22 Creative Ways Kids Can Respond to Books ◯ WeAreTeachers

22 Creative Ways Kids Can Respond to Books

@WeAreTeachers

From mint tins to cereal boxes to T-shirts.

We Are Teachers: 2.25.2020 by Elizabeth Mulvahill

Reading about other people and perspectives helps kids learn beyond their own experiences. Students don’t need to dive deeply into every single book they read, but occasionally showing them how to dive in can help them view reading in different ways. Digging into characters (or settings or themes) from the books they read can really help them learn how to look beyond the prose. Here are 22 creative book report ideas designed to make reading more meaningful:

Fictional Yearbook Entries

Ask your students to create a yearbook based on the characters and setting in the book. What do they look like?

Current Events Comparison

Have students locate 3-5 current event articles a character in their book might be interested in.

Book Alphabet

Choose 15-20 alphabet books to help give your students examples of how they work around themes. Then ask your students to create their own Book Alphabet based on the book they read.

Reading Lists for Characters

Ask your students to think about a character in their book. What kinds of books might that character like to read?

Create a PSA

If a student has read a book about a cause that affects people, animals, or the environment, teach them about Public Service Announcements.

Be a Character Therapist

Therapists work to uncover their clients’ fears based on their words and actions.  READ MORE  ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on (7) readability formulas:

Grade Level: 10

Reading Level: standard / average.

Reader's Age: 14-15 yrs. old

(Ninth to Tenth graders)

Commerce Library ◯ National Library Week

National Library Week

City of Commerce Public Library: 4.18.2020

Next week is #NationalLibraryWeek and even though we're closed for the time being, we're still celebrating virtually! Join us. Check out the schedule!

Online Poetry Activities for National Poetry Month ◯ Knowledge Quest AASL

#NationalPoetryMonth

Online Poetry Activities for National Poetry Month

Knowledge Quest AASL: 4.16.2020 by Maureen Schlosser

National Poetry Month is celebrated in April to remind us that poetry matters. Poetry can offer solace during trying moments, and now might be the time to show our learners how that works. Below are some lesson ideas that might inspire learners to document their thoughts and feelings with poetry.

16 Words: William Carlos Williams & “The Red Wheelbarrow”

Are you familiar with the poem “The Red Wheelbarrow” by William Carlos Williams? I learned about this poem by reading 16Words by Lisa Rogers and Chuck Groenink. This fascinating book is a real treasure, one that I highly recommend for your learning community.

It’s a story about how Williams crafted “The Red Wheelbarrow.” Readers will discover how Williams turned his everyday observations into carefully worded poetry. He was a doctor who noticed the world around him as he walked to visit patients. He jotted his thoughts on paper between appointments and turned his notes into poetry during his off hours.

Daniel Finds a Poem

You are going to love this video of author Micha Archer reading her book Daniel Finds a Poem. Archer invites viewers to act out key points in the story as she reads. Each action is part of a cumulative poem that Daniel presents to an audience at the end of the story.

Invite learners to use the sights, sounds, and textures around them to define the meaning of poetry.

Poets.org

If you need more ideas on how to teach poetry online, read “30 Ways to Celebrate National Poetry Month at Home or Online” on the Poets.org website. READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on (7) readability formulas:

Grade Level: 8

Reading Level: fairly easy to read.

Reader's Age: 12-14 yrs. Old

(Seventh and Eighth graders)

California :: U.S. Skills Map: State and County Indicators of Adult Literacy and Numeracy :: NCES

U.S. Skills Map: State and County Indicators of Adult Literacy and Numeracy

NCES: April 2020

U.S. Skills Map

The National Center for Education Statistics surveyed 12,330 U.S. adults ages 16 to 74 living in households during 2012 to 2017 for the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), an international study involving over 35 countries. Using small area estimation models, indirect estimates of literacy and numeracy proficiency have been produced for all U.S. states and counties. By using PIAAC survey data in conjunction with data from the American Community Survey, the Skills Map provides reliable estimates of adult literacy and numeracy skills in all 50 states, all 3,141 counties, and the District of Columbia.

