Phonics and Homeschooling

Discipline for Homeschooling

2009-07-18T06:03:00.000-07:00

To discipline thus means to instruct a person to follow a particular code of conduct "order." Consequently, "in the field of child development, discipline refers to methods of modeling character and of teaching self-control and acceptable behavior." To disciple also gives rise to the word disciplinarian, which denotes a person who enforces order.

Photo: onspectrum.com

Maintaining Discipline in Homeschooling

There are certain issues of discipline at stake. When the child stays at home all day, and mommy is the teacher. It is easy for he child to misconstrue the freedom he has at home and feel that homeschooling is just a long summer holiday.

This is a potential landmine and children need to be disciplined right at the start. Homeschooling gives you and your child a truly immense amount of flexibility. You and your child decide where to learn, how much to learn and when to learn. But,these should be decisions made at the beginning stages. If your child is too little to take an active part in the decision, chart out a few hours of the day for the various activities, and stick to it. When there is no outside agency to supervise and no exams to answer, it is easy to get sidetracked.

If your child is old enough, consult him and find out when he wants to learn. Apply your parental discretion and come up with a timetable. Homework is also a part of homeschooling. What this means is that once lessons have been taught, the child should be asked to do some part of the course work by himself without your guidance.

You will need to make sure that your child sits willingly and finishes his work. Courtesy, manners and punctuality are some of the various facets of discipline that a child has to imbibe in the early years of his life. The school where he interacts with his peers, his seniors and juniors and his teachers mould these values quite automatically.

Photo: operation.blessing

At homeschool, the child should be taught the importance of speaking and behaving in a proper manner and appropriate corrections need to be meted out if behavior is unsatisfactory. It is advisable to keep aside a particular room or a part of the room for your homeschool. The child should be expected to reach his desk at the appointed time, in proper attire with all the necessary material.

It is easy to allow the school to become an extension of play if these ground rules are not laid out and followed. As the teacher, supervisor, principal and janitor rolled into one, you should also approach the study area with a cool professionalism. Homeschooling is doomed to fail without patience. In spite of all the precautions and steps one takes, it is easy for a child to get familiar' at home school. At such times, it may be difficult to discipline the child and get him to listen to you attentively.

When this happens, switch to something new. Allow the child to take a breather and enjoy a break yourself. Homeschooling requires a lot of hard work and patience, because it's not easy. The very informality of the whole procedure sometimes works against it by making it too easy. Your homeschooling experience will be a huge success, if you take steps to establish rules at the very beginning and adhere to these rules.

The Homeschooling Methods

2009-06-07T01:49:00.000-07:00

For many people, homeschooling may call to mind the picture of two or three children sitting at a table and writing feverishly in their workbooks, while mom or dad stands nearby. This is the not entirely true. There are different methods of homeschooling, and the method you choose will decide the curriculum and your style of teaching. Given below are some of the most influential and popular homeschooling methods.

Photo: shekaf.com

The Charlotte Mason method

Charlotte Mason is known as the founder of the homeschooling movement. A homeschooler herself, she was passionate in her zeal to lay out the foundations for an effective a complete homeschooling program that is fun and educational at the same time. This method focuses on all the core subjects with emphasis placed on classical literature, poetry, fine arts, classical music and craft. Mason used a variety of books from classical literature, which she called 'Living Books'. Since this method encourages a passionate awareness of literature, the child is read to daily from the 'Living Books'. After this, the child is asked to narrate what she has heard. This process begins at the age of six, and by ten the child is expected to write her narrations in her book. Mason also advocated the use of 'Nature Diaries'. After each short and interesting lesson, the child is asked to go to Nature and draw observations from Nature. Thus the child also gains a sense of respect for her environment. Mason believed that development of good character and behavior was essential to the complete development of the child's personality.

Photo: Pictures by Ann

The Eclectic Homeschooling

This is a mixture of various homeschooling techniques. Here, the innovative parents trust their own judgment and pick out the topics that make the best curriculum for their child. Such parents continuously look out for the best products that will meet the needs of their homeschoolers. Most Eclectic homeschooling curriculums are improvised. This means that the basic curriculum is ready-made. The parents then make changes in the curriculum to accommodate the individual needs and interests of their children. The child's gifts, temperament, learning style and interests dictate the curriculum. Eclectic programs include visits to the museum, libraries and factories.

Unschooling

A Boston public educator name John Holt laid the beginnings of the unschooling method. He believed that children learned best when they are free to learn at their own pace and when they are guided by their own interests. His message was to 'unschool' the child. This method is a hands-on approach to learning, where the parent takes definite cues from the children. There is no definite curriculum, schedules or materials. This method is the most unstructured of the various homeschooling techniques.

The Montessori Method

This method began in Italy, when it was observed that children have acute sensitive periods, during which they undergo periods of intense concentration. During such phases, a child will repeat an activity till he gains a measure of self-satisfaction. The Montessori method depends on a prepared environment to facilitate learning. All the materials used in this method are designed to satisfy the inner desire for spiritual development of the child. The materials used progress from simple to complex, and are rather expensive.

Photo: centennialmontessori.org

These are just a few of the methods of homeschooling. Whatever the method, the underlying factor is flexibility and a keen interest in the desires of the child. The secret is to use the child's desire for knowledge to further his education.

School Year Structure

2009-05-14T19:55:00.000-07:00

Now that you have begun your homeschooling schedule, there are various questions that trouble you. Should you study continuously, take a number of short breaks or a long vacation? What about public holidays? When should you take a break?

Photo: sweden.se

The answer to these questions and many more like these are actually quite simple: Do whatever suits you best. This is one of the appealing benefits of homeschooling. You do not have a set pattern to follow. You do not HAVE to take that autumn break, or close shop for a prolonged summer vacation. Flexibility is the key here. For some practiced unschoolers, even a definite curriculum is not necessary because lessons are a part of their day- to-day life. But this may not be the case with beginners. Beginners may need to chart out their activities to fall into a pattern.

Before you plan the structure of your classes, consider some of the most important issues. What method of homeschooling will you be following, what is your teaching style and your child's learning style, what are the work and play schedules, what are your vacation plans. Some families plan small 1-week vacations at different times of the year. Other families prefer to go away for a month or more. Consult with the members of your family, and chart out a holiday schedule that most suits you.

There are some positive benefits in following the traditional summer vacation schedule. Firstly, your children can benefit from the various summer activities, camps and classes. Your child's schedule will coincide with that of his school-going friends. A summer job may be possible. A longish summer break also means that both parents as well as children get a break from their daily lessons. This could also be a major drawback, as it is sometimes difficult to get back on track once the classes resume.

Photo: minnesota.publicradio.org

On the other hand, there are some advantages to taking numerous small breaks in the course of a year. Firstly, children do not get bored since they get time to explore other interests. You can cover more topics in the extra time that you save. You can also take family trips and vacations during the less popular periods of travel. This means lesser crowd and better prices. But beware if your child becomes restless when other children are enjoying their long summer vacations.

As far as homeschooling is concerned, you and your family are the people in charge. Taking care of the individual needs of the child is the primary focus of this system. So, tailor the school year to suit your child's needs. Periodic evaluation is a must. Set some realistic goals and see if you are able to achieve these goals. Most importantly, avoid burnout - both in yourself and your children.

Corporate Reimbursement Services help Auto Allowance

2009-04-09T21:01:00.000-07:00

If you are the small business owner with mobile employees and you want to manage the car cost and fix your auto budget by easy and secured system. You can use the service that can help for Auto Allowance by management consulting for administers highly flexible and customizable vehicle reimbursement programs. It's significant for companies with mobile employees. As in the economy for a long time and certainly a moment of experience will help all small businesses to continue their spending on program. The establishment, maintenance and operation of a company owned or leased car program goes farther the monthly fees or Bank charges.

