Hello Book Bums families!
This week in the newsletter we're working on building the good habit of reading! Dr. Christy shares an idea for starting a buddy read with a friend as well as a fun way to enjoy and remember the books your kids read. Keep reading for some exciting Book Bums news! 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
salubrious (sa-loo-bree-us) adjective/describing word - promoting health or well-being
Many people try to build salubrious habits in the new year such as exercising regularly and getting enough sleep.
Literary Calendar
- January 12, 1876 is the birthday of American writer Jack London.
- He is famous for his adventure stories in the natural world including The Call of the Wild, White Fang, and The Sea Wolf.
- There is a Jack London State Historic Park in California, his birth state. Learn more about the author and the park here.
From our Bookshelves
I purchased this book for a friend for Christmas because I wanted to read it and have someone to talk about it with. I mean, isn’t that a great gift idea? A bit self-serving, perhaps, but everything’s better when done with a friend, right?
Outside of knowing I’d adored every other book I’ve read by Ann Patchett, I knew nothing of this one. Bel Canto means beautiful music in Italian, and it refers to a style of Italian opera. Had I known that I might have passed on reading this beautiful novel. In truth, I didn’t even consider the title—only the author—and I’m so glad I did!
The story takes place in a small Latin America country where folks of many different nationalities have gathered to celebrate the birthday of a Japanese electronics company executive in the country’s Vice President’s home. They’ve hired the spellbinding opera diva, Roxan Coss, to perform for the event and as Coss sings her final notes, a band of terrorists enters the scene. Bel Canto is the story of what happens in the following days, weeks, and months. It’s a beautifully told tale of hostages and terrorists who find unexpected gifts in their unfortunate circumstance.
Tips for Families
Long ago I heard lots of folks saying, “What gets measured gets done,” and I’ve found that to be true. But there are ways of measuring that inspire reading rather than simply requiring it.
When the kids you love (the ones old enough to read on their own) finish a book this year, how about you take a picture of your child holding the book and then print it? Nothing fancy required. Just print the picture on plain old printer paper. You might even have the kids hold up one, two, three, four, or five fingers to indicate how much they enjoyed the book. Add that picture to a cheap ol’ photo album and keep adding to it all year long. No one has to count how many books or the numbers of pages anyone has read, but you do want to acknowledge that your kids are reading every day. Keep the album out so you all can flip through it from time to time. There’s no quiz. No report to write. No reading log. Just a beautiful sense of satisfaction with each photo added to the album.
Remember, we don’t “make” kids read because a teacher told us we had to. We read books because that’s who we are. We’re a family who reads books.
Tips for Raising Readers and Writers
If you want to promote writing skills and teach your kids about the joy that comes with expressing well our gratitude to those who’ve been so generous with us, encourage them to write a simple but sincere thank you note for any gift they may have recently received.
Keep it simple. Don’t place a lot of demands. Just make yourself available to help in any way your child might request. That’s it. You’re beginning a new year making writing a joy-filled priority. Well done!
(Be sure the thank-you recipients know they’re supposed to gush over their cards in front of the kids who wrote them. That’s the inspirational magic.)
Wordology Workshop
- We highlight Latin and Greek word roots frequently in this newsletter because they show up in modern English vocabulary a lot; but English is a Germanic language, and it's words come from many sources.
- The word gush comes from Old English and possible Norse or Dutch before that.
- It is an onomatopoetic word, meaning it is meant to imitate sound, in this case the sound of rushing water.
- Gush is related to other words like gust and geyser.
Practical Grammar
(They sound so similar!)
I saw the word loll the other day, and I began to wonder if I’d been mistakenly using the word lull. It turns out that both loll and lull are words. They sound very similar, and they’re even somewhat related in meaning.
Loll means to recline lazily. It’s a verb.
The cat lolls on the sunny sidewalk.
When lull means to calm or soothe, it’s a verb.
The lullaby lulls the baby to sleep.
When lull means a temporary interval of quiet, it’s a noun.
There was a lull in the movie, and the kids were soon distracted.
News from Book Bums
We’re excited to share that this month we’ll be able to access our new space in Monroe. We’ve decided to chronicle our process of opening a tutoring center. We’ll share a bit of the decision-making, the cleaning, the decorating, the organizing, and the promoting of our business. The idea is that, perhaps, one day we’ll help others open their own tutoring centers even beyond SW Ohio.
Our new space is on Main Street (Cincinnati-Dayton Road) in the plaza pictured above. We’re toward the southern end (to the left in this photo) and we’re so excited to begin meeting our new neighbors in Monroe and beyond.
Tips for Teachers
After serving with some of our after-school students this week, I was reminded of an important teacher tip.
Remember, we are working with struggling beginning readers who have not yet learned all the letters and their corresponding sounds. These students are a bit behind, and there is a reason they are behind.
Was the teacher using insufficient curriculum? It’s possible.
Did they receive adequate instruction, but the kids missed it because they were inattentive? That’s possible too.
Did the child’s behavior deteriorate when he realized he wasn’t catching on to this reading thing and that acting bad is better than feeling dumb? That absolutely could be it.
Is the child simply incapable of learning? No. That’s not it. Every child we’ve served is bright and capable. The tricky part is helping kids to see that bright, capable child when they look in the mirror.
When the Faith Alliance asked for a proposal for the after-school programming, I planned to have five teachers for ten kids. I know that these kids need one-on-one attention to break through whatever it is that’s stopping them from making sufficient academic progress. We utilize skilled volunteers who help us to get to that one-to-one ratio, and even then it can be tough. You see, many (most?) of our students have flawed identities that we need to break through. I’m going to share how we do that at Book Bums and everywhere we serve struggling readers.
First, teachers must be firm and fair. We do not accept silly or disrespectful behaviors. We never yield our authority to children who are hoping we’re the adults who know how to help them. Without losing our tempers (with nearly no energy coming from us at all), we require the students do precisely what we’re asking them to do.
Remember, we never allow any of our energy to inadvertently reward undesired behaviors. (No puffs of breath, no eye rolls, no shaking of the head . . .)
“Roman, slide your finger under the word, look at each letter, and make the sounds you know.”
“I’ll put my finger on the top. You put yours underneath.”
“You must look at the book.”
“Yes! You’re looking! Now make the sounds you see with me.”
When the child does something you’ve asked him to do, you must praise him with the most energy-filled, sincere encouragement you can find in your heart—and then invite him to reflect upon how he feels.
“Whoa, Roman. You DID it! (hug) How does it feel knowing that you looked at the letters, you made the sounds right out loud, and you read that word perfectly?! Do you see what you can do when you accept my coaching? THIS is what you’re capable of, and I’m here to help you get better and better with each lesson we do together. I cannot wait to tell your dad how well you’re doing today! I’m so very proud of you.”
When the child misses the mark—no energy. No grudge. (We can do this all day . . .) We’re not getting angry. We’re just patiently waiting for the child to do one thing as we’ve asked. When he finally does, we’re going to gush about how impressive he is because he’s done what we asked him to do and that’s the important first step.
It’s not easy to keep your cool with kids who have become expert manipulators, but we’re the adults. We can do and we must do the hard things our students need us to do so they can learn to do hard things too.
When it comes to kids, they want our energy. They want to be seen. And it’s such a simple gift to give, isn’t it?
Just for Fun
(When it’s cold, I switch from one arm out from under the blankets to the other—so they’re both good and strong.)
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