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Read Aloud makes a difference, at all levels

by Uncategorized

The ebb and flow influence of Read Aloud West Virginia is totally dependent on the volunteers willing to sacrifice an hour a week to leverage their personal literacy to support the unimaginably difficult process of motivating struggling, passive children to develop their own reading skills.

I was an elementary principal for 33 years and witnessed amazing teachers practicing a research-based pedagogy designed to produce students capable of decoding words.

The pendulum of strategies was always alternating. We embraced phonics, big books, whole language, story organizers, cloze, word families, basal texts and more.

Each had a proven success record in teaching children to read. Each failed a significant portion of children incapable of converting letters into words, words into phrases and phrases into comprehension.

So, too many of the very young were moved along, forced to apply reading strategies that were beyond their grasp. They began resenting the incessant skill and drill of wall sound cards or the robotic utterance of a phonemic cadence that meant nothing toward satisfying the gaping chasm between what they knew about applying their primitive reading skills with the written words the teachers expected them to translate.

Reading appeared to be an unrealistic goal for them. Students develop understandable reactions:

  • “Why bother? I’m too far behind and embarrassed that I am in the yellow bird grouping.”
  • “Maybe the teacher is correct. She told my parents that I’m not mature enough, and there was still time to become a student capable of not only learning to read but reading to learn.”
  • “I do enjoy the stories that are read to me. I imagine a magic carpet or a grinchlike meanie.”

Children want us to help motivate them to try harder! They want us to help them to overcome a hesitancy to even try to read aloud. They so enjoy hearing you read and learning about the many places, mysteries, humor and intrigue locked inside that book you hold.

Please join the cadre of volunteers whose passion is to find a book worthy of a classroom of the most precocious children mixed among the most disadvantaged readers.

Thank you for reading if you are. Thank you for planning to read if you currently aren’t.

— Steve Knighton retired as the longtime principal of Kanawha County’s Piedmont Elementary School, and is a Read Aloud supporter.

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More than a ‘nice little thing’

by Volunteer Readers

A new school year brings with it such excitement! New relationships for teachers, students and parents. A fresh start, which brings excitement and occasionally some trepidation. Our Read Aloud staff and volunteers begin the year with those same feelings.

It was no surprise to me that we began getting calls from returning readers even before the first day of school. These dedicated individuals are ready to bolt out of the starting gate. They see that we can make a difference with what seems like a simple, “nice little thing” — a regular classroom visit to share a love of reading. And yet that “nice little visit” is so much more!

In this issue, educators such as Maggie Luma (Page 1) and Steve Knighton (below) attest to the difference they know the Read Aloud experience can make for students. It is one piece of the literacy puzzle — the motivation piece — all of us need to work harder, whether it is in sports as WVU Football Coach Neal Brown noted at Read-A-Palooza (Page 6) or in the classroom.

Experiencing a “commercial for reading” and bonding with a caring human being over good literature is an experience each child deserves daily. It should be a regular part of the curriculum to build vocabulary as well as interest in books. Our volunteers deliver! They also come back year after year because they see the impact they’re making, as Bob Johnson explains.

I can recite with the best of them the litany of West Virginia’s challenges — diversify the economy, fight opioid addiction, improve our school systems. The fact is they are all interrelated. We can wring our hands and be paralyzed, OR we can do something. All important change comes with multiple small steps.

Motivating our children to work to become good readers improves their chance at school success, opens career opportunities in a variety of fields and, believe it or not, reduces their vulnerability to substance abuse. One small step — a reader in the classroom — can bring about a change in the trajectory of a child’s life and in the future of this state. Won’t you join us? 

There are multiple ways you can help us continue our work. You can volunteer. You can donate. Or, you can do both!

Change does not occur overnight, but many small steps will change the literacy climate of West Virginia. Use the fresh start of the new school year to join Read Aloud in a way that works best for you. You CAN make a difference!

— Mary Kay Bond is the executive director of Read Aloud West Virginia.

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… And the pay is great

by ReadingSupportersUncategorizedVolunteer Readers

As a (mostly) retired public servant, I am eager to resume my reading aloud with primary students this school year.

To say that the process is ‘rewarding’ is an understatement. I am often paid in hugs. While the classroom teachers with whom I have worked value my presence every week, it is the students of grades three, four and five who show their genuine appreciation.