You will continue to expand quickly as companies realize that their existing vehicle program is draining them of time and money. You can reduce the costs that the car can be loaded by for some reason you do not know. The Corporate Reimbursement Services will help Auto Allowance with the newest technology to ensure that programs participation is simple for both the driver and you by login with each User ID and Password. After that, the website will show the information you need to know and manage Auto Allowance which you can access from when and when by your desire.

Phonic Awareness for young children

2009-02-25T07:57:00.000-08:00

Phonemic awareness is an understanding about spoken language. Children who are phonemically aware can tell the teacher that bat is the word the teacher is representing by saying the three separate sounds in the word.

Phonic Awareness and Teaching Guides For Young Children
By Donnette E Davis

In preparation of reading comprehension activity books created for children and then onward transmission/submission to various organisations or for free availability as downloads on various websites an inordinate amount of time is spent researching age-appropriate content for children. This same principle applies to the formal education system.

Photo: christcenteredchurchandschool.com

The public domain resources available on the internet today are an excellent source of materials with which to begin one's research, and to source age appropriate material with which to educate young children by way of reading comprehension. One soon realises that there is little difference between early education and that of today - schools are man-made. Home Education has been around since the beginning of time!

The words and terms utilised when compiling these books should not be outside the general vocabulary of any child in the normal environment. The content of the books that are supplied to children for educational or leusire purposes should be based on the usual experiences of childhood and prove to be full of vivid meaning for children.

Recognising the eye as a highly important agent in the reading process, it is feasible that in view of studies and research, a plan of presentation of sentences and phrases intended to develop focal fields, wider perception plans, and eye sweeps (from left to right) and to reduce to the bare minimum eye-pauses and eye-regressions.

Much slow, hesitant and uncomprehending reading has been shown to be due to a mechanical distraction or over-emphasis on a word or words or letter units.

It has been demonstrated that these distractions therefore interfere with the formation of correct reading habits, and that they can largely be eliminated or reduced through proper presentation of new material and through carefully constructed exercises which lead the child to first recognise and read the sentence as a whole - afterwards breaking it up into its separate words.

It is suggested that each new step, i.e. learning words, making phrases and then learning the whole sentence, be developed and practiced by the educator first. Further practice may be gained from the development pages in the workbooks, prior to reading the entire "story" in which these preliminary or preparatory steps have their application.

Children should at first be exposed to the "look and say" portions of workbooks, prior to actually reading the story and the preliminary phonic work, i.e. the individual words and phrases, should be developed independently in a child's first "look and say" primer. In this event we make extensive use of the "220 Dolch words" being the 220 most common used words learnt by children from primer to Grade 3 level. Of course this varies from country to country and culture to culture, but the basics remain the same.

In all activities it is imperative that the child be allowed to develop at their own pace and that the learning activity be a fun and interactive activity. This serves to encourage a more enthusiastic approach to learning in this manner.

Donnette E Davis, single WAHM and mother to 6, passionate homeschooler and author of children's educational ebooks. Host and webmistress of St Aiden's Homeschool, South Africa. Our website is updated almost daily with free teacher/parent and student resources, with activities for very little people right up to adults, and includes educational resources for family health and family law. http://www.staidenshomeschool.com/

Valentine’s Day gifts

2009-01-31T21:46:00.000-08:00

This Valentine’s Day, amaze and entice your partner with a gift so romantic and exotic, the excitement starts before the box is even opened. Imagine the anticipation on his/her face when a box arrives directly from Provence, France with the name zChocolat.com affixed! But the fun is just beginning because no matter which of our tantalizing Valentines you select, it will unquestionably exceed their most expectant imaginings.

Most popular gift for Valentine's Day are flowers, chocolate and cards. Flowers have symbolized the essence of the day. On this special day, whether it is a single flower or a garland, the sole expression reflected is the message of love. Roses are the ultimate romantic flower, and the most popular present for Valentine’s Day. White roses are for love, red roses are for passion, and yellow roses are for friendship. Lilac roses are the choice to symbolize love at first sight.

Red Roses signify passion or strength of feeling, yellow roses stand for love, and white roses traditionally reflect innocence. A dozen red roses are considered to be a gift of love, while a single long stemmed red rose is usually seen as a passionate gift. You can also send Valentine flowers to your parents, grandparents, favorite aunt or uncle or even the kids. It is the perfect time to remember the people you love. Valentine flowers will brighten the day for those residing in care facilities. It’s a good time to thank people, too. Think about all the people in your life that you would like to thank. Maybe it’s a coworker or boss, special friend or teacher.

There are many choices when you want to send Valentine gifts. Roses are always a favorite but you might want to choose tulips, lilies, orchids or a stunning combination of exotic flowers and chocolate or candy. Nowadays, flashy and ostentatious gifts are the priorities for the day, anyway this in no way undermines the significance of flowers.

Fast Phonics reading

2009-01-24T21:58:00.000-08:00

No Guesswork With Fast Phonics
By Robyn Dalby-Stockwell

Hello again! Last time I told you how important it is for readers to read aloud each day. This article deals with the guesswork in reading.

Photo: stmedia.startribune.com

Around forty years ago, certainly this was when it all began in Australia, it was decided that children would learn to read by revisiting the same words over and over again. Thus, a reading book would run:

Page 1 Look at John's black dog.

Page 2 John's dog is black, look.

Page 3 "Look at the dog," said John.

Page 4 "It is a black dog."

Page 5 The black dog belongs to John.

It was assumed the words 'look, John, dog, black, said', would be indelibly imprinted into the long term memory , in readiness for the next book and its vocabulary of another six to ten new words.

When a new word was introduced the child was asked to guess what it might be. The guess would be based primarily on any one of the following three elements:

1 Contextually - to make the sentence make sense,

2 From clues in the picture,

3 From jogging the memory, "Don't you remember Johnny, we saw a word like that yesterday."

The difficulties here were manyfold. Most importantly, we have one of the finest languages in the world. Ours is the language of Milton, Shakespeare and Shaw, it is enriched by its wide vocabulary. The look and guess method left generations of children with narrow vocabularies, limited to the most commonly used words. Difficult texts were ousted or dumbed down to accommodate. Children had not become less intelligent, they were being taught less intelligently.

As these children grew older, they still guessed at new words, prepositions (on, over, by, with, from, beside) were permitted to be misread or left out altogether. If you have a child between the ages of ten and seventeen, using two copies of the same text, check on the accuracy of your child's reading, word for word. Children stopped reading not because of television, but because most texts made no sense. Schools and education authorities laugh off classics, calling them old-fashioned. Truth was they are simply beyond the reach of most youngsters.

And yet, there are still Heads of schools and teachers who are putting up a vigorous battle to keep this appalling system going.

I believe the decline in higher levels of mathematics and the sciences has much to do with the fact they have some challenging words. If you can't read the information the subject is barred to you.

Some children found no problems learning with the 'Look and Guess' system. They became excellent readers and progressed. Such children are always quoted by promoters of the system. These quick children with well developed short and long term memory skills would learn via any method and must never be championed as a success of any system.

We all learn at different paces, in different ways. 'Slow' learners, in my many, many years of experience, have always caught up with their fast peers of early years. Simply put, the brains of 'slow' children are less mature, they are not less intelligent, give these children time and a system that fits all children equally, and they will catch up, every time, unless there is actual brain damage.

The 'Look and Guess' system fits quick learners, slow learners and those with even the slightest trace of dyslexia are at a massive disadvantage. These clever and frequently gifted children are tagged 'remedial' simply because of a poor system of teaching.

Over the years of 'Look and Guess' remedial teaching has become a growth industry, where children have been hauled out of their classes, away from their peers on a daily basis. They have been teased and labelled, when all they needed was to be taught to read via Synthetic phonics, this would have removed every reading stigma and put them on a par with their classmates.

Finally, as your child learns to read, encourage him to get every single word correct. Not one word should be slurred over or left out. Above all, every unknown (or forgotten) word must be decoded. NEVER, EVER ALLOW GUESSWORK.

