I am so worried that my five year old still can’t read.  I see all these other kids reading and wonder “What am I doing wrong?”  Being me, I started doing some research.  There is a ton of literature out there for the worried parent.

The book that really started this out was Why Johnny Can’t Read – And what you can do about it by Rudolf Flesch.  This book was published in 1955 and parents are still using it at home.  It’s based on the phonics method of reading.  The  public schools have swayed from the phonics method to whole language  learning and back again since my husband and I were children (early to mid 1970s).  Until I started researching about reading I had no idea that there were basically two ways to teach reading.

Straight Talk about Reading: how parents can make a difference during the early years by Susan Hall and Louisa C. Moats pretty much details how the two different methods work and why phonics is a more successful method.  Actually, I did not find much that supported the whole language method.

Starting Out Right: A guide to promoting children’s reading success by the National Research Council specifically spells out activities to do with my five year old.  The book starts out with what is needed to be considered literate; and it’s not just about reading.  The National Research Council details activities and practices for every age group from preschool to grade three.  This is basically a how-to manual.

The best thing I learned about reading is that it happens at the child’s pace and not because the worried, conscientious, proactive parent is doing anything “wrong”.  I can finally sleep at night.

Here is a list of other titles in the library system:

Prescription for Reading–teach them phonics by Ernest H Christman

The Writing Road to Reading: the Spalding method for teaching speech, spelling, writing, and reading by Romalda Bishop Spalding

Parents Who Love Reading, Kids Who Don’t : how it happens and what you can do about it by Mary Leonhardt

Building Blocks : building a parent-child literacy program at your library by Sharon Snow

Yes, if you’re wondering if DCPL has a building blocks program.  Just check out our calendar of events, look for the red.

Love is in the air.  Valentine’s Day is only a week away.  You can’t go into a grocery store without seeing heart shaped candy boxes or tacky fake roses.  You’re probably counting all the ways you love your sweetie, but have you thought about the many ways you love your library?  I may be biased, but I think there are tons of reasons to love your library.  But we want to know why YOU, our patrons, love DeKalb County Public Library.  So go ahead, share your story and tell us why you love the library.

PS–By the way, the DeKalb Library Foundation has declared February “Love Your Library” month and is asking library patrons (that means you) to make a small donation to help us meet a $125,000 challenge grant we have been given by the Fitzgerald Foundation.  This donation will help us fund literacy services to underserved adults and children in DeKalb County.  Click here to make your online donation.

PPS– if you have a really good story, we just might use it in some PR piece.

Thanks!  Alison W.

I was driving to work a couple of weeks ago when I heard an episode of the StoryCorps series on NPR.  If you’ve ever heard a StoryCorps interview before, then you understand why I reach for the tissues as soon as they say it’s coming up.  This particular interview was no different, and the fact that it related to reading made it especially moving to me. 

This was the story of Joe Buford of Nashville, age 63, who is learning to read after decades of hiding the fact from family and coworkers.  He worried that he had passed “what was wrong” with him on to his children, and avoided promotions at work.  For the last year or so he has been working with literacy tutor Michelle Miller, and when he finally realized that he was beginning to be able to read, he “jumped up and ran through the house. It made me cry and I’m thinking, ‘Wow, it really is sinking in.’”  Listen to Joe’s story in his own words here.

DeKalb County Public Library offers many literacy materials to assist those looking to improve their reading skills, as well as materials for tutors helping others.  Visit any branch for more information, or check out our services on our website.

To find a literacy tutor or if you are interested in volunteering as a tutor, contact Literacy Volunteers of Atlanta, located conveniently across the street from the downtown Decatur Library.  They offer one-on-one volunteer tutoring as well as training for tutors.  LVA seeks to promote lifelong learning, and provides tutors for both adult literacy as well as ESL (English as second language).

Most of the branches in DeKalb County Public Library now have an Adult Learning Collection, which covers a broad scope of adult learning subjects, from learning English as a Second Language to test preparation books to workplace skills.  These sections are usually shelved near reference sections in the branches and have “LEA” on the labels (for “learning collection”).  If you or anyone you know needs help learning English, practicing tests (especially the GED, the PSAT, and the SAT), or improving basic skills such as reading, writing, math, and workplace basics, DeKalb County Public Library is your one-stop location for high-quality, librarian-reviewed resources.

Also don’t forget about the LearningExpressLibrary!

What does improving your vocabulary and ending world hunger have in common? Well, it sounds far-fetched, but a website called FreeRice.com has made the link between these two needs. From their website:

FreeRice has two goals:

1. Provide English vocabulary to everyone for free.
2. Help end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free.

On their website you can play a game that will build your vocabulary. The game detects your vocabulary level based on the answers you get right, so that it’s always challenging, but never too challenging. For every correct answer you get, they donate 10 grains of rice through the United Nations to help end world hunger. They’ve donated a total of 1,712,371,750 grains of rice (and counting) so far.

Give it a try, and this Thanksgiving, you’ll have two more things to be thankful for!

The DeKalb Early Learning and School Readiness Commission
(DELSRC) and their partners have joined together to launch the first annual
“DeKalb’s Children Read!” literacy campaign in November in order to promote the
importance of early reading and to make books accessible to all children.

Each year the Governor and the First Lady choose a high
quality children’s book to send home with each child in Georgia’s Pre-K
program. This year’s book is Where is
the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox. Making
quality children’s literature available to families is a goal of the DELSRC, Georgia’s Pre-K
Program and the Governor’s Office. DeKalb County School’s Pre-K program has
used the gift of Where is the Green Sheep? as an opportunity to promote
literacy and parent involvement by hosting Family Literacy Week, November
5-9. This is being expanded into a
county-wide literacy initiative and DELSRC is providing Where is the Green
Sheep? to childcare centers, homeless shelters and DFACS.

Here is how you can celebrate Family Literacy Month:

• Volunteer to read Where is the Green Sheep? at your child’s Pre-K center
• Visit the library with your child
• Get your child a library card
• Read to your child at least three times a week, or better yet, every day
• Let your child see you reading
• Keep lots of books in your home

Here are some additional resources on early learning and school readiness:

Bright From the Start, Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning
Colorin Colorado  — from a Spanish phrase that is often said after reading a good story,
“colorin colorado” is a bilingual website for parents and educators
who wish to help children become successful life-long readers
Get Ready to Read!   –  a national program to build
the early literacy skills of preschool children
Zero to Three  — lots of information on infants and toddlers for both parents and professionals