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“Ellen
Kahaner and Pageturners, Ink has provided the South Orange
Library with an excellent series of family literacy programs for four-
and five-year-olds. Each three or four week session focuses on one
author, which helps highlight and advertise our collection here at the
library. Authors presented here have included Eric Carle, Vera
Williams, Ezra Jack Keats, Mem Fox, and Tomie dePaola. There are
opportunities for caregivers to interat with the children during the
program, which provides techniques that can be implemented at home.
Weekly handouts also assist the parents by providing continuing
activites that can be done at home with the children.
While observing sessions, I am always impressed with the comprehensive
approach used. The kids read books, interact with the group, write in
their own notebooks, do artwork using varying media, and take advantage
of our library’s mobile computer lab to learn about authors and books
online in interactive forums. These tasks allow the children to use
their emerging listening, reading, social, motor and thinking skills in
a friendly environment with their caregivers and other children their
own age. This is a program I would recommend to any public library!”
-- Christine Policastro,
Children’s Librarian, South Orange Public
Library
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Ellen has
presented her workshop program three times over the past year at our
library. The classes have been very well
received by the youngsters and their parents. Her
program consists of a series of three workshops, dealing with one
children’s book author, e.g. Eric Carle or Mem Fox.
To engage the children, aged 4 and 5 years, in guided
reading and writing, she presents strategies such as having the
children produce their own stories in their own “composition” books or make striking
collage pictures for display in our library. At
the same time, the parents have the chance to work together and bond more fully with their own children and with
all the other members of the group.
The program has been so successful
that we intend to keep presenting it at our library for each group of
emergent readers as long as Ellen is willing.
-- Carole
Bollini, Youth Services Librarian, Ramsey Public
Library
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“My children and I have enjoyed
these sessions! They are so much more
aware of reading more into a book than we were ‘reading’ in the past.
They think more critically about the author, illustrator, and the
story. I think this is a great program and my children and I have all
grown more aware and interested. This is another way to have interest
peeked for children to want to read and understand books.”
-- A Ramsey, NJ parent
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“We
loved your classes. Your ability to educate and stimulate their
interest was wonderful. You also always took the time to help them
relate better socially. We want you to know how much we appreciated
everything you offered us.”
-- Miriam Funtoniez, South
Orange parent
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“My son and I have enjoyed our
workshop. The small group experience at
the library was fun – and enriching. I enjoyed sharing the ‘class time’
with my son. Ellen is a patient teacher, well-prepared and clearly
enjoys working with the children.”
-- A South Orange parent
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“My son and I enjoyed the author study workshop very much. Most valuable
was the following:
-tips on teaching early readers
-use of sounds and sentence breakdown for learning
-phonics support
-storytelling tips
Always appreciated is the use of activities throughout the class that
allow a physical outlet (eg. treasure hunt). This allows high energy
kids to pay attention.”
-- A Maplewood parent
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“I'd like to see you do an emergent reader class just for parents! The
parent letters were great.”
-- Colleen Broderick, Maplewood parent
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“I was amazed to see the kids so engaged and it really seemed they were
all learning some valuable pre-reading skills. I also liked how the art
project tied in to the art in the books.”
-- A Maplewood parent
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