TOOBALOO

TOOBALOO
Every classroom needs a supply of TOOBALOOs!!!

The TOOBALOO is a phone-like device that allows children to hear themselves clearly while speaking softly into it. The design of the TOOBALOO magnifies their voice allowing them to hear their sounds and words distinctly.

I use TOOBALOOs during centers for small groups to practice reading, during or after a guided reading group, during independent reading or DEAR time. Also TOOBALOOs have been great to use while students practice writing. Have the students reread their stories into the TOOBALOO for editing.

TOOBALOOs, pointers, highlighter rulers, highlighter tape, etc are all great additions to any literacy centre. These simple things increase excitement and enthusiasm for reading.

As Maya Angelou says, ‘ Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him.’

I will use any material or resource I can to get a book into a child’s hands.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find David Letterman’s Top Ten List on Reading but I found Carol Gorman’s.

Carol Gorman's Top Ten reasons to Read, Read, Read!

10. Reading helps you become an interesting person. (Impress your friends, dates, and future in-laws!)

9. Reading helps you learn how to write correctly. (Get good grades, make your grandmother happy when she reads your well-written thank-you notes, and impress your future boss who'll promote you because you express yourself so well.)

8. Reading develops your imagination. (Write terrific stories for school, cook up funny ideas for friends, and maybe even earn big bucks writing screen plays for Hollywood!)

7. Reading entertains you. (No more long boring car rides, waits in the dentist's office, or too-long summer vacations when you can't think of anything to do.)

6. Reading teaches you about things unfamiliar to you. (Write A+ reports for school, impress your friends, and earn big prizes on TV game shows!)

5. Reading takes you to places you've never visited. (Read about actors on Broadway, bullfighters in Spain, and astronauts in space.)

4. Reading takes you to times you've never experienced. (Spend a week in Colonial times, or experience the burial ceremony of an Egyptian king, or learn what life was like when William Shakespeare was writing Romeo and Juliet.)

3. Reading introduces you to people you've never met. (Find out how the Amish live, or how a fireman in New York City spends his day, or what an NFL football player's practice is like.)

2. Reading introduces you to new ideas. (Learn about the beliefs of the world's religions, why some physicists believe that time is circular instead of linear, and how scientists speculate that our thoughts can influence the outcome of experiments.)

1. Reading is FUN! (Laugh out loud! Gasp in disbelief! Feel your heart beating in suspense!)