Please take a look at United Way's Women’s Leadership Giving Society’s new local Born Learning website:

www.uwsummit.org/bornlearning

There is so much content here. We hope that you find it useful and will pass it on to others. Please feel free to use whatever works for you program and watch for information on fall workshops on using the materials found on this web site and other great information and ideas to spice up your classroom and share with your parents.

Read a book aloud or have the whole class read the same book, then do some of these activities.

• Design bookmarks or create a craft based on a character or event from the book.
  There are many craft ideas at: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/ 

• Play a game:

  • Make your own word find game at http://www.edhelper.com/wordfind.htm
     

  • Play a verson of Quidditch from Harry Potter: http://www.harvington.org.uk/guides/Quidditch.htm
     

  • Make up a bingo game using characters, objects, and events from the book you read.

• Read about the book’s author.

• Have a classroom coffeehouse, where students can have drinks & snacks with their books.

• Have the class act out a book or story with costumes, props, etc.

• Break the class into mini book groups and have each group read & discuss a different book.

• Read a book that was made into a movie, like Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White, then watch the movie and have popcorn afterwards.

• Read a book based on a movie and play the soundtrack from the movie or other related songs.

• Make a food from the book, or cook a recipe inspired by it. Try Fairy Tale Feasts by Jane Yolen.

• Check out a book like Janice VanCleave's 201 Awesome, Magical, Bizarre, and Incredible Experiments, and do some fun science experiments.

• Listen to a book on tape as a class activity.

• Have a newspaper/magazine scavenger hunt, or check out Library Sparks magazine, Jan 2006 issue, page 6 for a scavenger hunt using nonfiction books.

• Try a Reader’s Theater story using a book like Reader’s Theater for Beginning Readers by Suzanne I. Barchers.

• Take a field trip to your local library or book store, or read with the adults at a senior center.
  

FOR VALENTINE’S DAY

• Read from a Valentine’s Day joke book: Olive you!: and other Valentine knock-knock jokes you’ll a-door by Katy Hall.

• Read silly poems aloud or individually (try It’s Valentine’s Day by Jack Prelutsky) and talk about them or do a craft or another related activity.

• Have the class write silly or extremely mushy Valentine cards or Valentine poems and read them aloud.

• Read a Valentine’s Day book such as Love Bug by David A. Carter or Let’s Celebrate Valentine’s Day by Peter Roop, and make crafts: http://www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/valentines/ or pop-up cards: http://robertsabuda.com/popmakesimple.asp

Announcing a great new resource for families. Its a one-stop source for enrichment and tutoring activities for after school and during the summer. Check it out at www.ctusa.org/plugins.

A project of Summit Education Initiative and the Coming Together Project.

Do you want to help others strengthen their reading skills? If so, contact your local school or The Volunteer Center for volunteer opportunities: 330.762.7601 or visit their website.