Suggested lesson plan for
"Kids get to ride the final day's route"

Possible hard words:

Proper names: Julianna and Steve Crang, Hurricane Ike, Francesco Chicchi, Midnight Ramble, Glen and Joshua Wilson, Imperial, Martha Hillman, New Melle, Rachel and Rebeckah Farmer, Christian VandeVelde, Garmin-Chipolte, Tour de France

Other words: remnants, casual, eliminated, equivalent

BEFORE READING: Have the young reader read the list of possible hard words. Provide help where needed, but keep count of the number of items requiring your assistance. If fewer than three required help, have the reader read the article silently. If four to six required help, have him or her read the article aloud to you. If seven or more required help, you read the article aloud. In all three examples, point out questions will be raised after the reading.

DURING READING: For the silent reader, offer to help when asked. For the one reading aloud, supply troublesome words fairly promptly. If you read aloud, model fluent oral reading.

AFTER READING: Use Questions such as the following to check comprehension and stimulate discussion of the article.

Suggested lesson plan for
"Hurricane Ike cuts kid's half-marathon bid"

Possible hard words:

Proper names: Keenan Peel, Dave Spetnagel, Frontier Park, St. Jude's Hospital in Memphis, Nipher Middle School

Other words: marathon, option, brutal, amphitheater, aspect

BEFORE READING: To acquaint the young reader with the content of the article about to be read, have him or her read the list of possible hard words. Help out with any names or words where needed. Then ask the child to read the article aloud to you and be prepared to discuss it afterward.

DURING READING: Help out with any words that appear to be interfering with reading fluency.

AFTER READING: Use questions such as the following to check comprehension and stimulate discussion of the article.

Suggested lesson plan for
"Lots for kids at 2009 Women's Final 4"

Possible hard words:

Proper names: Scottrade Center, Rick Nixon, Middle School Madness, Kay Yow, Myles Brand

Other words: delegation, essay, journalism, trivia, incorporated, honorarium

BEFORE READING: To help him or her anticipate the vocabulary and ideas contained in the article, have the young reader read the list of possible hard words. Help out with pronunciations where help is needed. Then ask him or her to read the article aloud to you and be ready to answer questions afterward.

DURING READING: Help out with any names or words that seem to be interfering with reading fluency.

AFTER READING: Use questions such as the following to check comprehension and promote discussion of the article.

Suggested lesson plan for
"Kids can learn the chemistry of balls in sports"

Possible hard words:

Proper names: American Chemistry Society, Rawlings Sporting Goods, Greg Wall, Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville, Buckminster Fuller

Other words: dilemmas, extensive, comprehensive, categories, ingredients

BEFORE READING: Have the young reader read the list of possible hard words. Provide help as needed but keep track of how many items require your help. If three or fewer are problems, ask the reader to read the article silently. If four to six are problems, have him or her read the article aloud to you. If seven or more are problems, you offer to read the article aloud. In all three cases, point out questions will be raised afterwards.

DURING READING: For the silent reader simply offer to help with any names or words if asked. For the one reading aloud, supply troublesome words fairly promptly in order to keep the reading fluent. If you read aloud, model fluent oral reading.

AFTER READING: Use questions such as the following to check comprehension and stimulate discussion of the article.

Suggested lesson plan for
"City middle school goes hi-tech in PE"

Possible hard words:

Proper names: Busch Academic, Athletic Academy, Amir Karadzic, Ms. Leigh Anne Smith, Chrystal Lovings, Alexandria Palank, Elvir Kulovac, Chris Draft, Rob Lescher

Other words: utilizes, aerobics, karate, arcades, abdominal, defibrillator

BEFORE READING: To assess how easy or how difficult the article might be for a young reader, have him or her read the list of possible hard words. Provide help where needed but keep count of the number of items requiring help. If no more than three require assistance, ask the young reader to read the article silently. If four to six items require help, ask the reader to read the article aloud to you. If seven or more require help, you offer to read the article aloud. In each instance point out questions will be asked afterward.

DURING READING: For the silent reader offer to help with any names or words if asked for help. For the one reading aloud, supply troublesome words fairly quickly. If you read aloud, model fluent oral reading.

AFTER READING: Use questions such as the following to check comprehension and stimulate discussion of the article.

