Read To Succeed Asheville/Buncombe
  • Home
  • Volunteer
    • Reading Tutor
    • Organizational Volunteer
    • Apply to Volunteer
    • Background Checks
    • Word Work
  • Family Reading Resources
    • Family Reading Resources
    • Free Reading Apps for Kids
    • Letter Sounds
    • Online Reading Resources
    • Read-Aloud
    • Read-Aloud-PreK
    • Summer Literacy Resources
  • Donate
    • Contribute
    • Page Turners Circle
    • Additional Ways to Give to R2S
  • About Us
    • Our Mission
    • History
    • Early Childhood Literacy
    • The R2S Method
    • Leadership Team
    • Organizational Documents
    • Join the R2S Team
  • News
  • R2S Blog
  • Contact Us

StoryLane | Community & Family Literacy Activity

7/28/2020

9 Comments

 
Picture
Are you looking for a unique and super fun way to engage your community or family in reading? Look no further than StoryLane!

The brain child of a friendly neighborhood book club, StoryLane features one entire children's book spread out page by page across 16 different houses. The pages of the story book are laminated and posted on signs in the front yards of participating houses. Each board with pages from the story on it also has a small sign displayed indicating at which house the next page(s) of the story can be found.
Picture
In addition to the enjoyment of reading a new story and the thrill of discovering where the next page of the book is, StoryLane also offers families an activity-rich handout to take home when they are done reading! Handouts are filled with comprehension questions, research ideas, literacy activities, and sometimes, even recipes. They make for hours of fun after the reading is done and support important literacy skills for elementary-age children.
Picture
 Part story time, part scavenger hunt, StoryLane is a safe, family-friendly, literacy-promoting activity for children and their parents. Families can currently enjoy StoryLane on Montview Dr. (off Coleman Ave. off Merrimon Ave.) Start at house #5 and follow the directions at each sign. While on Coleman Ave., watch for another story walk which has sprung up in numerous yards. Note: Street parking is limited and stories are changed out every 3 weeks. Please watch for traffic.

Next up for StoryLane: Jan Brett's, Town Mouse Country Mouse, up August 7th, 2020.

Create Your Own StoryLane

If you are looking to create a StoryLane in your neighborhood, talk to your neighbors and see who can join you! Then, select a children's book you all would like to post and plan it out:
  • Are there copyright issues you need to check for the use of the book in this way?
  • How many pages are there and how many houses are participating? (It's totally fine to have more than one or two pages per yard - just spread them out among several signs).
  • Do you have a way to make legible copies of the pages of the book and laminate them?
  • How will you buy/build your signs? (You can find yard sign holders from many online retailers; or consider building your own signs or simply finding a way to attach signs to existing posts or fences in the yard.)
Make a day of it! Once you have all your supplies assembled, work with your neighbors to put the signs together, verify the pages are in order, and make mini-signs that tell readers where to go next. Laminating everything ensures that signs don't get ruined by bad weather. Pro tip: Use Washi tape (colorful duct tape) to decorate boards/signs so they are vibrant yet waterproof.

Then, post signs in yards and spread the word!

StoryLane not only cultivates a love and enjoyment of reading for children young and old, but it provides the perfect family activity to do together during periods of quarantine and social distancing.

If you create a StoryLane in your neighborhood, let us know! Leave a comment below and we can feature your Story Lane on the blog.
9 Comments

5 Multisensory Ways to Teach Sight Words

7/7/2020

0 Comments

 
Did you know that sight words only make up 4% of all words in the English language? Even so, it is critical that young students learn to recognize sight words just by looking at them because these words typically cannot be decoded or sounded out (and they show up frequently in reading). Examples of sight words include, "said," "also," "circle," and "were."

Research shows that using multisensory techniques to teach sight words helps students learn and remember them better than simple recitation. Multisensory techniques involve a child using their eyes (visual), ears (auditory), and touch (kinesthetic) to practice sight words.
Picture
Check out these 5 fun multi-sensory sight word activities for young children:

1. Rainbow Writing

Supplies needed:
  • Colored markers or colored pencils
  • Index card
  • Black marker

Steps:
  1. Write the sight word down in black marker on the unlined side of an index card in all lowercase letters.
  2. Give your child one colored marker and ask them to say the word,  trace the letters of the word saying each letter out loud, and then say the word again.  For example: "was, w - a - s, was."
  3. Repeat the step above two more times with different colored markers/pencils.
View this post on Instagram

Practicing sight words (or trick words) with kids? Try the "Rainbow Letters" method of tracing each letter of the word with a different color marker (try at least three different colors). As your child traces each letter, have them practice saying the letter out loud, and when they finish the word each time, say the whole word out loud. For example, W-O-N, won! #readingtips #spelling #vocabulary #literacy #earlyliteracy #handwriting #k12 #sightwords #trickwords #reading #lovereading #rainbowletters

A post shared by pat.bastian@r2sasheville.org (@r2sasheville) on Mar 29, 2020 at 2:17pm PDT


2. Foam Letters

Supplies needed:
  • 1 to 2 sets of lowercase foam letters
  • Index card
  • Black marker

Steps:
  1. Write the sight word down in black marker on the unlined side of an index card in all lowercase letters and place in front of your child.
  2. Hand your child the foam letters that make up the word.
  3. Ask them to put the letters in the correct order to form the word on the index card.
  4. Have them say the word out loud, then say each letter as they press down on the foam letters with their fingers, and then say the word one more time.
  5. Practice doing this three times with each sight word.
View this post on Instagram

