Get Ready to Read! Newsletter
May 2007

Feature
"Promoting Family Literacy: Raising Ready Readers." We know that promoting family literacy is important to future reading and school success, but does that mean parents should be prepared to read 100 books a week to their preschoolers? Of course not. While family literacy activities are often based in reading, there are lots of other ways families can conduct literacy activities at home through picture books, songs, poetry and storytelling.

Early Literacy Activity: Walk on a Letter
Try this activity to help children become familiar with the names and shapes of the letters of the alphabet. Look here each month for a different engaging, child-friendly, and fun activity idea!

Literacy Term of the Month
Explicit Instruction

News Briefs
Enter your elementary school in a library makeover contest, learn how Congress is moving to end the use of a standardized test for preschool children, find out how Parents as Teachers can increase a child's learning aptitude, and much more in this month's News Briefs.

Ask GRTR!
Look here every month to find the answers to frequently asked questions from our help e-mail box. This month, read about our recently updated Web site that makes it even easier to use the online version of the screening tool.

Resources for Parents
This month, search for summer camps in your area, enter your teacher into the Reading Rockets Teacher Appreciation Week contest, find out about the updated NCLD Parent Center, and more!

Resources for Educators
Find high-quality teaching and learning materials, read an interview discussing easy ideas to support early learning, find out about the latest in school readiness, the transition to kindergarten, and more.

News from the Field
In this month's News from the Field, find out how one poster session participant at this year's National Center for Family Literacy Conference has used the Get Ready to Read! screening tool and resources.