Tag Archives: Educators

Diversity, Educator Resources

Reading Sight Words Automatically and Accurately

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Reading Conferences #4

In the fourth post of our Reading Conferences with Beginning Readers blog series, our literacy team shares how to read sight words automatically and accurately. This post is taken from our free, downloadable Reading Conferences by Bebop Books guide.

What are sight words and why are they important?

Sight words are words that children have learned to recognize without having to decode. Sight words are some of the most frequently used words in English and some of the first words early readers learn to recognize on sight and read. Level A, B, and C books are filled with these familiar words. When children read books at these levels, they should be able to recognize the words they have learned and read them automatically. Continue reading →

Educator Resources, Guest Blogger Post

Add Magic to Read Alouds with Novel Effect

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In this guest blog post, certified special educator and Chief of Education for Novel Effect Melody Zagami Furze  introduces Novel Effect, a free voice interactive storytelling app that can “add music, sounds, and even characters’ voices, simply by reading a book out loud” to enrich the storytelling experience with kids. Lee & Low is excited to have soundtracks for several of our books available now on Novel Effect!

As an early childhood educator and now a parent, I know how exhausting it can be to squeeze in all the classroom activities you need in a single day. We created Novel Effect so that story time can be an achievable daily goal for you and your students, especially the ones who may find it extra hard to sit still until the end of a book.

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Diversity, Educator Resources

Watch the Webinar: Guided Reading in Kindergarten

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Thank you to everyone who joined us last week for our webinar, “Guided Reading in Kindergarten”! If you missed it live (or just want to watch again), here is a recording of the webinar:

Click below for our free Reading Conferences with Your Beginning Readers document and a one-hour professional development certificate. You can also learn more about Bebop Books and our leveled reading collections by clicking below.

Reading Conferences with Your Beginning Readers
Professional Development Certificate
Bebop Books
Leveled Reading Collections

Have additional questions or comments? Please leave them below in the comments!
Diversity, Diversity, Race, and Representation, Educator Resources, General

The Power of Athlete Activists: Making Connections in the Classroom

Athletes have the power and ability to inspire social action, even though they may face criticism that their work should be “left on the field.” Colin Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback, began #takeaknee by kneeling for the national anthem during an NFL football game in 2017. When people questioned him about his intentions, he stated, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a country that oppresses black people and people of color…”.

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Book Lists by Topic, Diversity, Diversity, Race, and Representation, Educator Resources

Using Children’s Books to Address Anxiety in Schools

There are many different factors behind why anxiety and depression have increased in children in recent years: limitations on free play, social media use, the current state of the political climate in this country, and more. According to a study about the lifetime prevalence of mental disorders in adolescents (ages 13-18) from the United States, nearly one in three fit the criteria for an anxiety disorder. The Center for Disease Control found that 32% of teens reported persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness in a study that ranged from 2007 to 2017. Mental health awareness is crucial for all of us, and it needs to be discussed with children starting at an early age.

Books are a great way to bring up these topics to let children know that it’s okay to talk about these things, especially through the lens of a beloved character or riveting storyline. Continue reading →

Diversity, Race, and Representation, Educator Resources

Watch the Webinar: Teaching Tough Topics with Children’s Literature

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Thank you to everyone who joined us this week for our webinar, “Teaching Tough Topics with Children’s Literature”! If you missed it live (or just want to watch again), here is a recording of the webinar:


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Diversity, Educator Resources

How to Use Pictures to Help Students Read in Kindergarten

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In the third post of our Reading Conferences with Beginning Readers blog series, our literacy team shares how to use pictures to help children read text. This post is taken from our free, downloadable Reading Conferences by Bebop Books guide.

Teaching valuable reading skills and behaviors is essential in the beginning of kindergarten. When children start to read and engage with texts at levels A, B, and C, they need to know different strategies to use when they come to a word they don’t know or have to figure out what’s happening in the story.

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Educator Resources, General

Webinar Update: Teaching Tough Topics with Children’s Literature

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Teaching Tough Topics with Children's Literature

Our highly anticipated webinar, “Teaching Tough Topics with Children’s Literature” has been rescheduled for Wednesday, October 3, 2018 at 4:00 PM EDT!

Join us for our timely webinar with panelists Jinnie Spiegler, Director of Curriculum at Anti Defamation League (ADL) and Katie Potter, Literacy Specialist at Lee & Low Books to discuss how to talk to young people about topics such as: bullying, bias, what’s happening in the news, allyship, and action through worthy books and corresponding activities and resources.

At the end of this webinar, participants will receive a toolkit that features book lists relevant to the topics, free resources about these issues, links to relevant websites, and a one-hour professional development certificate.

Date: Wednesday, October 3, 2018
Time: 4:00 PM EDT/1:00 PM PDT
How to Join: You can register here.

Registration is FREE, but space is limited so register today! Even if you can’t attend live, you can still register and we will send a recording of the webinar to all registrants after the webinar takes place.

If you have any questions or particular topics you would like to see covered, feel free to leave them in the comments.

Educator Resources

What Does Guided Reading in Levels A, B, and C Mean?

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Reading Conferences with Your Beginning Readers

In the second post of our Reading Conferences with Beginning Readers blog, our literacy team discusses leveled texts for Kindergarten and what students should learn at levels A through C. This post is taken from our free, downloadable Reading Conferences by Bebop Books guide.

Don’t miss our first post sharing reading conferencing strategies for beginning readers.

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