Summer is my favorite reading time, I love to read and spend time with exciting characters for a long period of time without a need to rush my reading.  But how can we instill this love for reading into our children when books have to compete with digital tools, devices, and multimedia gadgets? Daniel Willingham at the Atlantic has a great article about it:

Change your home so that reading is the most appealing activity available.

He urges us not to put daily reading targets or to offer rewards for reading, but simply provide kids with easy access to books and giving an opportunity for us all to quiet down and enjoy a good story.

Sounds like fun!

Many linguistic groups are becoming vocal about the need to ensure that the youngest members of their communities keep their linguistic heritage. Most researchers also agree that children benefit from reading in their mother tongue, even if it isn’t their language of instruction. That is one of the key guiding principles for our Language Policy and Library Guidelines h
ere at KIS.

There are important cultural and linguistic reason’s why regardless of how good one knows a second language, education in ones mother tongue can significantly improve the mental ability of students. Although sometimes we do not have access to formal Mother Tongue Education due to lack of resources or other reasons, we can always try to provide children access to books, audio books, and videos in their native language. 

We aim to address this issue in our weekly home learning grids by providing opportunities for students to discuss, find out, and reflect on their Unit of Inquiry in their Mother Tongue.

Access KIS Online Library

1. navigate to KIS webpage: www.kis.ac.th. Choose  KIS Portal at the top of the page, your  Patron type (parent/student), then choose Library.
2. alternatively you can navigate directly to the http://klib.kis.ac.th/ and bookmark it!

PYP Online resources: On the KIS Library page we provide you with a variety of online resources you can use with your child to support learning,  to assist with homework or just fun things to do.

Primary School Library Main Page

Koha online catalog

KOHA :

Top of the page we have Online Public Access Catalog called KOHA. You can use it to search all KIS library materials and also view yours and your child’s loan list if you have a library membership. If you wish to apply for the library membership, please send your full name, your child’s name and your e-mail address to kislibrary@kis.ac.th. The Manual for using KOHA is at the bottom of the page. (Also available here)

Tumblebooks

Tumble Books: Tumble Books allows you access to a wide variety of e-books at many levels. The books are easy to access and provide you with additional guided reading with the highlighted text option available. There are books available in English, French, and Spanish.  These are great for pleasure reading and reading on your device when on holiday.

The SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s children’s literacy website

Storyline Online: This site streams imaginatively produced videos featuring celebrated actors reading children’s books alongside creatively produced illustrations, helping to inspire a love of reading in children.

outstanding historical and contemporary books from throughout the world

International Children’s Digital Library: Books for Most Mother Tongue languages – Digital books provided by the International Children’s Digital Library Foundation. You can access outstanding children’s books from around the world in various languages.

คลังทรัพยากรการศึกษาแบบเปิด

คลังทรัพยากรการศึกษาแบบเปิด (Thai e-books): This site provides access to Thai e-books and many other types of digital resources provided by National Science and Technology Development Agency

Enjoy helpful tips and activities to support your children’s learning and discover 250 eBooks.

Oxford Owl: supports your reading and learning in line with your class reading ORT stages, both at home and at school. Enjoy helpful tips and activities to support reading and discover 250 eBooks. Your child will know what level of the ORT they are on, you can find easy access to reading and activities with the ORT characters on this site.

Kids A-Z is an interactive online portal that contains differentiated eBooks and eResources students access online using a computer or mobile devices.

KIDS A-Z: Kids A-Z makes online reading accessible (and fun). Students can practice reading anytime, anywhere, on desktops and mobile devices.

Students Using the Mobile App Have Access To:

• Deliver interactive eBooks and other eResources to students on the go
• Ensure comprehension with corresponding quizzes and running records
• Promote close reading and an essential understanding of the text with interactive annotation tools

Students have their own passwords. A great way to practice reading at home.

On IXL, math is more than just numbers. With unlimited questions, engaging item types, and real-world scenarios, IXL helps students experience math at its most mesmerizing!

IXL: IXL is the Web’s most comprehensive K-12 practice site. IXL provides unlimited practice in more than 4000 Math and Language Arts. It’s a practice that feels like play!

Students have their usernames and passwords.

Kid friendly search engines

Friendly search engines: We have such as Ask Kids, Fact Monster, Dib Dab Doo and Dilly Too…,Google, Pics4Learning, and Kiddle for you to support your research.

You can do BIG things with Big6 Skills!

Big 6 :  a six-stage model to help anyone solve problems or make decisions by using information. The Big6 is a model to guide thinkers of all ages from the beginning — to middle — to the end of a project or problem.

Some call it information literacy, information communication, or ICT skills, or a process, but we call it the Big6.

Brainpop Jr

BrainPop jr.: Learn about your body, space, science and health. Have your homework questions answered with a movie, ask for advice, or just browse and learn. Teachers and students can keep a record of learning accomplishments through quizzes, play, and activities.

Khan Academy

KHAN academy: Offering practice exercises, instructional videos, and a personalized learning dashboard that empower learners to study at their own pace in and outside of the classroom.  Our math missions guide learners from kindergarten to calculus using state-of-the-art, adaptive technology that identifies strengths and learning gaps. At KIS our G3 – G5 can practice their Math skills according to their MAP levels. 

The online platform that gives educators and students one-stop access to a growing portfolio of digital education resources.

Grolier Go! : Providing credible, accurate, reliable content on almost every core-curricula subject. It offers endless resources for research in a multitude of media. Explore non-fiction, texts, world newspapers, videos and more with this easy-to-navigate digital resource designed to strengthen content knowledge, vocabulary, and core proficiency skills.

KIS Today: KIS Today is the one and only student-run news site. Providing KIS students with the latest news and updates about our school. It’s also the online community, being an entertainment center and a place where spirit is promoted.

Library skills: Our PYP Coordinator Mr. Niko Lewman teaches research- and media literacy skill by linking and integrating into student’s current UoI. 

Library Blog: Our blog including Primary School Library , Secondary School Library and Research skills. We provide new list of resources, news, activities, knowledge and tips about the reading and literacy world.

One of my favorite awards is the annual The New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books. Here are this years winners:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/03/books/review/best-illustrated-books-of-2016.html?_r=1

100 books