Fun at the Fair: Real Experiences = Real Connections

One trait of effective readers is their ability to make connections with the text.  We connect to the text in three ways: text-to-text, text-to-world, and text-to-self.  In text-to-text connections we connect what we are reading to something we've read in the past.  In text-to-world connections we connect what we're reading to something that's happening or has happened in the real world. For this article, we will focus on text-to-self connections.

In text-to-self connections we connect what we read to what's happening or has happened in our own lives.  In order to make these connections we need to have had vital and valid experiences.  In the world of reading education, we use the word schema to represent the background knowledge and experience readers bring to the text.  Diane Kardash (2004) from the University of Alaska writes, "Text-to-self connections are highly personal connections that a reader makes between a piece of reading material and the readers own experiences or life."  That being said, without experience, we have no connections.

So, what point am I making?  As parents and educators, we have a duty to introduce our children and students to new environments and experiences.  We are their guides on this safari called life.  The summer is a great time to engage in getting kids involved in new experiences.  There are trips to take, fairs and festivals to visit, and museums and galleries to peruse.  In our videos, we take readers on short virtual fieldtrips in the hopes that they will use the experience to build connections with the books we share.  The same should be true for our children's summer activities.  Try and plan activities around a book, or a theme in a book, your child/student is currently reading.  This will help you child build a reserve of knowledge on which to build lasting connections to books.  Have fun this summer in what you do as well as what you read  Use this week's featured books as a great starting point.

This Weeks featured Books::

A six-year old boy goes on a trip with his grandparents to Wonder World, the most amazing amusement park ever!  However, the boy is in for the suprise of his life: he meets Hortense.  How will he deal with her?  How will he keep her from stealing all Nana's attention?  This book is full of colorful illustrations created by Georgia Graham.

Audience: Ages 4-8

Length:  32 pages

Language: English

Publisher: Tundar Books (2012)

ISBN-10: 1770492219

ISBN-13: 978-1770492219

The fair is opened and  the rides have been turned on.  The sound is magical and the lights are flashing.  Take a trip with Donald Crews as he shows you all the fun you can have at the fair.  Look closely at the pictures, because Donal Crews has created his self-portrait inside one of the illustrations.

Audience: Ages 4-8

Length:  32 pages

Language: English

Publisher: Greenwillow Books (1998)

ISBN-10: 0688114830

ISBN-13: 978-0688114830

Blake has always been responsible.  At sixteen years old, he drives safe, excells in school, and takes care of his risk-taking younger brother, Quinn.  Today, Blake and Quinn find themselves trapped in a phantom carnival and in order to save both their lives (and their very souls) Blake must survive seven deadly carnival rides.  Pick up this book for an exciting ride of your own.

Audience: Ages 12 and older

Length:  224 pages

Language: English

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (2009)

ISBN-10: 1416997481

ISBN-13: 978-1416997481

In 1973, college student Devin Jones takes a summer job at a carnival in a small town in North Carolina.  The carnival was the site of a grusome murder and it is said that the victim still haunts the place.  Devin is in for quite a ride and so are you if you pick up this book.

Audience: Adult

Length:  288 pages

Language: English

Publisher: Hard Case Crime (2013)

ISBN-10: 1781162646

ISBN-13: 978-1781162646

Reading Powers...Activate!

As a child, one of my favorite shows to watch was the Super Friends.  I loved all the heroes: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and the rest.  One pair of heroes that stood out to me was the Wonder Twins.  If you could look past the monkey and the corny jokes, you could see their most amazing attribute: their power, or more specifically, the way they turned their power on and off.  To turn on their power, the twins faced each other, did a fist bump (yes the fist bump is a product of the 70's) and shouted, "Wonder Twin Powers...Activate!"  Once activated, their powers helped the twins to defeat the bad guys.

Reading works much like this.  To get the most out of reading, you must activate it.  In all my years of parenting, teaching, consulting, and writing, I've found that there are two types of readers: active readers and passive readers.  Passive readers are unresponsive readers.  They don't pay any attention to the reading, instead, they get lost in the words and at the end of the reading they come away having learned very little. On the other hand, an active reader is a reader who pays attention, draws conclusions, makes predictions, and connects with the text, synthesizing new ideas as he or she reads.  Active readers take notes (mentally or on paper), highlight, ask questions, and monitor their comprehension.  In short, active readers activate the reading.

