How students develop reading skills

http://pbskids.org/lions/games/
Between the Lions is a great website for children 3 and up because not only does it read the book to you but the children can follow along to try and sound out the words as they are said. There are three categories for the children to explore which are the following: Games, Stories, and Video Clips. These different areas give children a different way of learning. By watching the words light up while the reader reads the words the child can relate and comprehend how to read words. Also, with the games they aren't just allowing children to play any games but rhyming games so it can help the children understand rhyming and also can help with the similarities in the sounds to spell words in the future. It allows the children to variety on how they want to learn and what is easiest for them. Video clips can include fictional characters but also real people who read them stories. The website contains a lot of authors who read their own books and say their intake on the stories they are telling. The website attracts children which is necessary for them to learn. They need to be interested in what they are learning and how they are learning it and between the lions gives variety for different type of children. Last, It can be used with the parents or for the parents so they learn how they can teach their children or how they can be involved with their children's learning ability.
By: Courtney Kagan

http://www.colorincolorado.org/
The purpose of “Colorín Colorado” is to provide information, strategies, and activities for teachers of English Language Learners. The variety of activities provided help benefit students of all ages and levels of literacy development. The sidebar of this website includes tabs for both educators and for families with ideas and helpful approaches for students to linguistically develop their English. The Educators’ Section can be adapted by teachers in various teaching situations including ESL teachers and general education teachers with ELLs in their classroom. The “For Educators” tab includes links that explain the importance of reaching out to Hispanic Students and families, the ELL Resources necessary for each grade level, the assessment and placement processes teachers must be aware of, as well as other helpful tools and ideas that students may benefit from.The Families’ Section provides parents with an idea of how they can help their child to succeed at school. This tab includes links such as tips that are essential to a child’s bilingual development, informational articles and resources, as well as an entire page dedicated to the requirement for strong Parent-Educator partnerships. In addition to sections specifically for teachers and parents, this site literally offers information on “Topics A-Z” that address a wide variety ideas that can impact students’ literacy development.Colorín Colorado more specifically focuses on the development of Hispanic students and their families considering the vast majority of ELLs in the United States today are Spanish-speaking. However, the strategies the website provides are applicable to students from all bilingual backgrounds.
By: Melissa Berger

http://www.funbrain.com/index.html
This website is great for children in the beginning stages of literacy development. The child and parent can pick the child's reading level at the bottom of the page, and then click on the section labeled, “Reading,” where there are popular comic books for the child to read aloud to the parent. The website is for children from grades K to 8, so the reading is encouraged at all stages for early elementary to secondary education. There is also Madlib activities for children K to 2, where the child must fill in the correct word depending on whether it is an adjective, noun, or verb, and sometimes it depends on what the letter begins with; for example, on the madlibs for the Kindergarten section it says, “'H' is for Henry's Hotdog Hut,” and then it tells the child to pick or type in an adjective, noun, verb, or plural verb that begins with an “h.” This is a great activity for ESL students in developing the foundations of learning the English language by becoming familiar with the nouns, and also by learning that the “h” makes a “hhhh” sound. ESL students can build their phonological awareness for the English language. These games will help strengthen writing/reading skills and vocab. This website has multiple activities to encourage students to read. Web books, word games, grammar and spelling activities, There are also a great amount of other reading tools and writing tools that this website has made fun to encourage the kids to keep practicing their reading and writing skills.
By: Morgan Smith

http://www.rif.org/kids/readingplanet.htm
This website has great activities for students, especially ELL students. Some of the activities include writing a poem inspired by a painting. Printing out a story and illustrating the pictures to go along with them. This encourages students reading development because they have to be able to read the story to know what to draw in their illustrations instead of drawing random things. Monthly calendars in English and Spanish for daily reading activities, like reading a Dr. Seuss book to a younger student. The website also has stories that children can read and listen to online, gives books and information about different cultures. The website has games about languages where you match English words to the words in other languages. There is also an author of the month and an interview that children can read about the author. This website gives students a variety of tools to read online, which encourages reading acquisition. It also provides resources like book titles for students to read and ideas for children to get them involved in literacy development of reading and writing.
By: Mary Rice