 

Sometimes there are extra elements in an eBook compared to a print version. Animation is a good example. Traditional books take up more space than eBooks. Still, there is a print version preference because of the look and feel, and no batteries are required.

4. Support the reading journey.

A child could use the same book from early childhood to a point where they can potentially read it by themselves. The knowledge gained from familiarity can serve as a morale boost when children get to the stage they can read independently.

5. Find a book for the right development stage.

The need of every child differs in the course of their development. Whether a child will enjoy a book or find it boring depends on the length, grammar, and level of content the child is prepared for, emotionally.

About The Author

Chris Lewis is the author of the eBook picture book Jax and Sheba get Messy for ages three to five. A print version will be available to order on March 16th, 2021. For more information about their books, please visit his website here.

***Connect with this author, Chris Lewis, through the interview featured on this blog.

Link here to the interview with Chris Lewis.

May7

Interview with Jenny Wilson

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Jenny Wilson is the author of the children’s fantasy book, The Lighthouse Keeper: A Story of a Soul.

I’m sure you are looking for a great fantasy book for your child to escape into while practicing reading skills. Not to mention, some of their teachers are likely still asking for children to keep up those twenty minutes of silent reading a day (D.E.A.R. Time). I’ve got a fantastic fantasy that will support any Harry Potter fan. The Lighthouse Keeper: A story of a soul takes you to the Vale of Aisenma where a lonely boy realizes that the world around him is full of magic and that he is not alone.

The author, Jenny Wilson, has drawn from her upbringing of growing up in Scotland to bring you a mystical tale. I had the chance to ask her about her childhood reading memories, how she got her story ideas, and what she has in store for us in future projects.

  1. What is your favorite memory from reading as a child?

Jenny Wilson: I read constantly as a child – I devoured books. One of my earliest memories is making a book called “The Adventures of Teddy” and giving it to my mum. She still has it now, nearly 40 years later!

2) Who was your favorite author and how did they influence you?

Jenny Wilson: There were so many different authors but the one that stands out for me is Lucy M. Boston. The Children of Green Knowe is one book that I keep coming back to even now. I think I have read it about 30 times now and it is still as fresh and as magical as the first time I came across it. I love how a book can stay with you long after you’ve read it and show you things you hadn’t noticed before. Lucy M. Boston’s writing is enchanting. Words are like spells and a well-written book has the power to transport you to anywhere.

3) Do you have a writing routine? Share what works for you.

Jenny Wilson: My writing routine is just to sit down and do it. Little and often is much better than big long stretches once in a while. If you get into the habit of dedicating a time and a space to do something it becomes automatic.


4) What subjects would you like to write about in future projects?

Jenny Wilson: I am working on a prequel to The Lighthouse Keeper at the moment. My aim is to show the world that there is magic all around and within us, and that our thoughts have the power to transform our lives.

5) When did you first become interested in stories about magic?

Jenny Wilson: Well, all stories are magical in some way, if the writer can engage the reader and transport them. So in that sense, for as long as I have been reading! But in terms of magical realism, I love the works of Italo Calvino. He makes the everyday seem extraordinary. I love how changing the way you look at something completely transforms that thing. In this sense, words can be like spells.

6) How did being born and raised in Scotland affect your stories?

Jenny Wilson: I think wherever you are born and raised, your environment will seep into your experience one way or another. Scottish weather is not exactly predictable and lends itself quite nicely to curling up with a good book, which suited me perfectly! There are parts of the country where you can feel the magic in the air as well. One of my favourite parts of Scotland is Stirling and the surrounding countryside. There, when you’re standing up on the top of a hill and looking down below at the rolling fields, you really feel that anything is possible and that you are part of something truly magical.

7) What subjects would you like to explore in your writing?

Jenny Wilson: I want to explore how our thoughts shape the world around us and that we are in charge of our thoughts and, therefore, our worlds. I aim to show how nobody is alone, that even though you may feel wretched and powerless, you are part of something and that if you listen carefully within, you already know what to do.

8) What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

Jenny Wilson: To just sit down, take a deep breath and do it! I am very easily distracted and I know how easy it is to let other things take over and seem more urgent than they are. For a while, I had the tidiest cutlery drawer in Europe. Now, I am happy to say, I do some writing every day and my drawer has gone back to being a muddle.

9) Where do you see your writing taking you in five years?

Jenny Wilson: I’m working on the prequel to The Lighthouse Keeper: A story of a soul now and aim to have four more book titles in five years.

10) What is writing to you in one sentence?

Jenny Wilson: Writing is my soul mission.

The Lighthouse Keeper CVRThe Lighthouse Keeper: A story of a soul is a book that can show you how magic is all around, and how it can shape your life. The people of Aisenma live in constant fear. Wolves prowl around the Bay of Sevlow. The storytellers have been banished. But a lone boy discovers his inner magic and goes on a journey to save his home and all the people in Aisenma. Join in this fantasy adventure that will remind you that nobody is ever alone, especially if they have their true inner magic.

The Lighthouse Keeper: A story of a soul is available at: Amazon.com and Amazon.ca.

For more information on Jenny Wilson, visit her website at: Amazon’ Author’s Page.

Mar30

Day 8: The Lost Secret of Fairies Online Novel Study with Summary & Character Handouts

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Chapter 13 and End of Book Questions today!