Suggested lesson plan for
"Marthasville kids get "living textbook"

Possible hard words:

Proper names: St. Ignatius Catholic School, Marthasville, Jaime Frankenberg, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Washington (Mo.) Missourian, Kelsey Huenefeld, University of Missouri - Columbia, Dawn Kitchell, Jake Fregalette

Other words: particular, underwritten, representative, entries, cataracts

BEFORE READING: Have the young reader read the list of possible hard words. Provide help as required, but keep track of how many items require your help. If three or fewer are problematic, ask the young reader to read the article silently. If four to six items are problems, have him or her read the article aloud to you. If seven or more items require help, you offer to read the article aloud. In all three instances, point out questions will be raised after the reading.

DURING READING: For the silent reader, offer to help out with words if asked. For the one reading aloud, supply any words fairly promptly that seem to be interfering with reading fluency. If you read aloud, model fluent oral reading.

AFTER READING: Use questions such as the following to check comprehension and stimulate discussion of the article.

Suggested lesson plan for
"Success in a wide variety of classes, activities"

Possible hard words:

Proper names: Torey Dunlap, McKinley Classical Leadership Academy, Creve Coeur Golf Club, Dwight Davis courts, Aztec, Mayan

Other words: logic, equations, adjustments, decipher, pediatric

BEFORE READING: Have the young reader read the list of possible hard words. Provide help as needed but keep track of the number of items requiring your assistance. If no more than three required help, have the child read the article silently. If four to six items were troublesome, have him or her read the article aloud to you. If seven or more were problems, you offer to read the article aloud. In all three instances point out questions will be raised after the reading.

DURING READING: For the one reading silently, simply offer to help with words if asked. For the one reading aloud, supply any names or words fairly promptly that seem to be interfering with reading fluency. If you read aloud, model fluent oral reading.

AFTER READING: Use questions such as the following to check comprehension and stimulate discussion of the article.

This Month's Book Reviews

A serious novel for kids about two young boys
involved in World War II

Author Dean Hughes, in his acknowledgments at the beginning of "Soldier Boys," asserts that he had spent the previous seven years doing research on World War II. The detail in the 230 page novel for kids reflects how carefully the book had been researched. A young reader is apprised of how differently two young boys - one German, one American - are initiated into a patriotic drive to become part of the battlefield action of World War II. The propaganda campaign of the Nazis is much more overt for the young German than that experienced by the American boy from Utah. However, both are equally influenced by a youthful coming-of-age desire to prove themselves to be "real men."

In the plot, both boys are finally committed to the awful rigors of the battlefield in the Battle of the Bulge near the last stages of the European campaign. The surprise ending should even further contribute to a young reader's understanding of what it means for individuals to be active participants in a war. Any youthful romantic illusions about war should be pretty much dispelled by that point.

A mystery about a girl who suspects she is a clone
of a deceased sister

"Double Identity" by Margaret Peterson Haddix is a kids' novel about human cloning and the complications surrounding the life of a teen-ager who gradually discovers that she is the clone of a sibling. The story unfolds as a mystery with full details withheld until the ending. The heroine's father is a medical doctor who, without authorization, used findings from a company that employed him to clone a deceased daughter. The founder/owner of the company had been imprisoned for criminal misappropriation of money. It is only on the release of the company owner that the ex-doctor and his wife fear that they and their daughter are now in danger, even though they had taken extreme measures to hide their identities. Events are told from the viewpoint of the thirteen-year-old cloned daughter who in the beginning knows nothing at all about her unusual origin.

A boy solves a mystery and helps his town survive
at the same time

Andrew Clements, author of "Room One," is one of the best known of children's authors. His authorship of more than fifty books for kids has resulted in numerous awards for him. The 2008 release of the paperback version of "Room One" is his most recent. The little novel received the Edgar Alan Poe Award for juvenile mystery stories. As with many of his novels, much of the action centers on school. "Room One" refers to the single large room still being used in a largely abandoned school building in a small town. Young readers pick up real life lessons while reading about characters to which they can readily relate.

An unusual dog book for kids that takes a close look
at the lives of wolves

Children's author Elizabeth Hall was motivated to write "Child of the Wolves" when she observed the wolf-like characteristics of her Siberian husky. She studied wolves and consulted with students of wolf behavior in writing her little book. Other than her giving names to the animals, the author tells a straight forward third-person account of how a young husky realistically might be accepted into a pack of wild Alaskan wolves. Any young reader, attracted to animal stories, would find the book informative as well as enjoyable.