Reading Essentials

The Literacy Challenge Facing Boys

A Crisis of Confidence to Succeed – The Literacy Challenge Facing Boys

Guest Post by Michael Gurian
Literacy matters. Reading, writing, and speaking intersect with everything in life: character development, emotional intelligence, and physical fitness. Reading is essential for successful brain development in children, and stories help build character and emotional development. There are few career areas in which literacy skills—reading, writing, critical thinking, articulation of positions in words, and even anecdotal storytelling—are not essential for success. The Boy Scouts of America’s mission to help boys be “Prepared. For Life.®” is directly correlated with the need for literacy in America and precisely why the BSA incorporates literacy skills into so much of its program.

By Guest Post, ago
supporting-comprehension-RAR

Supporting Comprehension – Reading Essentials #21

In this final installment of our series detailing the 5 fundamental reading skills, we’ll be looking closely at comprehension—the ability to not only read words, but understand their individual meanings and their meanings within the context of a sentence and story. Reading comprehension is, perhaps, the pinnacle of all reading skills. After all, what’s the point of being able to read words if you don’t understand them, right?

By Tammy Bennecke, ago
Why Reading Fiction is Good for Kids | Red Apple Reading Express

Why Reading Fiction is Good for Kids

We can all remember the fun we had as kids pretending to live in another reality. I spent hours “teaching” imaginary students and playing with my stuffed animals. One day my mom was cleaning my room and put all my stuffed toys in the toy box. I was appalled! Didn’t she know they couldn’t breathe in there? Needless to say, I had a pretty active imagination. It’s good for our kids to have a healthy escape from reality as well. Fiction is the perfect opportunity for our children to take a little reality vacation!

By Melissa Maypole, ago
Fostering Fluency - Reading Essentials #20 | Red Apple Reading

Fostering Fluency – Reading Essentials #20

Can you imagine trying to read a good novel and having to stop to sound out every other word? How frustrating would that be? Well, that’s exactly the challenge your little one faces as he strives to become a proficient reader. In order to truly comprehend and enjoy what he’s reading, he will need to acquire fluency—the ability to read words and sentences accurately, at a reasonably quick pace, and without the need to stop to decode individual words.

By Tammy Bennecke, ago
Don't Forget to Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) Today! | Red Apple Reading Express

Don’t Forget to Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) Today!

Today is a day that is very DEAR to our hearts here at Red Apple Reading. It is so DEAR in fact that we would be DEARly disappointed if you didn’t help us celebrate. You see, today is not only DEAR children’s book author Beverly Clearly’s birthday, but it’s also national Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) Day. Unless you have school-aged kids, then this may be your very first DEAR celebration, which makes it that much more special of course! According to the official DEAR website, all you have to do to participate is to read for 30 minutes today, but you do that every day, right? So, why not go all out? Here are some ideas for making Drop Everything and Read Day an experience that’s sure to become a DEAR memory for your little one.

By Melissa Maypole, ago
The Art of Reading Aloud to Your Child | Red Apple Reading Express

The Art of Reading Aloud to Your Child

Whether your child is three or thirteen, reading aloud to (or with) him is a great way to promote literacy skills while enjoying some time together as well. If you’ve never thought about reading aloud as an art, however, you might want to reconsider what story-time really means. Short of visiting an elementary school class to see a real artist at work, implementing a few simple strategies can help you turn read-alouds at your house from fun to fabulous!

By Melissa Maypole, ago
3 Cool Tips for Springtime Reading - Red Apple Reading Express

3 Cool Tips for Springtime Reading

Spring is here—finally! Time to open the windows and break out the sandals. Moms and dads usually love this time of year because it means that kids can unglue themselves from the TV and spend less time underfoot and more time outdoors. While reading certainly makes a great cold-weather activity, be sure to keep up a regimen of daily reading during the Spring months as well. To help you out, here are a few tips for making sure your little one stays on top of her literacy game during warmer weather.

By Melissa Maypole, ago
3 Strategies for Helping Your Visual Child Learn to Read

3 Strategies for Helping Your Visual Child Learn to Read

If you’ve been following the blog lately, you know that we’ve been talking about how important it is to know your child’s learning style so that you can help them learn best at home and advocate for them at school as well. We’ve also discussed some specific strategies for those kids who, in my opinion, are the most underserved in school: kinesthetic learners.
What if you have a visual learner, though? What can you do to help her reach her full potential by using her natural talents? Well, first, it’s important to know that visual learners learn by seeing, and they often think in pictures.

By Melissa Maypole, ago
3 Ways to Teach Reading to Your Auditory Learner

3 Ways to Teach Reading to Your Auditory Learner

Even if you haven’t taken a learning styles quiz, you can probably determine whether or not your child is an auditory learner by knowing this one characteristic: they like to talk—a lot! Auditory learners not only like the sound of their own voice, though. They prefer to take in the world by listening rather than seeing or touching. Since so much of learning to read is about learning distinct sounds, auditory learners have an advantage.

By Melissa Maypole, ago