At or below Level 1:   22% National est.

read short digital or print texts to locate a single piece of information

At Level 2:   32% National est.

make matches between the text, either digital or printed, and information, and may require paraphrasing or low-level inferences

At or above Level 3:   46% National est.

often dense or lengthy. Understanding text and rhetorical structures is often required, as is navigating complex digital texts

National Average Scale Score:   264 (between 1-500)

Top 10 States – At or below Level 1: 22%

11: NH

13: AK ME MN MT ND VT

14: WY

15: IA WI

Bottom 10 States – At or below Level 1

29: NM

28: CA MS TX

27: LA

25: NV

24: AL FL GA NY

States above National Average Scale Score: 264

279: MN NH

277: AK DC VT

276: ND

275: WA

274: UT

States below National Average Scale Score

252: LA MS NM

254: TX

255: NV

256: AR

257: CA

259: AL FL

READ MORE  ➤➤

Literacy Reports & Statistics

Adult

2020: US Skills Map: State & County Indicators of Adult Literacy & Numeracy, NCES

2019: Adult Literacy in the United States, NCES 2019-179

2019: Literacy Gap Map, Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy

2013: OECD Skills Outlook 2013: First Results from the Survey of Adult Skills, OECD

2009: Literacy of America's Least Literate Adults, NAAL 2003

2006: Literacy of America's College Students, AIR

2007: Literacy in Everyday Life, NAAL 2003

2003: National Assessment of Adult Literacy, NAAL

2000: Programs for Adults in Public Library Outlets, USDE, NCES

1992: National Adult Literacy Survey, NALS

Huntington Beach Library ◯ Picture Prompt Exercise

Picture Prompt Exercise

Literacy Volunteers HBPL: 4.07.2020

Happy Tuesday Tutors! Looking for ideas to help you stay in touch with your learner? Try this "Picture Prompt" exercise, it's easy and something you can do every day!

What other ways can you and your learner come up with to build on this exercise? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below. Enjoy!

 

Financial Literacy Month ◯ 15 Websites to Teach Financial Literacy ◯ Ask A Teacher

15 Websites to Teach Financial Literacy

Ask A Teacher: 4.06.2020 by Jacqui

#FinancialLiteracyMonth

#SmartMoneyWeek

When kids read that America’s $23 trillion+ debt is accepted by many experts as ‘business as usual’, I wonder how that news will affect their future personal finance decisions. Do they understand the consequences of unbalanced budgets? The quandary of infinite wants vs. finite dollars? Or do they think money grows on some fiscal tree that always blooms? The good news is: Half of the nation’s schools require a financial literacy course. The bad new is: Only half require a financial literacy course.

If your school doesn’t teach a course about personal economics, there are many online sites that address the topic as mini-lessons. Some are narrative; others games. Here are fifteen I like. See if one suits you:

Banzai is a personal finance curriculum that teaches high school and middle school students how to prioritize spending decisions through real-life scenarios and choose-your-own adventure (kind of) role playing.

Hands-on Banking

Age group: Upper elementary

This game-based website covers budgeting, needs vs. wants, savings vs. checking, credit, banks, and where money comes from.

Living Wage Calculator

Age group: Upper elementary, middle and high school

Put out by MIT, Living Wage Calculator estimates the cost of living in your community or region. The calculator lists typical expenses, cost of living, and typical wages.

iOS Apps

Because more often than not, 18-24 year olds are on a mobile device rather than a computer, here are six apps that can be played from anywhere:

Bankaroo – Using this free virtual bank for kids, students learn to manage their allowance while saving for goals. To track learning, they earn badges for their accomplishments. This app works on desktops as well as mobile devices.

Motion Math – As students struggle to run their own pizzeria, they must balance budgets, think proportionally, buy ingredients, design the pizzas, and sell to customers. The app also includes which Common Core Math Standards are addressed by the gameplay.

Savings Spree — Students learn how the choices they make each day can add up to big savings or expenses depending on their spending decisions. Kids see how they can save for short-term goals while investing for future needs.

Time is Money – This free Chrome add-on converts prices on a webpage to hours worked.  READ MORE ➤➤

Using Your Cell Phone for Instruction ◯ ProLiteracy

Using Your Cell Phone for Instruction

ProLiteracy Blog: 4.02.2020 by Jessica Gilmour

ProLiteracy has an excellent list of resources you can use with students during this period of social/physical distancing including instructional resources and tools. Let’s talk about some of those resources and tools. Let’s start with a tool that you and your students all most likely have—a cell phone.

If you’re working with ESL students, one of the easiest ways to use a cell phone is to set up regularly scheduled calls where you can talk with students and they can practice their conversational English. Aim for at least a 10 minute conversation two times a week. Before you end your call, determine what you will talk about for the next call so the student has a chance to think about what he or she wants to say and can practice the relevant grammar and vocabulary. If you need topics, I suggest using current events topics from News for You. News for You Online is providing the courtesy password 22667F through June 30, 2020, so anyone can access News for You Online.

If you want to have a phone call with more than one student at the same time, you can google “How to make a conference call on my [insert whatever phone you have].” Though the instructions are different for each phone, they are all straightforward and easy to find. READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on (7) readability formulas:

Grade Level: 10

Reading Level: standard / average.

Reader's Age: 14-15 yrs. Old

(Ninth to Tenth graders)