Foam letters are a great way to practice reading! We encourage students to find the correct letters to spell a word, pop them out of the foam board, place them in order, and then touch each letter as they spell out a word, i.e. c-a-t, cat! Do this three times to really help it stick! #literacy #lovereading #readtosucceed

A post shared by pat.bastian@r2sasheville.org (@r2sasheville) on Jan 15, 2020 at 2:01pm PST


3. Play-Doh Letters

Supplies needed:
  • Play-Doh or modeling clay
  • Index card
  • Black marker

Steps:
  1. Write the sight word down in black marker on the unlined side of an index card in all lowercase letters and place in front of your child.
  2. Count the letters of the word with your child and break the Play-Doh into the same number of pieces
  3. Roll each clump of Play-Doh into a small ball with your child and help them roll each one into a long, skinny worm
  4. Ask your child to form each letter of the sight word in order with the little Play-Doh worms
  5. When the word is fully spelled out with Play-Doh letters, have your child say the word, then say each letter of the word as they press down on its corresponding Play-Doh letter, and then say the word one last time.
  6. Practice this three separate times for each sight word.
View this post on Instagram

Have Play-Doh or modeling clay around the house? Put it to good use practicing sight words/trick words with children! 1) Split your Play-Doh into enough sections for each letter of your child's sight word. 2) Have them roll each section out into a long worm. 3) Help them form the letters of their sight word with each worm. 4) Ask them to say the word out loud, then press down on each letter to squish the Play-Doh as they say the letter out loud. 5) Have them end the spelling by saying the entire word out loud again. For example, "Was. W (squish) - A (squish) - S (squish). Was! Squish and say-spell-say the word three times in a row, and then try another word! Per one of our reading tutors, "This [activity] reinforces learning the trick word by hearing, touching, speaking, seeing and repetition. And some fun!" #readingtips #spelling #vocabulary #literacy #earlyliteracy #handwriting #k12 #sightwords #trickwords #reading #lovereading #playdoh #readaloud #readtosucceed #education #kindergarten #1stgrade #2ndgrade #3rdgrade

A post shared by pat.bastian@r2sasheville.org (@r2sasheville) on Apr 13, 2020 at 9:39am PDT


4. Letter Matching

Supplies needed:
  • Popsicle sticks
  • Wooden clothes pins
  • Index card
  • Black marker

Steps:
  1. Write the sight word down in black marker on the flat side of a popsicle stick.
  2. Write the letters of the sight word in black marker on the lower half of a wooden clothespin - one letter per clothespin.
  3. Ask your child to say the sight word out loud and pinch and place each clothespin onto its corresponding letter on the popsicle stick while saying the letters out loud. Then, say the word one more time out loud.
  4. Have your child repeat this process three times (they can also do it while removing the clothespins from the popsicle stick).
View this post on Instagram

A quick make over on my unused wax sticks... And old pegs and here is my new creation!! . .letter matching!!!! . Fantastic for fine motor skills also! . #finemotorskill #motorskills #diy #activitiesforkids #eyfs #montessori #playandlearn #playathome #literacy #matching #wordsmatter #nanny #nannylife #instakids #nannies #playtime #afterschool #afternoonactivity #preschool #alphabet #followforfollowback #followme #recycle

A post shared by The.Nanny.Life (@the.nanny.life) on Jan 13, 2020 at 10:58am PST


5. Letter Slide

Supplies needed:
  • Pipe cleaners
  • Letter beads
  • Index card
  • Black marker

Steps:
  1. Write the sight word down in black marker on the unlined side of an index card in all lowercase letters and place in front of your child.
  2. Give your child the letter beads that correspond to the sight word
  3. Ask your child to say the sight word out loud and slide each letter onto the pipe cleaner in order to spell the word, saying each letter as they go. Then have them say the word again out loud.
  4. Practice doing this three times for each sight word.
0 Comments

    About R2S

    Read to Succeed Asheville/Buncombe (R2S) is a local, independent nonprofit on a mission to help close the
    race-based opportunity gap through community-powered literacy programming that engages children, families, and community partners.

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    September 2019
    August 2019
    November 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    July 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Children's Books
    Comprehension
    Early Childhood
    Family Resources
    Phonemic Awareness
    Phonics
    R2S Events
    Vocabulary
    Volunteer
    Volunteers
    Wnc

Our Mission

Read to Succeed is on a mission to help close the race-based opportunity gap through community-powered literacy programming that engages children, families, and community partners.
Get in Touch!

Phone: (828) 747-2277
Email: info@r2sasheville.org
Physical address: 16A Stewart St.
Asheville, NC 28806
(*Note: Our office is located in the Pisgah View Apartments community)
Mailing address:
PO Box 18652
Asheville, NC 28814
tceuzyxzwxwtrrcfrcbttewxrserdrwrtrzqfu
Contact  |  Donate  |  Current Volunteer Login
© 2021 Read To Succeed Asheville/Buncombe
  • Home
  • Volunteer
    • Reading Tutor
    • Organizational Volunteer
    • Apply to Volunteer
    • Background Checks
    • Word Work
  • Family Reading Resources
    • Family Reading Resources
    • Free Reading Apps for Kids
    • Letter Sounds
    • Online Reading Resources
    • Read-Aloud
    • Read-Aloud-PreK
    • Summer Literacy Resources
  • Donate
    • Contribute
    • Page Turners Circle
    • Additional Ways to Give to R2S
  • About Us
    • Our Mission
    • History
    • Early Childhood Literacy
    • The R2S Method
    • Leadership Team
    • Organizational Documents
    • Join the R2S Team
  • News
  • R2S Blog
  • Contact Us