Robyn Dalby-Stockwell is a teacher, writer, reading consultant and Director of Alonah Reading Cambridge http://www.alonahreadingcambridge.com/ which gives reading support to children and their parents.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

2009-01-20T19:28:00.000-08:00

The most important part of the decision is what type of lawyer you will require. If you are going to court for a possession charge, you need a criminal defense lawyer. If you are going for a divorce, naturally you want a divorce lawyer. Choosing specialized representation is always a good idea because the person you choose as your attorney will have a vast wealth of knowledge on that particular subject, instead of a small amount of experience in many different fields.

Therefore, I would like to suggest the Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyer which professional in area and local law that can help you with any problem by a lawyer specializing in the defense of individuals and companies charged with criminal conduct. The criminal defense lawyers deal with the issues surrounding the apprehension, searches of client or property. Criminal defense lawyers help you deal with the substantive issues of the crimes you are charged with.

By the way, there are legal procedures being followed by most states and this includes the issuance of a warrant of arrest. Even if the accused is innocent of the criminal charges a warrant can still be issued for his arrest and he can still be put to jail.

Fast Phonics

2009-01-17T23:06:00.000-08:00

Fast Phonics teaching your child from a different perspective and are ready to take those first positive steps forward. The integrity of your commitment is important, don’t be spasmodic, do be regular, confident and completely relaxed.

No Guesswork With Fast Phonics
By Robyn Dalby-Stockwell

Hello again! Last time I told you how important it is for readers to read aloud each day. This article deals with the guesswork in reading.

Photo: susiej.com

Around forty years ago, certainly this was when it all began in Australia, it was decided that children would learn to read by revisiting the same words over and over again. Thus, a reading book would run:

Page 1 Look at John's black dog.

Page 2 John's dog is black, look.

Page 3 "Look at the dog," said John.

Page 4 "It is a black dog."

Page 5 The black dog belongs to John.

It was assumed the words 'look, John, dog, black, said', would be indelibly imprinted into the long term memory , in readiness for the next book and its vocabulary of another six to ten new words.

When a new word was introduced the child was asked to guess what it might be. The guess would be based primarily on any one of the following three elements:

1 Contextually - to make the sentence make sense,

2 From clues in the picture,

3 From jogging the memory, "Don't you remember Johnny, we saw a word like that yesterday."

The difficulties here were manyfold. Most importantly, we have one of the finest languages in the world. Ours is the language of Milton, Shakespeare and Shaw, it is enriched by its wide vocabulary. The look and guess method left generations of children with narrow vocabularies, limited to the most commonly used words. Difficult texts were ousted or dumbed down to accommodate. Children had not become less intelligent, they were being taught less intelligently.

As these children grew older, they still guessed at new words, prepositions (on, over, by, with, from, beside) were permitted to be misread or left out altogether. If you have a child between the ages of ten and seventeen, using two copies of the same text, check on the accuracy of your child's reading, word for word. Children stopped reading not because of television, but because most texts made no sense. Schools and education authorities laugh off classics, calling them old-fashioned. Truth was they are simply beyond the reach of most youngsters.

And yet, there are still Heads of schools and teachers who are putting up a vigorous battle to keep this appalling system going.

I believe the decline in higher levels of mathematics and the sciences has much to do with the fact they have some challenging words. If you can't read the information the subject is barred to you.

Some children found no problems learning with the 'Look and Guess' system. They became excellent readers and progressed. Such children are always quoted by promoters of the system. These quick children with well developed short and long term memory skills would learn via any method and must never be championed as a success of any system.

We all learn at different paces, in different ways. 'Slow' learners, in my many, many years of experience, have always caught up with their fast peers of early years. Simply put, the brains of 'slow' children are less mature, they are not less intelligent, give these children time and a system that fits all children equally, and they will catch up, every time, unless there is actual brain damage.

The 'Look and Guess' system fits quick learners, slow learners and those with even the slightest trace of dyslexia are at a massive disadvantage. These clever and frequently gifted children are tagged 'remedial' simply because of a poor system of teaching.

Over the years of 'Look and Guess' remedial teaching has become a growth industry, where children have been hauled out of their classes, away from their peers on a daily basis. They have been teased and labelled, when all they needed was to be taught to read via Synthetic phonics, this would have removed every reading stigma and put them on a par with their classmates.

Finally, as your child learns to read, encourage him to get every single word correct. Not one word should be slurred over or left out. Above all, every unknown (or forgotten) word must be decoded. NEVER, EVER ALLOW GUESSWORK.

Robyn Dalby-Stockwell is a teacher, writer, reading consultant and Director of Alonah Reading Cambridge http://www.alonahreadingcambridge.com/ which gives reading support to children and their parents.

Start Homeschooling

2009-01-15T06:55:00.000-08:00

Start Homeschooling by find out what curriculums are out there & what you might be interested in using, start by going to conferences or networking with other homeschoolers to see what they have. You can also ask questions on homeschooling message boards, newsgroups, & e-mail loops and read this article.

How Do I Start Homeschooling Without Going Crazy?
By Kayley Kenzie

If you plan to start homeschooling your children, you don't have to feel overwhelmed or inadequate. You are your children's best teacher because you love them and want them to have a quality education.

Photo: sca-isp.org/

Your permission to teach your children comes from God, and your ability outweighs what a public education could give your child. Once you are committed to start homeschooling, you will be able to provide the best education for your children.

If you feel like you are lacking the skills and knowledge necessary to teach your children, you can learn right beside them. You can teach what you already know, and when you feel like your knowledge is limited, you can read out loud and learn together.

When you start homeschooling you will be concerned about money. Homeschooling can be free or low costing. If you can afford to purchase some curriculum items, do so prayerfully and with caution.

If you have a public library close by, you can use the vast resources there. Not only will you find a variety of books, but also magazines, research volumes, videos, tapes, homeschooling programs, foreign language aids, phonics tapes, and computer equipment.

You can also use the library in your home. You can affordably build your library by finding quality books at garage sales, thrift stores, and online.

Once you start homeschooling, you will realize that the process begins with the basics. One of the best things you can do with your child is read aloud. It is important to emphasize the importance of the written word at all ages.

If you start homeschooling your children at the age when they would normally go to public school, you can ease them into a routine. You can teach one subject at a time until you have seen some success. I suggest that you begin with phonics. Then you can move on to reading, handwriting, and creative writing. Basic math will eventually come into the picture.

You can find a variety of resources to help you teach these subjects. You can start homeschooling your children and feel successful. And the great thing is that you don't have to do it alone.

Discover How to Raise Your Child to Be a True Leader with Our Classical Christian-based Leadership Program. Great for Homeschoolers and Other Parents Who Want to Make Sure their Child Gets the Best Leadership Training Possible.

Dyslexia

2009-01-10T03:52:00.000-08:00

Dyslexia is a learning disability that manifests primarily as a difficulty with written language, particularly with reading and spelling. It is separate and distinct from reading difficulties resulting from other causes, such as a non-neurological deficiency with vision or hearing, or from poor or inadequate reading instruction.

Dyslexia - The Hidden Disability
By Ray Ham

Ray HamLevel: BasicI am a retired special education supervisor with a masters degree in guidance and counseling. I also have certifications in school administration and educational diagnostician. ... ...

Photo: speechandlearningconnections.com

It would not be unusual for you to work with someone who has dyslexia and not even know it; thus, the reason this is called a hidden disability. Older dyslexics are very adept at hiding the fact that they cannot read, write or spell effectively. Just think how embarrassing it is to be a graduate from a well known high school or university and not be able to read at the expected level. I recently read about a man in his 50's who kept his dyslexia hidden from his family and his employer for over 20 years. Now that takes a very ingenious person!

