Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting Network 

Show Name: Beyond a Bedtime Story

Episode Title: Gamification of Reading

Episode #9

You are listening to Beyond a Bedtime Story the podcast with your host Emily.

In this episode of Beyond a Bedtime Story the Podcast I will discuss 

Hi, Welcome back, I’m your host Emily, and you’re listening to Beyond a Bedtime Story: A Parent’s Guide to Children’s Reading! With this episode you’ll be one step closer to taking your bedtime stories to the next level, so let’s get into it! 

Today I‘ll provide you with tips to gamify your child’s reading experience. 

• Idea inspired by my teacher! 

Article 7 Ways to Gamify Your Studies to Make Learning More Fun by Oxford Royale Academy 

• These are not my ideas! I’m highlighting my favorites from the article, consolidating them, and providing additional insight into how the strategies might be valuable + fit into your household (but feel free to refer to the actual article which is linked in my show notes - above!)

*Gamification of learning which “involves applying the principles of video games to studying”

Tips: 

1. Incorporating narrative: narrative “umbrella for a series of learning tasks may have the ability to sustain your attention for a longer period of time.” Such as inventing a scenario where you are “undertaking a journey, perhaps through a fantasy land” and “instead of fighting off monsters, you have to learn certain topics in order to progress through this imagined land.”
2. Requires creativity, imagination + effort, but it doesn’t have to be cumbersome. Invite your child to be a part of the creative process, deciding what they want their fantasy journey to look like (they can tell you and you can write down their ideas, they can illustrate too!)  
3. Changing the way you refer to things: The article uses Harry Potter as an example, suggesting, “ Why not pretend that that’s where you’re studying? You could call Biology “Herbology” or “Care of Magical Creatures”
4. This strategy strengthens the narrative you’ve created in tip 1. By changing your terminology to represent your fantastical world, you build intrigue for your child’s studies. 
5. A later suggestion mentions taking on characters while working. Have your child adopt a persona w/n their fantasy. You can be one too! All helps to immerse yourselves in the gamification setting and have fun with learning. 
6. Instant Feedback: I see this being most useful to parents of young children with a points...

Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting Network 

Show Name: Beyond a Bedtime Story

Episode Title: Introducing MLK’s Legacy 

Episode #8

You are listening to Beyond a Bedtime Story the podcast with your host Emily.

In this episode of Beyond a Bedtime Story the Podcast I will discuss ways to introduce Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy to young children.

Hi, Welcome back, I’m your host Emily, and you’re listening to Beyond a Bedtime Story: A Parent’s Guide to Children’s Reading! With this episode you’ll be one step closer to taking your bedtime stories to the next level, so let’s get into it! I found the idea for this episode when 

• MLK day (this year Jan 15) → always 3rd monday in January 

Research sources for how to introduce race, heavy historical topics: https://k12database.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2019/06/TipsControversialIssues.pdf  

Provides advice for educators but it is also applicable to parents 

• “Despite the sensitive nature of these subjects, do not sanitize or simplify the past or present”
• “While it is certainly our responsibility to teach the ‘hard history,’ we must also teach the ways various individuals, groups, organizations, etc. have resisted throughout each and every time period. Help students see that in today’s world, which is still grappling with so many of the same issues, they are our future leaders
• Teaching w/ hope 
• The picture books I selected emphasize this (describes resistance from black Americans, such as the Bus Boycott) 
• Advises teachers to know their students well enough: can they handle the material? Are they represented w/n the material? 
• YOU as a PARENT know your child → have a better sense of what they know of the world already and where they may need guidance, but also ensure that you are willing to challenge your child w/ exposing them to new things 
• Advises teachers to create safe space
• YOU as a PARENT w/n YOUR HOME your child is inherently safe with you and that environment, extra level of comfort may make these difficult discussion easier
• By beginning the conversions at home, your child may be extra prepared for classroom content 
• Validate & support frustrating feelings 
• Encourage your child to be honest about if they feel nervous or upset when...

Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting Network 

Show Name: Beyond a Bedtime Story

Episode Title: “Being Bicultural” Discussion & Book Review

Episode #7

You are listening to Beyond a Bedtime Story the podcast with your host Emily.

In this episode of Beyond a Bedtime Story the Podcast I will discuss my experiences growing up in a bicultural family, review the multilingual alphabet book A is for Bee by Ellen Heck, and explain how my bicultural identity has impacted decisions as an author. 

Hi, Welcome back, I’m your host Emily, and you’re listening to Beyond a Bedtime Story: A Parent’s Guide to Children’s Reading! With this episode you’ll be one step closer to taking your bedtime stories to the next level, so let’s get into it! 

Today, my podcast is inspired by my childhood, growing up in a bicultural family as a Colombian American. 

My mom immigrated here from Colombia when she was 10. My dad is white and has always lived in NJ. 

