Thursday, August 18, 2016

Benefits of Reading

 10 Benefits of Reading 

Here are 10 reasons why reading is important and why children – and adults - should read often and widely. 

1. Children who read often and widely get better at it. 
  • This is pretty much just common sense. 
  • After all, practice makes perfect in almost everything we humans do and reading is no different from anything else.  
2. Reading exercises our brains. 
  • Reading is a much more complex task for the human brain than, say, watching TV is. 
  • Reading strengthens brain connections and actually builds new connections. 
3. Reading improves concentration. 
  • Children have to sit still and quietly so they can focus on the story when they’re reading. 
  • If they read regularly, they develop the ability to do this for longer periods. 
4. Reading teaches children about the world around them. 
  • Through reading, children learn about people, places and events outside their own experience. They are exposed to ways of life, ideas and beliefs about the world which may be different from those which surround them. 
  • This learning is important for its own sake however it also builds a store of background knowledge which helps younger children learn to read confidently and well.  
5. Reading improves a child’svocabularyand leads to more highly-developed language skills. 
  • This is because children learn new words as they read but also because they unconsciously absorb information as they read about things like how to structure sentences and how to use words and language effectively.  
6. Reading develops a child’s imagination. 
  • This is because when we read our brains translate the descriptions we read of people, places and things into pictures. When we’re engaged in a story, we’re also imagining how the characters are feeling. We use our own experiences to imagine how we would feel in the same situation.  
7. Reading helps childrendevelop empathy. 
  • This is something I’ve only recently realized but it makes sense. As my fifteen-year-old son said to me when we were discussing it: ‘Of course it does because you’re identifying with the character in the story so you’re feeling what he’s feeling.’  
8. Children who read do better at school. 
  • And they don’t just do better at subjects like reading, English and history. They do better at all subjects and they do better all the way through school.  
9. Reading is a great form of entertainment. 
  • A paperback book or an e-reader like theAmazon Kindle doesn’t take up much space so you can take it anywhere and you’ll never be lonely or bored if you have a book in your bag.  
  • You can read while waiting in a queue, while waiting for a friend who’s running late or during a flight delay at an airport.  
10. Reading relaxes the body and calms the mind. 
  • This is an important point because these days we seem to have forgotten how to relax and especially how to be silent. 
  • The constant movement, flashing lights and noise which bombard our senses when we’re watching TV, looking at a computer or playing an electronic game are actually quite stressful for our brains. 
  • When we read, we read in silence and the black print on a white page is much less stressful for our eyes and brains.     

Welcome Back

Dear Families, 
Welcome to first grade at Browning School!  I am thrilled to be a part of the first grade team and your child’s teacher.  I know this will be an awesome year! A quick introduction: my name is Lisa Schmidman.  This is my 30th year teaching at Browning School.  I grew up in the Milwaukee area and went to college here too.  I have four children who are 7, 12, 13 and 25.  I enjoy reading, watching movies and spending time with my family and friends.  I look forward to learning with your child. 

For your child’s journey to be successful, it is essential for me to understand that each child is a unique individual with special qualities and needs.  With the support of students and families, we will create a classroom environment that will recognize and respect individuality.  I will create a classroom environment that offers a variety of meaningful teaching styles so that each child will have the opportunity to succeed.  I invite you to play an active role in your child’s education by talking each with your child about their learning and communicating with me. 

I am a strong believer in challenging students and maintaining high expectations.  Students will be expected to follow our school and classroom expectations.  It is important to me that your child feels successful, and I am looking forward to working with you as a partner in their education.  If at any time you have a question, compliment or concern, I will be happy to talk with you.  Please write me a note, text me, give me a call or email me and I will try to respond as soon as possible.  I want you to feel well informed throughout the year.  Welcome again to a wonderful new year! 

Back to School

School begins on Thursday, September 1, 2016.

Hours: 7:35 am - 2:20 pm