Parent Resources
Contents of this Page
This page has been updated as of February 10, 2007. Please follow the directions below.
To see the research models that I am teaching your children and learn how to use them at home,
click on the Big6.
To see a list of Websites concerning children's health and development, safety issues for the internet, babysitting and fire, picking and caring for a pet, and search engines, scroll down below the Media Minute.
For a list of good Search Engines, scroll down to the last section on this page.
Media Minute
February 2007
Dear Parents,
Hello! While I care for my granddaughter, my thoughts often turn to your children at North Beverly School. I have decided that one of the ways that I can still be of service to them is to provide them with information about good books to read. I therefore have reorganized the website to make room for a reading diary. This will allow your children to see what I am reading and help them find books that they may not have read. Most of them will be in, or coming to, the school library. The remainder can be found at the town library either on their shelves or through interlibrary loan. In addition, I am including, in this new section, some information on how to start your own book club. This club can be a unisex club, a boys and girls club, or a parent child club. Your children can also write to me and I will be happy to write to them about the books they are reading.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Bloom
hookedonreading@comcast.net
P. S. I have verified the websites that are listed below for parents . If a website was no longer active, I substituted an active site.
A
Message to Parents
Reading is one of the best gifts that you can give your children. It doesn’t cost anything. Just get a library card from the town library and your child can be transported to other countries and enjoy stories about children just like themselves. The library has a bookmobile that travels to various locations across the city. If you don’t know a stop near you, call the library and find out the schedule.
The ability to read diminishes if you do not keep up your reading so it is vital for you to encourage your child to read over the summer. The answers to some common concerns are below.
v My child won’t pick out challenging books. Children often pick out books at a safe reading level and intersperse them with challenging books. These “safe” books allow them to pick up reading speed which is also a vital reading skill that they will need.
v My child loves to read poorly written books such as R.L. Stine’s Goosebump series. This is alright as long as it is not the only books your child reads or hears. If you want your child to be a good writer, he/she must have the opportunity to hear good writing. Take this opportunity to read a book together.
v Classics which are too hard for them to read, such as Swiss Family Robinson, can be a shared experience. If you read aloud, this allows them to learn the proper cadence of a well written novel. My mother used to sit between my brother and I everyday for 45 minutes. I would read a page; she would read a page, and then, my brother would read a page. (We are 17 months apart.) Whether your child is a reader, a co-reader, or a listener, classic books have a lot to offer to your students. Their vocabulary is richer and their ability to bring a child into a special world with written imagery instead of a video or video game can enhance your child’s ability to write on their own.
Don’t forget that many of these books are on audiotapes at the library. When you go on vacation, bring the book and the tape for your child or your whole family to enjoy during the car ride.
v Another avenue to pursue is to pick out a contemporary book and read it together. If you are looking for a good contemporary book to read with your child, there are several options for finding good material. The first one is professionally developed lists. For example the Massachusetts Children’s Book Award, creates a list of twenty-five good contemporary novels each year. Their current and past lists are available at http://www.salemstate.edu/education/mcba/
Another good source is the New York Public Library, http://kids.nypl.org/
At this site you will find 100 favorite children’s books and 100 Picture Books everyone should know. If you are searching on your own at Amazon.com, look at the reviews for the books. Find the ones by the School Library Journal, Horn Book, or Booklist. These professional journals give accurate reviews as to the quality of the piece you are researching. In fact, if you want to buy a professional journal to help you decide which books to buy for your preschooler through your high schooler, I would recommend that you subscribe to Horn Book Magazine.
v If your child no longer wishes to be read to, try picking out a book together and getting two copies at the library, one for your child to read and one for you to read. Then you can discuss the book together. I still do this with my adult children.
v An added advantage to sharing a book is that when you use a contemporary literature book, you will find it opens avenues for you to discuss how your child would react in similar situations without him/her feeling threatened in any way. There are many books that cover topics such as bullying and cheating or at a higher level smoking, dating, etc.
v Poetry- Don’t forget poetry. Poetry books have the wonderful advantage that you can complete a whole poem in a single page of reading and thereby gain a reward of self –esteem almost immediately. I particularly like Shel Silverstein, Jack Prelutsky, and Doug Florian for this age group. One of the new ones I read and liked this year is Pieces: A Year in Poems and Quilts by Ann Hines. I would definitely say that the students’ favorite poetry books are Take Me Out of the Bathtub and I’m Still Here in the Bathtub. Both of these are by Alan Katz. They also liked Outside the Lines by Brad Burg. There are also two books that require two readers that are quite good, You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You: Very Short Stories to Read Together and You Read to Me , I’ll Read to You: Very Short Fairy Tales to Read Together both are by Ann Hoberman.
Summer Reading Lists
The town summer reading list may be found at the town library’s website http://www.noblenet.org/beverly/kidlink/index.shtml
What is the Massachusetts Children’s Book Award?
The MCBA is a statewide contest for children in grades 4 through 6 in which they become the judges in a literature contest. Students across the state will be reading books from the booklist your librarian will be sending home. Each student who wishes to participate must read or listen to at least five of the books in the list by the end of February vacation. Voting will take place at North Beverly School with the totals from all of the participating schools in the state being collated at Salem State College. The winner is announced in early May. This year’s winner was Molly Moon’s Incredible Book of Hypnotism. The honor books were Because of Anya, Loser, Gregor the Overlander and Once Upon a Marigold.
What reading levels are the books?
Since children in grades 4-6 will be participating, the reading levels of the books range from grade 3 to grade 7 reading levels. I have marked the books on this year’s nomination list that have the lowest reading level with an # and the ones with the highest reading levels with an +.
Does my child have to participate?
No, this is a voluntary activity but it is fun. This past year we had sixty children participating at North Beverly School.
