Promoting Reading:

The media center serves as the “hub” of learning for the total school, and the media program is an integral part of the school’s overall instructional program. We help promote reading school-wide in programs and activities including:

• Coordinate the Georgia Children’s Book Award program with school-wide participation.
• Coordinate the Accelerated Reader Program and encourage students who met their reading goals with rewards and recognition.
• Host the Scholastic Book Fair in the fall and spring to promote recreational reading and to raise funds for AR tests and prizes and for library supplies.
• Celebrate "Read Across America" and "National Children's Book Week".
• Help promote application of library cards for Hall County Public Library in the fall and summer reading programs in the spring.

Choosing the Just Right Book:

How do you know if your child is reading a book that is at the appropriate reading level for comprehension and growth? Should we teach our children to rely on Accelerated Reader levels to tell them if a book is in "their range?" Should we look for lexile numbers to tell us if our children are reading the "right" books?

Well, not if your students know the "Five Finger Method for Choosing a Book That's Just Right!" Here's how it works:

1. Student selects a book the s/he thinks will be interesting.
2. Student looks for clues about the book's content: is there a "teaser" on the inside of the book jacket? do the pictures look interesting? is there something on the back cover that tells about the book?
3. Student opens the book to any page with at least a paragraph of text and begins to read
4. Student holds up one finger each time s/he gets to a word that s/he doesn't understand, struggles to sound out, or cannot decipher
5. At the end of the page, if the student is holding up 3 to 5 fingers (representing words that cause a struggle) then that book is more challenging than they're ready for and they should put that book back and start again. If, however, the student is holding up 0 to 2 fingers that book may be "just right!

If the student is not holding up any fingers they should find the book relatively easy to read. One or two fingers up may present a challenge but shouldn't be too difficult - especially if those words represent proper names or words with frequent repeats throughout the story.

Help your child practice this method at home and when visiting the library so they will always have a "Just Right" book!

Feed the Need to Read:

Make reading aloud with your child(ren) a regular part of your everyday routine. Reading aloud calms children. Snuggle up so they can see the pages and pictures while you read and your child(ren) will connect reading to positive, close times with you.

Start with books that may only have a few words per page for the very young. Look for bright pictures, rhymes, repetition, and a simple story. Pick books that YOU like because if you like it you'll be more likely to pick it up and read it again.

Be playful with the books' characters - give them funny voices are accents. Make sound effects when you turn the pages or point out funny illustrations and laugh together.

Want to know more? Make a visit to Jim Trelease's home page. This author of The Read-Aloud Handbook has some great tips, selections from his book, and suggestions of books to read aloud to children. You might also want to visit the RIF Reading Planet which has a variety of reading activities, games, and ideas designed for children and their families.

Quality Book-Related Websites for Kids and Families:

Kids at Random http://www.randomhouse.com/kids/index.pperl
Scholastic Kids http://www.scholastic.com/kids/
PBS Kids http://pbskids.org/
Reading Is Fundamental - Reading Planet: http://www.rif.org/readingplanet/
RIF en Espanol: http://www.rif.org/leer/index_noflash.mspx?flash=false
Book Adventure: http://www.bookadventure.org/
Internet Public Library: http://www.ipl.org/kidspace/browse/rzn0000
International Children's Digital Library: http://www.icdlbooks.org/
Book Hive: http://www.bookhive.org/
Reading Rockets: http://www.readingrockets.org/
Family Reading: http://www.familyreading.org/