Once upon a time the phrase “Reading for fun” was something we said when we talked about leisure reading…for fun. As we get older with life’s responsibilities and pressures added to our plates, “reading for fun” sometimes is forced into the backseat. What if we changed the phrase and changed our perspective? How would it impact our kids? Education? What if we changed it to “literacy for fun” or “literacy for living” or something crazy like that?
There are six literacies that need to be the focus of formal education as well as life learning: listening, speaking, reading, writing, viewing, and visually representing. What if our focus was on all six of these literacies in everything we do? For our work? For our learning? For our life? We want our students, our citizens to be life-long readers, life-long literacy lovers.
What can we do to promote literacy this summer? Below we share a few ideas you can put into action now…or later:
Take a field trip! Go on an adventure! Live the learning experience and then write about it in this simple to make “Little Book.”
Read a book and then see the movie. Compare and contrast it over ice cream, coffee, or another treat of your choice with friends or family. If we were betting women, we’d put money on it that you’ll find the book to be much, much better!
The alphabet game or “I spy” provides ample opportunities to consider literacy…especially when trying to spy that “Q” or “Z” letter while tootling down the road in the car or while sitting in the waiting room at the doctor’s office. Try an “I spy” adjective or adverb style game. You need to see the “description” of an object or how something is happening instead of just identifying the noun/object.
Maybe it is finally time to start that neighborhood book club! Why wait?!
Sonya has three books on her soon-to-start summer reading list (along with the papers from her summer classes of course! 🙂 ) :
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (also coming to theatres this weekend)
Everything I Need to Know I Learned From A Little Golden Book by Diane Muldrow
The Promise of A Pencil: How An Ordinary Person Can Create Extraordinary Change by Adam Braun
Wendy has three books on her soon-to-start summer reading list too (and, since there are no papers for her to read and correct, maybe she will add a fourth or fifth book to her list 🙂 ) :
Teaching Naked by Jose Antonio Bowen (Bet that book title caught your attention!)
Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo
Classroom Habitudes: Teaching Habits & Attitudes for 21st Century Learning by Angela Maiers
What is the most recent book you have read? Tell us! What is a book that you recommend for “fun?” Tell us!
Stay Calm & Lead On!
Profs Dr. C. & Dr. V.
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