March Madness and The Newbery Award

The Newbery Medal is awarded to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. This year the award went to Kwame Alexander for The Crossover.  While Kwame Alexander uses basketball as a hook to interest readers, The Crossover is about so much more.  It’s about family, brothers, identity, the consequences of our actions, and family illness. But one of my favorite things about this book is that it is told in verse! Once you have finished watching The Final Four, grab The Crossover (and a box of
tissues) and enjoy the 2015 Newbery Award Winner. Recommended for grade 5 and above.


Here is an interview with Kwame Alexander as he talks about The Crossover and writing:

Poet’s novel turns young sports lovers into book lovers

Reading 20 Minutes a Day

One of my favorite routines with my six-year old son is snuggling up on the couch and sharing a great book. With the many demands put on families, I know how hard it can be to find the time to read together or for your child to read independently, but the rewards are numerous.

Besides the joy of getting lost in a great story, the amount of reading a student does is a major factor in vocabulary growth.  The more the student sees a new word in connected text, the deeper the understanding becomes of a word. The graphic below shows the vast difference in the number of words a child will encounter throughout a school year based on the number of minutes he reads. It is a great graphic to share with your child to reinforce the importance and the reasons for nightly reading.  Happy Reading!