A typical Thursday morning involves driving to the school and schlepping the three-ring binders of my prepared-and-rehearsed readings for the day. In the classroom, I place my binder(s) on a stand-up table or lectern and wait for enough silence to commence. I have never sat for a reading period. Call it the performer (aka ‘ham’) in me, if you will, but I believe it is impossible to read with engagement — and gestures — while seated. Call me ‘old school’ if you like.

Over the last few years, I have become an invited member of my county chapter of Read Aloud West Virginia, a vetted-and-authentic organization of volunteer readers….

Recollecting on my own experience as a primary student, now these many years ago, it was the teachers or community members who read aloud with my class and me that always fondly come to mind. What they did had impact. Learn about the affirming studies that show student improvement in classrooms in which a spoken reader participates in learning. And I can vouch that I am, without fail, warmly welcomed in every classroom.

Although what I read is likely not as important as how I engage students in a quality story, the expression of interest in their collective faces says it all. Afterward, it is not unusual for students to steal a hug on my way out of the classroom, often on the way to the next classroom in my schedule.

Yeah, I also have the gratification of teaching in an after-school program three afternoons a week, but it is ordinarily the weekly reading sessions that make it oh-so-easy for me to get up on a Thursday morning.

Don’t say, “I don’t have time” or “I’m too old” for reading aloud. I am 70 and work with a dozen organizations and community interests. Do the students — and yourself — a favor this school year. Read aloud.

— Robert Johnson, a reader, blogger, musician, music promoter/event producer, community activist and educational advocate, is a Read Aloud volunteer and chapter board member in Nicholas County. This is adapted from a blog post published at medium.com.

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Make or break time

by PartnersReading

By Dawn Miller

After third grade, more than 85 percent of the school curriculum is taught by reading, says Maggie Luma, coordinator of the West Virginia Campaign for Grade Level Reading.

“Third-grade reading is one of the highest predictors of high school graduation,” Luma told about 50 Read Aloud West Virginia volunteers at Read Aloud’s sixth annual summit at Canaan Valley State Park in July. “Eighty-eight percent of our high school dropouts were struggling readers in the third grade.”

The Campaign for Grade Level Reading’s goal is to increase the percentage of children reading proficiently by the end of third grade by 5 percentage points each year. Literacy specialists offer evidence-based help to teachers, schools and communities.

Here’s another data point: vocabulary development by age 3 predicts achievement by third grade, Luma said. So reading to babies from birth, singing, rhyming, talking and naming things with your toddler actually contributes to their school success later in life.

“Unfortunately, 74 percent of those students who are falling so behind in third grade are never going to catch up,” Luma said. “That doesn’t mean that by the end of third grade we forget about those students, but it means we really need to be thinking about prevention.”

“What is the solution?” Luma asked. “Maybe you could buy a reading program, right? We’re all looking for that magic bullet, the newest thing to come out of Pearson or Houghton Mifflin or wherever it is that is going to get all our kids reading. We’re going to put them on a computer, right? And get them all to be playing games so that they know how to read. I think if that were the case, we’d all be reading, right?

Students need a more intentional approach, she said. “Instead of buying a new program, instead of just praying a little bit harder, we could do what the research tells us.” We could use evidence-based literacy practices:

  • Deliver explicit instruction. That means telling students what they’re learning in words they understand. “Make the learning goal visible,” she said. “Yes, we need to develop a love for reading, but they’re not going to develop that love if they can’t decode.”
  • Increase practice turns and feedback. “Let’s get the students talking more. They need increased discourse,” she said. “They need to be talking about what they’re learning.” They also need a teacher on hand to give immediate feedback: “That’s wrong. This is what’s right. Let’s try it again.”
  • Design instruction for students’ needs, but we really need to know where the students are before we do that, she said.
  • Work collaboratively. “We know we have one major goal, and that’s get our kids reading by the third grade. But there are so many ways that we can get there. Our job at the Campaign for Grade Level Reading is to support teachers, to support schools and to support communities with a roadmap. Here’s what we’ve learned. Here’s what the research says, and here’s what we are going to provide supports in, so you can take what you need according to your specific data and apply it to your reading instruction.”