The term hidden disability refers to the fact that the typical person rubbing shoulders with someone with dyslexia will not be aware that anything is different. You look at a person in a wheelchair and determine that he has some serious physical problem; you look at a person with a white cane and easily notice that he cannot see; and, you look at a person using sign language and quickly deduce that he has limited hearing. These types of disabilities are very visible. The dyslexic, however, does not have any outward physical signs that give anyone a hint of the storm raging inside. For some adults, the inner turmoil comes from the fact that this is a secret to never be disclosed for fear of more ridicule from peers; for children, the teasing, taunting and name calling are more than enough to cause them to not like themselves or not want to go to school. Lazy, retarded, stupid, dumb and dumbo are just a few of the slurs thrown at them.

Life is very difficult for the adult or child who has problems with learning, but does not have any idea why. They have never been tested nor has anyone told them that they have a learning disability. Many adults find out that they are dyslexic when their child is diagnosed. One adult, after his child was diagnosed as being dyslexia, was actually relieved to find out that his problems in school were because he also has dyslexia. His relief came because he thought he was stupid for all these years.

Most people with dyslexia are of average or above average intelligence, and possess skills that allow them to think outside the box. They often are very creative thinkers and are able to see a variety of possible solutions to a problem. They shine in many areas; but when you ask them to write, they are hindered by their inability to form the letters and spell the words in a normal fashion. In fact, their writing is so poor that it is difficult for even the teacher to read it. Children, especially, may confuse the direction of letters and words. Some very young dyslexics just learning how to write have been known to start on the right side of the page and write every word backwards toward the left side of the page. When this writing is held up to the mirror, it can be read perfectly. An adult friend of mine, who is a music major, recently told me that she has dyslexia and can read her music sheets backwards better than forwards. There are some dyslexic adults who, when told to turn right, will turn left. They also may have difficulties using a map to find their way.

Not all dyslexics display the same symptoms or learning difficulties, and do not have poor reading skills. It is possible for the dyslexic to be a good reader, but poorly comprehend what is read. There are some dyslexics who make a zero on a written spelling test but make 100 if the test is given orally. There are some dyslexics who can read fairly well to themselves but cannot read out loud. Many dyslexics know a word in the first paragraph but miss it in the next. Some dyslexics, like Einstein, have difficulty with simple math concepts but can think on a much higher mathematical plane.

One of the saddest aspects of dyslexia is the fact that it has been studied for over 100 years; in fact, it is approaching a century and a half and we still know little about it. Currently, there is no cure and no preventative measures; but one day, perhaps in the very near future, it will be possible to detect a child who has dyslexic genes and a vaccine will be given. It is already possible to identify which young children have the propensity towards dyslexia who, then, can be given early educational interventions. One of our biggest problems currently is that we know more about dyslexia than we put into practice. It is common knowledge that early identification and remediation are the two things we can do to save our children from the terrible scars of dyslexia, but currently it is very difficult to get this done in our public schools.

In Texas, in the mid 80's, the legislature passed a law requiring the identification and remediation of children identified with dyslexia and related disorders. One of the most unusual aspects of this program is that it is a regular education initiative; but even though this law is about 20 years old and as many as 20 percent of the population is considered dyslexic, most Texas schools identify less than 5 percent of their school population.

Most children with dyslexia need a remedial program that offers a strong phonics program that emphasizes a multisensory approach. Unfortunately, not all dyslexics thrive with a pure phonics approach and they may fall through the cracks in these types of programs. There is no program that fits all students, and this is not strange since the brain is a complicated computer that gets wired differently based upon many factors that are currently not known to us. The nice thing about it, however, is that there are thousands upon thousands of people who have an interest in solving the riddle of dyslexia, and some day we will have a cure.

If you know an adult or a child that is struggling with reading, spelling or writing, and you suspect dyslexia may be the cause, suggest to them or their parents to seek out professional help. Children can be tested at the public schools, free of charge, and adults can pay a psychologist for testing. Adults and children may get free testing through the psychology department of a local college or university. Be aware that free public school testing is not always an easy process since you have to work within the system. You do have the Rehabilitation Act which is called 504 and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), both federal laws, that will help you get assistance. Study these two laws on the Internet to discover how they can help you.

There are numerous websites that offer information about dyslexia; but I want to direct you to my new website at http://www.dyslexiavoice.info/ for additional help. Here you will find a Children's Corner, Parent's Corner and Teacher's Corner with words of encouragement and ideas about how to deal with dyslexia in children. Also, I have included a Message Board and a Dyslexia Blog. Please check it out.
I am a retired special education supervisor with a special interest in dyslexia. I have a masters degree in guidance and counseling, and I am an educational diagnostician who has tested a variety of children with learning difficulties.
I am not dyslexic, even though I did struggle in school and did not like to go. In the first grade, I clearly remember beating myself in the stomach before getting out of bed and then telling my mother that I was too sick to go to school. It did not work!
I am married with two grandsons, one 3 years old and one 2 months old, and find retirement to be a great deal of fun. I like to read, write, do arts and crafts and babysit our grandchildren with my wife.

Bingo Cards

2009-01-05T08:56:00.000-08:00

Phonics Bingo Cards
By Sunil Tanna

Phonics is a method of learning reading in which students learning to associate letters or groups of letters with particular sounds. For example, a student would learn that the letters "c", "ck" or "k" are associated with the hard /k/ sound. Although using phonics to teach reading has been a matter of some controversy both inside the educational professions and in the wider community, many teachers have in fact concluded that they do offer an effective way to teach reading.

Photo: bingocardscreator.com

When phonics are used as a method of learning reading, students are taught to sound words out. Obviously students tend to progress fastest when students have a variety of methods to practice these skills. It is for this reason that many teachers, as well as getting students to read out loud, and practice writing, also incorporate educational games into their lesson plans. One such educational game that many teachers are turning to, principally because of its flexibility plus the fact that it doesn't require expensive equipment or specialist materials, is bingo (using bingo cards printed with words instead of numbers).

It should be emphasized that learning to read using phonics, doesn't require mastering a single skill, but in fact requires mastering several skills. These skills including learning to blend letters to make sounds and words, recognizing common sounds within different words, learning sounds which rhyme, and eventually learning to recognize the effect of the "silent E" that is the last letter of some letters. Each of these different skills can be practiced using bingo. For example to practice blending, a teacher can read out a word slowly (e.g. "mmm-aaa-t") and require students to recognize the word (by learning to blend the letters), or the teacher can ask about one word contained within another ("find a word containing 'pan'?" - to which students must find "span"), or the teacher can ask about sounds ("find a word beginning with a 'rrr' sound?").

By S. Tanna. To create your own custom bingo cards, go to http://www.bingocardprinter.com/

Dad reading for Children

2009-01-01T08:06:00.000-08:00

Good readers interact with text without even realizing that they are doing it. Poor readers often are unaware that this is what they are supposed to do. They read literally without bringing in prior knowledge. The children listener will read same they listening also;

Dads Reading Aloud to Build Their Children's Language Skills
By George Jacobs

When dads read aloud it not only helps promote reading skills. It also benefits all the other language skills for the child:

Photo: fcd.ecitizen.gov.sg

* Children's listening skills improve via the practice they receive while listening to us read aloud.

* The listening that children do also helps pronunciation, because they hear the words pronounced and see the link between the letters (or characters) on the page and the way the word is pronounced. Pronunciation is learned in large part by repeatedly hearing a word. Reading aloud provides multiple opportunities to hear the same word pronounced.

* Dads reading aloud helps their kids learn the alphabet and phonics in context, rather than studying individual letters and sounds in a workbook. This contextualized way of learning is a more natural, more enjoyable approach, because children learn as part of reading not as a separate activity. It is the same for learning characters in a language such as Chinese.

* The main way that we learn to spell comes not by repeating spelling lists or learning spelling rules that are full of exceptions. The main way we learn to spell comes from visual memory. We see a word we have written and say to ourselves, "That doesn't look right." Then, we try writing the word a few different ways until it looks right. Children develop this visual memory by seeing the word many times in the books that dads read to them.

