Sing to Read!

Is everybody having a great school year? Here are a few songs and books to add a little FUN to your day! These books are a magical, musical way to create interest in reading and reinforce skills. I'm excited about being able to offer you these "singing books" on my website in the months to come.

Thanks to my friend Sandy Elssasser and my web master Alex May for making these books possible!

Here are some suggestions when making the books:

Run the color versions on cardstock, and you'll have a sturdy book that won't need to be laminated.

Sing the songs with the children several days before introducing the books. That will increase their interest and help them make the print connection.

Place the books in your classroom library or use them at your listening center.

Help children construct their individual copies of the books. Invite them to color the pictures with crayons or markers.

Let children follow along in their mini-books as you sing the song together.

Use mini-books with small reading groups to reinforce skills you are working on. For example, children could highlight high frequency words, identify beginning sounds, or find punctuation.

Encourage children to take their books home and sing the songs to their families.

Hint! Maybe the books will not print nicely. Sometimes just switching to a newer computer and printer will improve the quality of the printed book.

Happy reading and singing!

Dr. Jean