April 2022

Literacy for Earth Day, Joyful Poetry, Autism Awareness … and More!

In this issue: Literacy for Earth Day / Children's Books & Authors  /  Autism Awareness / In the Classroom  / Literacy and Learning at Home /  News

Literacy in the Sciences: Earth Day and Our Environment

Nature: Our Green World

Do you know any outdoorsy kids who are happiest dipping their toes in a freshwater pond, searching for animal tracks, listening for birds, or hiking to a waterfall? Explore our natural world through books, home-based activities, apps, and kid-friendly websites. Browse our nature-themed collections at Start with a Book.

Explore more:

• Bird Buddies: DIY Science Camp!
• Reading Adventure Pack: Bees (in English and Spanish)
• Reading Adventure Pack: Gardening (in English and Spanish)

An Earth Day Story  

“That quiet summer without the frogs was on my mind when I started to write One Small Hop, a climate fiction book set in the not-so distant future.” Children's author Madelyn Rosenberg recalls the inspiration for her newest picture book, and shares some simple things you can do to celebrate Earth Day, with kids in mind.

Outdoor Explorations  

Stepping outside is a simple way to set foot into nature's laboratory. Backyards and neighborhood walks can lead to interesting conversations, new vocabulary words, observations, predictions, and investigations. (In English and Spanish)

Patterns and Categorizing  

Children begin using their senses to recognize patterns in nature and categorize things at a young age — skills that play an important role in early learning. This tip sheet provides some simple activities, as well as recommended books, that parents can use to help their kids build pattern recognition and categorization skills in science and math. (In English and Spanish)

Children’s Books & Authors

A Poetry Suitcase 

Children's author and poet Janet Wong tells you how to pack a poetry suitcase — as a fun way to bring more poetry into children’s lives. Try it at home!

Watch our video interview with Janet Wong where she talks about the power of poetry, being the child of immigrants, writing poetry, and her Poetry Friday Anthology series (co-created with children’s literature professor Sylvia Vardell). You'll also hear Wong read some of her own poems, including the powerful “Liberty” and “There Is a Place.”

Explore more:

• Janet Wong’s Earth Day pocket poems

Mirror Mirror: Our Interview with Marilyn Singer 

Singer has written all kinds of books for children and young adults — picture books, fairy tales, mysteries, nonfiction, and novels — but poetry is her favorite. Singer is on a mission to "knock poetry off its pedestal" and to introduce kids to the pleasing rhythms and powerful emotion of poems, but also to encourage kids to express themselves through verse.

From the Bellybutton of the Moon: Our Interview with Francisco X. Alarcón 

Born in Los Angeles, award-winning poet Francisco X. Alarcón considered himself “bi-national,” having spent time as a child in both Mexico and the United States. He expressed this in a poem: “I carry my roots with me all the time/Rolled up I use them as my pillow.” Alarcón's bilingual poetry was inspired by songs he heard from his grandmother. We celebrate Alarcón’s life and work!

More Poets on Poetry! 

Listen in as acclaimed children's writers and poets like Ashley Bryan, Jack Prelutsky, Mary Ann Hoberman, and J. Patrick Lewis talk about reading poetry aloud and writing poetry. For additional resources, browse our National Poetry Month section.

Nature-Themed Booklists

• Celebrating Poetry and Nature
• Signs of Spring
• Spring’s Bounty

Autism Awareness

Every day, we celebrate neurodiverse kids — and their creativity, persistence, and individuality. Check out our ASD resources for educators and parents, and share widely!

The Human Brain Is a Storytelling Brain 

Award-winning author of acclaimed middle-grade novels Sally J. Pla (The Someday Birds) talks about how her own autism informs the characters and stories she writes.

Children’s Books Featuring Characters with ASD 

Understanding autism can begin with stories about a child, sibling, friend, and classmate (and even a kid detective!) with autism or Asperger syndrome.

In the Classroom

Poetry Walk 

Jumpstart poetry writing in your class! Outdoor poetry walks give students a way to "write about what they know. Before heading outdoors, read aloud a few poems that are rich in descriptive language. Then, take your class on a walk around the neighborhood to observe and collect sensory images from their direct experience with nature. Students can bring a poetry journal with them to write down descriptive words as they observe, listen, smell, and touch things outside the classroom. See also: 10 Great Ways to Use Poetry in Your Classroom.

Looking at Reading Interventions: Reading Multisyllable Words 

Reading expert Linda Farrell shows third grader Xavier how to read and spell unfamiliar multisyllable words. To figure out how many syllables are in a word, Ms. Farrell teaches Xavier to ask two questions: How many vowels are in the word? Are the vowels together or apart? In a separate video, Ms. Farrell listens to Xavier read aloud to help him read with accuracy.

Watch other episodes in our Looking at Reading Interventions series.

Should I Teach Students to Memorize Sight Words? 

To help kids develop a large bank of sight words, literacy expert Tim Shanahan says we should provide systematic instruction focused on spelling patterns, relationships between letters and sounds and spellings and pronunciations and meanings. That is where most of our word teaching efforts should be focused. But there are some benefits from rote memorization. In this new blog post, Shanahan provides practical guidelines for instruction.

Literacy and Learning at Home

How do I help my first grader enjoy school when reading is hard? 

Literacy expert DeJunne’ Clark Jackson encourages parents to find out more about their child's specific struggles with reading — which begins with a good assessment.

And don't forget to celebrate your child's reading successes!

See all Reading SOS: Expert Answers to Family Questions. (Developed in partnership with the National Education Association)

Poetry at Home  

Exploring poetry out loud with your kids is a great way to have fun with language. Poems include humor, interesting words, tongue twisters, and alliteration. Find out how to plan a lively and fun family poetry jam! Start with playful, rhyming poetry about topics that are familiar to your child like animals, food and bedtime. Once a poem is familiar to your child, take turns reading. (In English and Spanish)

Nursery Rhymes 

Nursery rhymes are important for young children because they help develop an ear for our language. Both rhyme and rhythm help kids hear the sounds and syllables in words, which helps kids learn to read! Here are some activities and recommended poetry books to aid your child's developing poetry, rhyming, and rhythm skills. (In English and Spanish)

Visit Book Finder for our favorite nursery rhyme books.

An All New Look for LDOnLine.org! 

LD OnLine — a website all about learning disabilities and ADHD — knows that there are many different ways to learn, and having the right tools at school and at home can change everything. For more than 25 years the site has provided educators and families with accurate, authoritative information about LD and ADHD so they can obtain the help and support they need.

News

Weighing the best strategies for reading intervention
KQED Mindshift

Helping Students Make Sense of New Material
Edutopia

Patricia MacLachlan, author of ‘Sarah, Plain and Tall,’ dies at 84
The Washington Post

Planet Word Survived the Pandemic to Inspire a Love of Language
The New York Times

‘What Works’ In Reading Comprehension—And What Doesn’t
Forbes

7 Ways to Get Retrieval Practice Right
Edutopia

Fostering Inclusion With a Student-Designed Sensory Path
Edutopia

Pandemic Kids Need Early Language Support. Here’s How Teachers Can Help
Education Week

Babies Are Saying Less Since the Pandemic: Why That’s Concerning
Education Week