In school, active reading is one of the things students learn and use regularly, but during the summer they still need to be active readers.  One way to do this is by using a reading journal.  This can be anything from a spiral notebook to a hardcover bound journal to a tablet computer.  The purpose of a reading journal is to keep track of what you're reading as well as write down notes, questions, connections, predictions, etc. as you read.  It allows the reader to respond in various written forms before, during, and after reading.  A great reading journal that I have found (I use it with my students, my son, and myself) is the Reading Journal for Book Lovers from Potter Style.  This journal is full of pages for note taking and making connections.  It includes a page to write the basics of each book you read (title, author, etc.).  There are pages for writing down some of your favorite quotes and passages as well as graphic organizers, suggested readings lists, and even pages for interviewing authors that you meet in person.  It's a great way to activate your reading.

Don't let summer blow by you and realize that you've missed out on all that great reading time.  Be an active reader and let books open new worlds to you.  Now, turn and face me.  Fist bump.  Reading Powers...Activate!

Audience:  All Ages
Publisher:  Potter Style
ISBN-10:  0307591661
ISBN-13:  9780307591661

A Trip to the Zoo

Books can take you to other places, other worlds, other times.  Each book is in adventure in learning.  Levar Burton, host of Reading Rainbow (on of my favorite shows), said in one of the show's earlier episodes, "One of the best inventions ever was the book.  A book lets you zoom through time and space, but don't bother packing; you can stay in one place."  Books are amazing.  Each week, we'll be using books to help us go on virtual field trips.  This week's adventure takes us to the Potter Park Zoo in Lansing, MI.  The Potter Park Zoo is a great experience for the whole family and it's an affordable outing for everyone.  On July 9 and 10, 2013, the Potter Park will be hosting Zoo Days.  Admission will be only one dollar (with a voucher) and parking will be free.  For mor information just visit Potter Park Zoo online.  Watch this week's episode of Farley's Library below:

(If you've missed an episode of Farley's Library, click on it in our video library)

After visiting the zoo, head to your local library or book store and check out this week's featured books:

For Miss Moo, farm life is boring with a capital "B."  She needs more excitement.  So, much to the dismay of her friends, Miss Moo leaves the farm.  She searches and searches for a new home, but itseems as if there just isn't a place for her or that she isn't special enough to be included.  Will Miss Moo ever find a place where she truely belongs?

Audience:  Ages 0-10

Length:  24 pages

Publisher:  Scholastic Paperbacks (1997)

Language:  English

ISBN-10:   0590109707

ISBN-13:  978-0590109703

A jaguar goes on a journey to his island hideaway, but he is not alone.  Tracking him every step of the way is a fierce hunter.  This hunter will stop at nothing to get his prey.  How will the jaguar survive?  This book teaches readers the concept of natures delicate balance in rainforest envronments.  It also teaches them interesting facts about the vast population of animals that live in the rainforest.  Suspensful, eye-opening, and illustrated with beautiful pictures, this book is a must.

Audience:  Ages 0-12

Length:  32 pages

Publisher:  Scholastic (1997)

Language:  English

ISBN-10:   0590299379

ISBN-13:  978-0590299374

Full of colorful illustrations and amazing factual information, this book is a great research tool for any reader, young or old, wishing to find information on animals (mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish).  

Audience:  Ages 8-Adult

Length:  600 pages

Publisher:  Scribner (1984)

Language:  English

ISBN-10:   0026276801

ISBN-13:  978-0026276801

Remember, if you need a book come take a look at Farley's Library.

Summer Reading Programs

As a teacher and a writer, I'm often amazed when students return to school after summer break having suffered summer learning loss.  Research has shown that many students lose more than two months of knowledge over summer break.  Dr. Ruth Peters, PH. D. notes the following facts about summer learning loss:

• It effects all students who do not engage in educational activities over the summer.
• The average loss is 2.6 months of grade-level knowledge in reading and mathmatics.
• Only 10 percent of students in our country participate in a summer school program.

To help you help your youngsters hold on to their valuable knowledge, here's our first installment of our summer reading program kist.  These programs are located in Genesee County or online.  Get involved.  Reading is fun!

