productive struggle – Raising Real Readers

Parents as Reading Role Models: Eliminating Distractions and Building Stamina

March 4, 2019March 11, 2019 ReneeNicole Leave a comment

This is the third and final installment of our series Parents as Reading Role Models (Part 1 and Part 2, if you are catching up). Let’s talk openly and honestly about all of the distractions in our lives and how they often prevent us from modeling good reading behaviors for our kids. Whether you’re the parent or caregiver of a newborn or a teenager, it’s so easy to become distracted by dings, vibrations, and alerts. We are very guilty of this ourselves. Flip on CNN and you’ll see 4 scrolling bars at the bottom of the screen, as if our bodies were built to absorb a constant stream of stimuli. Newsflash? They’re not.

Tips For Building Reading Stamina and Eliminating Distractions

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What To Do When When Your Child Is Skipping Words While Reading

July 12, 2018August 14, 2018 ReneeNicole Leave a comment

Any parent or caregiver who has endured those early months and years of children reading aloud know how much patience it requires. And often, we feel ill equipped to help our children when we notice a recurring problem. Skipping words ranks high on my list of head scratching issues during this phase, so I love this simple guide to navigating such a common problem from Renee. -Nicole

Skipping words (or omitting as it’s called in teacher-speak) is a common reading behavior you may notice when your child reads to you. As a Title I Reading Interventionist, it’s probably the most common error I see, and chances are you do it too! It’s an issue that typically falls into two categories: skipping small words and skipping critical words.

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Productive Struggle: What It Is and Why Your Child Needs It

July 6, 2018August 14, 2018 ReneeNicole Leave a comment

When I read Renee’s first draft of this post about productive struggle, I had just come home from the children’s triathlon in my town. At the event, I thought to myself, “All the people who think kids these days are lazy should come to this,” because all the triathletes, regardless of skill or athletic ability, show incredible perseverance. One child was even rescued by lifeguards and then still went on to finish the bike and run portion of the race. C’mon…how many adults do you know who would keep going under those circumstances? It was a visible reminder of the entire point of this post:

Kids usually rise to the challenge when we adults give them the space, encouragement, and opportunity to do so.

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