MEET THE FAMILIES IN THE VIDEO
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ZULMA SUM AND HER FAMILY |
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MARGARET WALKER AND HER FAMILY |
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DIA MICHELS AND HER FAMILY |
Zulma Sum is a friendly, soft-spoken Salvadoran woman who has three children — Rebecca, age 9, Andreas, age 7, and Raquel, age 3. Zulma came to this country from El Salvador when she was eight. She didn't speak any English at all. Because she didn't attend school in El Salvador, she never learned to read and write in her native language either.
Recently, Zulma became involved with a Reading is Fundamental program at her housing complex in Rockville, Maryland. The program helped her learn what a difference she could make in her child's progress to reading.
Raquel loves reading. Her favorite book is Curious George, by Hans Augusto Rey. At home or in the library, Zulma lets Raquel pick out her own books to read together. Zulma asks questions about the story as she reads, and lets Raquel pretend to read on her own.
Zulma, her husband Vincent, and all the children have family reading time together. The parents read to Raquel, and the two older kids read to themselves. Rebecca, her oldest, used to be in a lower reading group at school, but now that she reads so much at home, she' reading right at her grade level. Rebecca's favorite books are A - Z Mysteries, by Ron Roy.
MARGARET WALKER AND HER FAMILY
Margaret Walker has always led a life of service — to her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, her church, and her community. A graduate of Cardoza High School in Washington, D.C., she is a seamstress and caterer. She and her husband, a retired auto mechanic, have opened their Northwest Washington home to several of her grandchildren.
Ms. Walker has always made reading a priority in her family. The grandchildren who live with her — Doreen Smith, Marlon Young, and John Junior Kennedy — have all benefited from this. Doreen began reading when she was four. Marlon already reads at the twelfth grade level, even though he's now in sixth grade.
From the time the children were very young, Mrs. Walker made sure all the children had plenty of chances to practice language and reading. She helps them learn by involving them in reading recipes as she cooked. She also makes up different word games so they can practice recognizing letters and words and their meaning.
The children will agree: reading is a very big thing in this family. Doreen, who's in second grade, loves to read books in the new series of books about Barbie released by Golden Books, Grolier, and others. Her cousin Marlon enjoys suspenseful thrillers for young adults, especially the Midnight Secrets trilogy, by Wolff Ryp. Even Doreen's five-year-old cousin John loves to read. His favorite book is One Fish, Two Fish, by Dr. Seuss.
Dia Michels has been involved in books in many ways. She has made reading a priority with her three children: Kaely, age 12, Zach, age 8, and Mira, age 2. They read together often, sometimes taking the story into their own lives with related activities. For example, a trip to the kitchen to prepare and eat green eggs and ham often follows their reading of Dr. Seuss' classic Green Eggs and Ham. They also have lots of fun creating their own books together.
Dia also leads reading groups for children as part of an after-school program on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., where she has lived for 22 years. And she has written a number of books for both children and adults.
All this, Dia says, starts with a love of books, which began when she was very young. She has always been excited about reading, and feels it is important for her to share this with others.
Since books are a favorite activity around the Michels household, the children have a long list of favorites:
Kaely loves the Harry Potter and Sammy Keyes book series, but also enjoys:
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The Diary of Melanie Martin, by Carol Weston
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Shakespeare Stealer, by Gary Blackwood
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Belle Prater's Boy, by Ruth White
When Zack isn't knee-deep in the Captain Underpants book series, he especially enjoys:
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There's a Boy in the Girl's Bathroom, by Louis Sachar
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The Stories Huey Tells, by Ann Cameron
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The Magic Squad, by Mary Quattlebaum
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Holes, by Louis Sachar
Two-year old Mira seems to favor these books during reading time:
- Bear Snores On, by Karma Wilson
- Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge, by Mem Fox
- Muddle Cuddle, by Laurel Dee Gugler
- The Biggest Bed in the World, by Lindsay Camp
- Tommy at the Grocery Store, by Bill Grossman
- Camilla's New Hairdo, by Tricia Tusa
- King Bidgood's in the Bathtub, by Audrey Wood
