Happy Monday Oasis Reading Mentors!

I’m back! I hope this finds each of you well and in the company of good books.

Speaking of good books, please hold on to any Oasis library books you have in your possession until further notice. I will let you know as soon as the Oasis office and our library re-open.

I am excited to share that a local donor is funding the setup for our new library database with bar codes and a check-in/checkout system that will not require any writing. We will then have a current inventory of our over 5000 titles. We were able to begin the process just before our COVID-19 closure, so keep your fingers crossed that we can complete the organization prior to the beginning of the school year. The plan is to also have our Oasis booklets – All About Me, Words I’m Learning and the Journal available for your fall sessions.

We read to our students based on their interests and hopefully share some of our favorite books as well. Have you ever brought humor into your sessions? Recently, I have come to think of humor as pretty important. A good laugh – a funny story, can be combined with reading techniques. We know it is important for some early readers to be exposed to books with repetitive words or phrases and repetitive rhymes or text to help them gain confidence for “reading.” That repetition also helps with decoding, improves fluency and comprehension. That is why books like Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons or Silly Sally or any Dr. Seuss book, employ repetition but are fun too. Check out the difference between these two links – reading Wonkey Donkey. Enjoy a good laugh!

Online Zoom classes

If you have not already, check out the new online options for Zoom classes with Oasis – just follow the link www.oasisabq.org

Spread joy

Please take a moment and write the happiest story you can using only 4 words, then share in the comment section below. Let’s continue a riot of positive thought. I will start by sharing a couple examples:

Told someone they matter
kids like to read
read a good book
were in this together

Stay safe and be well.
Happy reading,
Vicki