“I think Read Aloud West Virginia speaks to my heart because it shows children authentic reading and why they need to be readers, because it brings joy,” Luma said.

“You enjoy what you read. You learn about what you read. And I really think this needs to be our message when we are talking to students. You don’t just need to learn this to learn it. It’s because words are powerful. Words have meaning, and you can use them to change the world.

“Literacy is one of the biggest antidotes to poverty,” she said. “Literacy becomes the currency for all other learning.”

— Dawn Miller, a classroom reader in Kanawha County, is Read Aloud’s operations director.

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Read Aloud WV Awarded NIP Tax Credits

by DonorsFundraising

You heard correctly, folks! Our NIP tax credits are in, and we are ready to take donations. With a donation of $500 or more, you can get a state tax break for half of the amount.

What does this mean for Read Aloud WV? Well, it means we receive more donations that help us put books in the hands of WV children, and we get to give something back to our donors (besides a heartfelt thank you!) that will help them with their state tax bill at the end of the year.

As the majority of our funding comes directly from individual donors, this can make a huge difference in the projects we’re able to implement in a year. The more our donors are able to help us now, the less we have to fundraise later in the year when our book distributions are in full-swing. This means more time spent directly coordinating with schools and volunteers to get kids the tools they need to grow their reading skills.

Interested in giving early, getting a tax break, and helping us to change the literacy climate in WV? You can donate by:

  • Mailing a check to Read Aloud WV, PO Box 1784, Charleston, WV 25326 (this is preferred, as there are no fees associated with your donation and we receive the full amount to put towards our programs).
  • Clicking the Donate button in our menu to make a secure donation through Square.
  • Going to paypal.me/readaloudwv to make a secure donation through PayPal.

Just be sure to donate $500 or more and put NIP in the memo or notes section, depending on your payment method. We don’t have an unlimited number of credits to give out, however, so it’s a good idea to donate early to ensure you get the tax credit.

Give us a call if you have any questions at (304) 345-5212.

We’re so grateful for the generosity of all of our donors over the years. You make Read Aloud’s work possible in your communities. You help children build a love of reading that will serve them their entire lives. Thank you.

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10 to TRY — Good pairings

by Book Reviews and RecommendationsUncategorized

Our volunteers regularly pair books that go well together during a single read aloud sitting. Last summer, Christy Schwartz of the West Virginia Campaign for Grade Level Reading told volunteers at the Read Aloud conference that reading multiple texts on a subject helps students to improve their reading skill. Just for the fun of it, here are some of our volunteers’ listener-tested combinations:

The Bad Seed by John Jory and Rude Cakes by Rowboat Watkins are two charming, upbeat narratives all about teaching children about being kind and considerate to others. They pair well together with their complementary art styles and similar, silly takes on how one can be “A baaaaaaaaaad seed.” In each, the main character decides to change his ways from bad or rude and try (though they might not always succeed) to be nicer to those around them. Pre-K – 1 — Amanda Schwartz, Communications and Development Director

The Book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak is agreat book to pair with any book that is too short to fill your allotted time. The children ask over and over for me to re-read this book. I have read it to kindergarten and second grade and it is without question the favorite of every child. I have great fun reading it, too. — Aletta Moffett, Marion County Chapter President

Book of Animal Poetry edited by J. Patrick Lewis, U.S. Children’s Poet Laureate. The poetry is easy to understand for elementary students, the National Geographic photos are beautiful, and students learn about familiar and unfamiliar animals. The highlight is that a couple poems are rap poems (e.g., “Polar Bear Rap”) with the students participating by stomping their feet to the beat. There are always requests to do them second and third times!

A little dose of poetry gives the students something different and pairs well with other animal books. — Tom Tinder, Bridgeview Elementary, Kanawha County

Based on the undocumented notion that the boys prefer “fact” books and the girls prefer “fiction” books, I open with Bats by Elizabeth Carney, a National Geographic Kids Book, full of bat facts. I follow with Stellaluna by Janell Cannon, a beautifully illustrated story of a baby bat that gets separated from its mother and is raised by a bird family before reuniting with the bat mother. It’s a great story that comingles bat facts with bird facts. The whole class really enjoys both aspects of the reading and it makes for a good session. — Casey Willson, Gerrardstown Elementary School, Berkeley County

