Thank you for your interest in Beyond the ABCs. My name is Kris Meyers and I am the creator of Beyond the ABCs. Beyond the ABCs offers parents specialized training, advice, support, and resources so they can take an active role in raising kids who love to read, write and learn.
In recent years, parents have heard a lot in the media about what is lacking in our school system, and how so many of today’s kids can’t read. When I worked with 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students as an elementary Reading Specialist, the truth was almost all of my students could technically read. They had learned phonics and appeared to be readers. But what many of them didn't have was an understanding of what they were reading or the ability to read fluently. Instead of more phonics instruction, these students primarily needed help with reading fluency and reading comprehension.
As reading becomes more complex many children begin to struggle simply because they focus too much on sounding out words and they don't take the time to think about what they are reading. When this happens, reading becomes something kids feel they have to do rather than something they want to do. Today there are simply too many children who would rather spend time watching TV or playing video games, than spend time reading, writing or learning something new, just for the fun of it.
Parents naturally want their children to learn how to read and write well, but are often given mixed messages about what is the best way to help kids learn how to read and write. In the last decade, the number of "educational" toys, videos and computer games has increased greatly, and expensive phonics and tutoring programs for children have become common. These products and programs may promise to help children learn to read and write, but the reality is most of them focus only on teaching basic phonics or reading skills and do little to develop reading comprehension, reading fluency or a lifelong love of reading and learning.
The good news is whether or not a parent sends their child to a public or private school, or decides to homeschool, parents can nurture a love of reading, writing and learning by moving beyond phonics, beyond the basics, beyond the abcs.
FREE "BEYOND THE ABCs" NEWSLETTER!
Each month I highlight a different strategy parents can use to nurture a love of reading, writing or learning at home.
CLICK HERE to sign up for this helpful educational resource designed especially for parents of preschool and elementary age children.
Remember, reading is much more than sounding out words; reading is thinking. Children who learn how to think when they read are able to be successful learners in school and beyond.
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Listen for FREE!
Click below to listen to my past interviews on Parent Appreciation Radio
Literacy Development All Ages and Stages
from Aug, 2006
How Parents Can Support Successful Learning
from Sept. 2006
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FREE ARTICLE
Click Here to read my article entitled "Beyond the ABCs : Nurturing a Love of Reading"
Published in the PCI Ezine (Feb. 2007); Reading Rockets Reading Today (May 2007); HEAV Update (March 2007) & The Home Educator's Family Times (April/May Issue 2007)
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Click below to learn more........ FREE NEWSLETTER - Each month I highlight a different strategy parents can use to nurture a love of reading, writing and learning at home. CLICK HERE to sign up for this FREE monthly newsletter.
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NEW! TELECLASSES- Informative phone based sessions and Audio CDs for parents and teachers. CLICK HERE to find out more about this new approach to learning from the comfort of your own home.
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KRIS MEYERS, M.Ed., is a Reading Specialist and PCI Certified Parent Coach, with over 15 years of experience working with children, teachers and parents.CLICK HERE to learn more about Kris.
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SEMINARS & WORKSHOPS - Interactive and engaging group presentations for parents and teachers who want to better understand how children learn to read and write.CLICK HERE to learn more about upcoming seminars & workshops; or to schedule a seminar or workshop for your group, school or organization.
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PARENT COACHING provides personalized support and resources for parents who want to take an active role in helping their child learn to read and write well. As a PCI Certified Parent Coach, I specialize in helping parents set & achieve learning goals for their children. CLICK HERE to learn more and find out how you can try Parent Coaching for FREE.
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Contact Kris Meyers, M.Ed.
Email
meyerskm@beyondtheabcs.com
Telephone
#540-297-2306
Sounding out words or decoding words is part of the reading puzzle but falls short of real reading. If children don't understand what they read, they're not really reading.
S. Zimmerman & C. Hutchins, authors of 7 Keys to Comprehension : How to Help Your Kids Read It and Get It!
In the end, nothing matters more than helping our children compose lives in which reading matters.
Lucy Calkins, author of Raising Lifelong Learners: A Parents Guide
Lifelong learners are not created in classrooms as much as in home rooms – that is, living rooms, bedrooms, dining rooms, and play rooms. Jim Trelease author of The Read Aloud Handbook.
Reading is clearly more than knowing letter names. After all, there are only 26 letters to memorize. Reading is so much more
Catherine Snow, literacy researcher at Harvard University
For more information on Best Practices in Reading Instruction, visit the website of the International Reading Association
www.reading.org
or Reading Rockets
www.readingrockets.org |
