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April 2002 Vol.3 Issue 4
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This part
of the Young Saint Louis.com website is for
adults who want to help kids learn to read better.
The opening article on this page explains the background
of the website. On the left side of this page, the
second item under Background tells how the individual
lesson plans work. Then, the other items give you
explanations--in layperson terms--of various principles
of reading education. Also, you can access each kids
article and lesson plan by clicking on the section
header.
Reminder
for parents and tutors
Note that
there is a black and white quick printout layer to
the Young Saint Louis.com website. Hit the
text only spot on the home page. Any article on the
website can be printed out quickly.
For that
helping adult intending to teach a directed reading
lesson, instruction should be based on using a printed
out version of the articles, book reviews, puzzles,
etc. It is advisable to print out two copies - one
for the young reader and one for the adult offering
the instructional help.
Note
that the "All Lesson Plans" and "All
News Stories" links yield printable compilations
of these documents. These two links are available
on the lefthand sidebar in the "For Adults' section
of the YSL.com website.
Trying
to teach directed reading lessons from the computer
screen is not recommended. Where possible, however,
it is a good practice to have the young reader view
the full version with pictures and to be aware that
the text being used for a lesson is taken from the
YSL.com website. In some cases, it is good
practice to let the young reader pick the feature
or features to be printed out and used as the basis
for a lesson or lessons.
If a young
reader shows interest in a particular type of article
or a specific feature of the website, the archives
present a way to secure additional instructional material
fitted to that particular learner's interests.
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What
is Young Saint Louis.com?
Young Saint Louis.com is basically divided into two
parts. First, it is an interesting "local newspaper"
with 10 different sections with news, features and photos
written about and for young St. Louisans from ages 8 to 13.
Second, it is a tool that parents, tutors and teachers can
use to help the youngsters become more proficient in reading.
This website is
based on the premise that ability to read fluently is one
of those essential skills that help determine young people's
future success in both their personal lives and careers. It
also believes this reading fluency can be encouraged best
while using interesting "real life" information
about the community in which they live.
The website is
a collaboration between A. Edward Heins, a former journalism
professor and professional journalist, and Richard W. Burnett,
a former professor of literacy education and director of a
university reading clinic. Both believe that reading is an
educational essential for all young people.
Young Saint
Louis.com gives young St. Louisans up-to-date information
about their community while the timely, interesting material
provides a basis for adults to assist children achieve greater
fluency in reading. The lesson plans accompanying most of
the news and feature stories will be valuable help to adults
who are helping children with reading problems catch up with
their classmates in fluent reading.
Content of this
website will be changed completely each month, thus creating
a special electronic "local newspaper for St. Louisans"
specifically targeted to local children. The website is available
via the Internet for pickup on computers in schools, individual
homes or in tutoring locations.
The website not
only includes different sections of the "newspaper"
but each section has four different layers. The first layer
is the news story or feature for kids. A second layer strips
out the photos, illustration and color from the first layer
to make it easier and quicker to print out the material, regardless
of the age of your computer.
A third layer
includes information for adults, including a specially designed
reading lesson plan they can use to help kids learn to read
more fluently. This layer also may include additional information
adults might want concerning the kids' news stories.
For instance,
we include on the third layer book reviews that are different
than those on the kids' layer. These reviews reflect an adult
perspective, while the kids' reviews are written from a young
perspective.
The fourth layer
again strips out any color, photos and illustrations from
the adult layer to facilitate quicker printing.
Whenever possible,
the stories and explanations have links with other websites
that have additional information on the story subjects. We
have been accepted as a Borders.com Associate, which means
you can click over directly to that Internet bookseller and
buy books you may have read about on our website.
We have--and expect
to add more--direct links to area libraries to encourage both
kids and adults to extend their book and periodical reading.
In the Your
Turn section, we have included ways the audience can talk
with the editors of Young Saint Louis.com
to ask questions, suggest stories and write letters to the
editor
The Past
Stories section includes the archives of past issues.
This gives new viewers access to past articles and features
whose content remains timely, whenever it is read. You also
can easily find past articles that might be recommended to
you by others.
We plan to keep
Young Saint Louis.com lively and informative
as well as valuable as a new reading experience. We look forward
to having you--the readers--help us with ideas of different
ways to look at our community and different ways to learn
for the future.
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