In The News May 2008 Vol. 11-5
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We've had occasion to watch a class splashing in puddles after a rainy morning, students and parents weaving a May Pole and the excitement of children running through a field of mountain flowers. It's been a journey about and for children. We continue to learn and grow with them. It continues to excite us!
(Please note: Excerpts in this Newsletter are taken from past editions of eNews.) |
As
our world of e-Tutor learners increases and as the summer months
approach, we have had requests from both parents and students for
e-Tutor Get-Togethers and for e-Tutor PenPals. Many of our
students want to converse with one another, not only during summer
months but during the school year as well. 
Parents
have asked many times for e-Tutor Parent Groups or Get-Togethers.
The e-Tutor subscriber base covers the world, but there are some
locations, states and cities where there are more students. An
email-blog can keep those who prefer an opportunity to stay
connected. See below for more information on e-Tutor
Connections. 
Many
of you have taken time from your busy schedules during the past month
to call or to write. It is always nice to hear from you
and to learn how you are using e-Tutor, as well as the free materials
and resources we offer. One home schooling father reported
that his children get up in the morning and immediately go to
e-Tutor to begin their studying. "No hassle learning"
he calls it. A mother reports that she is so pleased to watch
her son's quiz scores improve. Another mother has us working
with the school district to coordinate learning at home and at school.
A tutoring group is using e-Tutor as the basis for their service.
I look forward to information like this and hope you will continue to
let us know about your many successes.
Celebrate
with us as we honor those who have given so much for each of
us. 
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I am always ready to learn, although I do not always like being taught. Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) |
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Studying the e-Tutor Way e-Tutor lesson modules are grouped at Primary (about K-3), Intermediate (about 4-5), Middle/Junior High (about 6-8) and High School. This cross-aging of lessons has been very successful for e-Tutor students as they can work at their own pace. Some lesson modules may be easier and can be used for review and some will be more challenging. Students should do no more than four lesson modules each day. We recommend one lesson module in each of the four major curricular areas. One lesson module a day is sufficient for those who use e-Tutor for supplemental work. Students and parents can choose the area of greatest need. However, all areas support one another. Lesson
modules take from one hour to one and a half hours to complete.
Some may even take several days to complete.
The default for passing quizzes and exams is set at eighty
percent. Students are
expect We suggest the student respond in writing to the Problem Statement before and after completing each lesson module. The vocabulary words can be used for writing sentences or creating word puzzles. Students should write a short description of each of the resource links. e-Tutor is a Pass/Fail program. Completed lessons are reflective of those where the student has successfully completed Quizzes and Exams. Students are expected to spend approximately four to five hours studying each day when using e-Tutor for their full curriculum. We suggest that the student keep track of his hours of study each day on a piece of paper or a calendar.
Join the e-Tutor world of learning today to view the Lesson Library.
Registration for Summer Course Work is taking place now. Continued learning over the summer months keeps student minds active and there is no learner gap when they return to studies in the Fall. Receive a five percent discount by registering for three months. If
you would like more information call 877-687-7200.
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Mark Twain |
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The Parent Institute |
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During a recent conversation a
psychologist mentioned, "Raising children is not so difficult if
parents would realize one thing. Children need constant One study of a number of
large corporations revealed the number one reason w The Public School Administrator
If you shy away from the word
“creativity” because you think only of Picasso and Beethoven are
entitled to use it, think again.
Most people are creative, but very few tap into their own
supply. One reason is
cultural conditioning. Creative
solutions to problems are left to artists, not to hardheaded types. Both
are bunk and rest on an inflated definition of the term.
Creative people do something that is original and unique, no
matter how small. The guy
at 3M who thought up Post-it notes was creative. 1.
Make yourself comfortable with your unconscious mind.
As you probe your deepest inner thoughts you will find the road
opening up to your childhood and the easy creative ability all
children have. 2.
Pay attention to your dreams.
You don’t have to be Freud or spend ten years on the couch to
do that. Thinking about
your dreams can reveal an interior logic that doesn’t show up right
away and is lost if you simply forget about dreams. 3.
Counter-program yourself. Do
things you are not supposed to do.
Get rid of the shoulds and oughts that bedevil most of our
lives. Make waves in order to explore new possibilities.
Change how you think. Take
risks within yourself to find out what you are capable
of achieving. 4.
Free associate ideas. Daydream.
Take time out. Go
for a walk with nothing on your mind.
Visualize. Creative
ideas often come when you are not thinking. 5.
