Category: From the Catbird Seat

Reading Comprehension

by Debra Conley

So what can my child read now to help prepare for the SAT as well as upper school years? I would like to say anything, but that is not quite the case. Reading comprehension sections of the SAT cover a very broad spectrum of subjects and include a wide range of vocabulary. Why can’t the child read TV Guide, Sports Illustrated, or Soap Opera Digest? While there may be nothing wrong with these publications, they are designed for attention and sales, not reading improvement. Most current media aimed at the general public is produced in “sound bite” writing which frequently does not include even complete sentences, much less the complex variety found in the SAT verbal section. Reading which is intended to develop a character and his nature helps one understand philosophical approaches which ought to be the heart of any society.

Themes in literature (such as good vs. evil or using one’s ability to solve a problem) are the essentials of reading comprehension. Understanding the character, what motivates him, what circumstances he must overcome or deal with, and what makes him tick are valuable comprehension skills needed for the SAT.

Reading from diverse sources of good literature will increase much more than just vocabulary diversity. The link between habitual reading and vocabulary skill is certainly one of the strongest in the reading chain. Let me suggest these other known factors linked to habitual reading of good literature:

First reading in context develops a sense of tone, which is the author’s purpose and directs his entire reason for writing the work. A grasp of contextual nuance is a primary key to reading comprehension.

Second, good reading results in good writing. Well-written literature contains complex sentences and clause variety designed to reveal and intertwine characters with plot while keeping the reader’s attention. Subtle choices in diction become tools of persuasion. Many a poor reader ( and sadly, many a TV remake) has totally missed Jonathan Swift’s scathing satire of British government gone awry or has not been able to grasp the allegory of socialist failure in George Orwell’s works.

Reading

by Debra Conley

Last month I referred parents of high school students to Kaplan resources for SAT help. The parents of pre-school children can start now! Hold on! I’m not sending your child to a cram class. Much of what these tests and other academic placement tests require can be taught early. The first step is to introduce your child to reading from the first week of his life. Many parents wait until the peak interest is past or give up too easily because their child does not seem to have a reading interest. Read, read, and read to them. Use any and all resources available to you to interest your child in literature, words, and oral language.

Dr. James Dobson states the ultimate importance of reading this way: “Make certain your child has learned to read by the end of his second school year. I’m convinced that self-esteem has more frequently been assassinated over reading problems than any other aspect of school life. And it is all so unnecessary! Educators have developed many creative approaches to remedial reading involving teaching machines, simplified alphabets, multi-sensory instruction, and other techniques. Every child, with very few exceptions, can learn to read if taught properly. It is absolutely critical to your child’s self-concept that he learn to read early in his school career, and if the professional educators can’t do the job, someone else will!” (Hide or Seek, pp.89-90).

The ugly truth is, and any teacher will verify this, a child who does not learn to read is made fun of and is put into slower classes in many subjects simply because reading is so critical to all learning and school work. Once he realizes he is not reading with the other children, his self-esteem takes an irreparable giant leap backwards. There is also the stigma attached to his records and persona which is sometimes the hardest to get rid of. Once a child has been “labeled,” studies by the National Education Foundation show that there is little hope of erasing that label throughout the entire K-12 years.

The SAT Crisis

by Debra Conley

While the title is overly dramatic, to the parent of a High School Junior, this is panic season. Regretfully, there are no remaining options but to cram if a student has waited this long to prepare for the SAT. If that is the case with your student, I highly recommend Kaplan resources. These study aids are available in CD, book, and class form. The huge study book usually comes with a CD for computer practice which is invaluable. The workbook contains many practice exercises in verbal and math work. Doing those exercises as many times as possible is the way to success. Memorize and work diligently on the 3500 word “frequently used vocabulary” list. They are not kidding when they say that those are the most frequently used words in the verbal section. The painful news is that national verbal scores have declined steadily since the test began in 1913. The test itself has been “modified” more than six times to “accommodate” students with verbal deficiencies and yet nationwide, students continue to average about 420 out of 800 possible on the verbal section. Fifty-two percent is a failing grade in any subject. Noting the lack of verbal skills, the SAT of 2005 will introduce a required essay section, increasing the need for verbal skills to master the test.

I also think that the Kaplan study courses are valuable. They are also pricey. Some schools and area community colleges offer courses in SAT and ACT cramming. If you need a better score, this intensive study increases the standard score by about 200 points if the student is motivated to do the work the class requires.

Another good resource is the Princeton Review. The workbook is similar to Kaplan’s but a little less user friendly. One of my reasons for recommending Kaplan is that it deals directly with “traps” found in the SAT and besides identifying them, gives students ways to deal with those traps. Of course, Kaplan has a web site: www.kaplan.com.

Fast Learners

by Debra Conley

A parent asked, “What can I do about my precocious second grader? The teacher says she gets her work done before the others and then creates problems because she is bored.” Of course, the teacher cannot attend to every child individually at all times. This is especially true of the child who does not need help, just activity. The students who are still working are much more likely to need the teacher’s help. So what can the parent of a quick child do? This is a genuine opportunity to teach independence. Purchase extra reading books, puzzle books, and workbooks that you know your child will like. Present them to the teacher for her approval in her classroom and explain that these will be for your child to use when she has completed all work the teacher assigns.

