Reading with Your child

I have written before about a new feature on the Chets Creek website, Read with Your Child. The idea was to videotape teachers at Chets Creek reading to their own child so parents of our students could see what it looks like. We always say to parents, "Read to your child," but sometimes I'm not exactly sure if parents really know what that LOOKS like. Do we, as teachers, have techniques that we use that parents might adopt if they just see what they look like? Do parents know how to use their voice to engage the child by using a deep, mean voice for an ugly troll or a wee little voice for the smallest billy goat gruff? Do parent know how to stop expectantly and let their child complete a sentence? Do parents know that if a child is struggling to read a book that they can jump in and help by reading a page or a line or a word? Do parents know that we want the child to practice reading the books we send home each night but we also want them to read TO their child - something fun that they both really WANT to read together?

I am really proud that so many first grade teachers were willing to step forward and be videotaped with their own children - Haley Alvarado with her newborn son, Meredy Mackiewicz with her toddler, Randi Timmons with her preschooler... but the reason I'm writing about this topic again is because Melanie Holtsman has just added a few new videos to our library and one is of first grade teacher Cheryl Dillard reading with her first grade son. It's such a wonderful example of a mother and her first grader enjoying reading together. At the same time that she is enjoying the time together, she checks his comprehension of the story in the most natural way and helps add to his vocabulary! Enjoy this delightful video below!