Weekend Reading Bags: Themed Bags for Family Reading

Funded Mar 24, 2016

Thank you so much for funding my project of "Weekend Reading Bags" which my students can bring home and share with their families. I can't tell you how excited they are!

Reading in first grade is a complex process. Kids are at all ends of the spectrum. Some are still piecing together basic three-letter words while others have moved into chapter books and complex non-fiction texts. These skill differences are met through small group instruction. However, as a class, we have a shared reading time where I guide students through a read aloud. We use the shared reading time to focus on learning story structure, author's purpose, sequencing, compare and contrast, and various methods to discuss texts using "accountable talk" strategies. Students participate in such a variety of skills during this time. It's pretty amazing! One of my favorite things to do during our shared reading is to highlight a particular author or style of writing. In doing this, students often became fascinated with those authors, but don't have access to those texts outside of the classroom. Through the project, they can now share what they've learned about a certain style of writing or author with their grown-ups.

Several of my students have zero books at home. Zero! They absolutely love reading at school and will do about anything to read books by some of their favorite authors (Mo Williams, Tomie de Paola, Laura Numeroff, Dr. Seuss etc). The goal of the project is to really engage families in reading together. I want reading to be a shared and joyful experience for my students. The enthusiasm they have at school can now be extended to home as they can finally bring a whole bag of books, either by their favorite author or about a subject matter we are currently learning, to share with their families.

We thank you so much for continuing to support our love of reading both in and out of the classroom!”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Homchick