Give your child these instructions: These books are for you to read or work in after you finish your assignments. Ask the teacher before you get them out of your book bag.  You may need to explain to your child that other children may want to work the puzzles and decide before the problem arises what response your child should make. Explain that the other children  must do school work first also. If you want to keep the books at your child’s desk, just ask her to say, “This is work I am doing for my mother.”

Yes, this might be considered busy work. Much of that depends on what you select to send with your child. But don’t knock all busy work. Life is full of busy work, from IRS forms, to insurance and job-related forms to bank account balancing. It is necessary to teach children that some work just has to be done, like it or not.

Superman and Supernatural

by Debra Conley

God and Superman; I thought that might get your attention.  A recent educational “study” has reported that children are not developing imagination and creativity skills.  Yes, another study we don’t need.  Any parent who fights the media battle knows that it is hard to get your child away from dictated, pre-meditated entertainment, even at many schools.  The real emphasis from the study also dragged up a decades-old problem.  Verbal skills among elementary students are at an all-time low.  Of course, they recommended limiting media and reading more books.  Another no-brainer!  The lack of imagination and creativity skills finds its root in non-reading.  While you may not like Dr. Seuss, he was certainly imaginative!  Books open doors to worlds and ideas none of us can offer every child.  They are a direct, proven link to verbal skills.  Seeing complete, correct sentences in print translates to writing the same way.  The same is true of oral language and vocabulary growth.

You’re still wondering what this has to do with superman.  The analogy is that as Christians, fostering creativity and imagination is what will help us in some ways to explain a supernatural God.  The child who has proper direction in creativity will not dwell on what’s untrue, but with the realm outside immediate reality.  Our God is a superman.  There is the matter of faith, of the Trinity to explain, both of which require the kind of thinking that goes beyond human reality.  Children begin to understand God and the universe He created as they begin to understand the power and omniscience it took to put it in place.  As they imagine the workings of the human brain or the functions of the body, they grasp ideas beyond their finite, sensory realm.  These are the kinds of imagination we must foster.  Start your child’s journey into imagination with A. A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh series.  Other authors I like are C. S. Lewis, Beatrix Potter, Anne Rockwell, John Steptoe, Rudyard Kipling, and Beverly Cleary to name a very few.

The Library

by Debra Conley

I still think that the best approach for helping your student learn to do quality homework is a trip to the local library. Here he can learn to search periodicals as well as texts that will give the widest variety of sources. Most libraries have put periodical guides on computer, making the search easier. For any given subject, have the student look in a minimum of three each: periodicals (magazines and newspapers), first source texts (auto-biographies, experiment research written by the actual scientist), and related works such as chronicles of literature. And, of course, a first hand interview is a gem! Don’t forget other great resources like atlases, gazetteers, and dictionaries.

Besides the meanings of words, a good dictionary like a Webster’s Collegiate will have etymologies, lists of famous people, notable places, dates, forms of address, foreign words and phrases, math and science symbols, even the table of elements! Just check the index.

If your student wants to be on the Internet for some homework, I suggest the purchase of software which might be more suitable to  your values. Christianity Today’s web site has links to software as do A Beka and others. You might check The Learning Company’s site for programs like Oregon Trail and  Amazon Trail. These software packages have some really good information but you will have to be careful about opinion/agenda woven into some lessons. The academic level does not go beyond 5-6^th grade and some of the program is more game and adventure oriented than lesson directed. The good news is that these have gone down in price from $49 to around $10. You can buy used software on e-bay. Other sites to look at learning software are www.kidsclick.com and www.academicsuperstore.com.

For current events, try www.foxnews.com. or www.wallstreetjournal.com.  These sites keep current reports for two-three days. They also have an archive search for related information. If your student wants business information that the WSJ does not have, go to www.thestreet.com.

Kindergarten Supplemental Materials

by Debra Conley

If you are preparing to send your child to kindergarten this fall, you may want to obtain some supplemental materials to have on hand if your child needs additional practice or perhaps additional activities to keep him from becoming bored. The following is a list of materials taken from Bennett’s book, What Your Kindergartner Needs to Know: magnetic letters and flash cards for alphabet and beginning words, software such as Alphabet Blocks and Beginning Reader (Sierra), alphabet books like A Was Once an Apple Pie, Alphabears, On Market Street, Bob Books, More Bob Books, and Even More Bob Books.

Ladybug magazine contains activities for the four to six year olds and great read aloud stories. There are also numerous magazines and books of the same level on store shelves. Take the time to find one or two which your child might get used to working through once a month as an additional activity. Of course, you’ll want books of poems, fables, and stories with a point, all of which are numerous in any bookstore.

Supplement the history and geography lessons with special emphasis on the many holidays like President’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, and all that you can teach your child about those.