• Wasn’t taught language as a child
• Stuck in the shower story 
• Having my hispanicness be questioned 
• Growing into my identity: spanish linguistics, work, understanding fluently  

• Book = A is for Bee by Ellen Heck 

Alright, I’m back and ready to dive in! Now, instead of referring to specific page numbers, I’ll be identifying page numbers by letter, as this is an alphabet book. So, as always, if you have the book, definitely feel free to follow along

I don’t have a rigid set of strategies for this book as I feel the content’s importance speaks for itself. 

• Goals: 
• Introducing your child to the idea of a global world: languages, cultures 
• Expanding their viewpoint to include languages they’re not familiar with, are not regularly exposed to
• Increase engagement by looking out for words embedded in illustrations

• Discussion of my own writing process: attempt to include bicultural characters + images 
• Realizing that as an author I have the opportunity to present the stories that I was missing growing up 
• Normalizing being bicultural in everyday life and seeing culturally significant...

Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting Network 

Show Name: Beyond a Bedtime Story

Episode Title: “The Princess and the Plot” Book Review

Episode #6

You are listening to Beyond a Bedtime Story the podcast with your host Emily.

In this episode of Beyond a Bedtime Story the Podcast I will provide reading prompts focusing on the plot and characters for “The Paper Bag Princess”.

Hi, Welcome back, I’m your host Emily, and you’re listening to Beyond a Bedtime Story: A Parent’s Guide to Children’s Reading! With this episode you’ll be one step closer to taking your bedtime stories to the next level, so let’s get into it! In this episode, we will be discussing The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch. It is a very short story that follows a princess's quest to save her prince from a dragon. She is called the paper bag princess because at the beginning of the book the dragon burns up her dress with his fiery breath, so she is left with just a paper bag to wear. We’re going to jump right into reading strategies with this story because there are quite a few.

• First, this story is a great starting point to review basic plot
• After reading, preface w/ your child: 
•  We know stories have a beginning, middle and end…
•  How does this story start? 
• Then what happens? 
• What was the big problem that the princess must solve?
• What does the princess do?
• What happens to the dragon?
• How did she get past the dragon? 
• How does the story end? 
• Essentially summarizing the plot of the story 
• Important terms: 
• beginning, middle, end 
• Problem (conflict)

Pretty simple, right? Yet, this iteration and actively prompting your child to identify and speak into existence aspects of lot will allow them to comprehend what went on, how things happened, and the importance of things like cause + effect (ex. the dragon stole the boy, SO the princess had to go after him), and an ending (story comes to a peaceful resolve)

In the next segment, we’ll focus on characterization within the story. We’ll be right back, don’t go anywhere. 

Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting Network 

Show Name: Beyond a Bedtime Story

Episode Title: “Giving Lessons” Book Review

Episode #5

You are listening to Beyond a Bedtime Story the podcast with your host Emily.

In this episode of Beyond a Bedtime Story the Podcast I will provide follow-up reading prompts for “The Giving Tree”.

Hi, Welcome back! I’m your host Emily, and you’re listening to Beyond a Bedtime Story: A Parent’s Guide to Children’s Reading! In this episode we will be tackling a book that carries emotional weight, and it’s one that you’re almost certainly familiar with and one that I read as a child. And while I remembered my love for it, when I reread the book I was reminded of, and rather shocked at its candid melancholy. The book is “The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein and, in case you are unfamiliar, it follows the friendship of a tree and a boy, but as the boy grows older, he becomes absent and only visits the tree to request things from her, such as apples and branches, until, by the end, the tree is reduced to a stump on which the boy finally sits.  

• Article: The Third Mr. Silverstein (Richard R. Lingeman; April 30, 1978) 
• “Happy endings, magic solutions in children's books, he says; “create an alienation” in the child who reads them. “The child asks why don't I have this happiness thing you're telling me about, and comes to think when his joy stops that he has failed, that it won't come back.” By the same token, creating mythic heroes “20 feet tall” places an impossible burden on the child, who feels he can never live up to the image.”

Tangent: my childhood & never liking happy endings

• relate to it being ok for your child to face sadness (I was obsessed with watching the news as a child and was drawn to sad stories because I liked facing my feelings) 
• But not all children do (joke about "friend" who wasn't allowed to watch the news as a child because it made him too sad) 
• Obviously very different, each child has a different level of tolerance for facing emotional stories, and as a parent you know best what they can handle, but everyone can benefit from being exposed to the not-so-perfect realities of life and can be taught how to deal with sad situations 
•  this text provides a healthy amount of sadness to address, at least Silverstein would think so, and I happen to agree (when you use the right prompts and lessons to teach your child) 
• Article: We Need to Talk About ‘The Giving Tree’ (By Adam...

Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting Network 

Show Name: Beyond a Bedtime Story

Episode Title: “It’s a Classic for a Reason” Book Review

Episode #4

You are listening to Beyond a Bedtime Story the podcast with your host Emily.

In this episode of Beyond a Bedtime Story the Podcast, I will provide reading prompts to engage your child in a nuanced approach to a classic picture book.

