Prose talks and Poetry sings
May 19, 2018
I have the privilege to get to know people through reading with them
I am always impressed and rewarded by the many ideas brought to me in our shared reading.
Just recently I was introduced to a poem by a 6th grader—she made the connection of
this poem to the many ideas embedded in the book we were reading together.
Poems give words to thoughts and feeling and a magical synergy happens when a poem is read in tandem with a book. As an experiment, try and pair a poem with what you are currently reading and see if you can find a connection. The worst thing that can happen is that you will end up reading more poetry.
Read on its own, this poem stands on its own.
Greener Grass, Erin Hanson
What if grass is greener on the other side,
Because it’s always raining there,
Where the ones who never fail to give,
Hardly have enough to spare,
Where the people with the broadest smiles,
Have pillows filled with tears,
And the bravest ones you’ve ever known,
Are crippled by their fears,
It’s filled with lonely people,
But they’re never seen alone,
Where those that lack real shelter,
Make you feel the most at home,
Maybe their grass looks greener,
Because they’ve painted on its hue,
Just remember from the other side,
Your grass looks greener too.
Mothers hold their children’s hands for a short while, but their hearts forever.
May 14, 2018
I am not much for the Hallmark Holidays and Mother’s Day ranks right up there, but I do like the sentiments that can be inside Mother’s Day. I share a few below A favorite Jewish Proverb and one I whole heartedly believe in. God could not be everywhere and therefore he created mothers. One of […]
No need for a book on how to talk to children
May 1, 2018
Speaking with some people in their mid 30’s I was sad to hear how many of them view reading as a means to an end—they very much coral their reading into the world of prescriptive nonfiction‚ believing what they cannot quantify, such as the value of reading fiction, is of little value. Those who read […]
Stories are powerful because they speak to your mind, heart and imagination.
February 27, 2018
Facts, data and numbers will never have a story’s power to influence simply because a story speaks to the mind, heart and imagination. Harold Goddard wrote in The Meaning of Shakespeare, “The destiny of the world is determined less by the battles that are lost and won than by the stories it loves and believes […]
Harvard Study highlights the importance of questions & Conversational Reading looks to ask good questions
February 26, 2018
As parents, we can help our children practice a regular habit of asking good questions through the stories we read. Hone your skills of “Conversational Reading” with the literacy and language expert who coined the phrase herself, Diane Frankenstein. Register now for her Beginner, Advanced and Enriched Conversational Reading classes, March 3-10, 2018! In the […]
