The School Bell Rings

for a New Day of Education Excellence

Beginning in late August through the beginning of September millions of young people from kindergarten through college will be returning to classes. Some of these young people will be entering the world of formal education for the first time, while others will be returning to grade schools, high schools, colleges or universities.

Whether starting in a preschool program, public school setting, private school, or an Ivy League university, the importance of a good education is paramount for the African-American student. The beginning of school each year for the African-American student  has great significance. While it is seen as a source of great hope for many, there are far too many students who come with little hope.

Some students as young as kindergarten have not embraced our educational system. Many come to school lagging far behind Caucasian students and or middle class African-American students. Research has shown that poverty can  be an indicator of the possible success of a child in school. Though poverty as a systemic problem is too complex to handle here, we do know is that if we believe as, have the faith of, our forefathers with regard to the importance of education, parents and their children can make a way out of no way.

Our African-American students must learn to adapt and use this system that is not always structured and geared entirely in our interests.

The history of the education of the African American  in the United States is an often neglected story. The staff of ChickenBones: A Journal feels that the education of African Americans is too important and significant a story to leave buried  and unavailable for broad use.We at ChickenBones hope to provide a wealth of information to help all of us understand our past. Parents please utilize this information and share it with your children.

Beginning with this article, we will attempt to share ideas and strategies that parents and caregivers can utilize to improve their young people's literacy and study skills. We want all of our young people to make this school year very rewarding.

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Improving Literacy for the African-American Elementary Student

General Tips

The ABCs of Reading to and with Your Child

 

General Tips for Assisting Pre- K & Kindergarten Students

 

Help your child to recognize his name in print Play games and sing songs to help your child with the alphabet Make up stories with simple text to read to your child Read fairy tales, poems, chants, and informational text to your child Play word games with common household items Have your child retell stories including family stories Have discussions about the story with your child, ask such questions as-- What do you think the author wants us to know? Do you agree with the author? Why? Do you like books dealing with this subject? Encourage your child when he or she tries to read and write. Subscribe to children's magazines

 

Tips for Assisting Students in Grades 1 & 2

 

Play games to help your child learn basic sight words (memory, bingo, concentration etc.) Purchase or make phonics games to help your child with letter sounds Read aloud to your child books about different cultures and ask questions about the author and text Question your child about the beginning, middle, and end of stories Allow your child to read lots of different materials with assistance as needed (sports magazines as well as other magazines, newspapers, library books, comics, poems and plays Read books to your child by African-American authors Allow your child to help you prepare food and read family recipes Subscribe to children's magazines Read material from the Internet to your child

 

Tips for Assisting Students in Grades 3, 4 and 5

 

Review basic sight words through games , chants, raps and plays Read aloud challenging books that deal with real life situations Read books by African-American authors Have your child explain the beginning, middle and end of stories heard or read Help your child use the WWW and e-mail to find information Allow your child to read from different genres Help your child summarize what he has heard or read Review writing for different purposes with your child (to inform, to persuade, to express personal ideas) Encourage your child to write letters to friends and or family members

 

Dolch Basic Sight Words

The Dolch word List represents 220 basic sight words chidden should know by the end of the primary grades. These are high frequency words that appear many more times than others in ordinary reading material.

 

PRE PRIMER Sight Words

a	and	away
big	blue	can
come	down	find
for	funny	go
help	here	I
in	is	it
jump	little	do
he	look	make
me	not	one
play	red	run
said	see	the
three	to	two
up	we	where
yellow	you

 

Primer Sight Words

all	am	are
at	ate	be
black	brown	but
came	did	eat
four	get	good
have	into	like
must	new	no
now	on	our
out	please	pretty
ran	ride	saw
say	she	so
soon	that	there
they	this	too
under	want	was
well	went	what
white	who	will
with	yes

 

FIRST GRADE Sight Words

after	again	an
any	as	ask
by	could	every
fly	from	give
going	had	has
her	him	his
how	just	know
let	live	may
of	old	once
open	over	put
round	some	stop
take	thank	them
then	think	walk
were	when

 

SECOND GRADE Sight Words

always	around	because
been	before	best
both	buy	call
cold	does	don't
fast	first	five
found	gave	goes
green	its	made
many	off	or
pull	read	sing
sit	sleep	tell
their	these	those
upon	us	use
very	wash	which
why	wish	work
would	write	your

 

THIRD GRADE Sight Words

about	better	bring
carry	clean	cut
done	draw	drink
eight	fall	far
full	got	grow
hold	hot	hurt
if	keep	kind
laugh	light	long
much	myself	never
only	own	pick
seven	shall	show
six	small	start
ten	today	together
try	warm

 

SOME FAVORITE READ ALOUD BOOKS

 

Grades K-2

Author	Title
Harry Allard	Miss Nelson is Missing
Tricia Brown	Hello Amigos!
Helen E.  Buckley	Grandfather and I
Eric Carle	Very Hungry Caterpillar
Tomie De Paola	Tony's Bread: An Indian Tale
Muriel Feelings	Jambo Means Hello : A Swahali Alphabet Book
Eloise   Greenfield	African Dream
Bill Martin	Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
Watty Piper	The Little Engine Who Could
Dr. Seuss	The Cat In The Hat
Judith  Viorst	Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

 

Grades 3-5

Author	Title
Verna Aardena	Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears
Joy Adamson	Born Free
Judy Blume	Tale of a Fourth Grade Nothing
Ann Cameron	The Stories Julian Tells
Paula Fox	The Slave Dancer
Virginia Hamilton	The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales
Rudyard Kipling	The Jungle Book
C. S. Lewis	The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Douglass Miller	Frederick Douglas and The Fight for Freedom
Donald J. Sobol	Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective
John Steptoe	Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale

It is our hope that our children with the assistance of family members and friends will utilize all available resources to learn and excel at high levels. For us to reach our maximum potential as a people we must teach our children the importance of achieving well in our current academic settings. Yes, we must know our past , but we also must set goals for the future regardless of the difficulties circumstances of poverty and racism.

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Yvonne Terry, vice principal of Waverly Elementary School, prepared this document for ChickenBones: A Journal for the 2002-2003 school year. We thank and praise  her dedication and sacrifice to the uplift of all children. -- Ed. R. Lewis