The goal of my blog is to provide ideas for you as parents to coach, tutor and help your child with reading while making reading fun and engaging. My name is Liz and I am a certified Reading Specialist in grades K-12 and mother of a soon to be first grader named Tim. I received a B.A. from Boston College in Elementary Education and a M.A. in Reading Education from East Carolina University.
I have taught first, third and eighth grade as a classroom teacher and I was a reading specialist at a K-3 school for nine years. In my role as a reading specialist, I taught small groups of struggling readers and supported them in meeting grade level benchmarks and facilitated book discussion groups for advanced readers. I have worked closely with classroom teachers to support students, teach lessons, and offer advice and suggestions.
I am Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) certified, Orton-Gillingham trained, and completed the Fountas & Pinnell Leveled Literacy Intervention course at Lesley University–a program that is used to support struggling readers in many schools. Currently, I substitute teach and volunteer at schools in my town.
Last year as Tim entered Kindergarten, I experienced school for the first time as a parent. Kindergarten was a huge milestone for Tim . . . and for me. Reflecting back on Tim’s first day of school last September, I couldn’t believe that I was the parent of a Kindergartner! I still remember dropping Tim off at school on the first day. He was so excited! At drop off, he hopped out of the car and he rushed down the sidewalk. When he was about halfway there, he flashed his wide smile at my husband and me and he proudly strode into the front entrance of his new school. Just like that, he was off on his own adventure!
With Tim starting school for the first time, I began to think of my role and how best to support Tim at home. Having been a reading specialist, I was familiar with the Kindergarten Curriculum, the grade level benchmarks, and I knew where to find books and resources to support Tim with his reading. I had some ideas about making reading fun for Tim and where to find beginner books for him to read. Kindergarten was the beginning of a new adventure for us–our learning to read adventure was one that we would experience together.
As I thought about Tim and his reading, I realized that I could help other parents support their children at home. This realization led me to create this blog with the goal of offering tips and suggestions that you can use to help your child with reading outside of school.
My hope is that the information in my blog supports your journey through school together and gives you ideas to help you in making reading fun for your child . I plan on blogging at least once a week or a bit more often if time permits (we are a busy household!)I hope that you enjoy following our journey learning to read together!
