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Diverse Books, Decodable Books & Libraries

Diverse books, decodable books and libraries. They are all part of innovative community literacy solutions! We’re So Much More than Phonics The science of reading, structured literacy, direct instruction, systematic, explicit instruction. It all sounds severe and not that much fun. The fact is, nothing is more thrilling than reading with automaticity. Automaticity happens when a child learns to decode. Some kids will need less instruction on decoding, while others, especially those who struggle with reading issues like dyslexia, will need a ton of practice. There is no love of reading when a child cannot read the words, and that is why teaching decoding is part of the love of reading. Still, all of that work decoding is nil if a child doesn’t understand what they are reading. Diverse Books Here’s the shocker! Those of us advocating for the science of reading advocate for content and context. If children learn to decode and do not understand what they read, they will not become skilled readers. Access to books and content is an important way to help children improve reading. We call it “books that teach, and books that tell.” We are passionate about diverse literature so that children can engage with books that show families and communities that look like our world. According to The Read in Color program, less… | Read More »Diverse Books, Decodable Books & Libraries

image of readwood trees

The Overstory of Literacy

The Overstory is a best-selling novel by Richard Powers. It tells the stories of a few enormous formidable trees and how their existence affects the trees’ people. I never heard of an overstory before reading the novel, and I have since learned that they are giant trees that live above the other trees in their own climate—they even breathe their own air. If nature is a metaphor for life, then we are the understory. We are connected to the overstory by our circumstances or knowledge. We advocate for science, data, and the logic that has alluded widespread adoption of evidence-based literacy instruction and interventions. We progress in some states, districts, and sectors, and it’s never fast enough or equitable enough. How can we rest with small victories when we’re looking up at redwood trees, and we have only glimpses of the sky. How we write our overstory is when we grow as strong and formidable as those unmovable redwoods. Nobody can do it alone. At Teach My Kid to Read, we believe in reaching parents and caregivers as quickly as possible and educating them about all the skills parents like me wish they had known about when our children were young. Faith Borkowsky even created a book series called “If only I would have known…” Knowledge is power, and we… | Read More »The Overstory of Literacy

Children's librarian, Faye Lieberman and one of the boys who frequents her library

Ask the Librarian: I Miss the Kids!

We started working with public libraries in 2019 to raise awareness of reading issues like dyslexia and educate librarians about resources that help all children learn to read. Who would’ve envisioned that within a year a pandemic would hit, and public libraries would close. Franklin Square Children’s Librarian, Faye Lieberman, tells us what it’s like to be a librarian working remotely through COVID-19 and what she will be doing when the library reopens. Lockdown I miss the kids! My library closed March 17, 2020, and we are on lockdown until at least May 15, 2020. Libraries are doing online programming, but I’m not good at it, so I keep in contact with our kids through lots of phone calls. Some kids are too shy to talk to me, so I talk to their parents instead. Other kids can’t wait to talk to me and tell me their latest news. What I Miss the Most When the library is open. the best part of my day is from 3:30 to 5:00 in the afternoon. I often have a roomful of kids then and I love it! Some come in to play with toys, puzzles, LEGOs, or the computers. Others are doing homework or working with tutors. Some children are looking for books. I try to greet everyone with a smile and… | Read More »Ask the Librarian: I Miss the Kids!

Teach My Kid to Read members and librarian Faye Lieberman, holding a stuffed bear

Hey Teacher! Let the Kids Read What They Want

What does a librarian say when parents of struggling readers say their children won’t read anything? What’s it like to hear parents tell their children they can only read books at certain levels? Why do all the young adult books seem to include themes that are so difficult for our tweens and teens to grapple with? Struggling readers in this age range are often facing enough challenges, so why are so many of the books written for them so brutal? Recently, a few Teach My Kid to Read volunteers and I sat down with Faye Lieberman, Children’s Librarian at Franklin Square Public Library in Franklin Square, New York, for a discussion about children’s books and the questions librarians hear the most. Following are excerpts from a transcript of the discussion: Ask the Librarian! My name is Faye Lieberman. I’ve been a children’s librarian for nearly forty years. In my experience, things have gotten much worse for children with and without dyslexia. Most schools teach reading using sight words, leveled readers, and standardized tests. There is minimal attempt to adjust to the needs of individual children. I’m finding fewer children who want to read for pleasure. It’s not always the teacher’s fault. Sometimes it’s the parent’s fault, too. Every day I hear, “You can’t read that, it’s not on your level.”… | Read More »Hey Teacher! Let the Kids Read What They Want