Get Ready to Read! News, May 2006

Feature: Planning Ahead for a Successful Start to Kindergarten
May is the perfect month for many things like: planting flowers, putting away your winter coats, and stocking up on bug spray.  Did you know that May is also an ideal month for parents and early childhood providers to make plans for boosting their existing efforts for preparing their children for the first day of school in the fall? Well, it is. And it is easier to do (and more fun) than you might think. 

Early Literacy Activity: First Sound Sort
Try this activity to help children learn to isolate the first sound in a word. Look here each month for a different engaging, child-friendly, and fun activity idea!

Literacy Word of the Month
phonological awareness

News Briefs
Find out about a new "Lifelong Literacy" Web site, interesting upcoming conferences, how early literacy pays off, and other news from the world of early childhood and early literacy.

Ask Get Ready to Read!
Look here every month to find the answers to frequently asked questions from our help e-mail box. This month, we answer a question about copying and distributing materials printed from our website free of charge.

Resources for Parents
This month, check out NCLD's new online Parent Center, a summer reading club for kids, guidelines for choosing quality early education, and much more. 

Resources for Educators
Find out about useful new books and online resources, and get tips for promoting print awareness and comprehension skills in your young readers.

News from the Field
One of the reasons the GRTR! screening tool is a valuable resource in early childhood settings is because it can be used to inform classroom practice. The Girls Preparatory School (Girls Prep) in New York City found that the tool can also inform home practices as well.