We all know reading is important. It is also very important for children to learn and enjoy reading and for parents to spend time reading with their children. Reading to your children helps build a better relationship, improve their education and academic performance (grades), and many other reasons. You can read a short list of some of the benefits of reading HERE and HERE.
To help you spend more time reading with your children we are sharing a list of some of the most popular children’s books. Some of these you may know, some of them may be new, but all of them are valuable and worth reading.
You can get most of these books cheap if you buy them used on Amazon.com. Even better, you can get them for free at your local library.
Let us know if you know any of these books or have any suggestions of your own. Share in the comments section.
This blog post is brought to you by 1A & 1B teacher Elsie Choi. She uses some great English expressions which are in bold letters.
My Year with 1A & 1B
By Elsie Choi
August 29, 2012 was Orientation Day already after a long summer of relaxation. It was time to meet a whole new group of students and get the show ready for the road. I was a little nervous. First impressions are very important. What should I wear for the day? I am sure that my students feel the same way. They were there to check me out, and at the same time, wondering what is in store for them for the coming year.
A few students come in way before class time but the majority can barely make it. There is a tendency that people come in later and later as the year goes on. Of course they have tons of excuses… my children, my dog, my watch….”See, my watch says 9…”
Students gradually become friends and chat. Think that they do not know enough English to do so? No problem. Their native language kicks in naturally. Or, a mixture of languages will do. “I did my homework la. (Chinese)”, “Is this good ma? (Chinese)”,“Michael is outside ah! (Chinese)”. ALL ENGLISH! …..ALL ENGLISH!
Oh! No! Test again?! Eyes are wandering around. Some just want to get that 100 percent in the test. Believe it or not, a few people know they are right but still glance at their neighbor’s paper to see if the other person is doing it correctly. What a busybody!
Homework is usually done by most students but it is like pulling teeth for some. To enforce this requirement, it causes more work for the teacher to follow up and make sure that make-up homework is done the next day. A threat using Michael’s name is useful, sometimes.
Well, the year is going by swiftly despite the heartache and headache we have had. We have shared tears and laughter with personal happenings and have grown together. Let’s celebrate. Food is the number one choice. Students feed the teacher, me, all year long. I thank you all by showing you my forever growing “muffin top.”
This post is from our E4 teacher, Mary Staub. Mary shares some language learning strategies she’s used. We also get to watch a video of her students sharing their favorite tips to improve their English. Read and watch below, then share some of your favorite ways to practice English in the comments section:
Foreign languages have always been part of my life.
I grew up bilingually, speaking Swiss German and English since childhood, and started learning French and Spanish during high school. More recently, I’ve tried to start learning Arabic. Over the years, I’ve used a lot of different language learning strategies to help me improve more quickly.
For example, when I was living in Seville, Spain, for eight months during college, I looked for opportunities to meetSpanish people and took part in all the town festivals. I also joined a Capoeira (Brazilian martial art) group while I was there, where all of the members spoke only Spanish. This forced me to use Spanish all the time and helped me become more fluent. Another thing I did was take dance classes from a teacher who spoke only Spanish. All her instructions were in Spanish so I had to learn to understand.
Another thing I did and continue to do is to read as much as possible in Spanish or French. I read books, newspapers, or anything else that I am interested in. I look up the words that I don’t understand and seem important. Then I write the ones I want to remember in a journal so I can review them. I also sometimes make flashcards, especially at the beginning when I’m learning a new language. That’s what I did when I started learning Arabic.
I also practice using new words and phrases by imagining little conversations where I can use them or I’ll try to start ‘thinking’ in the language. I often do this when I’m taking the subway or riding my bike and have time to let my mind wander.
Watch the video to hear about the language learning strategies that some of my E4 students use. Then add a comment to share some of your own strategies.
