Get Ready to Read!

http://www.getreadytoread.org/

is designed to support educators, parents, and young children in the development of early literacy skills in the years before kindergarten. Intended for use with all children, the resources and information provided on this site promote skill-building, communication between adults, and ways to address concerns. GetReadytoRead.org is one of the National Center for Learning Disabilities' websites. There are three important ways that this site hopes to benefit children, adolescents and adults nationwide with learning disabilities- to Inform: by creating and disseminating essential information for parents and educators, providing help and hope, To Innovate: by developing and delivering programs and promote research to improve instruction, assessment and support services for individuals with learning disabilities, and to Advocate: they mobilize parents to strengthen rights and opportunities for all individuals who struggle to learn.

            The site offers early learning news and resources on guides to social and emotional learning, implementing RTI in early childhood settings, Early Learning Observation and Rating Scales (ELORS), and links to free children’s books online. Along with many resources are early literacy games and webinars, literacy checklists and tips for parents. The site offers everything you need to help you get your child ready to read, such as screening tools, transitioning to kindergarten tool kits, skill-building activities, and early learning and childhood basics resources.

            The site offers thirty-six skill-building activity cards that are fun, engaging, child-friendly early literacy activities to try with 3- to 5-year-old children. It gives you new ideas for bringing literacy activities into your classroom, home, and daily routine. The cards are free and easy to print. The cards can be used with different leveled readers. The site offers a screening tool to help you decide whether to start with “beginning” activities, “making progress” activities, or “ready to read” activities, or you can just use your knowledge of your child’s skills. The activities are organized by skill level and type of skill – in the areas of print knowledge, emergent writing, and linguistic awareness. Each activity card states which specific skill the activity addresses.

            I chose this site because I felt it would help me not only with my students but also to share with my parents, so that they can get information on ways to build their child’s literacy skills. Although, the site is intended for students with learning disabilities, I feel this site can still be helpful for my emergent readers. The most resourceful thing I could take back to my classroom and share with my students are the activity cards. 

Source:

http://www.getreadytoread.org/