Thursday, June 17, 2021

Reading Eggs

Reading Eggs (https://readingeggs.com) is an online reading websites that helps children learn how to read. This website makes reading interesting and fun through the sites online games and activities. Through expert educators with over 30 years of experience in education the website Reading Eggs was created. This multi-award winning early learning resources helps support your child’s learning how to read journey with the websites online reading games and activities that are easy to follow, self-paced and fun and engaging for young children. This website gives younger child the opportunity to start getting prepared for the same structured learning that they will need to succeed when they start school.
Through this website children are taught lessons using colorful animations, fun characters, songs, and rewards to keep the students interested. This reading website is completely interactive which will keep the students on task and on the right track. Reading Eggs gives parents access to detailed progress reports as well as hundreds of downloadable activity worksheets that can help the child with the lessons in the program. Read Eggs has developed an effective learn to read process which has students engaged and interested. First students are to complete animated online lessons where they learn essential reading and phonics skills. Then students are given opportunities to read online books of words that they have already studied in the program. During this process students earn golden eggs as rewards for the progress they have made in the program. With these eggs children can buy reward games and items for their avatar or house in the program. After ten lessons, children are to complete a quiz which provides parents and the program an idea of what the child is learning.

Overall, Reading Eggs is an amazing website to help build on early literacy skills. I believe that this website gives parents the opportunity to help child get prepared for literacy skills that will learned when they start school. This website can also be a great resource for students in my classroom who are struggling in reading.

*Contribution by Erika Lorenzo.

Virtual Family Story Hour: Nihi Ta Fanaitai - June 26


 

Wednesday, June 9, 2021

The Reading Tub

The Reading Tub



    The Reading Tub (http://thereadingtub.com/learning_to_read.php collects and distributes books to at-risk readers, whether it is a child with no books at home or a teacher who is building a classroom library for struggling readers. The Reading Tub was once a site that was dedicated to giving book reviews until recently, it became a non-profit organization dedicated to getting books out to at-risk readers. This organization is built on the belief that individuals become successful readers when they have access to reading materials at home. The goal of the Reading Tub is to provide a one stop place for helping kids fulfill their full literacy potential. Donations are what fund the works of The Reading Tub and 100% of the funds received goes to providing literacy information and shipping books. Individuals interested are encouraged to become a literacy volunteer for this non-profit organization or to simply be a registered reader.
The Reading Tub provides literacy resources for families and educators. Prior to exploring the tabs of the website, parents are encouraged to read an article about Guided Reading at Home (http://thereadingtub.com/pdfs/our_guided_reading_set.pdf ) which offers various ways that parents can help their children at home using techniques that teachers are using in the classroom. In addition, a list of reading activities is provided that can be used to get children excited about reading. It is highly encouraged that parents read with their child especially at a young age. It is also emphasized that Parents show by example the importance of reading by letting their children see them read on a daily basis. Make reading a daily experience, incorporate reading into an activity your kid loves, create a family reading night, planning a family adventure to the library are a just a few of the activities along with descriptions that are listed on the Reading Tub. 
When it comes to literacy, specifically reading, the reality is that some kids love to read, while other kids hate and dread it. What is helpful and nice about the Reading Tub website is that they explain why some children don’t like to read with possible factors whether it is an environmental or medical factor. For example, an environmental factor would be the idea of modeling behaviors of what they see at home when it comes to literacy. If the adults at home do not read, the children will not prefer to read as well. A medical factor would include dyslexia, a learning disability. Other factors include being a late bloomer or having anxiety. Links are provided for further reading on these contributing factors.
    After exploring the website, I found some of the literacy facts to be very interesting. The Reading Tub listed a few Literacy facts that prove the importance of reading as a skill and the impact that reading has in influencing success later in life. A literacy fact I thought was interesting is that “The average kindergarten student has seen more than 5,000 hours of television, having spent more time in front of the T.V. than it takes to earn a bachelor’s degree” or that “80% of college faculty members report that entering freshman cannot read well enough to do college work.” Although some of the facts are unfortunately true, it goes to show that reading is the key and without this skill, success is difficult at the post-secondary level and as an adult. Like every other literacy website, links with descriptions of articles and more resources are provided for further reading along with a periodic newsletter “The Wash Rag”, tailored towards your reader’s age.
In addition to the provided resources, book reviews are still included in the Reading Tub. Book reviews are categorized by age group and then in alphabetical order. After clicking on a book title, a comprehensive review is given to include the link to purchase the book, a summary, reading level, pros, cons, related books, recommended age, reading and interest level, to name a few.
In conclusion, The Reading Tub provides insightful perspectives and interesting resources that explain the importance of reading altogether. The Reading Tub advocates for early literacy and getting parents involved by encouraging them to read in the home environment by reading together or by modeling reading.  I would recommend this website for both educators and parents with young readers. The Reading Tub was created for a good cause and their belief in bringing literacy home for families and their philosophical view that kids need to read to succeed in life is something I could agree and advocate with.

*Contribution by L. Orlando