* It is much better to learn vocabulary by hearing a book read aloud than by studying a word list. In a book, the rest of the book provides a context that helps children figure out the meaning of words they do not know. This contextualized learning deepens children's understanding of words they are learning, and they learn which words go together. The illustrations in some books also aid vocabulary learning. Plus, when dads read aloud to children, they are always there to assist them in figuring out what a word means.

* Reading skills and writing skills go together. Research shows that children who read well usually write well and vice versa. By building children's reading skills, we are also helping their writing skills. Indeed, exposure to books helps improve children's writing. Adults who write well were probably read to as children.

* Grammar is yet another element of language where exposure is key. Just as we use our visual memory to decide if a word is spelled correctly, we use our aural (hearing) memory to help us decide if a sentence is grammatical. Even if the sentence is written, we say it aloud to ourselves. When the sentence, "just doesn't sound right," we know that something may be wrong with the grammar. When dads and moms read aloud is a great way to provide children with a bank of correct sentences to use to check the grammar of sentences that they create themselves.

Finally, when dads read aloud, they draw children into discussions of what they are hearing. In this way, they not only receive language by listening to us and looking at the book, they also produce language when they converse with us. This language production helps them consolidate all the pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar knowledge they have learned while dads are reading to them. So dads, what are you waiting for?
Dr. George Jacobs, Ph.D., is the author of many books (including "The Read Aloud Guide", textbooks for teachers and students, curriculum guides, and children's storybooks).
For more information visit :- http://www.greatdad.com/category/430/read-aloud.html

Education Online

2008-12-23T08:00:00.000-08:00

All over the world, millions of honest, hard-working people are being forced out of their financial and social comfort zones by a trend toward global recession. It all looks very bleak and scary for those who are clinging to their old ways. So, free education also avalable in online learning.

Free Education Online
By Mario G. Churchill

This would be a really great idea if it were really true. In some cases when you do a search for free education online you do get results, however after you go to the web site to see more about it, then you find the truth about free education online.

Photo: education-portal.com

It is in fact free education online, however there are fees and other things you have to buy in order to take whatever it is you are wanting to learn more about.

Then, you go to a different site completely and find out that you can get a free education online, if you comply with certain college incentive programs.

So, where is the free education that applies, with no attachments of any kind? There are some but they are few and you really have to do some searching. That is if it is for something worth learning in the first place.

What I am trying to say is that yes, there is free education online in forms of typing or language skills, phonics, or some other easy thing. But is there really free education online without any type of cost. Where you take a full fledged course and receive a certificate or diploma as part of the free education online. I'm really not sure.

I have done a lot of research and it seems there is always something attached to the free education online that you find, and when you find a possible or maybe free education online, it is only for a certain amount of time and then after that you start paying if you don't complete the course in a certain time frame, then the free education online, becomes costly. You have gone so far, do they really think you are going to just quit? It just doesn't seem to make any sense at all.

Then, I found this course finder that says they will help you find free education online and all this other information, however, the so called course finder doesn't seem to be able to find any thing you are looking for in a free education online.

So ultimately, you try another and once again it seems you are being let on a wild goose chase once again.

There are free education online programs and other web sites you'll find, however as you get into the web site and read more into it, I have a feeling you will soon find the truth of the matter. Although some people really don't care, because once they get to the web site, they are so in to what the site has to offer they essentially aren't worried about the small fees they have to pay or the e books they have to buy and then download.

Somewhere I am sure there is free education online, because there are so many search results that I didn't check however, you need to have some time set aside to where you can check out several of the free education online web sites in order to find one that actually means what it says. For the most part, there seems to be a conflict in the image of free education online.

Mario Churchill is a freelance author and has written over 200 articles on various subjects. For more info on free courses online checkout his website.

Learn to write before read

2008-12-19T07:54:00.000-08:00

Write To Be Read
By Shannon Evans

KISS (Keep It Simple Silly) is the perfect acronym for authors to embrace. Short simple sentences are not only easier to read but get the author's point across faster. When people really "get" something in your book they are more likely to talk about it and spread the word. Spreading the word can often translate to selling more books.

Photo: macsparky.com

Readers today do not want to reflect on or respond to lengthy parcels of writing. They want the meat and potatoes of the work laid out for them in language that is easy to follow. While James Joyce and Herman Melville produced outstanding literature that has stood the test of time, who reads their work casually?

Academics may read it but most students will look for the movie version or the Cliff notes. Why? The sentences are often three miles long and arduous to follow. The personal pain and suffering of the reader is so great as they attempt to slog through the content that they are tempted to fling the book across the room. They just want the whale to eat the captain and be done with it all! 600 pages later they reach a conclusion that might have been made much sooner. If only Melville had to economize on the use of paper and ink perhaps his manuscript would be shorter.

How do you write to be read? First you have to engage your reader. Think back to kindergarten...reading was fun! Exciting! When we were first introduced to learning how to read it was a socially active engaging experience. We used simple language to learn phonics skills and built word walls. Writing and reading was interactive! Reading was Dick and Jane and Spot and Puff and all their silly adventures. Then we graduated to Dr. Seuss and the art of rhyming word families. Oh, the places we did go with our reading!

As authors, we need to get back to that simple carefree use of language. We need to write to be read in a way that engages the reader and makes them excited about the content. Throw out those long passages of scenery description. Economize on the length of word and the details. This is not 11th grade where you have to show your knowledge of the language, the rules of grammar, and the depth of your vocabulary.

Readers prefer:

Dialogue and lots of it

Showing and not telling by the author

Less detail

Try and be the incognito author in your book. Everytime an author interjects more than a "said" in dialogue they are butting in the scene. The author should remain as invisible as possible. Show readers through dialogue the conflict and action of your story.

If you are describing a snow storm does the reader really need to know what each flake looks like as it falls to the ground? Remove words that are not found in everyday language. Honestly, who really uses words like "ubiquitious" and "mendacious"? Use natural language and write like your audience speaks. They want a reading environment that is comfortable to them.

Writing to be read means tightly scripted work. Cut, pare down, and chop away at pretentious writing no one really wants to read. Sometimes the simplest writing can put forth the most complex ideas. When you write to be read you make every word count.

Shannon Evans, senior editor and owner of http://www.mywritingmentor.com/ lives with her best friend Rick on Bainbridge Island in the Puget Sound just a "ferry ride from Seattle."
She works with her two Labrador assistant editors, Mocha and Luke, and her feline copy edit assistants, Caesar and Yoda. Shannon is widely recognized as one of the top writing coaches for non-fiction authors. With over 17 years teaching composition and technical writing to native and non-native English speaking students she knows how to help every writer make every word count.

Gift Cards for this Holiday

2008-12-14T04:34:00.000-08:00

The holiday season is come back again. Do you want to gift something for anyone but no have idea to buy anything yet. I would like to suggest you to buy or change to a gift card. A gift card is a restricted monetary equivalent or scrip that is issued by retailers or banks to be used as an alternative to a non monetary gift.

Therefor, your gift card's recipient can buy the gift or anything that they want or favorite, it easy for you and happy to receiver. Gift cards have become increasingly popular as they relieve the donor of selecting a specific gift. The recipient of the gift card can use it at his or her discretion within the restrictions set by the issuing agency. So, you can choose the price for your gift card which you want to buy for anybody. For more information about gift cards just visit Amazon.com.

Education Online

2008-12-09T19:30:00.000-08:00

Education online enables a person to earn a degree sitting at home. Online education is free from time and space constraints, as anyone from anywhere in the world at any time can utilize the various programs available online. A wide range of educational tools and resources are available on the internet.

Free Education Online
By Mario G. Churchill

This would be a really great idea if it were really true. In some cases when you do a search for free education online you do get results, however after you go to the web site to see more about it, then you find the truth about free education online.

Photo: eduknowledge.org

It is in fact free education online, however there are fees and other things you have to buy in order to take whatever it is you are wanting to learn more about.

Then, you go to a different site completely and find out that you can get a free education online, if you comply with certain college incentive programs.

So, where is the free education that applies, with no attachments of any kind? There are some but they are few and you really have to do some searching. That is if it is for something worth learning in the first place.

