LM_NET: Library Media Networking
Barbara, I agree with your "warm-up" approach! Years ago when I was hired
to teach summer school reading in a small elementary school in Bellevue
Nebraska, my first elementary teaching experience-I called my much older,
experienced sister for advice and she told me to let the kids read
anything that they wanted as long as they were reading. This was the '70s
and I looked at the assortment of faces; a lot of millitary kids, a lot
of Vietnamese and Korean kids all counting on me to guide them.
I'll tell you what I did-We read everything in sight! We read
kindergarten books, we read cereal boxes, we read baseball cards, we read
the food ads and the toy ads in the newspaper, the older kids read to the
younger kids and we got through that summer. I would like to say that the
kids ended up reading chapter books, they didn't but I read to them.
About half of the kids couldn't even speak English! They were afraid to
even let go of their sisters or brothers but after hearing the English
language spoken all summer long for a couple of hours a day I like to
think that this assortment of kids gained some appreciation for books and
maybe they are reading to their own kids by now.
K Vawter
Omaha,Ne
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