Not only is October the month of celebrating spooky festivities, it’s also a time to honor reading, writing, and literature with National Book Month! Celebrate the season of reading with your students by discovering new stories, expanding their literacy skills, or simply grabbing their favorite books off the shelves.
Reading is a timeless skill that can be honed and practiced from an early age. And the earlier children begin experiencing books, the better equipped they will be as they grow into confident communicators. Here are some simple activities that you can use throughout National Book Month to begin giving students the support they need to flourish.
Read-Alouds
By dedicating a few moments each day to read-alouds, your students will build background knowledge by soaking in new information and further developing their listening capabilities. Their first readings form the strongest bonds as they explore new worlds and dive into engaging stories. Encourage your students to share their reactions and ask questions that take them back to a specific picture or part of the story that you can re-share together.
Cycled Readings
To supplement read-alouds, cycled readings are another effective activity for enhancing your students’ reading abilities. Each cycle consists of approximately five short instructional sessions, and each session lasts about 5- to 10 minutes. The class reads and revisits the same short text across the cycle of shared reading with each cycle having a different focus.
Along with these approaches, you can take advantage of the full suite of literacy solutions that Learning Without Tears has to offer.
(Pre-K) Mat Man® Book Set
Helping students become proficient readers and writers takes time and effort. With the Mat Man® Book Set, you can deliver a strong introduction to the world of literacy while giving your students engaging stories to dive into. Including four unique storybooks and a free poster, you can bring all of Mat Man’s adventures right to your classroom.
(Pre-K–1) A–Z for Mat Man® and Me Individual Reader Set
As your students make progress on their reading journey, it’s important to continuously challenge their ability from their early foundation to achieving reading automaticity. Each book in this set provides students with an opportunity to practice their skills on their own through engaging stories.
(K–3) Phonics, Reading, and Me®
Teaching phonics skills systematically opens the door to reading for all students. Phonics Reading and Me is designed to help students master the skills they need to become proficient readers. This new, supplemental program prioritizes the phonics skills that can be difficult to learn but make a difference for students on the path to reading. Each set includes 20 student books including fiction and nonfiction stories to choose from.
As students grow and progress through their reading journey, it’s important that they have access to the right reading opportunities at the right time. Learning Without Tears is committed to helping families, educators, and students navigate the literacy landscape by providing effective multisensory solutions that deliver results.