The Rabbit Listened by Cory Doerrfeld, a favorite of Executive Director Mary Kay Bond. One day Taylor concentrated hard and built something amazing with his blocks. Then disaster struck. The way different characters react to little Taylor’s setback will be recognizable to everyone. I read this along with Odd Velvet by Mary Whitcomb, the story of Velvet, who is thought to be so strange in her kindergarten class because her teacher gifts and birthday party games don’t come from a store. It’s a message kids really need to hear. K-3 — Bob Pepper, Sissonville Elementary, Kanawha County

Camille and the Sunflowers by Laurence Anholt tells the story of painter Vincent Van Gogh and the postman’s family in Arles, whom Van Gogh painted, along with his famous sunflowers and Starry Night. Then we read the short rhyming book No One Saw by Bob Raczka, featuring a full-page example of a different artist on each page. When we get to, “No one saw stars like Vincent Van Gogh,” students are thrilled by their recognition, and usually curious about other artists in the book. 3-5– Dawn Miller, Piedmont Elementary, Kanawha County

Have a title to recommend to your fellow Read Aloud volunteers? Tell us about it: newsletter@readaloudwv.org.

If you purchase a book through one of the affiliate links on this page, Read Aloud will receive a small percentage of the proceeds. This in no way impacts our recommendations.

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Thank you for another great Read-A-Palooza!

by Uncategorized

It’s been a little over a week since Read-A-Palooza 2019: Join Team Read, and we just wanted to take another opportunity to publicly thank those who made it all possible! This year’s event was our most successful yet and we are extremely grateful for the opportunity to bring community members together in support of Read Aloud West Virginia.

Read-A-Palooza is the only fundraising event we host each year and is vital to Read Aloud’s financial sustainability. With the support of our sponsors, donors, and supporters, we were able to meet our Read-A-Palooza fundraising goal this year and ensure that Read Aloud can continue to keep books in the hands and on the minds of West Virginia children!

This year’s event focused on creating excitement for books and reading the same way our society does for sports. In his remarks, our special guest WVU Football Coach Neal Brown beautifully connected the importance of a strong reading foundation to athletic success. With at least three media outlets in attendance and multiple stories written about the event, we’re positive that excitement was generated. We’ve made new friendships, strengthened old ones, inspired new volunteers, and heard multiple times since the event that this was our best Read-A-Palooza to date.

A special thank you to Coach Neal Brown, Coleman Barnes, and West Virginia University; to Tony Caridi, children’s book author and MetroNews sports reporter; to The University of Charleston, UC President Marty Roth, Robert Elmore of the UC Vice President’s office, and Ray Singleton of the UC Department of Education; to David Hager Photography; and to all of sponsors and silent auction donors listed below!

Signature Sponsors

Gold Sponsors

Silver Sponsors

William Maxwell Davis

The Becker Family

Bronze Sponsors

Chris & Amy Panzarella

Friends of Read-A-Palooza

Juli Hatcher Mock – JH Records

Silent Auction Donors

Andrew Adkins

Base Camp Printing

Berry Hills Country Club

Bob & Tina Pepper

Bricks & Barrels

Budget Tapes & Records

Canaan Valley Resort

Capon Springs & Farms

Carnegie Hall

Cathedral Café/Southside Junction Tap House

Chef Paul Smith

Dick’s Sporting Goods

Embassy Suites

Erica Baumgrass

Fayette County Chamber of Commerce/Official Bridge Day

Read Aloud WV of Fayette County

Gallery B Studio

Gat Creek

Greenbrier Valley Theatre

Hawks Nest State Park

Jacke Venus

Jeff Fetty Designs

Kinship Goods

LaFayette Flats Lodging

Lucia Bishop

Mardi Gras Casino

Marshall University

Melissa Doty

Mountain Art Glass

Mountain Heritage Books

Noah’s Restaurant & Lounge

Pettit Jewelry

Pies & Pints-Fayetteville

River Expeditions Rafting & Kayaking

Ruth Ranson

Sara Busse

Secret Sandwich Society

Stephen & Jennie Fitzkee

The Blennerhassett Hotel

The Stache Ice Cream Shoppe

The Station Restaurant

Tony Caridi

Viki Heagy Books

West Virginia Book Company

Wisteria Gifts

Wisteria Gifts

WV Power

Yoga Power

Dan Foster

Join Team Read and WVU Coach Neal Brown: Read-A-Palooza 2019 on June 6

by EventsFundraisingNews

Join Read Aloud and WVU Football Coach Neal Brown in building excitement for books and reading at our annual fundraiser, Read-A-Palooza, at the University of Charleston Riggleman Rotunda on June 6!