Does it count if a book is read to my child?
Yes, you may count any books which you have listened to on tape, had read to you, or read by yourself.
If my child previously read one of the books does it count towards his/her five books?
Yes.
How does he/she keep track of what he/she reads?
At the back of the packet that I am sending home is a chart to keep track of what your child reads and how he/she liked each book. The chart will be his/her admittance ticket on voting day.
Buying Books
Every year I am asked where do I buy the books for the library. I purchase them in three locations, Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com, and New England Mobile Book. Barnes and Noble offers a discount to everyone; you ask for it at the desk. It costs $25 a year. The discount is steeper for teachers but it is still worthwhile. Amazon.com frequently has a discount on the books that I want and it has free shipping if you don’t mind waiting. Last but not least, New England Mobile Book is my main source of books. It is located in Newton Highlands off exit 19A on 128. It has a huge selection of hardbacks and paperbacks for both adults and children. It’s children’s sale room is about the size of our main part of the library with the books going from floor to ceiling. They give you a map when you first enter and the books are arranged by publisher and then author. (Except in the sale room where it is by title.) Anyone who walks in gets
20 % off of the books; more if it is on the New York Times bestseller list. There is a 30% children’s book sale in November. I am going to take two parents to the store this summer. If anyone else wants to go in a caravan, please let me know and we will arrange a date.
What are we going to do today Mom?
Every child has days in which they can’t figure out what to do. My website will be changing its name to Mrs. Bloom’s Virtual Library but will still be at home.comcast.net/~n1doc/ Please note, there is no www. I have shown the classes how to get to the game sites at Time for a Break. There are also online field trips at Adventures which I will be showing them this week.
Pen Pals
I would like to remain pen pals with as many of my students and parents as would like to write. To that end, you, or they, may contact me at the following email address or at my home address.
hookedonreading@comcast.net Please have them put their names in the subject box . I do not open mail I don’t recognize in order to prevent viruses. If I don’t respond within a few days, have them rewrite me at my lifelong address which is
janetbloom@smith.alumnae.net . My home address is available from Mrs. Bider and Mrs. Coults, as of Tuesday, September 12, 2006. Please feel free to call me at home if you have a questions. Mrs. Bider and Mrs. Coults have my phone number.
Thank you for all your help and for sharing your children with me. I have enjoyed the opportunity to get to know them and I hope some of my love of reading has rubbed off on them.
Sincerely,
Janet Bloom
Websites Of Interest to Parents
Children' s Health and Development
PBS is offering information to parents about child development, homework, learning disabilities and other parenting issues.
The following sites were recommended by the Boston Globe.
The American Academy of Pediatrics' website contains medical information.
The Zero to Three National Center for Infants and Toddlers and Families gives information on child development.
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/healthinformation/childmenu.cfm
National Institute of Mental Health - This site has information on learning disabilities in children and adolescents.
http://www.fcps.net/fcs/default.asp?prcItem=22000
The National Parent Information Network is sponsored by the Department of Education and has articles on education and parent resources.
This website is sponsored by the New York University Child Study Center.
The Tufts University Child and Family WebGuide provides links to sites of interest to parents.
The National Child Care Information Center offers information on child care.
Safety Issues
Internet
The Children's Partnership, the National Urban League, and the National PTA have joined together to create a free Parent's Guide to the Information Superhighway which is available at this site.
http://www.fbi.gov/publications/pguide/pguidee.htm
This site by the FBI offers information to parents about internet safety for their children.
Babysitting
Babysitting Safety Tips http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/yourchild/babysit.htm
Food Safety for Babysitters http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/fttbaby.html
Babysitter's Guide to Fire Safety http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/content/firerescue/sion/safetytips/babysitterguidelines.doc
This booklet contains a sheet for parents to give to their babysitter when they leave.
These three websites offer information for you and your babysitter to promote child safety while you are away from your home. I keep a copy of this information at the school’s Media Center if anyone does not have access to a computer and wishes me to make them a copy, please let me know.
Fire
http://www.usfa.fema.gov/kids/l.htm
This website has information about fire safety in your home and how to teach your children about what to do in the event of a fire.
Parenting
http://teams.lacoe.edu/parents/index.asp
The Los Angeles Public School System offers a portal, an entryway, to numerous sites for parents.
http://school.discovery.com/parents/
Discovery.com has advice for parents on enriching their child’s experiences and dealing with homework issues.
Pets
(American Kennel Club) http://www.akc.org/index.cfm
(ASPCA) http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=kids_home
Looking for a dog , find out more information about the different breeds of dogs and how to care for them at the American Kennel Club. Once you have your pet, check out the kids page of this site for instructions on how to care for your new pet. Try the ASPCA site to find the right pet for you.
Search Engines-
What does professionally reviewed mean?
It means that librarians have checked the site for safety and accuracy providing you with one more means of keeping your child safe and reducing websurfing which might lead to inappropriate sites.
700+ Great Web Sites http://www.ala.org/parentspage/greatsites/ Professionally reviewed site
This is a collection of sites for students in grades K-8 which have been reviewed by the American Library Association.
Google http://www.google.com
This site is an advanced search engine. It offers you the opportunity to do boolean searches using the terms AND and OR. It can also look for pictures. ( A children's safety filter is available if you wish to use it.)
Librarian's Index to the Internet http://lii.org/ Professionally reviewed site
This search engine is primarily for adults. All of the sites on it are approved by librarians as useful and accurate.
The Internet Public Library Professionally reviewed site
Kids Click! Professionally reviewed site with a clear list of sections to help children navigate the site.
Yahooligans
If you still are unable to find what you are looking for, try this meta search engine. www.dogpile.com It searches the search engines on the web.
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