READ A BOOK! READ A BOOK!

September 6th is Read a Book Day. I know that every day is “read a book day” for you and your students. However, with all the technology in children’s lives we’ve really got to be sales people when it comes to reading books. When you pick up a book model enthusiasm and say, “Oh, I just love this book. It’s so much fun to read.” When the children are engaged in quiet reading time quietly comment, “It makes my heart happy to see you reading and loving books like I do.” Don’t just teach them to read – teach them to LOVE to read!!!!

My students were always encouraged to read if they had a special bookmark, so check these ideas out and make one today.

Step Into a Book
Children can take off their shoe and trace around their foot on construction paper. After cutting it out they can decorate it and use it as a bookmark.        
                                
*Let children do rubbings of the bottoms of their shoes and use these for bookmarks.

Envelope Bookmark
Cut off the corner of an envelope as shown. Children can decorate it and then use it on the corner of a book to save their spot.
            
*Hint! Let them mark their favorite picture or page they’d like to read to classmates.
*Mark a vocabulary word or other detail in the book.

Nature Bookmark
Take children on a nature walk to find small items. Give them 2 strips of clear contact paper cut 6” x 2”. Children arrange their items on the sticky side of one strip and then seal it with the other strip.
                                              
*Hint! You can also use clear packaging tape for this project.

Words, Words
You will need old magazines and newspapers for this activity. Ask children to cut out words that they can read. Give them strips of construction paper cut 8” x 3” and have them to glue the words to make a bookmark.
        
Tools for Good Readers Bookmark
Make a “tools for good readers” bookmark for the children to keep in their reading books.

                                    

This will help the kids (and parents) remember to:
1. Look at the picture.
2. Sound out the letters.
3. Go back and read it again.
4. Look for a smaller chunk.

Here's a link so you can download the tools:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1SnEagA4jljbnFqRVNRazd4Y3c/view?usp=sharing