Maryland program expansion

We are excited to announce a new partnership with the National Center for Children and Families (NCCF) to launch a Read-Aloud program at the Greentree Shelter in Bethesda, Md. In conjunction with our 25th anniversary, we are expanding our programming into a new jurisdiction and a new state. We’re pleased to be able to reach a new population of kids in need.







The Greentree Shelter is located in Bethesda, Md, near the National Institutes of Health and just a few minutes drive from Bethesda's central business district. The shelter has 46 beds for homeless families and serves as a transitional home for homeless families, primarily single mothers and their children. The shelter provides a wealth of support services for its clients including life and financial skills training, education and employment development and child-care services.

The Read-Aloud program at Greentree is held on Tuesdays from 7 to 8 p.m. and kicked off in mid-August, 2014. 

To celebrate our expansion, TRC will be holding a Community Reading Festival in Montgomery County on Saturday, September 13 from 2 to 4 p.m.  The festival will be held at the Ivymount School at 11614 Seven Locks Rd. in Rockville, Md.  

Guest readers, including authors Mary Quattlebaum and Erica Perl and children’s librarian Susan Modak, will share some of their favorite stories with the kids in attendance. The festival will also include crafts for kids and families to complete together, face painting and snacks. The festival is free and open to the public and is geared toward children aged 4 to 8 years old.  If you're planning on attending, please RSVP here.  Please email Stephanie Berman if you are interested in volunteering at the event.

Hello Ocean

Hello Ocean, by Pam Muñoz Ryan, translated by Yanitzia Canetti and illustrated by Mark Astrell, is one of TRC's favorites for reading aloud. The lyric language, rhyming text and rich description of a child's day at the beach engage readers and listeners of all ages. The book's lush and vibrant acrylic illustrations capture the sun, wind and water's movement and strength.

As an ode to a summer day, it is delightful, but as an exploration of the five senses, it is masterful. Ryan moves carefully through each of the senses as the young beach-goer describes her experience.  

Each of the senses is treated to several pages of evocative text and beautiful illustrations, and a concluding section repeats each of the senses, anticipating a return trip to the beach in the future.

The author emphasizes words relating to each sense by using bold font, and includes different forms of the verb for each (see/looks, hear/sounds, touch/feels, smell/smells, taste/tastes), ensuring that kids notice the sense being showcased. You might think that with this framework the language would sound stilted, but it doesn't.  The story and rhyme flow beautifully. 

This aspect of the story, along with rhyme and repetitive structure, helps the reader engage the listeners and builds anticipation about what the girl will experience next. Available in a Spanish/English bilingual format, the book makes this beach trip widely accessible.

When you read Hello Ocean aloud, encourage kids to point to their eyes, ears, hands, noses and mouths as the story works its way through the senses. Ask the kids to brainstorm more words describing the wind, sun, sand, salt water and all things beachy.

Many kids TRC serves may have never been to the beach. You can provide an actual sensory experience by bringing sand and shells to look at and touch (TRC has some in the office for your use), salt water and seaweed for the kids to taste, sunscreen to smell and audio recordings of ocean sound for kids to listen to. Round out the experience with towels and beach balls to play with, or set up a deep sea fishing expedition like this one at a Read-Aloud. 

Whether you are reading books about beaches and oceans, summer adventure or the five senses, Hello Ocean will be a hit with the kids.

To receive credit for this online training, please fill out the form here.

Babies need books — and not just for chewing!

It all begins when you read to your baby.

No baby is too young to benefit from being read to! Faced with a newborn, concepts such as vocabulary and a love of books may seem remote, but even the youngest baby will often calm and seem attentive when she hears the sound of familiar voices reading in a gentle cadence. Studies show that babies in utero calm when the mother slows down and reads aloud to her baby.  

When read to, babies hear and learn words and also build an early interest in books and enjoyment of reading. Reading to babies provides them with the interaction and experience they need to learn about both the sounds that form words and spoken language in general. Numerous studies confirm that reading to infants not only encourages speech and language development, but can also boost overall brainpower.   

