Reading Specialist
My role as a reading specialist is to conduct and oversee testing in all grades, assess students that are new to Luxmanor, work with teachers to ensure best practices in both writing and reading, and work with individual students. Overall, my job is to support students as they construct meaning in reading through training the classroom teachers to become "mini" reading specialists, working with the community and promoting reading and writing throughout the grades.
One Million Minutes of Reading Challenge
Dear Families-Friday we are kicking off our “One Million Minutes of Reading” challenge. This challenge will begin December 23rd and end March 2nd. Our goal is to have every child in the school read at least 30 minutes a day.
Research shows that the single best way to improve a child’s reading is to read and read for a sustained period of time. Children need to read “just right” books in order to read stronger and longer.
Attached to this letter is your child’s first reading log. For grades 1-5, students are expected to read independently. As for kindergarten students, an adult may read to them. The reading logs should be with your child at all times between home and school, as the students have many opportunities to read throughout the school day.
All children will be bringing home books each night for independent reading in a plastic gallon storage bag. It is an expectation that the books, as well as the logs, go home each night and are returned to school the next day. You can help facilitate the success of this program by reminding your child to check to make sure he/she has the book, the bag and the log each day before going to school.
At the end of each week, your child will add up the total number of minutes read during the week and record the total. The log will be turned in to his/her teacher where it will then be calculated into the grand total of minutes for the class. At that point every minute from each class will then be calculated and recorded on a school thermometer so that we can chart our progress in an effort to reach our goal.
We have provided a list of resources and websites that have free online books that your child may also count into his/her daily minutes.
We want to thank the PTA who generously provided balloons, bookmarks for each student and the plastic gallon bags for the books. If our goal is met in March, the PTA will be hosting a doughnut party for the whole school!
Please check out the Luxmanor web site for resources on choosing books, free online books and recommendations.
As always we thank you for your continued support as we read to the one million minute mark!
Sincerely,
The Luxmanor Staff
Sites to help promote the Million Minutes or More Reading Challenge
Book Recommendations
Spaghetti Book Club A site designed by kids for kids where kids recommend books they have read
Kids Bookshelf Recommendations for books by leading publishers; kid-friendly and very interactive
Read Kiddo Read James Patterson started this site to encourage the love of reading in children. Find book recommendations, reading guides, fun quizzes, and more.
Leveled Book Sites
Having your reader read “just right” books is key to comprehension, fluency and improvement in overall reading performance. A “just right” book is a book with a little challenge but your child should be reading like they are talking as well as grasping the story with good comprehension. For independent reading and for logging minutes, children can re-read the books his/her teacher has instructed or read at a level letter lower than his/her instructional level, which would be his/her independent reading level.
Leveled Book List Great site! Enter either by grade level or book title and you can search a comprehensive list of books at your child’s independent reading level.
Scholastic Book Wizard This site is great if you have a book title and you want to know the level. Once on the page, select a “reading level system” and choose “guided reading”. By doing this, your search will reveal books with a letter level. Caution: Some books are not leveled and will provide a grade level range i.e. K-2
Book Adventure Perfect for kids in grades K-8, this site lets readers create a list of books from 7,000 listed, then take quizzes and earn points for their progress.
Sites for reading along, being read-to or reading on your own FOR FREE!
We Give Books We Give Books has several literacy campaigns and they have several high-quality books on their website for your child to read. What do you do? Select a book from their growing library and read it. Once you finish reading the book, select a literacy campaign you would like to support. A book will be donated for every book you read online. Yes, it’s as easy as that to support literacy around the world!
Short Story Time This site will provide narration and text for your child to follow. You can choose the age group for appropriate stories.
Book Pop Children can follow along as stories are read by Stephen Cosgrove. Readers can control page turning, reading, and more to enhance their experience.
Bedtime Story These classic stories include options to hear about the story or to have the story read aloud.
Speak-A-Boos This awesome site brings fables, popular books, fairy tales, and more to life with celebrity readings, spot-on graphics, and upbeat music. Readers can follow along as they hear each story read.
StoryLine Online Members of the Screen Actors Guild introduce and read popular books while readers can follow along on the pages of the book.
Mrs. P's Magic Library Classic children’s literature is read aloud by actress Kathy Kinney, who is supported by an interactive Web site.
Book Builder Online The book builder features allows you to insert student names into the book and print a customized book for students to keep. For early readers and ESOL students.
Story Time For Me Word by word highlighting and narration to follow along-For early readers
Contact
Ms. Matturro would love to receive your email. If you have questions or concerns about our Reading/Language Arts program, grades K-5, please contact her at the following address: Ms. Traci Matturro