Greetings everyone! It has been a challenging couple of weeks, but I hope you and your child have enjoyed reading my book, The Lost Secret of Fairies. Today, on Day 8, I’ll be helping to wrap up the story and novel study. I’ll be including some downloadable worksheets to be used in response to finishing the book, and tomorrow, will include an essay test that your child should be able to complete on their own from doing the activities. The activities can be done over the next few days with the essay test given at the end of the week.

Let’s start today with the final journal response questions:

Chapter 13 & End of the Book Questions:summer1

  1. Summarize in a paragraph the book The Lost Secret of Fairies. Use a topic sentence, list the events, and use a closing sentence.
  2. How did you like the Lost Secret of Fairies? What was your opinion of the book? Describe your opinion with supporting details and examples from the book.
  3. What is the theme or message from the author of The Lost Secret of Fairies? Name examples from the text that are clues.

Bonus: Do you want to read the next book? Why or why not?

Now, for the end of book activities. These can be done over the next few days, with one a day, as a lead up to the final essay test. I’d suggest the summary first, followed by the Character trait essay answer, and then going through the journal response questions to get an idea of what the book was about in their minds. Then, in a few days, have them do the essay test. I will post the test tomorrow. They will be able to use their journal response pages to take the essay test. Of course, they should use the book to find examples and details.

Downloads for End of Book Activities:

Summary Fill In Handout for The Lost Secret of Fairies

Character Change Writing Response WS

The Lost Secret of Fairies- Webbing Graphic Organizer

Paragraph Writing Lesson Support

(Through my online store on TeachersPayTeachers)

Free Book Review Handout: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Opinion-Real-World-Book-Report-Book-Review-971473

Writing Opinion Packet: (Only $0.99)

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Opinion-Paragraph-Individual-Packet-3029120

Paragraph Parts Review Packet (Only $0.99)

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Paragraph-Parts-Individual-Packet-3028939

Diorama Book Report/Home Project Extension (Only $0.99)

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Diorama-Book-Report-3074161

 

I hope that helps set the rest of the week for reading response and writing for your child. I’ll post the final test tomorrow that can be the wrap up for this novel study. The other activities included above are great follow ups for the book and extension activities.

Thank you for following along with this novel study. I hope it has helped bring reading and learning to your little ones during these strange times. I’ll be posting the last day of the novel study tomorrow, and I welcome all of your feedback and comments below. It will help me plan for future instruction to help out during the pandemic.

Until then, keep reading and writing,

-Mrs. Turner

***Tiffany Turner is the author of the children’s fantasy series, the Crystal Keeper Chronicles. She has had 18 years experience teaching in California as a public elementary teacher. She is currently tutoring in the private sector and continuing to write full time. 

UPDATED March 31, 2020:

The essay test will be posted on Wednesday, April 1 now. I’ve added a lesson on theme and message, and posted it today. It is on the essay test, so I wanted to make sure I included a lesson on themes. Thanks for following along with the novel study. Please let me know how I’m doing in the comments below.

March 31, 2020 Post on Theme/Messages

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mar26

Day 6: The Lost Secret of Fairies Free Online Novel Study & Distance Learning Support

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Day 6 of the Lost Secret of Fairies Free Online Novel Study

Welcome to Day 6 of my online novel study for my first book in my children’s fantasy series, The Lost Secret of Fairies. Today, I’ll be including a blog post activity to go along with the next set of study questions.

Here is a link to a blog post written by me on legends and myths in children’s literature. It is part of the standards to study myth and legends in 3rd, 4th and 5th grade. Novel studies and using real nonfiction blog posts is part of the standards approach to reading. To note, fifth grade does study Tale Tales and US folktales for its fairy/folktales. It is called: “Using Legends and Fairy Tales in Books”. I originally wrote this post to be used in this novel study and to support other teachers to have online nonfiction reading material.

Here are the activity directions. It can be used in conjunction with the novel study or as a separate children’s reading activity.

  1. Read the blog post “Using Legends and Fairy Tales in Books” by Tiffany Turner
  2. Print out the blog post if possible. Circle or highlight evidence or details you think are important.
  3. Now, answer the question about the blog post below. Write as many details as you can to support your answer using examples from the blog post.
  • How does an author use legends and fairy tales in their book?
  • Use evidence and examples from the blog post to support your answer.

For ELD and/or Special Learning Needs, I would often write out a framed language fill in answer sheet. Below is a handout that can be used for the above question to help create a full paragraph answer using supporting details from the nonfiction article. But this paragraph response sheet below will help all children in language structure and for building academic language.

Once your child or student as filled in their answers, they can recopy the paragraph in their best writing to learn the structure for academic language.

Paragraph Response to Using Fairy Tales

summer1Chapter 9-10: Study Guide Questions for The Lost Secret of Fairies

  1. What was decided at the Crystal Council?
  2. Who is Balkazaar? Why do you think he is behind the Queen’s disappearance?
  3. What are germites?
  4. What would you do if you were in Wanda’s place?

Bonus: Predict how you think Wanda will save the Queen.

Tomorrow, will be more study guide questions and more activities to go along with the novel study. Please comment below to let me know how you and your child, class or other distance learning students are enjoying the novel study and activities.

Until then, keep reading and learning!

Mrs. Turner

(Tiffany Turner)