Physicians and researchers have known about the value of this experience for decades. The pediatric literacy program Reach Out and Read has been prescribing books and reading to low-income families for more than 20 years. Now, all pediatricians are on board with this practice!

The American Academy of Pediatrics recently announced a new policy recommending that doctors “promote early literacy development as an important evidence-based intervention at health supervision visits for children beginning in infancy and continuing at least until the age of school entry.”

In other words, during well-child visits, medical professionals with training in early literacy development will give parents concrete and age-appropriate advice about books and reading, and prescribe a regular reading schedule at home.  

Here are some favorite titles to help fill that prescription:

Babies love faces! The Baby Faces series of board books by Cartwheel Books (Scholastic) offers titles filled with faces of adorable babies sleeping, eating and smiling. Read the brief rhyming text (available in English or Spanish) or make up your own stories about what these captivating babies are doing. The expressions you make as you share these board books will help your baby learn to communicate.

As babies get older, they will want to handle books beyond putting them in their mouths. Look for titles with tactile appeal and lift-the-flap action like Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt (Random House Children's Books) or Where is Maisy? (A Lift-the-Flap Book) by Lucy Cousins (Candlewick Press).

Books that rhyme and play with words and sounds will entertain and engage both parent and child. Have some silly reading fun with Sheep in a Jeep by Nancy Shaw (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) or Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? by Dr. Seuss (Random House Children’s Books).

Just as important as reading is talking and singing with your baby. Like reading, sharing conversation and songs help to increase the number of words kids hear during their earliest years — and helps build social and communication skills. If you’re not sure how to keep conversations going with your infant, brush up on Mother Goose or your favorite show tunes and watch just how much your baby enjoys the attention and the sound of your voice.

Guest blog post by TRC Advisory Council member and Belle of the Book, Rachael Walker.

To receive credit for this online training, please fill out the form here.

TRC Volunteer Central

Welcome to TRC's Volunteer Central! You can find it at https://volunteer.thereadingconnection.org. 

The design of this central volunteer portal has been driven by volunteers' wants and needs. Designed by Pariveda Solutions, TRC Volunteer Central is TRC volunteers' centralized system for interacting with fellow volunteers, viewing schedules, and planning and reporting Read-Alouds. 

The first time you log into the system, click the "Forgot your password?" button, then enter your email and a link to set your password will be sent to you. Create a password that you can remember and use that to log into the system.

All emails from TRC's Volunteer Central will come from VolunteerCentral@thereadingconnection.org. Please add this email address to your list of safe senders.


Rosters and schedules

Once you log in to the system, the following information will be visible on your landing page:

• Names and contact information for your team members and for all of the volunteers at your site,
• Your team’s Read-Aloud schedule, as well as the schedule for your entire site for the next five months,
• Contact information for TRC and Read-Aloud site staff and
• Your volunteer hours for the month and year.

Beside each volunteer's name, both in the team listing and the full site listing, you'll find his or her email and preferred phone number. Below the full list is are buttons to email your entire team and print the roster or schedule. Clicking these links will open a new message in your default email program. The email addresses will be separated by commas. If you use Outlook, you can change the settings to allow it to accept commas separating email addresses.


Beside each Read-Aloud date, you'll find a "Notes" field where you can enter your selected theme or any comments for your teammates and fellow volunteers. There is also a button to cancel a Read-Aloud. If you cancel a Read-Aloud, you will be prompted to select a reason for cancellation.

You can see your team's full Read-Aloud schedule by clicking on the "Read-Alouds" menu and clicking on "Edit Read-Alouds." This will show all Read-Alouds for your team, both past and preset. You can edit the date range to only show future dates. If you'd like to see all Read-Alouds for your site, remove the team letter or number in the search field and click filter.

Submitting a Read-Aloud report

After each Read-Aloud, one volunteer must submit a Read-Aloud report using Volunteer Central within 3 days of their Read-Aloud. This will provide information to other TRC volunteers, TRC staff and site staff about your Read-Aloud.

