SEP and Literacy Arts Newsletter

Mrs. Jamie Agatone

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Literacy Arts

It’s been a busy few months in our library!  The boys and girls have been learning library and research skills in both books and on-line.  All students are encouraged to borrow books weekly and return them every Thursday.  Please keep all library materials in a safe place so that many children can enjoy them!

The holidays can be a joyous and hectic time of year.  Here are a few ways to keep those reading skills sharp during all of the seasonal excitement.

• Send Cards: Whether you send a family newsletter to relatives you won’t see or just dash out a quick greeting, holiday cards give children a chance to practice writing as well as reading.  Have your child practice his penmanship by copying addresses onto envelopes.

• Keep the Kids in the Kitchen: Reading recipes helps children work on their reading comprehension and math skills.  How often does the turkey need to be basted?  How many cups of flour are needed for a batch of cookies?  Find age appropriate ways for your helpers to pitch in.

• Buy Gifts:  If you will be exchanging gifts with friends or extended family, have your child help you make a list.  Point out item descriptions as you clip coupons for department stores, browse online shopping sites, or brave the crowds at the mall.  And everyone can help write out gift tags.

• Go Caroling:  Whatever holiday you celebrate, there are bound to be either new or traditional songs tunes for everyone to sing together.  You don’t have to go door-to-door or sit at the piano to teach your children new songs.  Listen to family favorites while wrapping presents to work on listening comprehension.  You can also buy sheet music or print out lyrics to follow along with.

• Make lists and check them twice:  Hosting a gathering, whether a holiday dinner or a festive party, requires a lot of planning ahead of time.  In the run-up to the big event, make chore lists together and hang them up to get the whole family to help.  Have your kids help plan the menu and the shopping list.  They may even want to make individual menus to put at place settings for guests.

• Rewind the fun:  Have your child to recap the holiday fun for a teacher, friend or relative.  Your pre-reader can draw a picture of a favorite present while an older child can go into detail about the family dinner.  Ask questions about what they enjoyed and why.  

For these and other ideas go to www.scholastic.com

Here’s wishing you and your family a very happy 2009!  If you don’t already have a library card, make it a resolution to get one at your local library for every family member!  Happy reading in the New Year!!