Writing @ Reading: Questions for Day 4

Welcome back. We hope you've been enjoying Share a Story ~ Shape a Future and that you are feeling energized and enthusiastic about literacy and reading with kids.

I can think of no one more suited to host today's theme - Keeping School from Interfering with the Gift of Literacy - than Mary Lee Hahn and Franki Sibberson. Together, this teacher/librarian duo write A Year of Reading. They are also accomplished authors and wonderful role models for reading, literacy, and the value of keeping an open mind to learning.

• How do you keep reading for fun in your daily routine for your school-aged kids?
• Is there a teacher who helped make you the reader or writer you are today? What was their "hook"?
• What tools do today's students have that you wish you had had when you were in school?

I know this isn't new to many of you, but bear with us. Our goal with the Writing @ Reading questions is to reach new places for sharing our reading and literacy experiences and ideas, and we'd love to include your voice, too. Here's how it works ...

1. Select the question(s) that resonates with you.
2. Find an old post or write a new one that answers the question. [Be sure to grab a Share a Story button from the sidebar to include in your new post!]
3. Come back here and link your post either via the inLinkz box or as a comment.
4. (optional) Tweet about your post and include @ShareaStory or the #SAS2011hashtag.

We'll be adding links for the questions all week, so there's no rush to have an answer the same day a question is posted ... unless you are entering a book giveaway contest. Learn more about that here.


InLinkz updates for Thursday, 10 March 2011

• Kathryn Starke of Creative Minds Publications (in a comment): I am a third grade reading teacher in an urban school, and one of the most important parts of my job is making reading fun on a daily basis for elementary school children. I created a book nook complete with a leveled library and a wooden boat for my students to SQUIRT (our code for super quiet, uninterrupted reading time). We play word study, comprehension, and vocabulary games to motivate them daily to enjoy reading and improve their reading skills. I also provide "take home books" and reading calendars for them to maintain their love for reading at home.
• Keeping Reading Fun by Eric Von Raepenbusch @ Happy Birthday Author

[image credit: Share a Story Logo created by author/illustrator Elizabeth Dulemba.]