1. Click the "Submit a Read-Aloud Form" button or select “Submit Read-Aloud” from the Read-Alouds menu.

2. Select your Read-Aloud location from the drop-down list.

3. Select the date of your Read-Aloud. Only Read-Alouds for which a report has not been submitted will appear as options.

4. The form appears with your team members already listed. If a volunteer was absent on the date on which you're reporting, remove him/her for that Read-Aloud by clicking on the “X” next to the volunteer's name. You can add a volunteer's name by typing it into the text area. Volunteers at your site will appear in the "Volunteer Attendance" box, and volunteers from other sites are listed under "Other Attendees."

5. Children attending your site are listed as well. When you click on a child's name, the circle surrounding the name will turn purple indicating that he or she attended the Read-Aloud. 

6. To add a new child to the program, click the “Add New Child” link and fill out the requested information in the pop-up window. If there were multiple new children, click "Save & Close" and you'll be given the opportunity to add another child.

7. Enter your theme into the theme field. If your theme is not listed, create a new theme and fill out the requested information, just as you did for creating new children. The same applies to books and activities. 

8. Fill in the remaining information requested about your Read-Aloud and click “Submit Report.” Your report will automatically be sent to the TRC program manager, Read-Aloud site staff and the other volunteers at your site.

Searching for a Read-Aloud theme

The database contains a bank of themes collected from your Read-Alouds, Reading Road Maps and culled from great Read-Alouds from the past several years. 


To search for a theme for your next Read-Aloud, click the "Find Ideas for an Upcoming Read-Aloud" button, or select “Read-Aloud Themes List” from the Read-Alouds menu.  Themes that have a Reading Road Map are indicated on the second column. When you click on that theme, you'll find a purple Reading Road Map link that will take you to a printable PDF of the information.

You can also search recent Read-Alouds that have been held at your site or at other sites by selecting "Recent Read-Alouds" in the Read-Aloud menu. The system will default to show only your site, but you can select all sites to see  themes from other sites. Selecting the date will bring you to the report summary of that Read-Aloud. Selecting the theme will take you to a compilation of books and activities used with that theme.

Edit Personal Information

You can update your personal information by clicking "View/Edit Personal Information" in the header.

There you can update your password, add your preferred phone numbers and birthday so that we can wish you a happy birthday.


Issues

If you come across any issues with the site, such as inability to access the system, errors updating information or with problems submitting Read-Aloud data, please submit a ticket through our bug submission form and we will get the issue fixed as soon as possible. 

Summer Read-Aloud outlines

School is out and kids are set to celebrate! But that doesn't mean it is time to stop learning. Summer vacation allows kids the time to explore new things and new places -- going to the beach, visiting the zoo,watching a soccer game or many other possibilities. Unfortunately, not all families have the resources or the time to go on these adventures.

Fewer resources doesn't mean that kids have to miss out on fun experiences that also build their knowledge base. Books and a well-planned Read-Aloud can make these adventures easily accessible. 

Here are some great options for exploring something new with the kids at your Read-Aloud this summer.

Animals and animal homes

Some animals come out in full force in the summertime (fireflies and bats, for example). Why not read about different ecosystems and the animals that live in each?

Ocean Animals

Nocturnal Animals

Bugs

Dinosaurs

Tropical Rain Forests

Zoos and Aquariums

Sports

Summer is the perfect time to get outside and run around. This summer, the FIFA World Cup in Brazil provides a great hook for a soccer Read-Aloud. Cycling, swimming and running are also popular summer sports. 

Summer Sports
Soccer
Running and Racing




New Places

Why stay at home over summer vacation if you can go on a trip to the beach, Europe or another planet?  Can't actually make the trip? Travel somewhere new through books! There are so many things to learn by exploring new places.

Beach
Paris and France
Space

Weather

Summer is all about the temperature heating up and people and animals finding ways to cool down. Sometimes that heat brings thunderstorms, tornadoes and hurricanes. Explore the science behind the weather and what it means to endure it or embrace it.

