Reading aloud is a great way to spend time with your children – and it may be even more important to kids than you think. In a TEDx talk, Columbia University Teachers College professor Rebecca Bellingham explains what makes reading aloud so magical. Check out the full video below! Bellingham, who teaches in the Literacy Specialist Program at Columbia, used her talk to explore the things that make reading aloud important. For kids, Bellingham argues, reading aloud is the key to getting “inside” a book. Bellingham speaks specifically about reading Charlotte’s Web, the classic E.B. White book, and how it opened …
If you grew up in the United States, there’s a good chance you once read the mass market copy of To Kill a Mockingbird. Older readers will remember a purple cover with an illustration of a night scene, while younger ones may remember silhouetted cover art. But soon, copies like that will be a thing of the past: Harper Lee’s estate has put an end to the cheaper mass market edition. Book Buttons Embed ISBN: 9780446310789 It’s a tough break for readers and school districts, which will now have to opt for larger trade paperbacks that retail for nearly twice …
Which of the world’s countries is the most literate? A new study used multiple “literate behavior characteristics” to come up with an overall score for each nation. Finland bested the United States and United Kingdom easily, finishing first overall. The study was conducted John Miller, the president of Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, Connecticut. It’s not limited strictly to individuals’ literacy rates – instead, Miller looked at things like number of libraries, number of households with computers, and literacy test scores. The top ten most literate countries are: Finland Norway Iceland Denmark Sweden Switzerland United States of America Germany …
The great thing about the fantasy and science fiction genres is that the authors make the rules. That means reality doesn’t have to get in the way of a idea. Authors use this power to create huge worlds and write powerful plots. They also use it to make up totally sweet fortresses – which brings us to the point of this very important list. In this list, we’re sharing the 10 most totally awesome fortresses ever to grace the worlds of science fiction and fantasy. If we left out your favorite, lay siege to the comments section. Barad-dûr/Mordor From The …
Great news for fans of Jeff Kinney and his acclaimed Diary of a Wimpy Kid series: a new Wimpy Kid book is due out this year! The new book will be the 11th installment in the popular series, and it’s planned for a November 1 release. Jeff Kinney announced the new book on his website this week. The November 1 release date will hold true all around the world – Jeff’s international publishers will release the new book in at least 20 countries on the same day that his US publisher, Abram’s Amulet, releases the book here. The new Wimpy Kid story will …
