ERIC Number: EJ840727
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009
Pages: 4
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0009-4056
EISSN: N/A
Story Letters
Chakraborty, Basanti; Stone, Sandra
Childhood Education, v85 n4 p242-G Sum 2009
Children's literature is a significant segment of the book market, and includes authors with household names like Dr. Seuss and Eric Carle. Even celebrities are in on the fun, with their own titles on the best seller lists. Along with the increased visibility of children's literature, parents have become better informed and more interested in the books and stories their children read, in and outside the classroom. They also may look to teachers for suggestions on how to choose good books for home reading. This article presents an Idea Sparker submitted by Kathy R. Fox. One way in which she communicates about children's literature choices is with Story Letters. These one-page communications can be compared to "Book Notes" in the New Yorker or "Book Talk" in Instructor Magazine. Whatever book she has read with her class in a given week, she turns into a Story Letter. These letters go home on Friday afternoons as a family communication tool about literature. They serve as a link from classroom reading to the children's homes. In her classroom, the letters are written both in English and Spanish, but they could be written in any language as long as the teacher is able to communicate about the book. Parent volunteers can help produce the letters, making it a routine and easy practice to manage. The letters communicate about the classroom curriculum as well as the wealth of fine children's literature available today. In this article, Fox describes how to do the Story Letters and includes an example of a Story Letter to parents and a Story Letter template. (Contains 6 online resources.)
Descriptors: Childrens Literature, Teaching Methods, Emergent Literacy, Developmentally Appropriate Practices, Parent Teacher Cooperation, Instructional Design
Association for Childhood Education International. 17904 Georgia Avenue Suite 215, Olney, MD 20832. Tel: 800-423-3563; Tel: 301-570-2111; Fax: 301-570-2212; e-mail: headquarters@acei.org; Web site: http://www.acei.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Early Childhood Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A