Heat
Extreme Weather





Food

Gardens are blooming with fruits and vegetables in summer. Try to find a garden near your site and see if the kids can name the different vegetables growing there. Gather some ingredients and make tasty dishes. Cooking is a great gateway to talk to kids about measurement and nutrition.

Gardening
Chefs and Cooking

Types of books

Exploring books that feature interesting design or word play can excite kids at your Read-Aloud. Some books have no words at all. Allowing the kids to tell the story through the illustrations really gets their creative juices flowing. Other books feature figures of speech that make hearing the book read aloud extra fun. Some authors have written so many great books that you can devote an entire Read-Aloud to their work.

Onomatopoeia
Wordless Books
Doreen Cronin

To receive credit for this online training, please fill out the form here.

Freedom Summer

Try to see it from a kid’s point of view. School is NOT in session. The days are long, warm and sunny. There’s finally time for TV, video games, bike rides, swimming and theme parks. Summer feels like freedom to kids. 

Educators and years of research tell us that there’s a cost for that freedom: students falling behind. 

The stakes are high. According to the National Summer Learning Association “more than half of the achievement gap between lower- and higher-income youth can be explained by unequal access to summer learning opportunities. As a result, low-income youth are less likely to graduate from high school or enter college.”

So what can we do to let kids keep their freedom without the cost of summer learning loss?

Snappy headlines like Parents: Preventing Summer Slide (on a Budget) or 74 Creative Ways to Stop Summer Brain Drain seem to insist that we can easily do something to keep kids from falling behind. In reality we know it is not that easy, especially when reading may not be a favorite thing to do or kids just aren’t interested in the trip to the museum or keeping a journal. 


Start by finding out what kids really want to do this summer. So much advice for parents focuses on what parents would like to do with kids or what parents think kids should do during the summer months. Try not to let your nostalgia for camping interfere with your child’s desire to learn to code. 

Find out why reading is not a favorite activity. If kids are really miserable about reading, find out why. Talking honestly with kids might make them more passionate readers.

Drop your preconceptions of what reading is. Just because the school or library recommended reading list is filled with book titles, that doesn’t mean that a child who is thoroughly engaged instead by online news articles, magazines, comic books, recipes or even trading cards isn’t reading. Really talk to your kids about what they are reading — no matter what it is — and help them feel validated as readers even when their reading material of choice is not a book.

Read aloud. Again, it doesn’t have to be a book. Reading together offers many opportunities to talk, talk, talk about what you’ve read. If you aren’t comfortable reading aloud, try listening to an audio book together. And make sure that you are visibly doing your own reading. We can’t expect kids to see the value of reading if adults are modeling something different.

Let kids explore. That always sounds like such a great idea. Turn kids loose

and they will magically find things that interest them. If kids were good at exploring, you wouldn’t be hearing “I’m bored” so often. Check in with them about the things that seem energize them, like caring for a pet, a little karaoke or baking cookies with friends. Those are leads to explore further. You also have to show them what’s out there in the world — and not just the things you are interested in or what you think kids are interested in, but the real unknowns. Just because a young girl loves pink and coming up with new hairstyles for dolls, doesn’t mean she wouldn’t love to spend time looking at cells under a microscope.

Go to the library. Preserving kids’ freedom doesn’t preclude trips to the library. In fact, the library is actually kids’ greatest opportunity for choice. Local public libraries have books, audio books, magazines, newspapers, access to online resources, free Internet access, clubs, opportunities to read to dogs and more, including events and programs that encourage and reward reading. Check out: Arlington Public Library Summer Reading, Alexandria Library's SummerQuest,  SummerQuest Jr. and  "Spark a Reaction" Teen Reading Challenge. For a canine flair, try Arlington Public Library's "Paws to Read" program and Fairfax County Public Library “Paws to Read." DC Public Library has teamed up with the Washington Nationals to offer summer reading for readers of all ages.

