By Denyse Doerries, Sue Land, Lee Anne Sulzberger
Nov./Dec.. 2002
This new feature of Link Lines is devoted to providing information to parents and guardians of children with disabilities. In the last issue of Link Lines, we introduced some websites that families might find useful. This edition of Parents’ Place focuses on several interesting resources found at http://www.schwablearning. org.
The Schwab Learning website, a service of the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation, is designed specifically for parents of children with learning differences. The site is organized into four distinct sections; 1. Identifying Learning Differences, 2. Managing Learning Differences, 3. Connecting with Others, and 4. My Tools to Plan and Progress. Each of the sections provides links to a variety of free resources, including downloadable articles and kits, bulletin boards for connecting with other parents, and email access to experts in various fields. The Schwab site also includes a link on the main page to a Spanish-language section for individuals wishing to access resources written in Spanish.
Two items of particular interest on schwablearning.org are the downloadable resources 25 Fun Ways to Encourage Reading and Bridges to Reading™. 25 Fun Ways to Encourage Reading is a user-friendly booklet that includes practical games and strategies for adults to use at home with their children to encourage reading. A sample of one of the ideas is included at the end of this article.
Another valuable resource for parents is Bridges to Reading™ What To Do When You Suspect Your Child Has A Reading Problem: A Kit of First-Step Strategies. The second edition of this kit is available online as a series of five downloadable booklets. Among the topics addressed are Understanding Reading Problems; Getting Your Child Tested for Reading Problems and Understanding the Results, and The IEP Process.
To access the articles on the Schwab site, click on My Tools on the main web page. From the next page, click on Free Publications/More Articles to see the array of items available. To sample one of the resources, try the tip below from 25 Fun Ways to Encourage Reading!
#13: Teaching the Value of Books (K-Grade 5)
Show by example how books can be valuable parts of everyone’s lives.
Ingredients
Books, books, and more books!
Directions
Reward your child with books or with an extra bedtime story. Ask friends and
relatives to give books as gifts, requesting that they make the gift more special
by inscribing a special note to your child inside. If they are books that they
loved as children, ask them to explain to your child why [the] book[s] meant
so much to them.
Bonus Tip
Bring a book with you wherever you go—[to the] doctor’s office, on
the bus, to the park—and encourage your child to do the same. She may be
surprised how often a book can come in handy!©
© Copyright 2001, 2002 SchwabLearning.org. Reprinted with permission of Schwab Learning. For more information, please visit http://www.schwablearning.org
If you have questions or concerns that you would like addressed in this column, please send your comments to Denyse Doerries (dbdoer@wm.edu) or Sue Land (saland@wm.edu).
Happy reading!
Denyse, Sue, & Lee Anne
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