What I am trying to say is that yes, there is free education online in forms of typing or language skills, phonics, or some other easy thing. But is there really free education online without any type of cost. Where you take a full fledged course and receive a certificate or diploma as part of the free education online. I'm really not sure.

I have done a lot of research and it seems there is always something attached to the free education online that you find, and when you find a possible or maybe free education online, it is only for a certain amount of time and then after that you start paying if you don't complete the course in a certain time frame, then the free education online, becomes costly. You have gone so far, do they really think you are going to just quit? It just doesn't seem to make any sense at all.

Then, I found this course finder that says they will help you find free education online and all this other information, however, the so called course finder doesn't seem to be able to find any thing you are looking for in a free education online.

So ultimately, you try another and once again it seems you are being let on a wild goose chase once again.

There are free education online programs and other web sites you'll find, however as you get into the web site and read more into it, I have a feeling you will soon find the truth of the matter. Although some people really don't care, because once they get to the web site, they are so in to what the site has to offer they essentially aren't worried about the small fees they have to pay or the e books they have to buy and then download.

Somewhere I am sure there is free education online, because there are so many search results that I didn't check however, you need to have some time set aside to where you can check out several of the free education online web sites in order to find one that actually means what it says. For the most part, there seems to be a conflict in the image of free education online.

Mario Churchill is a freelance author and has written over 200 articles on various subjects. For more info on free courses online checkout his website.

Left and Right Brained

2008-12-04T06:49:00.000-08:00

This theory of the structure and functions of the mind suggests that the two different sides of the brain control two different “modes” of thinking. It also suggests that each of us prefers one mode over the other.

Can A Left Brained Teacher Effectively Teach A Right Brained Student?
By Arnold Cafe

The most intriguing and mysterious part of the human anatomy is our brain. It weighs about three pounds and yet it is more sophisticated than the most complicated computer that we have known around. Perhaps because artificial intelligence has a limited scope, compared to the human brain. It serves as our CPU but it is more than that because as such it has the ability to coordinate with our emotions, the abstract part of our human anatomy which computers don't have. Besides our brain has two hemispheres which we both used, but it is something of which part whether the left brained or right brained hemisphere we often and dominantly used most of the time. To know the nature of how we preferably utilize them, would determine which preferred academic skills and strength we are in. The brain works by which each hemisphere taking more activity different from the other.

Photo: ideachampions.com

The left hemisphere of the brain takes care for handwriting, symbols, language, reading, phonics, locating details and facts, talking and reciting, following directions, listening and auditory association while the right hemisphere is responsible for haptic awareness, spatial relationship, shapes and patterns, mathematical computations, color, sensitivity, singing and music, art expression, creativity, visualization, feelings and emotions. The understanding of each hemispheric scope can lead to specialization of certain academic skills of an individual to which he is inclined to. Since certain skills are assigned to either the left or the right hemispherical of the brain, this has shown to us that there must be more than one way of teaching the students.

Success in teaching cannot be achieved until we discover the true potential strengths and weaknesses of the students whether it is in the left or right hemisphere. To obtain optimal results in teaching, the teacher must exploit the strengths of the student. A right brained student, however, may instinctively not receptive in his thinking power when a left brained teacher gives the same inappropriate lessons which tantamount to inattention, boredom, or other behavioral problems that can affect his learning process pessimistically.

It would be the best interest to everyone, parents and teachers alike to identify individual thinking patterns of the students and find methods in meeting their needs, design lessons and prepare them, that would generate interest and enthusiasm on the part of the student.

It can be noted that most schools and teachers are still focused on the left brained based experience and teaching, despite the intricacies that it has brought in. Of course this cannot be a good excuse by the school and teacher of not meeting their student needs. The responsibility for providing right brained based learning experience depends with both teachers and parents. It is now high time to do something and take time to find out and study the students learning pattern better.

One can imagine if what happens when a right brained student has a left brained teacher? Surely, problems can occur. Giving lessons in some way strange and unknown to these students cannot bring any benefit to them at all. It is therefore important for mentors to note that they have to determine in which brain hemisphere that the student is more inclined to and address it accordingly to meet their needs.

The so- called crises in education is simply the failure of our schools to identify these students and determine the best way to teach them based on brain hemispherical test evaluation.

Let us support the students by helping them discover their true potentials and fully exploit their talents to become leaders of their chosen fields of interest. Notwithstanding, that historically, inventors and the greatest minds of our time and of many known fields were right brained individuals like Thomas Edison, Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein, Beethoven and Mozart.

Arnold Cafe is an active internet marketer and author of Ideas Galore: http://www.affleap.com/blog/

Reading Tips

2008-11-29T04:36:00.000-08:00

Reading Tips for Parents of Reluctant Readers
By Simone Mary

Education begins at home where parents are the first teachers. Parents therefore should never have a hands off approach about any part of their child's education. In fact children who are struggling in school need the support of their parents more than ever. The trouble is most parents are never quite sure exactly what they can do to help. This article focuses on struggling readers and what parents can do at home to help their children.

Photo: grreatbooks.com

There are certain strategies that teacher's use in the classroom that can be adapted for use at home. Teachers know that Phonological awareness, Phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency and comprehension are key skills that every child should master. However a lot a parents don't know exactly how to go about helping their child develop these core reading skills.

To help your child to acquire phonological awareness skills which is simply the ability to break down the language into smaller units, use nursery rhymes. Say them along with your child and play rhyming word games with them. You can say one word such as "cake" and have your child tell you a word that rhymes. Clap to syllables in word you call with your child for example: din/ner(two claps) break/fast(two claps) bed(one clap).

Help your child develop phonemic awareness. Phonemic awareness is the ability to manipulate phonemes (sounds). Teach your child songs and then substitute different phonemes(sounds) for the beginning sound in words.

For example: Sweetly sings the donkey

At the break of day,

If you do not feed him

This is what he'll say,

Hee haw, hee haw, hee haw, hee haw, hee haw!

Can be changed to: tweetly tings the tonkey

At the break of day,

If you do not feed him

This is what he'll say,

tee taw, tee taw, tee taw, tee taw, tee taw!

In this example "t" was used as a substitute.

To develop phonics skills listen to your child reading. Play the hang man game. Let your child touch and say words as they write them.

To help your child become a fluent reader do echo reading activities. During echo reading you will read a sentence or short phrase and then your child will repeat what you have said. In this way you become a model. To develop fluency you can also read along with the child. Turn your home into a little theatre by acting out different scenes in a book using the dialogue. The whole family can get involved in this.

Get a copy of the Dolch word list. You can get a copy from several sites on the internet. The Dolch word list consists of 220 words. These words account for about 75% of all the words used in children's book. These words can be made into flash cards. You can make them out of construction paper or on the computer. Hold up the words on the cards and have your child practice calling a few of them everyday.

To develop reading comprehension ask your child to predict what will happen in a story before you read it to them. These predictions can be based on the cover art and title. At the end of reading ask questions that begin with the five W's: who, what, when, where and why.

Simone Mary is a teacher, writer and artist. She is the author of the eBook TEACHING READING AND WRITING, for more reading strategies and for a free copy of the eBook GET ON THE HONOR ROLL-TEST AND EXAM TAKING TIPS THAT WORK visit http://www.thereadingandwritingshop.com/

Started With Homeschooling

2008-11-24T04:51:00.000-08:00

Tips for Getting Started With Homeschooling
By Pamela Connolly

So you're considering homeschooling? Where do you start?
As with everything in life, those who prepare are more apt to succeed. This is true for homeschooling too. The majority of the structure and organization of the homeschool is up to you. Planning ahead will reduce pitfalls and improve the effectiveness of your homeschool.

There are many ways of creating your plan but there are some basics you should address. Here are guidelines to help you get started with your homeschooling preparation.

