LITERACY FUN FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Have Fun Learning While Celebrating
Holiday Blessings
Story Time with Mrs. Claus
CELEBRATING OUR EXEMPLARY STEM 3rd, 4th and 5th Grade EDUCATORS
I am so grateful to have the opportunity of working with our exemplary 3rd- to 5th grade Team! We have the finest teachers in all of West Texas! These teachers spend hours of their personal time preparing lessons, material, and creative and engaging hands on activities for their students. Our teachers are trained to teach high quality lessons with explicit, direct instruction. STEM's 3rd to 5th reading instruction includes phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension with read-alouds of rich literature, choral reading, multi-sensory activities, and PBLs. Woven into our reading program and throughout the day is learning to become writers. Another area that these teachers specialize in is reading intervention with struggling readers. Mrs. Yelley is our 3rd to 5th Instructional Leader and she brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise as she mentors our teachers. Thank you 3rd to 5th teachers for all you do and all the love you show our STEM students.
STEM's Terrific Third Grade Teachers
Meghan Huber
Shayla Yelley
Shayla Yelley has 10 years teaching experience in grades- Kinder, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. She graduated from UTPB with a degree in Multidisciplinary studies and is certified EC-6.
Mrs. Yelley has taken and passed TEAs year long Reading Academies, and is GT certified. She is STEM's Instructional Lead for grades 3-5 using her expertise and experience as she mentors, assists, and leads her peers.
"I use reading daily in math by focusing on vocabulary skills and even context clues to help us figure out how to solve our word problems. We also use writing in math for our current pizza planet PBL by writing a how to recipe for our fraction pizza."
Patricia Zimmerman
STEM's Fabulous Fourth Grade Teachers
Alejandra Escobedo
I am Alejandra Escobedo and I teach 4th grade science/social studies at STEM Academy. I have been an educator for 6 years, and I have taught 9th -12th grade science. I have expanded my horizons, and I am blessed to be teaching 4th grade this year. I incorporate reading on a day-to-day basis in my classroom by integrating science articles and books that influence the topic we are going over. I enjoy teaching because it allows me to see the growth my students have made from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.
Kyle Hildmann
I am a graduate of Abilene Christian University with a Bachelor of Science in Youth and Family Ministry and a Master of Divinity. This is my tenth-year teaching, my 8th year teaching 4th grade math, and my 3rd year at STEM Academy. Of all my years in education, the last 3 have been the best! I love the community here and I love that my kids go to school here as well.
I read every chance I get, at home or in the classroom. In math class this year we read Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen. It is a story about a 12-year-old boy who starts the summer with a hand-me-down riding lawn mower and turns it into a lawn mowing empire, making him thousands of dollars by the end of the summer. Not only is it a great story, it also has countless connection to math class!
Tana Sanchez
My name is Tana Sanchez and I teach 4th grade reading here at STEM. I absolutely adore fourth graders. I love teaching reading because I love when students fall in love with reading, the way I did when I was in fourth grade!! I have three children, all of them attend STEM, we are so thankful to be a part of the STEM family. Mrs. Sanchez is a certified teacher with previous experience at teaching at ECISD. She brings her passion for reading and writing into her classroom and specializes in developing her students writing skills as they are growing as readers.
STEM's Fantastic Fifth Grade Teacherss
Ginger Frazier
Angelica Ruiz
Shanice Smith
Reading and Writing Over the Holidays
It's also the PERFECT time of year to sneak in some reading and writing practice. The kids may be home from school on winter break. The house may be abuzz with holiday cheer. Even with holiday excitement and a break from the classroom, your child will have so many opportunities for learning.
When you incorporate literacy tasks into your daily life and celebrations, you seize teachable moments and create children who will grow into literate adults. Reading and writing are everywhere, and this holiday season, they can be FUN for your children! Here are a handful of ways your child can practice reading and writing during the holidays.
Writing:
1. Write a letter to Santa if your family celebrates Christmas.
2. Write the "To" and "From" tags for holiday gifts.
3. Make holiday cards for friends and family.
4. Make place cards for your family meal.
5. Make a holiday wish list.
Reading:
1. Share a new holiday book together.
2. Have your child read the recipe to you as you prepare a holiday treat or meal together.
3. Have your child research online/in the paper where the best local light displays are.
4. Allow your child to read the tags on the presents and then distribute them.
5. Print out directions for a thematic holiday craft, and have your child read them as you work to complete the craft together.
6. Find a holiday songbook or print out the lyrics to several favorite carols. Whether you go caroling or simply sing together at home, allow your child to read and sing the words.
Have fun learning while you celebrate and prepare for the holidays this year. I wish you the warmest holiday season and the happiest New Year.
Stress-Busting Holiday Literacy Tips for Families
The holidays can be stressful for families but they’re also a great opportunity to spend time for those closest to you. Spending time reading with your children is a great reason to turn off the television, cuddle up, and relax. Try some of these fun literacy activities to bust holiday stress!
- Encourage your child to create bookmarks to give as gifts or to mark the place in your own book where you leave off during storybook time.
- Ask your child to help with holiday shopping. Have him or her write out the list and then read the items aloud as you look through the aisles together.
- Give your child a companion book to traditional holiday gifts, such as a book on juggling and several brightly colored balls; a book about fossils and a fossil creating kit; or a book about stamp collecting and a stamp album.
- When it's time for holiday baking, ask your child to read the directions aloud to you or read them together.
- While the cookies or other holiday treats are in the oven, read a short book together.
- Help your child make his or her own holiday gifts for family and friends by following the directions in a how-to-book.
- Ask your child to help you write out gift name tags. Use extra-large gift tags for tiny hands.
- Give a bookstore or online bookstore gift certificate as a holiday present so your child can select a new book on his or her own. Read the book together.
- Visit the library or book store and pick out some holiday favorites for festive family reading all season long!
Teach sight words through touch
The Gift of Reading
Here we provide some suggestions for gifts that will encourage your child to read. You can also look for many of these resources in the school or public library. If your family is bilingual, books in your first language or bilingual books are great options for your children — research shows that strong reading skills in a child's first language will allow them to become stronger readers in their second language (you can read more about this in Why Reading to Your Kids in Spanish Will Help Them Become Better Readers).
You may also wish to see some of our ideas for reading together over winter vacation, as well as at home throughout the year. Here are some ideas to help you get started!
Book Recommendations
Good books are wonderful gifts! Young children can enjoy the magic of a book's story and illustrations again and again, and when they read with you they will practice their reading skills and learn something new. If you're not sure how to find the right children's book, read Finding and Sharing Great Kids' Books. And older children just might find something that they can connect to in books written for their age group or in non-fiction books.
Featured Booklists: Holiday Tales and Gift Ideas
If you're looking for a book to share in the classroom or with someone special, check out the following recommended titles:
- Winter Holiday Tales
- Asian Pacific Holiday Tales
- Hispanic Heritage Holiday Tales (also in Spanish)
- Native American Holiday Tales
- African-American Children’s Books for Christmas and Kwanzaa (InCulture Parent)
- Hanukkah Books for Kids of All Ages (PJ Library)
- The Gift of Reading: Beautiful Books for Children
- Multicultural Books for Young Adults
- Ten Books for the Holiday Season (Reading Rockets)
- Books as Gifts: Holiday Buying Guide (Reading Rockets)
- Multicultural Award Winners
Missing Books
Have your student return to library or drop off at the front office.
Thank you!!!
Bonnie Villarreal
Email: Bonnie.Villarreal@ectorcountyisd.org
Website: https://www.ectorcountyisd.org/Domain/2592
Phone: (432) 552-2580