Seek advice. If the long lists of parent ideas aren’t cutting it, a teacher or librarian would be happy to make suggestions for some summer learning fun. There are also Web-based resources that can guide you with reading recommendations and activity ideas that won’t have you spending half your summer at the craft store. Try Start with a Book for fun and meaningful interactions around books and things of kid interest. Sign up for Camp Wonderoplis and head online for exciting scientific explorations. Or pursue a reading challenge together with Scholastic, Barnes and Noble or BOOK IT!

Summer is important for learning, but it can be a different kind of education. It can be about learning to make choices, try new things, and finding and exploring new interests. Once kids realize there are no worksheets involved, they’ll see that books and reading were made for this kind of summer learning. They can linger in the barn with Charlotte and Wilbur, get inside the head of Albert Einstein or George Washington Carver, feel free to laugh louder at Captain Underpants, Walter the Farting Dog and Timmy Failure. They can have more chances to think more deeply about the world and their place in it.

Guest blog post by TRC Advisory Council member and Belle of the Book, Rachael Walker.

To receive credit for this online training, please fill out the form here.

This book is just right...

There's an art and a bit of a science to choosing a good Read-Aloud book. The Reading Connection (TRC) has spent more than 20 years reading with kids, and we've identified some essential elements of a quality book for reading aloud.

The next time you are choosing books to read with kids, look for these elements:



Fun or interesting topic
Will the topic appeal to kids? What you think is fun might be different from what your listeners think is fun.

Is the topic appropriate? Be sure to read, or at a minimum, carefully look through any book you choose before you read it to kids. Look for content or story twists that would be inappropriate or that you would feel uncomfortable discussing with a child. For example, a book about pirates might include a section on drug smuggling or human trafficking. Really.

High-quality writing and a good story
Less is more. The amount of the text of the page should be appropriate for

the age of the listener. Generally speaking, the younger the child, the less text the page should have.

Rhyme and repetition can be fun and keep the listeners engaged.

If the book is fiction, is the story interesting? Can kids relate to it?

If the book is nonfiction, is it accurate? Is it concise or wordy?



High-quality illustration

Are the illustrations appealing? If you are reading to a large group, are theillustrations easily visible from a distance?

Do the text and pictures work together to tell the story?  Do they enhance each other or detract from one another?

Simple isn’t always bad.  Elaborate isn’t always good. If you've ever read one of Mo Willem's Pigeon books with a kid, you've seen how this simple fellow packs a lot of moxie.









Design and writing that encourages interaction

• Page breaks or writing that support prediction or create suspense
• Rhythmic writing or energetic pacing that move the story along
• Physical design that demands active reading (questions, flaps, instructions)
• Writing or illustrations that encourage movement or verbal interaction

Lack of Preachiness
Kids are smart. You don’t have to beat them over the head with a moral. If the story is well written, it conveys a message on its own.









Diversity
The world is full of all kinds of people -- people with different shapes, sizes, colors, beliefs, abilities and lifestyles. Look for books that have diverse characters and settings. Books should be both windows to the whole, wide, diverse world and mirrors where kids can see themselves and their families reflected. (This is such an important topic that we'll devote an entire blog post to it.)


The “special sauce” --  that something special that makes you smile or nod
Beyond interesting topics and high-quality writing, illustration and design, really great books have something extra -- something that catches your attention or your heart.  It makes you want to read the book again and share it with someone else. You'll know it when you see it, but here are a few examples:

• Characters you relate to
• Humor
• Twists or unexpected elements
• Universal truths or experiences

When you are looking for the right book, libraries and bookstores can feel overwhelming. Don't hesitate to ask booksellers and librarians for help in finding books kids love. Jim Trelease's Read Aloud Handbook and Valerie & Walter's Best Books for Children by Valerie V. Lewis and Walter M. Mayes are excellent references.

Once you have separated the wheat from the chaff, book-wise, then you can start assessing which books would be good for various audiences, age groups and situations. Stay tuned for another blog post describing that process. In the meantime, happy hunting!

To receive credit for this online training, please fill out the form here.