Podcast Episode 22: The Power of Stories, Gearing Up for the New School Year, and A Book Recommendation for Emergent Readers

August - The Month of Sundays!

It’s August! The month of Sundays – with the new school year around the corner. This week’s episode of The Literacy Teacher’s Life is about the power of stories and why the stories we share with kids matter, ideas for gearing up for the new school year and getting kids back into the routine of reading and writing, and I have a book recommendation.

This summer I read a few books that focused on the importance of story and how stories can lead to increased engagement with books and also a better understanding of the text. After reading the three books, I noticed common themes. They include:

• Being mindful of the stories you share with kids.

• Book Talks! Get kids talking about the books that they are reading. This increases interest and engagement in reading and makes it more social.

• What is the mood? As you are reading the book, think about the mood in the story and see how (or if) it changes. For example, I was reading one of the Itty Bitty Kitty books with my six-year-old. As we were reading, she noticed how Itty was happy at the beginning, but was then confused when a problem arose. Later in the book, Itty was nervous. And finally, she was happy. We were able to follow the moods of the character, which did help with her understanding of the book.

Next up in the episode is getting kids back into the routine of reading and writing before the school year begins. Some ideas for reading include setting a time of the day for your kids to read, picking books that kids are interested in, and finally reading to your kids!

Finally, the episode ends with a book recommendation, Pizza and Taco by Stephen Shaskan. It’s a graphic novel series that is great for kids who are still learning to read independently. It’s very funny and is a great book series to support vocabulary development, too!

Please give this episode a listen!