• Flint Public Library: Dig Into Reading.  This program is open to children from 0 to 6th Grade.  Participants earn wristbands through reading and participating in activities with prizes.  The program kicks off with a live performance from Flint Youth Theater's Improv Squad on Wednesday, June 19 at 4:00 PM. Throughout the summer, there will also be animal shows, a magic show, a drawing workshop, reading with therapy dogs, lunch on the library lawn, and programs with Genesee County Parks. The deadline to register for the program is July 17.
• Genesee District Library: Dig Into Reading.  The GDL is serving up great reads, prizes, and events during its annual summer reading program for grade levels K-6.  This free program helps kids maintain their reading skills while keeping them engaged in constructive activities.  Teens and adults can also earn prizes through the GDL Rewards Program.  Just head to your local GDL branch starting June 1 to register.
• University of Michigan Flint: SEHS Reading Center Summer Writing Camp.  The UM-Flint SEHS Reading Center Summer Writing Camp is open to students in grades K-8 and provides them with a unique opportunity for K-8th grade students to receive instructional support in writing during a relaxed atmosphere intended to inspire and advance your child’s interest and skills.  At the end of the program, one piece of each student’s writing, chosen by the student child, will be published in a camp anthology.  To register, contact the Reading Center at 810/762-3260.
• Barnes & Nobel: Imagination’s Destination.  The Barnes and Noble summer reading program for kids gives kids a free book when they read 8 books over the summer.
• Sylvan Learning: Book Adventure. The program goes on all year long.  It's a great way to motivate kids to read by earning prizes.  In this online program, children read books and take quizzes over books they've read.  This earns them points which they can then exchange for prizes.  Visit www.bookadventure.com to sign up.

Welcome to Farley's Library

Hello and welcome to Farley's Library.  I'm glad you stopped by and I hope we can interest you in a book.  Each week we'll be featuring three books from a variety of genres on a variety of topics.  My hope is that one of them will catch your interest and speed you on your way to your local library or bookstore (online or brick and mortar) so you can enjoy the book.  We'll also feature links to our weekly vlogs which will give you more information about the featured books as well as take you on brief fieldtrips to interesting places so that you can learn interesting things.  Click on the link below and check out our first episode of Farley's Library:

Here are this weeks featured books:

Delia loves Double Dutch and she's amazing at it! So amazing in fact that her team could possibly win the World Double Dutch Championships. Delia's life would seem empty without Double Dutch, but Delia has a secret.  If anyone finds out the secret it could keep her off the team next year.

Delia's not the only secret keeper in the book.  Her friend Randy has a secret too and his secret has him feeling alone and full of fear. While the two try to keep their secrets they must also deal with bullies--the terrible Tolliver twins!

Delia and Randy's secrets come crashing together on what should be the absolute best day of Delia's life.  The resulting turmoil threatens to destroy their friendship and take away Delia's favorite thing in the world, Double Dutch.

• Audience: Ages 10 and up 
• Length: 183 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers; First Edition edition (December 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9780689842313
• ISBN-13: 978-0689842313

This collection of inspiring stories is a tribute to Jackie Robinson, a civil rights hero and baseball legend. Written by Jackie's daughter, Sharon, the book teaches you nine values that helped her father, and many others, achieve goals. The values are taught through the powerful stories of other heroes and pioneers, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Oprah Winfrey, and Christopher Reeve.

• Audience: Ages 8 and up 
• Length: 192 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks; Reprint edition (April 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439385504
• ISBN-13: 978-0439385503

This is an absolutely true piece of American History. Pinkus Aylee (also known as Pink), a black Union soldier, finds Sheldon Curtis (also known as Say) wounded and left for dead and carries him home to be tended by his mother.  After Say is nursed back to healt the two boys attempt to rejoin the Union troops, but they are captured and sent to Andersonville Prison.

• Audience: Ages 6 - 10 years
• Length: 48 pages
• Publisher: Philomel; First edition. edition (September 15, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399226710
• ISBN-13: 978-0399226717

Well, I hope that one of these books has got you interested.  Come back next week to find mor great titles.  Also, check out next week's episode of Farley's Library on youtube.  It will be about a trip to the zoo!

See you soon.  Keep reading and learning!