Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Promote Reading All Year


Manitoba Reading Association just announced the theme for I Love to Read month in February. It is Critical Literacy: Empowering Children & Youth to Change the World. More info and ideas will be forthcoming at their website. You will also notice that the Book Whisperer Donalyn Miller is coming to SAGE in Winnipeg On October 23, 2015.  Our friends at the Reading Council of Greater Winnipeg are sponsoring her visit.  If you haven’t heard her inspiring talks (and even if you have), register early to ensure a spot.  Donalyn was one of the featured speakers at the 3rd Adolescent Literacy Summit in Winnipeg in April and she will be bringing a different address to this conference.  Her session is entitled Creating a Classroom Where Readers Flourish. Follow her on Twitter @donalynbooks and follow MRA @mra_mb

We are bombarded with reading material and have a limited time to read! Two blog posts I encountered recently were very useful if you are trying to encourage a school culture of reading.  One of my favourite bloggers Pernille Ripp posted What Administrators Can Do to Promote a Reading Culture. Read it here and I strongly recommend signing up for her blog in your email.  Many of her suggestions are already happening in your schools, but you may find some that could be implemented.  Perhaps a great way to share this article with your administrator would be to attach it to a book you present to your principal to start or add to his/her collection of books available for students. You may want to offer some advice for great books for his/her collection!

The second blog post I want to share with you is Ten Reasons to Read Children’s Books Instead of “Grown-up” Books on The Nerdy Book Club blog. Author of the post, Isabelle Sudron, states, “Kids  books are blunt!” as one of her reasons.  I especially like #8 “You can do voices.” When I read How to Read a Story to the grade two class in Miami last week, they had me go back and reread Step 6 where I could match my voice to the character talking. I think it was their favourite part of the book! I know it was my favourite. For anybody who has been attending our PERC workshops, you know I love kids books and tend to buy many of them.  Keep coming back to hear about more of them and feel free to share your favourites with us, too.





Friday, September 18, 2015

The Pembina Escarpment Reading Council








The Pembina Escarpment Reading Council (PERC) consists of educators, support staff, librarians, literacy leaders and other professionals who are passionate about literacy.


Benefits of joining PERC:


-networking with local professionals
-staying up-to-date on local literary developments and happening
-discuss professional resources and other books
-stay informed on Manitoba Reading Association (MRA) events




Looking for A Great Read Aloud? Try How To Read A Story by Kate Messner

How to Read a Story by Kate Messner, Illustrated by Mark Siegel ©2015

I love picture books! Picture books are not just for young children or young readers—they are for everybody.  Who doesn’t like to listen to a story?

Picture books often take us back to an earlier time in our life and remind us of a younger self.  Picture books also help us see more clearly many of the interpretations needed for English Language Arts in middle and senior grades. They serve as excellent mentor texts.

Kate Messner, author of the Marty McGuire chapter book series, provides ten essential steps for reading a story while Mark Siegel provides charming illustrations.  You will need your reading voice to share this book with students or your own children and it will be so much fun that you may have to “go right back to the beginning and start all over again.”

How to Read a Story would be a great first book to read aloud for teachers and librarians.

If you want to know more about using picture books in middle years and senior years check out this link: 



- by Barb Lepp who really likes picture books and sharing them with friends