#LiteracyTips Newsletter: mid-February Edition

This weekend I will be sending out our #LiteracyTips email, a bi-weekly newsletter that offers tips, ideas, and updates on literacy research. The goal is to give subscribers info and practical ideas in an email that takes no more than 10 minutes to read.


award winning YA

This is an excerpted version of the newsletter. Email subscribers receive the full newsletter and also have the chance to win a copy of

The Faithful Spy
by John Hendrix

Just named – 2018 Winner Cybils Senior High Nonfiction category. It was also a finalist for YALSA’s Award for Excellence in Nonfiction.


Screen Time & Reading

new Canadian study of 2,400 children (24-36 months) concludes that increased screen time negatively impacts a child’s brain development, measured at ages 3 to 5.  [Source: JAMA via New York Post]

Studies also show that screen reading impacts retention, focus, and reading style, too. Even the Bullet Journal blog is talking about this. 

Most recent: Teens and Tweens: Large Print Matters. Easy-to-understand article on how larger print helps struggling readers, not just vision. [Source: ALSC blog]


Family Literacy Fun

February is a short month with A LOT of fun observances. Jump Into a Book celebrates them all!

Check out two of our ideas for family fun with a literacy twist:

  • Library Lover’s Month – Build a Little Free Library Find ideas on Pinterest’s Library Plan board. [How it relates: communication, reading, abstract thinking/visualization]
  • Weather Day – Go outside and video your kid as an “on scene” weather forecaster. Ask them what words they would use to describe the weather and/or help them write a script. [How it relates: communication, writing, creativity, vocabulary]

Reading Together:
How books can help parents tackle tough topics 
(Source: Read Brightly)

Teen Booklist:
The United States of YA is a map with a Young Adult book for every state
(Source: Epic Reads)

*Subscribing is easy. To get the newsletter, be sure to opt into the “Literacy Tips & News” list under Tailor My Content.