Summer Reads from The Hoot!

Sit back, relax and embrace the gift of time with Anne’s 2021 summer picks

Summer gives us the gift of time to read for pleasure with longer days, warmer weather, and more sunlight. Let’s see what our reading can look like this summer whether you’re sitting on a beach, on a road trip with your family,  in a bunk at summer camp, or just relaxing. After a year of quarantining and isolation, let’s make it a goal to turn off our phones and shut off computers to experience the joy of turning pages - paper or digital.

With that in mind, here are some of my favorite summer reads to consider. They run the gamut of gripping, endearing, educational, inspiring, and entertaining, so be sure to check them out. I’ve made sure to include something for everyone, so feel free to share the list with friends and family as well. Have a great summer filled with happy reading! 

Parents

• Deacon King Kong by James McBride: “Some novels about city life are poems of alienation, interior portraits of the existentially isolated, but James McBride’s vision of New York is one of overwhelming human profusion.” (New Yorker)

• A Place For Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza: Mirza's book gets to a universal truth: To be part of a family is to learn how to be more than one person, how to remain an individual while fulfilling the duties we have to those who love us, who made us. It is almost never easy; it is sometimes, in fact, impossible.” (NPR)

High School

• Oasis by Katya Becerra: A supernatural thriller about six teenagers stranded on an oasis in the desert

• Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo (novel in verse): Two teenage girls realize that they share a father

• Found by Joseph Bruchac: After witnessing a crime, Nick survives in the wilderness to escape the murderer

• Girl, Unframed by Deb Caletti: While spending summer with her movie-star mother, Sydney, 16, finds love but also finds danger

• This Is My America by Kim Johnson: Teenager Tracy fights against racism in the justice system

Middle School

• Danny Constantino's First (and Maybe Last?) Date by Paul Acampora: A Middleschooler, Danny reconnects with an old friend, who is now a celebrity

• Raising Lumie by Joan Bauer: Newly orphaned and living with the half-sister, Olive, 12, rediscovers hope when she trains a guide dog puppy

• Catherine's War by Julia Billet (graphic novel): Set in France during WWII, Rachel Cohen must goe into hiding after being separated from her parents

• One Last Shot by John David Anderson: Malcolm, 12, takes up miniature golf to make his athletic father happy

Elementary School

• You Can Do It, Yasmine by Saadia Faruqi

• Benny McGee and the Shark by Derek Anderson

• The Boy Who Grew Dragons by Andy Shepherd

• Great Escapes (five historical fiction books) by W.N. Brown

Happy summer from KQ!

Written by Anne O’Reilly Connerty | Reading Specialist at Keating Quigley Educational Advisors

Raising Fluent Mathematicians

In my last post, I introduced the notion of developing number fluency for our young mathematicians in order to help them be flexible, accurate, and efficient in their numerical problem solving. But what does it actually mean to be fluent in mathematics? And how do we support the growth of a fluent mathematician?

Let’s take a step back and first look at fluency in a more traditional context. A fluent reader is able to decode symbols on a page in a way that brings the meaning behind those words to life. They use appropriate phrasing and intonation to convey a character’s feelings, an intended message, or an author’s purpose.

A fluent language learner not only repeats the words they have learned, but understands the meaning behind the words in order to respond in a variety of ways to questions and comments given the overall situation.

It is widely accepted that we would not consider a reader fluent even if they could read 150 words per minute, but could not comprehend or explain what they read. Likewise, we would not consider a person fluent in a language if they rapidly repeated words and phrases, but did not use them appropriately in a given situation.

However, in mathematics we often equate speed with success rather than fluency. What is it about mathematics that drives us to be the fastest? We all grew up with the “mad minute” striving to answer 60 multiplication problems in less than a minute. We played games like “Around the World'' where the quickest student was deemed the winner, otherwise known as the smartest math student in the room. We spent hours each day with those relentless flashcards trying to beat our time and struggling to get through the deck. These days, not much has changed. Every iPad app that claims it will help your child master their math facts comes with a built-in timer, flashcards are still the go-to resource for many families, and those “mad minutes” are still causing anxiety for students.

When we speak about math fluency, our focus should be on the meaning behind the numbers and the connections they have to each other just like it is with language learning. However, with the emphasis placed on speed it really means we’re valuing memorization over understanding.

