Luck o' the Readers

If everyone's Irish on St. Patrick's Day, what we need is a patron saint of reading. Then, at least one day a year, everyone would be a reader.

Oh, I can dream, can't I?

Goodreads has some seasonal recommendations to get young readers into the spirit of the holiday - whether you want to impart some actual historical information about St. Patrick or stick to lighter fare.

And - this is especially for homeschoolers, because I just assume all elementary school teachers know about this treasure trove of a site - for anyone with young children, I highly recommend you turn on the printer and visit Enchanted Learning for some free printable books, St. Patrick's Day activity sheets, coloring pages, and read-aloud stories.

Now as you go off to read, be sure you're whistling a happy tune. 

Coming soon: The expanding Worst-Case Scenario

To clarify, the series is expanding. I like to think that by definition, the worst-case scenario couldn't expand to get worser. Right? We can hope...

Anyway, the very popular Worst-Case Scenario book, card, and board game survival series is introducing a new title for young readers, The Worst-Case Scenario Ultimate Adventure: Mars; available from Chronicle Books in September. Look for it...and look closely, there's a lot to see.

At the end of 5th grade, a child should be ready to manage a level V text without help. But don't stop there, parents of young readers! There's a lot more to the guided reading concept, and  parents can pick up the basics, quickly, thanks to this nice site from Duke University:
http://dukes.stark.k12.oh.us/marl/curriculum/guidrdg.html#dominie

A short list of sample comprehension questions at the end of the first page help parents who want to help their kids boost comprehension (and therefore, enjoyment...and grades!) as well as vocabulary and other basic reading skills. And isn't that really the best case scenario?