Though we may be a little later than usual this year, Read-A-Palooza is sure to be bigger and better than ever with a new venue courtesy of our partnership with the University of Charleston Education Department, and our 2019 theme: “Join Team Read,” exploring how we can create a culture that values reading in the same way we do sports.

The event will open at 4:30 p.m., and Coach Brown will give his remarks at 5:15 p.m. As always, we’ll have appetizers, beer and wine, and a silent auction to augment the lively conversation and good company that’s a staple of Read-A-Palooza. As our largest fundraiser of the year, proceeds from the event help fund Read Aloud programs, which strive to engage all members of our communities in motivating children to want to read.

Tickets are $40 prior to June 6 or $50 at the door, but for those looking for a little more facetime with Coach Brown, we’re offering a special pre-event reception with him for sponsors of $1,000 or more. Sponsorships also come with tickets and public recognition, including logo displays at the event, depending on the level. To find out more about how to purchase tickets and sponsorships, visit the Donate tab, click here, or call the state Read Aloud office at 304-345-5212.

We hope you will join us as we celebrate Read Aloud’s progress and look forward to new reading adventures!

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An open letter to moms who read

by Uncategorized

Dear Reader,

This Mother’s Day, we’d like to take a moment to thank you for reading to your child. By teaching them to value reading, you’re planting and nurturing a reading seed that will flourish over the years, giving your child a lifelong love of books. This is truly something to be proud of, and something for which the staff at Read Aloud would like to express our gratitude. By creating a positive relationship with reading, you’re raising a child who can and will pass that passion for books on to others, who will in turn pass it on. Your one reading seed could spread to impact thousands of people! 

So this Mother’s Day, congratulate yourself for every story you’ve read, every library trip you’ve made, every book you’ve bought – you’re changing the world, one page at a time.

Thank you for all that you do for literacy in WV, and happy Mother’s Day!

Sincerely,

Read Aloud West Virginia

Click here to visit our Mother’s Day Honor Wall to see all the moms being recognized by their children for teaching them to love reading!

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Make summer a time for growth

by Uncategorized

For decades, researchers, teachers and parents have observed that children who read for pleasure during summer break tend to have better scores and understanding in school. Children must have the “equipment” and opportunity to read for fun over the summer. Here are some ways to make reading for fun likely to happen this summer:

  • Keep books around. Check them out of the public library. Keep a few in the car.
  • Make time to read every day. Even a few minutes count. No quizzes or tests. Just fun. If the book isn’t enjoyable, give it back and try another.
  • Give books as gifts.
  • Ask readers what they like. Get recommendations from other readers until you find something enjoyable to you and the children in your life.
  • List five books you would like to read this summer. Share your goal.
  • Organize a book swap, suggests Donalyn Miller, author of Reading in the Wild: The Book Whisperer’s Keys to Cultivating Lifelong Reading Habits. In her school, teachers and students donate books and receive tickets. Then they browse and choose a “new” book in exchange for each ticket.
  • Pack books for trips or errands. Keep a book to read while standing in line.
  • Host a library card sign-up event, Miller suggests. Invite librarians to share details of summer reading programs.
  • Read aloud to children, even after they are able to read on their own. Children take their cue for what is important from the adults around them.

Children who read during the summer are more likely to maintain or even gain reading skills, report Richard L. Allington and Anne McGill-Franzen in their book Summer Reading: Closing the Rich/Poor Reading Achievement Gap.

Citing the same research, Stephen D. Krashen points out in The Power of Reading that reading just one book over the summer was associated with a small improvement in reading comprehension. Reading five books over the summer can stop summer learning loss.

Among low-income children, summer reading loss accounts for about 80 percent of the reading achievement gap compared to wealthier classmates.

“What you may find surprising is just how consistently making books available to children from low-income families and to struggling readers enhances reading achievement during the summer months,” Allington writes.