Know yourself. Yes,
it’s a cliché, but remember that clichés emerge from a core of
truth. You do need to
understand how you tick inside. Executive
Strategies
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Cherokee Proverb |
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How can you help your child develop
these important attributes? Here are a few suggestions:
Adapted from National
Education Association |
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Learning journals, also known as logs, daybooks, thinkbooks and even diaries, have become a popular teaching tool in recent years, and are being used with students ranging from elementary school to college. Besides encouraging better writing skills, the journals help students clarify their thoughts about what they read in their textbooks and hear in class. The For example, students who use a journal
in math class may find that switching from number symbols to word
symbols helps them solve difficult equations. Science and social
science students may keep a 'lab journal" to record personal
reactions to their experiments and make connections between one
observation and the next. A history journal may help a student
to identify with, and perhaps make sense of, the otherwise distant and
confusing past. Advantages of journal use for students, besides freedom from traditional grading, include an avenue to express opinions and ideas and get feedback, and a chance to share experiences and experiment with writing styles. For teachers the journals offer another opportunity to answer questions the student didn't ask in class, provide a positive way to begin or end a learning session, and allow for non-threatening dialogue between teacher and student. Adapted from Illinois Association of School Boards |
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I went outside to find a friend, but could not find one there. I went outside to be a friend, and friends were everywhere. Payne |
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BBC Schools Online: Online games
and sample testing are available (these are called revisions, like
review quizzes). Once you get used to the subtle linguistic
difference, this site is "brilliant." Desert Challenge
has students retrieving treasure from across the desert wastes.
Navigate your way round obstacles, refueling and changing your money
as you cross into new territories (using metric measurement).
Find other resources by grade level or discipline. €º°`°º€ø,¸¸,ø€º°`°º€ø€º<(©¿©)>º€ø,¸¸,ø€º°`°º€ø€º°`°º€ø,¸¸,ø Constructor: This site is kind
of a two-dimensional erector set that lets you choose a shape, put it
into motion and then tweak it by taking away gravity, speeding
it up and more. There are directions for this tool, but younger
students could just go in and construct something, then write a story
about it. High school and college students could use this when
studying €º°`°º€ø,¸¸,ø€º°`°º€ø€º<(©¿©)>º€ø,¸¸,ø€º°`°º€ø€º°`°º€ø,¸¸,ø Dive and Discover: Daily
updates and quizzes are available from this research project,
sponsored by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The current
journey consists of a series of research cruises to the Pacific
and Indian Oceans. See Plate Tectonics in action! Join the
adventure May 24 - June 9, 2004 to the Juan de Fuca Ridge €º°`°º€ø,¸¸,ø€º°`°º€ø€º<(©¿©)>º€ø,¸¸,ø€º°`°º€ø€º°`°º€ø,¸¸,ø eNature: This great site
was developed by the National Audobon Society. Now, you have access to
field guides for more than 4800 species of plants and animals. Start a
list for you, as an individual or for your class, and add species as
you see them. Find out more about various habitats in the US or ask an
expert about a species you have observed. €º°`°º€ø,¸¸,ø€º°`°º€ø€º<(©¿©)>º€ø,¸¸,ø€º°`°º€ø€º°`°º€ø,¸¸,ø KidsGardening.Com:
Planning a student garden and need a little virtual help? Or, your
garden is growing great but you need ways to stimulate learning in
this environment? This site, developed by the National Gardening
Association, supplies many creative ideas for teachers and
parents to use while €º°`°º€ø,¸¸,ø€º°`°º€ø€º<(©¿©)>º€ø,¸¸,ø€º°`°º€ø€º°`°º€ø,¸¸,ø The Knowledge Loom: This
site provides information about what is new in teaching and learning.
It is a place for educators to review research that identifies best
practices related to various themes; view stories about the practices
in real schools/districts; learn to replicate the success of these
practices; and to participate in online events and discussions. €º°`°º€ø,¸¸,ø€º°`°º€ø€º<(©¿©)>º€ø,¸¸,ø€º°`°º€ø€º°`°º€ø,¸¸,ø Great American
Speeches: Full text and audio database of Top 100
American Speeches by rank order. Years worth of great speeches
are captured here by American Rhetoric. There is advertisement,
but listening and reading the speeches are well worth it.
Happy Memorial Day From the Knowledge HQ Staff Copyright © 2008 Knowledge Headquarters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. www.knowledgehq.com |
In
many homes, the morning scene looks like something on “America’s
Funniest Home Videos.” Kids fly out the door, eating their breakfast
as they run for the bus. Paper flutter out of their backpack (if not
lost at home). Let’s face it: not everyone is a morning person. But
children do need to learn to get to places on time and ready to go to
work. These tips may help:
praise. When the children cut their meat right.....great! Praise
them! When they tie their first shoelace....great! Praise
them! Even if they are just good all day....great! Praise
them! The human psyche seems to feed and thrive on praise and
attention." And people never really grow out of that
constant need for praise and appreciation. 
hy
people quit their jobs was because,
as they put it, "No one appreciated what I did. "
William James, the best known of America's psychologists, said that
the desire to be appreciated is one of the deepest drives in human
nature. So get
in the habit of being "praise
minded." The way people dress, act, do their jobs and
express themselves as personalities can all be characteristics for
some words of praise from you.
Perhaps your own family and friends would be a good place to start.
need time to think, dream, plan, make decisions and free their
minds from problems.
ir
use is not limited to English composition classes. "Student
journals may be the best interdisciplinary tools we possess,
integrating personal with academic knowledge across the
curriculum," says the South Dakota Department of Education
in its publication Reflections. 
