Catherine Behrendt

Sep 26, 2024 | wzzm13.com | Catherine Behrendt

OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — As we wrap up our 13 Reads: Stop the Summer Slide campaign, we focus on setting the stage for a lifetime of literacy.   A child’s pediatrician measures their height and weight to ensure they’re hitting all the benchmarks.   But there’s a program in Ottawa County that ALSO has the family doctor watching for a child’s LITERACY benchmarks. More than 150 doctor’s clinics in Michigan offer the Reach Out & Read program.

Jul 16, 2024 | wzzm13.com | Catherine Behrendt

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — It’s tough to get children to pick up a book when summer fun is calling, especially when a child is what educators call a “reluctant reader.”   It just doesn’t come naturally to them.   Literacy Coach Tara Baxter had tips for getting reluctant readers engaged.  Baxter said there are two kinds of reluctant readers.   There's those who can't read, and those who won't read.

Jul 16, 2024 | wzzm13.com | Catherine Behrendt

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Some people, both children and adults, see reading as a chore, while others find great joy inside the pages of a book. Research shows, the solution to taking the work out of reading is CHOICE.   A book chosen by a child is one that is more likely to be read. Tara Baxter is a Literacy Coach at the West Michigan Academy of Environmental Science. She says the benefits of choice are many.   “The students develop a better attitude. And then it gives them power.

Jul 16, 2024 | wzzm13.com | Catherine Behrendt

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — If you were lucky, you grew up in a home surrounded by books.   Too many children do not and as a result, they lack the literacy skills of kids who have access to reading materials.   13 On Your Side has partnered with Storytime GR, Summer Reading Celebrations and the Grand Rapids Public Library to hold a series of events to keep kids reading during the busy summer months.

Jul 9, 2024 | wzzm13.com | Catherine Behrendt

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — Who’s your favorite comic book character?   Superman? Wonder Woman? Spiderman? There’s a genre of comic books that’s gaining in popularity.   They’re called graphic novels.   Where comics provide short episodic segments, graphic novels, like traditional novels, offer more complex plots and characters. You read the text and then use the artwork to learn more about the story. They’re created for both children and adults.