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 assistance. If no more than three require your help, ask the child to read the article silently. If four to six items are problems, ask the child to read the article aloud to you. If seven or more items require help, you offer to read the article aloud to the child. In each of these instances, point out that questions will be raised after the reading.

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

AFTER READING: Use questions to check comprehension and stimulate discussion of the article. Examples follow.

What are "pitch count" limits?
What does Dr. Noffsinger say needs to be added to the usual pitch count limits?
What is the danger if kids do too much hard throwing before puberty?
Besides baseball, what other sports are mentioned in which care should be taken with kids?

Suggested lesson plan for
"A different sort of natural disaster"

Possible hard words:

Proper names: California, Kim Sone, Adam and Jennifer Roecker

Other words: disaster, minimize, strategy, optimistic, extinguished, subdivision, evacuate, inferno, billows

BEFORE READING: Have the young reader read the list of possible hard words. Provide help where needed but keep track of how many items need assistance. If no more than three require help, ask the child to read the article silently. If four to six require help, have the child read the article aloud to you. If seven or more are problems, you 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 help. For the one reading aloud, supply any words fairly promptly that appear to be impairing reading fluency.

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

What are the conditions that make wildfires a threatening natural disaster in California?
What outcome of wildfires can cause the cancellation of school?
Based on the story, would you say wildfires are predictable or unpredictable? Why?
Are there natural disasters that threaten your area? Describe them.

Suggested lesson plan for
"Great destinations and short vacation trips"

Possible hard words:

Proper names: Ann Hazelwood, Lemp Mansion, Leila's Hair Museum, Independence, Crane's Museum and Marlene's Restaurant, Williamsburg

Other words: suggestions, relatively, cigar, suicide, diverse, sequel

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 help. If no more than three require help, have the child read the article silently. If four to six require help, 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 instances point out questions will be raised afterward.

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

AFTER READING: Use questions to check understanding and promote discussion of the article. Examples follow..

List some of the destinations to be found in the city and county of St. Louis that you have already visited.
What surprises you most about corn cob pipes?
What would you expect to find in Leila's Hair Museum in Independence, Missouri?
What business are we told provides the modern equivalents of past rural life as found in Crane's Museum? Explain.

Suggested lesson plan for
"Learn pioneer ways at 2008 Prairie Day"

Possible hard words:

Proper names: Shaw Nature Reserve. Gray Summit, MO, Barb Troutman, Missouri Botanical Garden, Meramec River

Other words: authentic, amphibians, orchid, determined, weaver, spinner, blacksmith, demonstrations, archeologist

BEFORE READING: Have the young reader read the list of possible hard words. Provide help as needed. Then ask him or her to read the article aloud to you and be prepared to discuss it afterward.

DURING READING: Provide any names or words fairly promptly that seem to be interfering with reading fluency.

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

What is the purpose of Prairie Day?
How was Henry Shaw involved in creating the Nature Reserve?
Describe the territory making up the Nature Reserve.
Would you be interested in participating in Prairie Day? Why or why not?

Suggested lesson plan for
"Local fishing provides year-round fun"

Possible hard words:

Proper names: Kevin Meneau, Busch Conservation Area, Bellefontaine, Suson Park, Carondelet Park

Other words: residents, anglers, biologist, brochure, urban

BEFORE READING: Have the young reader read the list of possible hard words. Provide help as needed. Then have him or her read the article aloud to you and be ready to discuss it afterward.

DURING READING: Provide troublesome words as needed to keep the reading fluent.

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

What is the main purpose behind the Conservation Department's fishing program?
Why will they loan you fishing gear without charge in the program?
Which lakes require a state trout stamp?
What is the advantage of making the shallow lakes deeper?

Suggested lesson plan for
"Missouri's two most famous dogs - Old Drum and Jim the Wonder Dog"

Possible hard words:

Proper names: Leonidas Hornsby, Charles Burden, Warrensburg, George Graham Vest, Confederate, Great Depression, Marshall, Kentucky Derby, Park Ridge Cemetery

Other words: contended, residents, bronze, campuses, memorializing

BEFORE READING: In order to assess how easy or how difficult a young reader is likely to find the article, have him or her read the list of possible hard words to you. Provide help as needed but keep count of the number of items needing your assistance. If three or fewer need help, have the child read the article silently. If four to six require help, have him or her read the article aloud. If seven or more need your help, you offer to read the article aloud. In all three instances, point out questions would be raised after the reading.

DURING READING: For the silent reader offer to help out with names and words if asked for help. For the one reading aloud, supply troublesome words 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.

What happened that made Old Drum famous?
Why were Missourians especially emotional after the Civil War?
Name some differences between the two dogs.
How did Jim the Wonder Dog come to be included in a cemetery for people?