• First and most important, get a commitment from everyone in the household who will affect or be affected by the homeschool. Make sure they understand that they are going to contribute to the success of the homeschool.
• Gather information and resources. You can get valuable information by visiting homeschooling web sites, signing up for free online newsletters, visiting homeschooling message board and join homeschooling chats and email lists. Find homeschooling events calendars online and attend homeschooling conferences. Subscribe to homeschooling magazines. Visit a book store or go to your local library.

• Become familiar with homeschooling laws in your state. It is usually simple to satisfy the laws. There are many websites that provide this information. The local public school district office and the public library can also help you in this area.
• Join a homeschooling support group in your area. It is very important to exchange ideas in a group. This can be a group of homeschooling friends or families associated with your curriculum. You can also find regional homeschooling support groups and state level homeschooling associations. Other homeschoolers can offer a wealth of information on a variety of subjects. They can help with many aspects of homeschooling, i.e. choosing curriculum, record keeping, meeting the state laws, and group activities. Some have been homeschooling for a long time and have solutions to difficulties you might encounter. You too can contribute by bringing new and fresh ideas. Even if you want to keep your autonomy, find a group that fits your needs. These groups can streamline your homeschooling and prevent common pitfalls.
• Choose your curriculum. You can choose a complete program or create one yourself. It can new, used, shared or borrowed. It can be expensive or cost nothing. This is where a homeschooling network is valuable. Get input from other homeschoolers. See what has worked them and what fits for you. Takes cues from your children. Use the Internet or go to the library to research your options.
• Set up a record keeping system. There are many different styles of record keeping. You can develop your own style of record keeping. Your record keeping can be as simple as a daily journal or as complicated as keeping track of daily schedules, and setting short- and long-term goals. Also, your curriculum may determine how you keep records. Determine what final result you want. Check out local colleges, trade schools universities and see what they require. Find out what record keeping is required by law. Consult your support group and find what has worked for them.

Planning ahead both short- and long-term goals will go a long way towards your homeschooling success.

Pam Connolly is a professional educator with the San Diego School District. She has been teaching kids how to type for over 11 years. To teach your child typing, visit http://www.1stoplearntotype.com

Write To Be Read

2008-11-19T03:55:00.000-08:00

Write To Be Read
By Shannon Evans

KISS (Keep It Simple Silly) is the perfect acronym for authors to embrace. Short simple sentences are not only easier to read but get the author's point across faster. When people really "get" something in your book they are more likely to talk about it and spread the word. Spreading the word can often translate to selling more books.

Readers today do not want to reflect on or respond to lengthy parcels of writing. They want the meat and potatoes of the work laid out for them in language that is easy to follow. While James Joyce and Herman Melville produced outstanding literature that has stood the test of time, who reads their work casually?

Academics may read it but most students will look for the movie version or the Cliff notes. Why? The sentences are often three miles long and arduous to follow. The personal pain and suffering of the reader is so great as they attempt to slog through the content that they are tempted to fling the book across the room. They just want the whale to eat the captain and be done with it all! 600 pages later they reach a conclusion that might have been made much sooner. If only Melville had to economize on the use of paper and ink perhaps his manuscript would be shorter.

How do you write to be read? First you have to engage your reader. Think back to kindergarten...reading was fun! Exciting! When we were first introduced to learning how to read it was a socially active engaging experience. We used simple language to learn phonics skills and built word walls. Writing and reading was interactive! Reading was Dick and Jane and Spot and Puff and all their silly adventures. Then we graduated to Dr. Seuss and the art of rhyming word families. Oh, the places we did go with our reading!

As authors, we need to get back to that simple carefree use of language. We need to write to be read in a way that engages the reader and makes them excited about the content. Throw out those long passages of scenery description. Economize on the length of word and the details. This is not 11th grade where you have to show your knowledge of the language, the rules of grammar, and the depth of your vocabulary.

Readers prefer:

Dialogue and lots of it

Showing and not telling by the author

Less detail

Try and be the incognito author in your book. Everytime an author interjects more than a "said" in dialogue they are butting in the scene. The author should remain as invisible as possible. Show readers through dialogue the conflict and action of your story.

If you are describing a snow storm does the reader really need to know what each flake looks like as it falls to the ground? Remove words that are not found in everyday language. Honestly, who really uses words like "ubiquitious" and "mendacious"? Use natural language and write like your audience speaks. They want a reading environment that is comfortable to them.

Writing to be read means tightly scripted work. Cut, pare down, and chop away at pretentious writing no one really wants to read. Sometimes the simplest writing can put forth the most complex ideas. When you write to be read you make every word count.

Shannon Evans, senior editor and owner of http://www.mywritingmentor.com lives with her best friend Rick on Bainbridge Island in the Puget Sound just a "ferry ride from Seattle."

She works with her two Labrador assistant editors, Mocha and Luke, and her feline copy edit assistants, Caesar and Yoda. Shannon is widely recognized as one of the top writing coaches for non-fiction authors. With over 17 years teaching composition and technical writing to native and non-native English speaking students she knows how to help every writer make every word count.

Technique to reading

2008-11-14T06:13:00.000-08:00

How to Teach Your Child To Read
By Don C Jones

Reading should be fun, but to enjoy reading, one must be a good reader. Would tennis be fun if the ball never went over the net?

Photo: iesneiravilas.org

This technique is the result of over 50 years experience teaching reading, one teacher to one student. It started with my father in 1956 and continues today with my son, Darren and me. This method has been used with thousands of children and always works! All children can learn to read, but each learns at a different pace.

Here is how to teach your child to read:

Sit with your child in a quiet place with an appropriate book.
Read a line out loud, pointing to each word as you read.
Make sure your child is watching the words as you read.
Repeat steps 2 and 3.

That's it!

(I am using "she" instead of "he/she" below)

When she hears a word pronounced correctly and sees it on the page at the same time, she will build an automatic association between hearing and seeing the word. It may take many repetitions, but she will eventually be able to read the words.

I recommend 10 minutes a day as a minimum, but there's no need to stop if she is enjoying the book.

Don't be fooled into thinking this technique is not powerful just because it is simple!

Some helpful hints.

Make it fun. Use inflection in your voice. Get into the story.
If a book isn't interesting after a few pages, get another book.
If she seems to be reading the words, point to a word on a page after reading the page and see if she knows the word. You might also do this if she is just listening and not watching the words.
This should be quality parent/child time you both look forward to.
Do not become frustrated if she is slow to remember the words. Be patient.

Here are some questions you may have:

What books shall I choose?

For non-readers, choose a very simple book. This usually means a book with one line per page and a picture that goes along with the words. "Bob Books" by Maslen is a good place to start.

For 1st grade and early second grade readers, choose simple books they can eventually read on their own with practice. Most children get a big thrill out of reading a book by themselves.

For older children, choose an interesting book where they know most words, with no more than 4-5 words on a page they don't know.

What if my child is young and doesn't know the alphabet?

It doesn't matter. Use the same technique, but choose very simple pre-kindergarten books.
Remember; don't put any pressure on her beyond what she seems interested in doing.

Is that all there is to reading? What about phonics, comprehension and vocabulary?
Yes, there is more to reading than just this technique. In our reading center we teach phonics, vocabulary and oral fluency (the ability to read smoothly and accurately) in addition to comprehension exercises.

Phonics is only used when she comes to a word she doesn't know. If she knows the word, she just says it, there's no need to sound it out. As my dad would say, ""Reading is not sounding.""
Oral fluency and vocabulary can be picked up by reading a lot.

In other words, if I had to pick one simple technique that anyone can use to teach a child to read or to read better, this read-along method is it!

A Funny Story

Liam was a first grader who just moved to the United States from Norway. In Norway, they apparently didn't believe in teaching reading in Kindergarten, so Liam didn't know the alphabet or a single word. Starting first grade was quite a shock to his mother when she realized that just about every student already read at a 2nd or 3rd grade level (she happened to be in one of the best school districts in the state).

During my first lesson with Liam, I used this read-along method. By the end of 30 minutes with Liam, he could read the book all by himself. It was a very simple book. "This is a banana", etc.

