Hello Book Bums families!
If you are ready to turn your attention to winter holiday preparations, we are here for you this week! We have craft and gift wrap ideas along with some holiday fiction. Dr. Christy also shares some important information on dyslexia.
Read on and enjoy!
Bookbums.com is an Amazon Associate; We earn from qualifying purchases. This means that if you click on a link to Amazon.com and make a purchase, We may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We do recommend the products. Feel free to find them by other means.
Word of the Week
benign (bi-nine) adjective/describing word - gentle, favorable, causing no harm
This medicine is benign, so it won't upset my stomach or make me itchy.
Literary Calendar
- On November 9, 1953, the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas died.
- He is author of a charming Christmas short story called "A Child's Christmas in Wales."
- Probably his most famous work is the poem, "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" about the death of his father.
From our Bookshelves
Some of my friends are already watching Hallmark Christmas movies. I even caught my own mother with one on her TV when I visited her place last week. Me? I am not a fan.
Admittedly, I baked a homemade apple pie the other day (homemade pie crust and all), and I watched Love Actually. I guess I’m conditioned to watch it when I’m doing holiday baking. Though it was a bit premature, it felt right. Anyway, though I know you’re likely just finishing up the last of your trick-or-treat candy, I wanted you to know that if you’re looking for a book that has all the Hallmark Christmas movie feels—I may have an idea for you or for a loved one.
But . . . to be honest, this book wasn’t for me. I thought it would be because the main character, Eva, is a busy business owner. Alas, this book (that feels a bit like A Christmas Carol –including time travel and a ghost) was one I might not have finished if finishing weren’t in my nature. I’d hoped for more of a Jan Karon’s Mitford Years series, and I got a book where a sad woman finally finds her joy one Christmas day. I mean, it does have a happy ending. But you knew that when I said “Hallmark Christmas movie,” right?
One review I saw said something like This is a good book to read if you’re trying to make your goal for books read on Goodreads. If “fast reads” is your measure of a book, this one IS short.
Content Warning: This book includes pregnancy loss.
Tips for Families
~image and idea from Thistle Key Lane
This project could be great for older elementary-age kids to make gifts for their loved ones. If you’re worried about burned fingers, kids can wear leather gardening gloves (like these) for added protection.
Supplies:
Styrofoam cone(s)
dark fabric strips, ribbon, or jute
glue gun and glue sticks
scissors and maybe garden clippers to cut cinnamon sticks if they’re too long
miniature pinecones (Find a friend or park with a hemlock tree.)
acorns and acorn caps (Find a friend or park with an oak tree.)
cinnamon sticks
a bag of unshelled mixed nuts
Directions:
Cover the Styrofoam cone with brown fabric, ribbon, or jute. Starting at the bottom, use a glue gun to add pinecones and other natural items such as nuts and cinnamon sticks to the tree.
Here’s another version of a pinecone tree that has more of a Christmas holiday vibe.
Speaking of pinecones, they’re pretty and pretty fascinating!
You probably know that conifer trees produce cones, but did you know they produce two kinds of cones on the same tree? There is a pollen cone and there is a seed cone.
The pollen cones aren’t overly noticeable, and once they’ve released their pollen into the wind they fall off. The seed cones become those woody cones we think of when we think of pinecones. Each tree’s pinecone is specifically designed to capture its own kind of pollen.
One article likened those female pinecones that catch pollen to wind turbines that channel pollen to maximize pollination. The pinecone closes up, and the pollen makes its way to the egg. When the pinecone is fully mature, on a warm, dry day, its scales open to release seeds that were formed to act a bit like wings to maximize the possibility of landing in a new plot of land to grow. Pinecones remain closed until the weather is right for pollination to take place. Pinecones remain closed for 2-3 years, and you can even find pinecones of different ages on the same tree.
Wordology Workshop
- You may remember that the Latin root con means with or together.
- Did you know that con is a root in Greek as well? It means cone.
- This Greek root gives us English words such as cone, conical, and conifer.
Tips for Raising Readers and Writers
Finally, and here’s the best part, have the kids write the names of the gift recipients on a tag made of this same craft paper. This can be done with the white marker pens or (to really motivate your kids) with clear embossing pens. If you choose to emboss the names (which is magical!), the kids can write the name, sprinkle on the white (or any color) powder, and shake off the excess (as you would with glitter). Then you’ll use a heat gun over the markings and watch the magic happen. Your kids will be so enthused to make many more of those beautiful, raised letters.
If your child’s handwriting isn’t so hot, check out our handwriting curriculum that’s for sale for only $50. You can say to your kids that you’d like their help with gift wrapping, but they’ll need to practice their handwriting, for an hour a day for five days, to do a great job. You can even offer to pay them for helping with gift tag making because they’re making your load lighter. This is not a bribe. It’s an incentive. And you’re giving your kids a purpose for practicing. If they love it, you can even invite them to raise money by offering to make gift tags for other family members. What a lovely way to equip and inspire your kids to work at something you want for them!
Practical Grammar
Just in case you were wondering, if you’re using the plural of antenna, if it’s those things used to get a signal on the TV, they’re antennas. If it’s those things on living creatures, it’s antennae /an-ten-ee/.
That’s weird, huh?
News from Book Bums
This week we received an updated definition for dyslexia from the International Dyslexia Association. This update is important for moving educators into a broader understanding of underlying issues associated with dyslexia while also moving us away from outdated concepts. The attention to early intervention is a welcome addition. Though the definition will likely continue to be updated as we learn more, it offers a common lens through which educators determine children’s academic needs.
Dyslexia is a specific learning disability characterized by difficulties in word reading and/or spelling that involve accuracy, speed, or both and vary depending on the orthography. These difficulties occur along a continuum of severity and persist even with instruction that is effective for the individual’s peers. The causes of dyslexia are complex and involve combinations of genetic, neurobiological, and environmental influences that interact throughout development. Underlying difficulties with phonological and morphological processing are common but not universal, and early oral language weaknesses often foreshadow literacy challenges. Secondary consequences include reading comprehension problems and reduced reading and writing experience that can impede growth in language, knowledge, written expression, and overall academic achievement. Psychological well-being and employment opportunities also may be affected. Although identification and targeted instruction are important at any age, language and literacy support before and during the early years of education is particularly effective.
~ International Dyslexia Association
Please note that, at Book Bums, we approach every learner as if they have dyslexia because the instruction dyslexic students must receive to access our code-based language benefits every learner. Kids with more severe dyslexia can take longer to make it through our progression of lessons, but they can and do learn to read and spell well.
Tips for Teachers
As we work with students who may have dyslexia, nothing changes for those using Book Bums’ Foundations for Literacy curriculum for it is recommend that these students receive explicit and systematic phonics instruction using a multisensory format. Our instruction focuses on the structure of language, phonology, orthography, morphology (especially those impacting unexpected spellings and pronunciations), and semantics. Our students benefit from the books we read with them as well as the plentiful fun-focused activities for practicing reading and spelling. Because we are continually providing encouraging, corrective feedback our students grow more confident with each lesson.
We get outstanding results because our teachers do what it takes to move students forward—and they make it fun!
Just for Fun
If you know someone who would benefit from our newsletter or tutoring at Book Bums, please share this email with them! Thank you.
Copyright © 2024 Book Bums, All rights reserved
Our mailing address is:
7967 Cincinnati-Dayton Road Suite L
West Chester, OH 45069