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Click on the "Music and Books" icon to see The Sing to Read Adventure Books and Music. Photo above: Lorraine Long and children attending the Chinese International School of Hong Kong sing and read Here Kitty, Kitty! Featuring Predictable Books and Music Predictable Books - stories written in a manner so that the     child can use rhyme, repetition, patterns and picture cues     to predict the words coming up in the text. (1) Why use predictable books? 1. The children perceive themselves as readers by using the     picture cues, rhyme, patterns and repetition. (1) 2. The children see that reading makes sense and it is an     enjoyable activity. (1) 3. Predictable books provide a meaningful context to teach     colors, numbers, rhyme, phonics and a particular theme. (1) 4. As the children learn the words to the stories, have them     track under the words with their finger. The children will     begin to achieve the left to right progression of reading.     They will soon make the connection that the letters on the     page are the words they are singing or saying. (1) Why incorporate music? Music has been shown to increase learning capacity during children's developmental years. The Sing to Read Adventure is designed to enhance children's learning by combining music with the early childhood curriculum.     "Don Campbell, author of the best-selling book The     Mozart Effect (1997), says that music can strengthen     children's minds and serve as a fundamental skill to     learning. In fact, music has the ability to build     neurophathways in the brain that can increase memory and     help children's language development." (2)     "Campbell visualizes this process by thinking about adding     memory to a computer. Having music encoded in our     brains helps speed up our thinking: 'It's like going from     2,000 bits to 33,000 bits'."(2) (1) Opitz,M. (1995). Getting the Most from Predictable Books. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc. (2)Early Childhood News: The journal of professional development, Vol. 10, Issue 6, p. 39, November/December 1998.) Campbell, D.G. (1997). The Mozart Effect: Tapping the Power of Music to Heal the Body, Strengthen the Mind, and Unlock the Creative Spirit. 1997. Teacher Comments: "Music is one of the most powerful tools that teachers have for enhancing listening abilities, connecting with long-term memory and maximizing natural language learning. Music from your songs, books and CD have provided a fabulous extension to the curriculum in my classroom and the children are delighted to sing your songs on a daily basis. We have made song books each time and have done many of the suggested activities as the topics have fit right into the curriculum for K-1st grade. Your songs have been the high point of each day for the children. We can't wait for your new book and CD to come out." Laurie Nosanchuk Special Education Teacher K-2, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

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