When he got into the car to go home, he wouldn't let his mother pull away from the curb until he had read the book to her. During all this, his older sister (3rd grade) was listening.

After he finished reading, his sister said, "You're not reading, you just memorized it."

Liam said, "I AM NOT, I could read it with my eyes closed!"

How my Father Discovered the Read-Along Method

In the early 1960's, my father attended an educational conference in Arizona. The keynote speaker was a professor from Arizona State. My father asked the speaker what was new in the field of reading instruction. The professor told this story.

"I was teaching a class in reading instruction. Each student in the class was given a 3rd grade class at the beginning of the semester to work with. The grades given out to the college students would be based on which 3rd grade classes improved the most in reading during the semester. The top 20% would get A's, the next 30% B's etc."

"We spent a lot of class time going over the latest methods for teaching reading to primary students. Each student could choose the techniques they thought best to use with their 3rd graders. One student was a woman in her 40's who had raised a family and wanted to start a teaching career. She didn't like any of the new methods presented in class, so she decided to just read to her class for the entire semester. She gave each child a copy of the book and had them follow along as she read."

"At the end of the semester the children taught by the older woman gained much more in reading ability than any of the other 3rd grade classes."

The professor was stunned by the results, but was forced to admit that following the words as they were being read was more powerful than any of the methods of that time.

Conclusion

My experience says that the read-along method is still the most powerful single technique that can be used in learning to read.

Educator Don Jones has taught reading and math in a 1-to-1 environment for many years. He learned the methods from his father who started The Arcadia Reading Clinic in 1956. For more information, please visit http://www.growthspurtonline.com/

Learn How To Read

2008-11-10T05:46:00.000-08:00

Inspire Your Child To Learn How To Read
By M Fish

Are your child's reading skills developed according to appropriate international reading standards? Educational research shows that 49.6% of American school-age children are at a literacy level below the expected international standard.* Also alarming is fact that parents are now finding that their pre-readers are expected to enter the educational arena with a higher level of development because of statewide standardized testing requirements. Of necessity, parents are constrained to bridge the gap for their children by preparing them for school through developing their reading readiness skills at home.

Photo: heartsandhandsonline.com

Fortunately, there are several practices that concerned parents can do in the comfort of their own home to improve their children's abilities. Note, that it is very important to make each stage of development fun, upbeat, and engaging for young children. First, begin with the improvement of basic language skills. This phase of learning can begin even at birth. Parents should read aloud to their children in a lively, expressive, and energized manner at every available opportunity.

Read-a-long or sing-a-long books and CD's are excellent resources to use, especially when driving. Pre-readers may gradually develop basic language skills by repeating aloud what is read to them. This entails having children explicitly recite stories, rhymes, or poems aloud to parents, mirroring proper inflection and expressiveness. Children should be inspired to practice their basic language skills and should spend a large portion of their time conducting oral reading. Oral reading develops reading skills by listening, as well as by doing.

In the process, by sharing picture storybooks with pre-readers, they increasingly develop print awareness. Print awareness is the understanding of how the print on a page works (i.e. directionality, words are read from left to right, letter names and shapes, etc). It is seeing and becoming familiar with printed words. Flash cards are a valuable tool to use to enhance sight word recognition. Singing songs or telling stories every day is an important step parents may take to train children who have not yet developed print awareness. The goal in developing print awareness is to help pre-readers reach phonemic awareness.

Phonemic awareness refers to the understanding of basic phonemes (word parts or sounds). Pre-readers gradually develop an understanding of how to decode words using phonics principals. Phonics awareness is further developed through the use of rhyming books, nonsense words, and songs. Excellent phonics program resources are available at most local libraries.

Each phase of this development process necessitates the use of quality children's books to improve language skills, oral reading skills, print awareness, phonemic awareness, and whole language skills. There are many quality whole-language children's books which can be used by parents to meet advanced reading readiness criterion. Good whole-language children's books are ones that have been carefully written and developed over years with each of these educational principals in mind.

By kindergarten, on average, children have a basic vocabulary of approximately 3000-5000 words. One such example of a good whole-language book is a recently published picture book titled Snerfy Cat Meets Prancy Finch by Mister Fish, which utilizes a blend of these common vocabulary words and introduces children to brand new words, as well as necessary nonsense words, rhymes, and songs, which enforce phonemic awareness.

Parents can strive to help their children to become motivated readers through practicing each of these concepts and by nurturing their children through daily activities, games, and even reading award programs. Such programs are offered locally through most libraries (i.e. summer book contests) and schools, or nationally through publishers, or supplemental educational service providers.

When all these components are used in conjunction, in a healthy learning environment, virtually any child can be inspired to become a happy and motivated reader.

* Nationmaster.com http://www.snerfycat.com/
M Fish is the premier children's author and picture book illustrator for Children's Classic Book Publishers. He is an avid educator, children's entertainer, and certified Kumon math & reading instructor. M Fish's latest children's book release is Snerfy Cat Meets Prancy Finch. In the new children's picture book, Snerfy Cat Meets Prancy Finch , a pretty kitty, named Snerfy Cat, flicks his tail as he seeks a little birdy to fill his tummy so it "does not go Ba-Rump anymore." As fate has it, on this lucky day he finds just such a morsel, a sweet little finch named Prancy. In this fun and surprising little tale, Prancy gives Snerfy much more than he could have ever expected. Prancy does not fill Snerfy's tummy, "but his whole heart instead!" Readers alike agree that it is, "...a bright, lovely, and positive hard-back picture story book, which all children are sure to love and adore. It truly is a modern day classic among the world of children's literature." The 84-page hardback, picture storybook is now available at http://www.snerfycat.com/

Dyslexic Child Home Schooling

2008-11-04T08:51:00.000-08:00

Reading's Key Ingredient

2008-10-28T05:23:00.000-07:00

Phonics - Reading's Key Ingredient
By Kevin Broadwater

Phonics is the key ingredient in the reading recipe. Phonics is as important to reading as cheese is to a grilled cheese sandwich. Have you ever had a grilled cheese sandwich without the cheese? I had one when I was a kid. When you bite into the sandwich you can tell it is lacking a little something or more like a lot of something.

Photo: seriouseats.com

Leaving phonics out of the reading recipe is like leaving the cheese out of a grilled cheese sandwich. You can still eat the sandwich even without the cheese. Likewise, you can still learn to read even without incorporating phonics. However, a grilled cheese sandwich that includes the cheese is going to be much more complete, enjoyable, and filling than a grilled cheese sandwich without the cheese. In a similar manner, a child that is taught phonics is going to have more success with reading than a child that is not taught phonics.

Phonics is a system that teaches children to associate specific sounds with specific letters or combinations of letters. Words are composed of a single sound or some combination of sounds. Recognizing letter patterns and associating the appropriate sounds allows a child to sound out complete words. This of course includes words that the child has never seen before. Without knowing phonics, that same student would be unable to sound out any new word that appears in the text.

A number of years ago, I took a course called Cognitive Science as an elective in the Computer Science curriculum at the local university. Cognitive Science is basically the study of how the mind works. Understanding how young minds develop is very important to the study of Cognitive Science. Therefore, my professor was often sharing information with the class regarding how babies, infants, and children obtain knowledge. I enjoyed the class very much and learned many fascinating things including the effectiveness and importance of children learning phonics.

Since that time, I have made observations that have confirmed for me how important phonics is to helping children become successful readers. Parents have more opportunities than ever to obtain phonics learning systems that their kids can use at home. These systems include various combinations of printed media, audio media, video media, and software. Parents can purchase one of these kits to give children a head start before starting school, to supplement what the child is learning in school, or both.

If you are a parent or some other important person in the life of a child, don't forget the cheese on the sandwich and please don't forget the phonics.

Kevin Broadwater is the founder of Calculator Hut Company, a developer of educational software. Download free educational software at http://www.calculatorhut.com/ today.