Suggested lesson plan for
"Can't run at 13, Olympic qualifier at 16"

Possible hard words:

Proper names: Anne Audain, New Zealand, Munich Olympic Games, Israeli, John Davis, Nike, Boise, Idaho

Other words: reconstructive, obstacles, perseverance, abnormalities, restrictions, terrorists, routine, consistent, amateur, endorsements

BEFORE READING: Ask the young reader to read the list of possible hard words. Help out with pronunciations where help is needed, but keep track of the number of items requiring your help. If no more than three items need help, ask the child to read the article silently. If four to six items require help, ask the child to read the article aloud. If seven or more items are troublesome, you offer to read the article aloud. In all instances point out that questions will be asked after the reading.

DURING READING: For the silent reader offer to help with any words if asked for help. For the one reading aloud, supply troublesome words fairly quickly 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.

Why was Anne Audain speaking to local women and girls in St. Louis?
What was the physical obstacle she had to overcome in order to become an Olympic runner?
Why was it possibly good luck that Anne did not participate in the Munich Olympic Games even though she had qualified?
What sets professional athletes apart from amateur ones?

This Month's Book Reviews

An historical adventure that takes place
in an unusual setting

From our own reading, most of us adults think of the Tower of London as a dark and creepy place. In "The Ravenmaster's Secret," author Elvira Woodruff, paints a picture of what a dank and smelly environment the Tower could be. The characters she places in the setting rival any of the colorful characters out of a Dickens's novel. How many of us knew that ravens were kept in the Tower under the King's protection because of a prophecy made in the eleventh century? How about the fact that "rat catchers" were employed to supply food for the ravens?

Surprising to a modern reader would be such things as the unquestioned power of the king in matters of life and death, the bloodthirstiness of the mobs at public executions, and the terrible poverty of the lower classes in that era. The book is both historically informative and a great adventure story.

A haunted house story that involves kids of all ages

Betty Ren Wright, author of "Crandalls' Castle" is known for writing mysteries and stories of the supernatural aimed at young readers. Along with her knack for setting up chills and suspense, Wright's teen-age characters and the descriptions of family tensions are true to life. This ability to combine reality and unusual happenings works to quickly involve her young readers in the strange events of her novel. For kids who say they like scary stories, this one is a winner.

Tension in a frontier family is resolved
through the efforts of a young boy

"Caleb's Story" is the first in a possible series of sequels to "Sarah, Plain and Tall" by Patricia MacLachlan. The books tell the heartwarming and wholesome story of a pioneer farm family struggling to make a life on the Great Plains during the last part of the 19th century. Sarah, the mail-order bride from Maine, along with Jacob, the widower, and his children make up the characters in the story. People of that era had moved past log cabins and sod houses, but were still living relatively primitive lives in comparison with the way we live in the early 21st century.

"Caleb's Story" is of particular interest, because it tells how a young boy finds out his grandfather's secret as to why he never wrote a letter to the relatives he left behind. When Caleb finds out that his long-lost grandfather can neither read nor write, he determines to teach these skills to the old man. In doing this, Caleb softens his own father's heart to the point where he, Jacob, can get over his bitterness and accept once again the father he had once loved and admired. Isn't this the kind of reading you would like to see your child engaged in?

Another book about Irish Immigrants
by a Newbery Honor-winning author

Patricia Reilly Giff, author of "Maggie's Door" has already received two Newbery Honors for past books, along with numerous other awards for her children's books. "Maggie's Door" is a sequel to "Nory Ryan's Song" and tells what happened to characters from the earlier book.

Author Giff is noted for her research into Irish history. Her style in writing this little book is to alternate chapters that deal with the events of the two main characters' lives as they reach the port of Galway and travel across the Atlantic to New York. A young reader needs to be prepared for the harsh realities of the trip, as the author does little to sugarcoat these actual historic events.

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Suggested lesson plan for "Ways to avoid Little League Elbow"

Suggested lesson plan for "A different sort of natural disaster"

Suggested lesson plan for "Great destinations and short vacation trips"

Suggested lesson plan for "Learn pioneer ways at 2008 Prairie Day"

Suggested lesson plan for "Local fishing provides year-round fun"

Suggested lesson plan for "Missouri's two most famous dogs - Old Drum and Jim the Wonder Dog"

Suggested lesson plan for "Can't run at 13, Olympic qualifier at 16"

This Month's Book Reviews

An historical adventure that takes place in an unusual setting

A haunted house story that involves kids of all ages

Tension in a frontier family is resolved through the efforts of a young boy

Another book about Irish Immigrants by a Newbery Honor-winning author

Suggested lesson plan for
"Ways to avoid Little League Elbow"

Suggested lesson plan for
"A different sort of natural disaster"

Suggested lesson plan for
"Great destinations and short vacation trips"

Suggested lesson plan for
"Learn pioneer ways at 2008 Prairie Day"

Suggested lesson plan for
"Local fishing provides year-round fun"

Suggested lesson plan for
"Missouri's two most famous dogs - Old Drum and Jim the Wonder Dog"

Suggested lesson plan for
"Can't run at 13, Olympic qualifier at 16"

An historical adventure that takes place
in an unusual setting

Tension in a frontier family is resolved
through the efforts of a young boy

Another book about Irish Immigrants
by a Newbery Honor-winning author