Slow down for a moment, and put on your reading glasses. You don't have any? Just pretend! What do your glasses look like? Are they snazzy? Sparkly? Pink? Green? Spotted? So, take these reading glasses, slip them on, and take a closer look...

A few of my literacy books (listed below) have mentioned special tools to assist and encourage the beginning reader. For example, handmade paper frames and masks help the reader to isolate whole words, parts of words, or individual letters as they are reading. Reading glasses was another idea that was mentioned. Having a basket of fun or goofy glasses available can be a fun and dramatic tool for beginning readers, something to snazz up their reading time.

Conceptually I have combined these two ideas into a sort of "readers magnifiying glass." The idea of a special tool that can help readers look more carefully at what they are reading (and look spiffy while they do!) was intriguing to me, thus the name "Reading Glasses."

Want to read more? Check out these two titles:

Make It Real: Strategies for Success with Informational Texts - by Linda Hoyt
Frames and reading glasses are mentioned on pages 45-46. My description of the book can be found here.

Perspectives on Shared Reading: Planning and Practice - by Bobbi Fisher and Emily Fisher Medvic
Masks are mentioned on pages 47-49. My description of the book can be found here.

How do you select books to put on Reading Glasses?

The books I choose to put here are the ones that have influenced my teaching and thinking, books that I really enjoyed and I feel deserve more recognition, or books that give me great ideas for classroom use. I probably won't be putting classics like Jane Eyre or The Cat in the Hat here because they are read and known widely. They're on plenty of other lists we all have access to, so we're not likely to forget them. I want to devote this space to the books that have impressed me and given me new ideas - and that applies to both Grownup books and Children's books!

Who are you?

I'm esh, owner and creator of this website. I've recently graduated from the University of Michigan in Elementary Education and am currently working at a preschool with autistic children (talk about interesting and unexpected chapters!).

If you've browsed the book titles I've shared on this website, you probably already have a good sense of who I am and what I like. My interests are reflected in the books I've shared. I love to read and I am passionate about my work with children. Here are a few topics that are of particular interest to me - fairytales, folktales, mythology, astronomy, geology, geography, history, and languages.

I also enjoy browsing the web, playing online games, knitting, and hanging out with my husband and our cat.

Feel free to contact me at eshoya@gmail.com if you have any book titles you think I'd like or if you have a question or comment. Thanks for visiting!