How often do you perform your job based solely on memorization? My guess would be not very often. As adults we rely on critical thinking skills, logical reasoning, analysis, and reflection to make the choices we do, both at home and at work. We should be focused on raising a generation of critical thinkers and problem solvers so that they can use these skills as adults in the workforce. Children who can reason abstractly and think logically are demonstrating that they truly understand numbers and do not just rely on memorization.

Memorization versus Understanding

The key difference between memorization and understanding is strategy. When a child memorizes something, it requires little to no strategy. Maybe they learn a cute rhyme (8 and 8 went through the door, 8 times 8 is 64!) or a mnemonic device (Who remembers SOHCAHTOA?) to boost their memory, but those aren’t connected to deep understanding. There’s nothing about 8 and 8 walking through a door that relates to that fact that 8 groups of 8 is a total of 64. This is not to say that memorization isn’t useful. It is good for things when the information doesn’t connect to something else - a street address, a phone number, a series of keystrokes on the Xbox controller, etc. When a student learns mathematics through memorization, that is the only thing they have to fall back on. If they can’t remember the answer, the rhyme, or the mnemonic, they get stuck.

However, when a student learns numerical operations through strategy, they can apply the strategy in a multitude of situations because strategies are flexible. Strategies connect concepts together. Strategies lead to numerical fluency.

The ultimate goal for students is to be flexible, accurate, and efficient in their numerical operations. And yes, at some point we do want them to be able to recall their facts in a relatively quick manner. At some point, students will need to begin using higher level thinking for things like factoring polynomials and graphing functions. If at that point they are still struggling with their basic math facts, this will just add to the complexity of the new concept and can cause frustration. But, for now, in elementary school, let’s give them the time to explore, to discover the relationships between numbers and operations, to test out different strategies, and to create a true understanding of number sense. Eventually, if students strategize enough they can get to the point where they use a strategy (or strategies) so often that it can become automatic and quick or efficient. By slowing down now and developing a true conceptual understanding, we have the option to speed up later because there will be fewer gaps to fill in.

So, if I’m saying throw away the flashcards, and get rid of the “mad minutes”, how then are you supposed to help your children develop numerical fluency? Join me on April 1, 2021 at 7:30 pm to discuss this and learn some practical strategies to help

Join us for a New KQ Workshop:

What is a Mathematician?
with Alissa Helgesen

Thursday, April 1
7:30 pm

Click here to register

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Written By Alissa Helgesen
Math & Workshop Specialist at Keating Quigley

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Offered by Keating Quigley Educational Advisors

Keating Quigley Educational Advisors is a Greenwich-based educational advising practice that partners with domestic and international families to provide highly personalized educational consulting services for Nursery through Grade 12 students. Services include school search support, essay guidance, social-emotional mentoring, relocation support, and enrichment workshops.

Spring Break Reads: A Little Something for Everyone!

We thought Anne ROCKED it at her recent Is All Reading Good Reading? workshop. There was so much insightful content, the advice came thick and fast, and the questions asked were thoughtful and thought-provoking. We just love digging in deep with our KQ community of parents!

With so many people heading off for some well-deserved relaxation on the beach, the slopes, or the sofa, Anne has shared her list of current fave reads from the early childhood years through high school. She also included a few of the ‘grown up’ titles she discussed during the workshop. Take a look and enjoy reading them with your kids wherever you are over spring break… and just remember: all reading really IS good reading!

One last thing…don’t forget that Anne is available for essay guidance and one-on-one mentoring sessions. Email us any time to connect with her. Happy spring break reading everyone!

Anne’s Spring Break Reads

Early Childhood 

• Good Night Gorilla (notice no text - illustrations are the text), Peggy Rathman

• The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle 

• Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Bill Martin Jr., John Archambault

• The Snowy Day, Ezra Jack Keats 

• Island Born, Junot Diaz 

Elementary School

• Flora and Ulysses, Kate Di Camillo

• Wonder, R.J. Palacio

• Refugee, Alan Gratz 

• The One and Ivan, Katherine Applegate 

• New Kid, Jerry Craft (graphic novel)

Middle School 

• All American Boys (lots of profanity, but strong read!), Brendan Kiely, Jason Reynolds

•  Fault in our Stars, John Green 

• Simon vs. The Homosapiens Agenda, Becky Albertalli

• Booked, Kwame Alexander

• Out of My Mind, Sharon Draper

High School 

• Just Mercy, Bryan Stevenson 

• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night, Mark Haddon

• The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien

• Speak Laurie, Halse Anderson 

• Looking For Alaska, John Greene

Parents / Adults 

• Anxious People, Frederick Backman 

• Caste, Isabelle Wilkinson 

• Deacon King Kong, James McBride 

• The Hearts Invisible Furies, John Boyne

• Hidden Valley Road, Robert Kolker

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Is All Reading Good Reading?

