We are excited to partner with you to help your child become a strong reader!

Dear Families,                                                                    

We are excited to partner with you to help your child become a strong reader! 

As part of the citywide NYC Reads initiative, your child’s teacher provides your child with daily research-based reading instruction. One of the best things you can do to support your child at home is to make reading fun and help them learn to love reading. You can do this by reading with your child or by encouraging them to read independently—in any language. But it can be tricky to find free and fun books for your child to read. On the back of this page are some tips to help you find books (hard copies, e-books, and audiobooks) that are free and fun for your child. Please reach out to your child’s teacher, librarian, or our Parent coordinator if you want to learn more. 

With gratitude 

Emma Velazquez

Principal PS 54K

Find Free Books for Your Child

NYCPS and other community organizations provide a number of ways to access FREE books for your child in a variety of languages.

  1. Hard Copies: Check out hard-copy books in many languages for FREE at the New York Public Library (nypl.org) (locations in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island), Brooklyn Public Library (bklynlibrary.org), and/or Queens Public Library (queenslibrary.org) in your neighborhood. Ask a librarian to help you find books in your home language. If your school has a librarian, they can also help you to find books in your language that will interest your child.
  2. E-Books: Sora (on.nyc.gov/sora) is a FREE reading app for NYCPS students with e-books in 20 languages. 
  3. Audiobooks: Listen to FREE audiobooks or digital read-alouds while on the train or in the car. 

Just like adults, children are more eager to read books that interest them! So, help your child find books that they are excited to read. 

  1. Let your child’s interests guide you. Ask questions to help your child figure out what they are excited to read about. For example:
  • You loved the last Diary of a Wimpy Kid book. Is there another book in that series we can find?
  • You loved that basketball movie we saw last week. Let’s find books about sports.
  • It was great to make dumplings with your grandmother last night, right? Let’s find a book to learn more about our heritage.
  • What questions do you have about science and how things work in the world? Let’s find a book to answer some of those questions.
  • What are you learning about in reading class these days? What has it made you curious about?
  1. Fun, not frustration. Reading shouldn’t feel like a chore. It’s okay if reading is sometimes challenging, but it should not be so difficult that your child gets frustrated. To figure out if a book is too difficult for your child to read independently, try the ‘five finger rule’ (bit.ly/rightbooks). Open to page two of the book. Have your child hold up one finger for each word they do not know. If there are five or more words they do not know, pick another book. And don’t discount texts that aren’t traditional books. Graphic novels, blogs, and news are great. Reading is reading!

Events 2024-25 School Year

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Samuel C. Barnes Elementary School
195 Sanford St
Brooklyn, NY 11205

Phone: (718) 834-6752

Fax: (718) 852-8129

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NYC Reads (EL Education)

What is NYC Reads?

This year, PS 54 - The Detective Rafael Ramos School will participate in NYC Reads, a citywide initiative to help all NYC Public Schools students become strong readers. Strong reading skills are essential for students to graduate from high school, access higher education, have successful careers, and create economic stability. And, strong reading skills are the foundation that will help our students become critical thinkers, capable of solving the problems of the future and carrying out the civic engagement activities necessary to sustain our democracy.

As part of NYC Reads, all K-5 schools use one of three evidence-based reading programs. Our district uses EL Education. The curriculum will help our children develop foundational reading skills and build knowledge about rich topics, like the Civil Rights Movement, the sea, or animal behavior and adaptations. NYC Reads School PS 54 - The Detective Rafael Ramos School docx.pdf 

¿Qué es NYC Reads?

Este año, PS 54 - La Escuela Detective Rafael Ramos participará en NYC Reads, una iniciativa de toda la ciudad para ayudar a todos los estudiantes de las Escuelas Públicas de la Ciudad de Nueva York a convertirse en buenos lectores. Fuertes habilidades de lectura son esenciales para que los estudiantes se gradúen de la escuela secundaria, accedan a la educación superior, tengan carreras exitosas y creen estabilidad económica. Y unas sólidas habilidades de lectura son la base que ayudará a nuestros estudiantes a convertirse en pensadores críticos, capaces de resolver los problemas del futuro y llevar a cabo las actividades de participación cívica necesarias para sostener nuestra democracia.

Como parte de NYC Reads, todas las escuelas K-5 utilizan uno de los tres programas de lectura basados ​​en evidencia. Nuestro distrito utiliza EL Education. El plan de estudios ayudará a nuestros niños a desarrollar habilidades fundamentales de lectura y adquirir conocimientos sobre temas interesantes, como el Movimiento por los Derechos Civiles, el mar o el comportamiento y las adaptaciones de los animales.

 

 

 

 

 

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