1. “ Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.” G. K. Chesterton October 17, 2014 Dates to note: Fundations’ Night is October 20 th at 6:00 p.m. Wilcox Primary School Reading Specialist swozniak@twinsburg.oh.us.k12 (330) 486-2046 Read to Me -- by Jane Yolen Read to me riddles and read to me rhymes: Read to me stories of magical times Read to me tales about castles and kings: Read to me stories of fabulous things Read to me pirates and read to me knights: Read to me dragons and dragon-book fights Read to me spaceships and cowboys and then: When you are finished, please read them again. We have been working on how once we read the words in the story then we have to be able to talk about it as well. This brought us to “Story Ingredients”. The children all thought of ingredients in food and we went from there to the ingredients in a good story. This includes the author, illustrator, characters, setting, problem, solution, and events. They not only have to identify these ingredients in that particular story but they need to be able to tell what they are in any story. We also talk about if the story is fun, interesting and makes sense, all key ingredients to a good story.

2. “Mary Mary, Quite Contrary…” “Like many of the rhymes passed down for countless generations, the poem about Queen “Bloody Mary” was not originally intended for children. There are theories about the origin of the rhyme, but the poem’s true meaning has mostly been obscured over the years. So, with the meaning lost, why do we keep passing the rhyme down? Nursery rhymes span the generations, providing something in common between parents, grandparents and children. Even before a child can hold a book, recited rhymes introduce young listeners to story structure in its most basic form – the set up, the problem and the resolution. A child’s first experience with reading is often a book of nursery rhymes. For beginning readers, the nursery rhymes provide short, simple texts. The early exposure to this form of “literature” introduces children to new vocabulary and expands their understanding of the world. The unrelenting rhythm of the words help them make predictions about how each line will end and aid children in learning to memorize. Nursery rhymes are good for the brain. But sharing nursery rhymes with young children is also good for the soul. The shared activity of singing or reading rhymes to children helps them develop the skills to express themselves and fosters the ability to relate to others in a healthy way. They see the interactions between the characters, and more importantly, by having the contact with you during story time, children gain a valuable understanding of communication. Reading nursery rhymes to our children helps them want to become readers themselves. Early reading helps children grow up to be young adults who view books as an indulgence, not a chore. By Mia Coulton This is an article from one of my favorite authors, Mia Coulton (a retired Reading Recovery Teacher). She writes leveled books about her dogs Danny and Norman as well as many non-fiction books and the children love them.