Read it to me…again

Research tells us that children benefit from multiple readings of storybooks with rich characters, plot and vocabulary. Does your child have a book they beg you to read over and over again?  While preparing for the national Read for the Record day (see my Oct 8 post), I found a wealth of info on this topic.  While, many teachers learn these techniques in school, parents don’t always get the backup information to reinforce what their “gut” tells them is important in the journey of educating their children. For young children especially, real experience in the world is the primary source of background knowledge. Young children must see things, feel things, and try to do things if they are to gain the knowledge they need about the world. But books also help children develop background knowledge. Books provide opportunities for children to think about and thereby extend their own first-hand experiences. Books also expose children to experiences they have not yet had.  If you would like to read more about this subject,  a great place to start is www.readfortherecord.org.  Click on the “Reading Tools” link and then read the lesson plan which goes with the classic book “Corduroy.”  You remember that book.  The one with the stuffed bear in the department store?  The book your child asks you to read them over and over again…