Ellen Donaldson is our new School Engagement Coordinator. She will be working closely with teachers and volunteers to facilitate reading sessions.
Her entire thirty year teaching career was spent in the Grandview School District educating first and second graders. She has a Masters Degree from UMKC in Reading Instruction. She taught more than 600 students how to read during her career as a elementary school teacher. Ellen is excited to work with students, teachers, and volunteers to help improve third grade literacy in our community.
If you need tips for reading with your student, book title suggestions, or if you’re a teacher or site coordinator with questions – email her at ellen@leadtoreadkc.org
Check out her first “Reader Tip Sheet”:
Tips for Figuring out a Word
Chunk the word
Look for a chunk you know (-ing, -and, -art)
Look for a word part you know (be-, -er)
Skip it, Skip it!
Skip the word.
Read to the end of the sentence.
Hop back and re-read it.
Stretch out the word
Stretch the word out slowly.
Put the sounds together to figure out the word.
Look at the picture
Look at the pictures for clues to help figure out the word.
Get your lips ready
Say the first few sounds of the word out loud.
Flip the Vowel Sound
Try the other vowel sound.
Flip a short sound for a long sound and vice versa.
Check the picture and check the words
Look back and forth at the pictures and the words.
Does it look right? Does it sound right?
Does it make sense?
