Catch A Fire for Reading.

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(ThyBlackMan.com) As the school year peeks its head out, the priority to reading and comprehension begins again to show that these two skills are the keys to academic success and advancement. No two skills are the foundation for learning and the continuation of life-long learners than comprehension and reading in children.

Reading cannot wait until Pre-K or even Kindergarten, the skill of reading should be started at toddler age if not infancy where babies progress to toddlers and their literary, comprehension and just as importantly their language skills are developing by parental
interactions. Reading to a child is very important for cognitive development and even societal interaction.

Parents are the cornerstones to learning and must be sure their children are able to grasp the skills of literacy, reading, comprehension and language development before their children step foot into a 21^st century classroom filled with educational standards, policies and instructional procedures.

If parents are negligent in their responsibilities they are potentially committing borderline child neglect and promoting educational failure. Many studies have documented that if children are not on grade level by third grade they face an array of educational and potentially societal challenges.

Parents should encourage “Catching a Fire for Reading” early in the lives of their children. Find connections like Cornbread Series by nationally recognized author Vincent Taylor (Cornbread Series), Monica Knighton, Educating Young Minds, Inc., Tangela Floyd, Introducing The Black Superheroes Comics presented by YM Comics and The Adventures of Moxie Girl Comic Book by Angela Nixon and her daughter Natalie; just too name a few resources in the Jacksonville, Florida area, there are more authors that are Bloggers, Vbloggers, Microbloggers that are excellent content creators and encourage reading and strong literacy skills.

Studies are providing data that if a child cannot read on grade level by third grade they run the risk of being behind academically if intervention and remediation methods are not transformative and intensive.

A 2010 “Early Warning: Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters,” this report supports the link in literacy skills in America and how low achievement in reading impacts an individual’s future learning and earning potential. Studies: “Third Grade Reading Predicts Later High School Graduation,” 2011 shows that a student who can’t read on grade level by 3rd grade is four times likely to graduate over age, if at all. If social-economic challenges are added a student is 13 times less likely to graduate on time or at all and potentially to be incarcerated.

Stated by Donald J. Hernandez, the study’s author, a sociology professor at Hunter College, at the City University of New York, “Third grade is a kind of pivot point, we teach reading for the first three grades and then after that children are not so much learning to read, but using their reading skills to learn other topics. In that sense if you haven’t succeeded by 3rd grade it’s more difficult to [remediate] than it would have been if you started before then.”

Parents encourage, be a role model and engage your children in a consistent time of reading. Find out what your children enjoy and have them visit the local library, museums or use online resources to get access to reading materials. If you are not sure of what is out there contact your local library for library times, reading events, online books, books on CD and even DVD’s that “paint” a picture of stories as they are read when the child reads along with the book.

To further help, especially African American children I have researched books that contain an African American connection from many subject areas that all children, teens, young adults and even adults can use.

“Catch A Fire for Reading” parents get engaged with your children in reading. Online Book Listing

Link is: http://s1211.photobucket.com/user/williamdjackson/Books/story

Tangela Floyd, Introducing The Black Superheroes presented by YM Comics

My Quest To Teach Blog on Black Superheroes: http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/400553/william-jackson/2015-04-05/do-you-believe-black-superheroes

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/773249512795137/

KickStarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/577187049/introducing-the-black-superheroes-presented-by-ym

FolioWeekly: http://folioweekly.com/SPEAKING-THE-BLACK-SUPERHEROES,13262

Reader Theater: Supports Literacy and Comprehension: http://www.jax-cdn.com/current/mandarin-st-johns/2015-07-23/story/readers-theater-puts-super-african-american-folklore

Cornbread Series

Vincent Taylor: http://cornbreadseries.com

Monica Knighton and Educating Young Minds, Inc.

The Adventures of Josh and Monkey
http://www.joshandmonkey.com/
https://onespark.com/festival/2015/projects/the-adventures-of-josh-and-monkey