A Z

t o
• AR C H ITEC TURE
• ART
• ISLAM
• J E W IS H Jacqueline Acosta
• ASTRONOMY • LITERATURE jacosta68@dadeschools.net
• A T T H E M O V I ES • METAPHYSICS Language Arts Department Chair
• AUDIO BOOKS • MILITARY HGMS
• B IO G R AP H Y • MUSIC
• B OO K C LU B P I C K S • MYSTERY
• B U S I N ES S • N E W AR R I V ALS Christine Rodriguez
• CHILDREN’S • PHIL OS OPHY crodriguez14@dadeschools.net
• CHRISTIANITY • P H O T O GR A P H Y Language Arts Department Chair
• C O M PU T E RS • POETRY HGHS
• COO K ING • P O L IT I C S
• C R A FT S • PSYC HOLO GY
• C U R R E N T AF F A I R S • REFERENCE Carmen S. Concepcion
• L AN G U AG E S • R E L IG IO N cconcepcion@dadeschools.net
• GARDENING • R O M AN C E Reading Coach
• G L O B A L WR I T I N G • SCIENCE FICTION HGMS
• G R A P H I C N OV E L S • SELF HELP HGHS
• HEALTH/MEDICINE • SMALL PRESS
• HISTORY • S P O RT S / F I T N E S S
• HUMOR • TRAVEL
• WRITING
 Suggestions for Promoting
Literacy in Your Family
1. Motivate your children through personal ex-
ample. Set aside time for turning off the TV and
reading and/or studying on a regular basis. Read
the newspaper or a magazine.
2. Encourage a strong vocabulary. Talk together
as a family and try learning new words each
day/week. Make it a game: everyone could be
Let Your Mind Wander...
assigned to find a new word in the dictionary and
report on it to the family.
3. Be a good listener. Encourage your children to
explain or talk about what they are reading.
4. Allow your children to subscribe to magazines
in their interest areas. Magazine subscriptions
make wonderful gifts from family and friends.
5. Play games such as Scrabble, Hangman,
Clue, or Word Bingo. The entire family will bene-
fit from increased literacy and critical thinking
skills.
6. If you have access to a computer, encourage
your children to research interests over the Inter-
net.
7. Using computer e-mail with family and friends
encourages children to both read and write.
8. Encourage the use of daily journal writing. It
allows for reflection and increased reading and
writing skills.
9. Help your child set goals such as reading a set
number of books per month. Keep track of them
in a reading log.
10. Visit the library regularly. Help your children
locate books. Allow plenty of time to browse the
books and magazines, the software in the com-
puter section, the talking books, and the videos.
11. If your child spends time in the car with you
or is already a driver, try books on tape.
12. Start a family library so that favorite books
can be enjoyed again and again. Take advan-
tage of less expensive paperback copies, swap
books with friends, or visit used book stores tok
enlarge your library.
14. Talk about what you are reading and invite
your children to do the same.
Suggestions for Helping Readers Gain Confidence
Time and time again, we hear of the importance that good reading skills play in the lives of
children as they become young adults, set their goals, and achieve. It's never too late to
help your child gain confidence in his or her abilities as a reader. What better way to enjoy
time with each other and help to build much needed self-esteem!
Suggestions to help your reader
achieve confidence
1. Find an interest: Get your child to talk to you Simple Ideas to Promote Reading
about his or her interests or hobbies. Let your Have a light by your child's bed. Allow the child
child teach YOU about a particular topic. Locate to stay up for an extra half-hour each evening if
a good book on the topic. they are in bed and reading. No TV, comput-
ers, or phone messages would be allowed dur-
2. Make a book: Suggest that the two of you ing this time. It's an outstanding way to assist
make a book together. As publishing is a huge your child in calming down after a busy day and
motivator for our children, the actual "creation" to encourage reading as well.
will give a great sense of achievement.
Make sure each child has a library card and that
they have the opportunity to use it frequently.
3. Research: Spend time together at the library
or on the Internet locating information about a
Provide a quiet area with a desk and all the ma-
particular subject. Use a tape recorder for
terials necessary (pencils, pens, stapler, paper,
"talking notes" and pencil and paper for written
etc.) for reading and doing homework.
ones.
4. Use the computer: Let your child experiment
with different fonts and layouts so that he or she
can ultimately achieve the look desired.
9. Illustrate: It is common for many children to
you cannot open
illustrate their thoughts and ideas more easily
than writing them. Allow space in the book for
a book without
continual illustrations. If a student feels he or
she is not good enough to draw, there's always
learning something
the choice of making collages (using pictures
and words from magazines).