As we enter the holiday season, I wanted to take this opportunity to give thanks to all of you that are committed, as Reading Is Fundamental is, to ensuring that every child has the opportunity to read.
1. Read aloud to your child every day ● Read to babies even before they can talk ● Let your child see and touch the book ● Play with voices and the sounds of words
Reading with a child is an important part of developing reading skills. Reading a book aloud, taking turns reading, acting out a book, and discussing a book are all critical elements to engage a child in the reading process. Reading together starts children on a path to obtain the necessary reading skills to become proficient, interested, and hopefully lifelong readers. Here are some basic tips to consider when reading with one child or many.
We recently caught up with Dr. Maryanne Wolf about her book Reader Come Home, which discusses the challenges of being a reader in the Digital Age. This is the second in a series of interviews with Dr. Wolfe. The first interview was around her book Proust and the Squid.
RIF teamed up with longtime philanthropic partner and literacy advocate, Macy’s, to create literacy impact by supporting ten book celebration events in communities across the country, ReadBoston, hosted one of the book celebrations. ReadBoston is a comprehensive early literacy program, reaching children from low-income families to encourage lifelong reading success.
RIF is committed to partnering with communities across the country to join us in creating a more literate America, one child at a time. Over the past year, RIF has teamed up with B&B Urban, a New York City-based affordable and supportive housing developer working to build new, high-quality, energy efficient, and affordable housing for NYC residents, with a significant percentage devoted to formerly homeless families and other populations with special needs.
September heralds a new school year and with it, the thoughts of many parents turn to their children’s education, and another year of preparing them for their future. Reading and access to books and other educational resources are considered a critical part of any child’s education. In fact, a strong foundation in literacy is so essential to any individual realizing their full potential that it is at the center of a growing national discussion; is literacy a fundamental right?
RIF is joining forces with Macy’s for the fifteenth year to provide books, digital literacy tools and educational resources to children nationwide through Thanks for Sharing, Macy’s annual customer loyalty program.
Since the beginning of RIF and Macy’s partnership, more than 12 million children in over 860 communities across the country have been supported through free books, engagement activities and literacy resources, illustrating Macy’s deep dedication to children’s literacy. In the past year alone, 7 million children have been reached by free online literacy resources available on RIF’s digital destination for supplemental materials, Literacy Central, funded by the generosity of Macy’s.
RIF recently caught up with PAWS and THINK! author Miranda Mittleman about her passion for children’s literacy. Read on to learn how Miranda has paired her lifelong love of poetry with her desire to make an impact on children’s literacy.
How can middle schoolers be great readers AND writers? RIF caught up with Katie Padden a middle school English and Language Arts teacher in rural Burgettstown, PA to get the inside scoop. Read on to learn why Katie thinks reading and writing go together like peanut butter and jelly!
RIF recently caught up with Lulu Delacre about her work in children’s literature. This interview covers two books. The first is Golden Tales: Myths, Legends, and Folktales from Latin America, for which she was both author and illustrator. The second is a new book by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, entitled Turning Pages, for which Ms. Delacre is the illustrator.
In celebration of Children’s Book Week RIF is ready to help you create a home library. Follow the RIF-approved tips below to create a dynamic, at-home reading experience.
RIF is excited to team up with Shaunda Wasik, a 3rd and 4th grade teacher from Farmington, Minnesota. Shaunda reviewed RIF’s reading intervention in program and wants to give YOU the full scoop!
We recently caught up with Professor Bers from Tufts University about her new book Coding as a Playground. This is an ideal book for reading educators looking to integrate computer coding into the early literacy classroom.
Reading Is Fundamental honors the legacy and impact of an outstanding literacy champion, Barbara Bush. Mrs. Bush was a long-standing supporter of Reading Is Fundamental and children’s literacy, from her dedicated service on the RIF board to lending her voice and her passion to the critical issue of literacy. She recognized that reading meant opportunity and that every American deserves the opportunities that literacy provides.
Reading Is Fundamental launched a National Reading Month celebration filled with national and local activities to support and highlight the transformative power of reading. RIF began the month with a kick off event in partnership with the National Education Association. The March 1 event celebrated a nation of diverse readers and included a reading extravaganza led by award-winning authors Kwame Alexander, Jesse Holland and Gene Luen Yang, along with local authors.
Reading Is Fundamental partnered with community volunteers, NBA Cares, State Farm and the Chris Paul Family Foundation to create literacy impact, wrapping up RIF’s National Reading Month activities. RIF was honored to rebuild and open the hurricane-damaged library at C.E. King Middle School in Houston, TX as part of an ongoing effort to support communities affected by Hurricane Harvey. The partnership kicked off last year with a community book drive, a donation of Chromebooks for the library and a basketball clinic for students led by Houston Rockets superstars Chris Paul and James Harden.
These tips for encouraging young readers reflect Reading is Fundamental’s integrated approach to improving literacy skills. By providing children with content-rich, age appropriate books and motivational activities, it is possible to increase a child’s literacy skills.
Reading Is Fundamental caught up with Georgette Sierra, a teacher at Oakbrooke Elementary School in Sherwood, Arkansas, who has enjoyed implementing RIF’s supplementary literacy program Read for Success in her classroom for the past two years.
