Dear Kindergarten Parents and Families:
We Need Your Help to
Expand Our Wonderful Class Library!
Download PDF version with sign-up form.
We are excited to be using joyful research-supported literacy strategies for building reading independence and stamina in our kindergarten. Our goal is to build language and reading skills while simultaneously supporting children in reading real books every day. Research consistently shows improved reading gains when children have great library resources and can choose their own books.
With so many children reading and re-reading several new books each week, we need more good books at the beginning reading levels:
- Wordless Picture Books
- ABC Books and Mother Goose Rhymes
- Highly Predictable Quality Literature
- Song Picture Books
- Engaging Books with Limited Vocabulary (but with great art and great stories!)
- Fascinating science books and magazines about the real world
There are some books which we can download from free internet resources, but they may need to be backed, laminated, and bound with tape.
- I have supplies to send home with anyone who can help put together some multiple copies of these books for us.
- We need to have sets of six of our favorite Read and Sing Little Books and Nursery Rhymes enlarged, backed, and laminated for guided reading.
- We need class sets of thirty Little Books folded or cut and stapled.
- We also need some poems and songs mounted and laminated from our poetry notebooks.
If you want to help us find good used books, we have lists available of some favorite books that you might look for at garage sales, used books sales, and second-hand bookstores. Here are other ways you might help:
- If your neighbors or relatives are cleaning out their children’s library, tell them you could use those books! (Bring them to us, and we will repair, use, or recycle them!)
- If you are cleaning your own bookshelves and want to bring a box or two of used books in good condition, we can take them to Powell’s bookstore in Portland or trade them for children’s books at a local secondhand bookstore.
- If anyone wants to buy something special for the kindergarten, there is nothing better than a wonderful new or used book!
- On your child’s birthday, consider letting him give the gift of a favorite book to our library. We will include a picture of your child.
- As an end-of-year salute to becoming a reader in kindergarten, consider letting your child donate one additional copy of his or her favorite book to our class library. We can include a photo of your child and their name with a note saying, “This is my favorite book.”
Research shows that the highest achieving schools and classrooms have the best collection of real books that engage young readers.
Thank you for helping us build our class library and being our partners in developing literacy.
With smiles and appreciation!