Hi, Welcome back! I’m your host Emily, and you’re listening to Beyond a Bedtime Story: A Parent’s Guide to Children’s Reading! In this episode I will be reviewing a book that has long been a hallmark of children’s literature. I myself even know the significance of the book having read both the English and Spanish versions as a child. But, when I went to review the book, I wondered what really made this simple text so impactful. 

• Article: Why Goodnight Moon Is Still A Classic 75 Years Later by Harper Collins 

(Explores Goodnight Moon’s longevity) 

• Popular with both parents and literary critics for “its simplicity, use of repetitive wordplay” 
• Author Margaret Wise Brown emerged (in the 1930s) when picture books revolved around fairy tales that often “had a moral message and contained unusual happenings.” Yet, “Brown believed that kids would respond better to stories set in their everyday lives. She subscribed to an approach to writing known as ‘here-and-now’ storytelling” (developed by her mentor Lucy Sprague Mitchell)
• “One of its core beliefs was that young children were still discovering the world around them and could be fascinated by stories that dealt with simple, daily tasks, like saying goodnight before going to bed.” 
• Brown’s text was approachable to young children
• “Brown sought to use language and narrative structures that appealed to kids” 
• Felt that children were “fascinated by the rhythm and word patterns of speech” 
• As reflected in the “repetitive wordplay” used w/n Goodnight Moon
• In addition to rhymes, I noticed how speech had a consistent pattern framed by words such as “little” “a” “and” “goodnight” 
• Developed her ideas in alignment with feedback from children. 
• Part of

Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting Network 

Show Name: Beyond a Bedtime Story

Episode Title: “My Favorites” Book Review

Episode #3

You are listening to Beyond a Bedtime Story the podcast with your host Emily.

In this episode of Beyond a Bedtime Story the Podcast, I will provide guidance on how to engage your child using my favorite picture books from childhood.

Hi, Welcome back! I’m your host Emily, and you’re listening to Beyond a Bedtime Story: A Parent’s Guide to Children’s Reading! In this episode, I will be introducing you to two of my favorite picture books from childhood while giving specific ways to prompt your child while reading each text. So feel free to grab the book, if you have it, and follow along as I refer to specific page numbers. 

• I Love My New Toy! By Mo Willems (An Elephant & Piggie Book)

The next book I will be reviewing is If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff 

The next couple of episodes of my podcast will follow this structure of reviewing picture books followed by a final segment that identifies what makes these books special and similar recommendations. 

• Taking a liking/becoming invested in the series encouraged me to continue reading them 
• I read all of the Elephant and Piggie books + If You Give a Mouse a Cookie series 
• Not a bad thing for kids to prefer a certain series, yes they should be reading a diverse selection but becoming accustomed to a certain author and style might encourage them to pursue reading independently 
• I found joy in seeking out the series that I loved, and, once I was proficient in reading, I took it upon myself to continue reading them

Recs: 

• Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo...

Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting Network 

Show Name: Beyond a Bedtime Story

Episode Title: More Fun Means More Learning

Episode #2

You are listening to Beyond a Bedtime Story the podcast with your host Emily.

In this episode of Beyond a Bedtime Story the Podcast we discuss fun literacy activities (that you can incorporate at home!) for both sound work and comprehension as they appear in research, mentorship, and the classroom. 

Hi! I’m your host Emily, and welcome back to Beyond a Bedtime Story: A Parent’s Guide to Children’s Reading. In today’s episode, we will be discussing cool, engaging techniques that will be fun for your child. I will begin by describing those that I’ve researched, while the following sections will delve into anecdotes from practices that I’ve observed.

 Teaching must consider the formation of phonological or phonemic awareness, when children “hear and manipulate the distinct sounds in spoken language” (Farkas 2000). In addition to establishing technicalities and building fundamentals, instruction focuses on the practice of decontextualized language: talking about ideas beyond the text that consider a non-present audience, background information, narrative, or explanation.

•  students’ “comprehension and sense of story structure were improved over children in the control groups” when their read-alouds were accompanied by role-play, retelling, and reconstructing through pictures (Morrow 1988). 
• Cahill and Gregory (2016) investigated a Kindergarten classroom where students daily engaged in the practice of creating and sharing stories. The process involves students drawing and then verbally narrating a story, in partnerships or groups, associated with the picture they drew. Verbally sharing the story was a scaffolding technique that ensured underdeveloped writing skills would not hinder the practice of creative writing.

Welcome to segment two, we’re going to pick right back up and dive into the storytelling activities that I witnessed through mentorship and how they improved decontextualized language skills (comprehension of the text). 

• Mentorship explanation 
• Creativity when developing stories 
•  Replicate at home

The final segment of the show will unpack intriguing sound techniques from the Kindergarten classrooms I observed that children really loved. 

• Students tap out each letter then drag their pinched finger through the air to sound out the whole word
• stretching vowel sounds: moving both hands in a roller coaster motion 
• very fun, thus they were...