My friend posted a piece online recently sharing that when quarantine started in March she bought a Kindle and has read 64 books since then. Yes, 64! I did the math and that is roughly an average of 6 books completed per month (to my 1 or 2 reads). Although I’m happy for her, I have to say that I found this a bit intimidating. Did she not sleep? Did she ignore her family? I know she has a big job, so it’s not that she has the luxury to read all day…

And then my curiosity led to the possibility of audiobooks - did she go that route as well? Having said all of this, it made me ask myself ‘what is reading anyway?’ Does reading have to include the physical act of turning pages filled with print? Do audiobooks count - or is this cheating? And what about graphic novels? Do they promote or derail reading? Purists may have some strong opinions on all of this.

So, let’s consider why we read…

…Or more specifically, why we want our children to lead literate lives. It’s a given that reading is a crucial part of human development and a necessity for intellectual development. While reading to young children is a right of passage, it’s also a developmental necessity. We want them raised on stories so we can share with them the gift of language.

Babies actually start language development by babbling in a rhythm and mutter in complete sentences. If you listen closely, you’ll notice inflection, pauses, natural periods, and commas. The stories we first share with children are often nursery rhymes and rhythmical verse with beautiful illustrations. This is how we invite our children into literature and language. But then, as they grow, we transition away from them once they graduate to chapter books and beyond.

The Middle School Slump

As an educator, I see the middle school years as the period when the most dramatic decline in reading occurs. I’ve concluded that the root cause is attributable to external influences such as:

• Middle schoolers are pressured to read the “right books” (aka the “literary canon”) versus being able to find an individualized reading “fit”.

• Reading takes a back seat to so many other activities competing for their time, such as technology, sports, clubs, etc.

• It can honestly feel weird to just sit and read sometimes, so creating the daily habit of sitting down and reading can be challenging in our culture.

Keeping the Flame Alive

So, if we are serious about fostering a love of reading in our kids, what can we do to nurture their curiosity and make it a part of their daily lives? Here are just a few suggestions:

• Endorse ALL literature as a means to finding the right reading level.

• Applaud graphic novels and how they invite visual learners in.

• Consider listening to audiobooks.

• Continue to read aloud to ALL age groups.

If we want to nurture a love of literature in our children - especially the most reluctant readers - let’s give them access to stories that will benefit their language development. For example, audiobooks allow them to hear a fluent reader and understand the story without the challenge of decoding. Similarly, why not let them enjoy the images in graphic novels? This will help them connect and comprehend the piece. And for those who love the printed word, let them cozy up and crack the binding of their current read.

Here’s How!

Here are my suggestions for inviting readers to the table and developing curiosity as part of their daily lives:

• Litter your house with ALL books (picture books, novels, graphic novels).

• Leave comics in the bathroom - for a quick and entertaining read.

• Turn on TV and movie subtitles.

• Listen to audiobooks in the car.

• Have candid, organic conversations about books, the same way you might discuss a recent movie you watched or the latest Tik Tok trend!

Otherwise said, we need to commit to looking at reading in many ways in order to spark the flame early in our childrens’ lives and sustain it as a lifelong source of growth and joy. At the end of the day, let’s send our kids a clear message that All Reading Is Good Reading!

Let’s Connect...

If you’re interested in continuing this conversation, asking questions, or sharing your own observations, please feel free to email me at anne@keatingquigley.com and join me for my free workshop, Is All Reading Good Reading?, on March 10 at 7:30 pm (register below).

Join us for:

Is All Reading Good Reading?
with Anne Connerty, Essay and Workshop Specialist

Wednesday, March 10
7:30 pm

Click here to register

Anne is also available for essay guidance and one-on-one mentoring sessions.

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Written By Anne Connerty
Essay and Workshop Specialist

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Offered by Keating Quigley Educational Advisors

Keating Quigley Educational Advisors is a Greenwich-based educational advising practice that partners with domestic and international families to provide highly personalized educational consulting services for Nursery through Grade 12 students. Services include school search support, essay guidance, social-emotional mentoring, relocation support, and enrichment workshops.