In math, Bennett suggests these books: Today is Monday by Carle, Too Many Balloons by Matthias, software: James Discovers Math by Broderbund, Math Rabbit by The Learning Company, and Millie’s Math House by Edmark

And in science, try these books:  Animals Born Alive and Well, Chickens Aren’t the Only Ones, From Seed to Plant, Me and My Body, My Five Senses,  and What Will the Weather Be Like Today?

Bennett’s book (named above) is a great extra exercise source in itself.

Kindergarten for the First Time

by Debra Conley

Many parents are facing a first time event this September: Little Johnny will go to kindergarten! What kind of program should you look for? What kind of visit should you make to each school being considered? Here are some suggestions.

First and foremost, try to schedule a visit with THE teacher your child will have. You know your child’s personality and ability level and should soon be able to see if this teacher and your cherub will be a match. Second, ask about the school day schedule. Does it make sense for a 5-6 year old? Is there ample learning time in the morning when the kids will be fresh and adequate rest and snack time for fidgety bodies? Does this teacher encourage parents to visit at reasonable intervals and to participate in activities?

Next ask to be given a summary of the curriculum. Listen carefully for these items to be the ones your child will spend a major portion of time with: oral language, speaking, listening, and learning to read; written language which is taught from a phonemic approach (this teaches the relationship between individual sounds of letters and the written words); writing of letters, and practice, practice, practice!

Likewise, there should be emphasis on the basic geometric shapes and what real world items they mimic. There should be plenty of time spent on numerical sequence learning, including counting, grouping, and matching of numbers to groups ( five apples equates to the number 5). Of course, an introduction to money, clocks, and rudimentary adding and subtracting must take place.

Science at this level will be more fun than anything! Kids grow plants from seeds, paste together cloud puffs, make snowflakes, and collect pictures of animals.

Of course, there is still health, music, art, etc. which will be included as time permits. The three R’s, though, must be the primary focus.

Listening Skills

by Debra Conley

At a recent business seminar, the topic for discussion was listening skills. To me, this is an early learning skill that is developed before the elementary school years begin. However, it became obvious that corporate America is experiencing a plethora of employees unable to grasp concepts due to lack of listening skills! Most every suggestion made at this seminar is one used for early childhood development.

Much of this can be accomplished at home in the early years of your child’s development. How? By planning activities which will require attention. Don’t fret; these are much simpler than you are imagining. First, try normal tasks, such as making up your bed. Set your child in front of you as you work and “talk through” the task. Most toddlers want adults to be talking to them. They are fascinated by what adults do, so talk them through some of your activities.

Second, plan an activity each day which allows your child an opportunity to participate in attention practice. Reading a book (at his level) is great, but try injecting attention activities like asking the child to point to the chicken when you get to that page. Or ask him to be looking for a certain word, picture, or page number, and to let you know when the two of you have arrived at that point. This same activity can be used when watching a video or television program or while Dad fixes the car.

Even the youngest toddler can have scavenger hunts. Go for walks with attention activities in mind. If your child is old enough, make a small list of items for him to spot while on the walk. He might make a check beside each item when it is found; he might just have a set phrase (“I found it”) to say.

Children love to help their parents, especially if they are made to feel that they are needed. Attention activities can be used here also. When you unload the dishwasher, ask the child to identify what he is handing you and even indicate to you where is it usually stored in the kitchen. Match lids to pots; like items by type, color, or size as you unload. This same idea can be used in almost every household activity, encouraging your child to pay attention to the activity as well as the details. And don’t forget, when it is time to put his things away, the child can do so by groupings of color, size, etc.

Challenged Learners

by Debra Conley

Are you one of those parents home schooling a “challenged” learner? There’s plenty of material out there for you! Whether the challenge is one of attention span or a debilitating disease, there are resources for teaching at home. For an in-house guide, try the book Negotiating the Special Education Maze: A Guide for Parents and Teachers. Authors Anderson, Chitwood, and Hayden give particular attention to materials for teaching the challenged child.  I have also found the web site www.disabilitysolutions.org and www.eparent.com to have links to many helpful resources.

Special children with severe needs must be started as early as possible in the educational realm. I recently found a book for teaching reading to Down’s Syndrome children. Author Patricia Oelwein has researched her methods in homes and schools across the nation since 1972. Her approach gives parents the necessary tools for teaching the child at home, but also gives guidelines for parental supervision of the classroom methods.

Publications I like for children with other learning problems include How to Get Your Child off the Refrigerator and on to Learning by Barnier, God’s Special Child by Adee, and the magazine Exceptional Parent.

If your special needs child will attend a formal classroom, take special care when setting up the Individualized Education Program (referred to by most as IEP). This is the “plan” of what your child will study and at what academic level,  where each learning mode will take place (regular classroom, special ed room, a resource room), and how often your child will be mainstreamed—an important integral, especially for social development. The IEP probably will also include choices for the parent to make of teachers, optional classes, and extra-curricular activities. Pay careful attention to how this plan is set up by your school. Once the plan is drawn and agreed upon, changing it may be difficult.