If
you find it challenging to choose quality books that are appropriate for your
child's reading level and that would appeal to his or her interests, you are
not alone. The creators of the Database
of Award Winning Children's Literature agree that helping your child choose
a book that interests him or her or even trying to purchase books as gifts for
children are not easy tasks. Their database
has search features that allow you to search using as few or as many of the
following search fields as you would like: author, title, age of reader, historical
period, awards won, multicultural topics, ethnicity of protagonist, gender of
protagonist, presence of languages other than English, or year published. Any
award winning title will be in this database, so you can be sure you'll find
a quality book that you and your child will be satisfied with.
Reading
is a great activity to do together as a family. The Reading
is Fundamental website provides parents with a plethora of ideas for enriching
reading activities, ways to enjoy reading together as a family, and offers several
distance learning programs for children. It also has a news and events page
where parents can read about the latest RIF programs and initiatives as well
as literacy-related topics in the news today.
This site, hosted by the ERIC
Database, gives parents access to several online magazine issues dedicated
to further the cause of family literacy by bringing parents and children together
to discover the magic of reading. The issues available have stories and poems
for children of all ages that can be read online by your child or by both
of you together. Each issue also has several articles that help parents involve
children in literacy-related activities in fun and inventive ways.
The King County Library System
in Washington has an excellent Homework
Help section for students in grades 4-12. It has different categories
for you to choose from-everything from "Animals, Insects, and Birds"
to "Music." Be sure to check out the "How
to do Research/Library Skills" and the "Literature
& Writing" categories to find out different strategies to research
a topic and to find resources on poetry, grammar, mythology, fables, English
writers, American writers… the list goes on! This is an excellent site
to begin researching just about any topic under the sun!
Are
you a person who likes to tell others your opinion? Or, do you like to find
out a little about a book before you decide to read it? If so, the Spaghetti
Book Club is for you! This web site can help you find a book you like because
it lets you read about what other kids thought of a book after they read it.
It also gives you the opportunity to write a review a book and post your review
online to help another kid who is looking for a good read. You can search for
books by title, author, or reviewers' names.
If you are looking for that
perfect word…and you just can't seem to think of it, try the Word
Central website! It has an online rhyming dictionary, a verse composer
that helps you write lyrics, songs, or poems, a news and information section,
and a daily buzz word you can have e-mailed to you. This site is an excellent
place to go if you want some ideas about things to write about or if you need
a thesaurus or dictionary during writing and you don't have them handy.
Scholastic's
web site is made just for kids! Whether you want to find out more about your
favorite author or make a card for your mom's birthday, Scholastic
is the place to go! You can find out about the latest news or enter fun contests
and play hilarious games. There are also sections that allow you to rate software
and read reviews that others have written. One thing you probably can't do on
this site is get bored, because it changes all of the time! Check it out.
What
kind of books do you like to read? Mysteries? Fairy Tales? Biographies? Scary
stories? Fantasies? Sports? Humor? Whatever your choice, Book
Hive is for you! You can read interviews with your favorite authors, create
your own personal book list to keep track of what you have read, and find more
books like the ones you have loved reading. Buzz, buzz, buzz…
So
you want to be famous? Then the Kid News
website might just give you your big break! You can publish your original stories
and poetry on this site for free, and the world can read what you have to say.
While you're at it, be sure to check out writing that other kids have published.
You can also read reviews submitted by kids about software, video games, books,
and more, and you can submit your own reviews as well!
If you love reading magazines
and you love being online, then National
Geographic Kids is the site for you! Not only are there tons of great
articles to read about interesting animals and places, but there are fun activities
to do, too! You can create your own cartoon at the cartoon factory, explore
places all over the world, get homework help, and join the National
Geographic Book Club for Kids! What a great way to spend time surfing
the web!
FunBrain
is a family-friendly site for children and adults. The "Parents Place"
section allows parents to search for educational games their children might
enjoy and has parent-kid challenges to foster a little friendly intellectual
competition between parents and children. This part of the site also has a
list of resources for parents who want more information about learning disabilities,
family finance, educational software, fun activity ideas, and more. While
not everything on this site relates to literacy, games such as "Grammar
Gorillas" and "Plural Girls" can be found in the Language
Arts game section, complete with recommended grade levels. These games
are a great way to give your child practice with literary concepts and allow
them to have some fun at the same time.
Having
trouble getting your child interested in reading over the summer? Or anytime?
Book Adventure has so many resources
for parents and children to make reading fun and exciting, and they are all
free!! This site allows children to take quizzes (much like the Accelerated
Reader program in schools) on books that they have read and has a reward program
for kids that parents can take advantage of as well. The database of quizzes
is quite extensive and is continually being added to, so you are sure to find
a book your child will enjoy out of the hundreds of titles from which to choose.
If you need extra help, Rex and Bailey's Book Room will provide you with a list
updated every three months with help from the International Reading Association.
Check out the Parents' Place
for specific information for parents!
Carol
Hurst's site for children's
literature is one of the most comprehensive children's literature web sites
around. There is a featured book list, reviews of literature submitted by children,
tips for parents on how to raise great readers, and a free e-newsletter that
is published monthly. This site provides accurate and professional information
on anything new or old in children's literature!
This
site provides excellent online literacy resources for parents and children.
Not only are these sites educational, they are lots of fun, too! A child
experiences the most growth in literacy development when his or her whole
family becomes involved in reading and writing activities together. For
this reason, many of these sites include features that parents and children
can enjoy together or separately.
Dive
into literacy together! It's an adventure!
Literacy
Links for Parents and Children
