What a wonderful month it has been!  In spite of heat in the West, rain in the Midwest and storms in the East and Southeast we are drawn to the wonders of our out-of-doors.  As I recently flew across the country, I was once again struck by its vastness and the changes in landscape from one seaboard to the next.  No matter where one lands, the western mountains, the farms of the Midwest, large urban areas and small hamlets, there is beauty to find.  For summer is the time to be outside enjoying our wonderful surroundings.    

This month I have had opportunities to speak with many who are contemplating homeschooling and those who have been at it for years, as well.  I am constantly amazed at the dedication they have for providing an alternative for their children.  How fortunate our children are to have different choices in their education.  It continues to be a pleasure to work with such dedicated parents and their children.   

During the summer months our editors and writers are busy preparing new lessons for the e-Tutor program.  To date their are 1,592 lessons in the system.  Each lesson goes through a rigorous screening and editing process. This can often take as long or longer than actually writing the lesson.  If you have a topic which you would like us to write a lesson for, please let us know.  One of the things that makes e-Tutor unique is the variety of lessons written by authors from all over the country. 

Our technicians and engineers work hard at keeping our servers at peak capacity at all times.  However, from time to time something occurs that is beyond our control.  These periods of stress to the system are few and usually last for just a few moments.  We hope you will email a report if you are not able to access any one of our five sites. 

Many of you have reported that you will be traveling this month and next.  We hope you will share your journeys with us when you return.  Wishing each of you a safe and happy vacation.   

Learning with e-Tutor:

SOCIAL STUDIES

There are five subjects in the curricular area of Social Studies - Politics, Economics, History, Geography and Sociology.  The subjects are taught at all grade levels.  The extent of content, vocabulary, sentence length and topic determines the age appropriate level for each lesson.  Below are the goals and objectives for e-Tutor Social Studies.

POLITICS
Students will be able to understand and analyze comprehensive political systems.
Objectives
A. Analyze the basic principles government.
B. Analyze the structure and function of major political systems in the world.
C. Evaluate the evolution and nature of rules and laws that govern human interaction.
D. Analyze the structure and function of various political systems.
E. Analyze the major political events in the contemporary world and their impact on the changing structure and function of governments.

ECONOMICS
Students will be able to understand and analyze comprehensive economic systems.
Objectives
A. Analyze the factors that contribute to economic development.
B. Analyze the economic interdependence among the world communities.
C. Evaluate the economic impact of political decisions made by federal, state, and local governments.
D. Analyze traditional, market, and command economic systems.
E. Analyze the basic economic concepts that have traditionally shaped economic systems.

HISTORY 
Students will be able to understand and analyze events, trends, personalities and movements shaping the history of the world.
Objectives
A. Know the chronology and significance of the major events in world history.
B. Understand the historical developments leading to the present similarities and differences among the world's people.
C. Evaluate the contributions of significant men and women in world history.
D. Know the chronology and significance of the major social, economic and political events shaping the American experience.
E. Understand the impact of urbanization, industrialization and emerging technology on the world's environment as well as on its social, political and economic institutions.

GEOGRAPHY 
Students will be able to demonstrate a knowledge of world geography.
Objectives
A. Understand the cultural and physical geography of each of the world's region.
B. Understand the concepts of absolute and relative location.
C. Analyze various map projections.
D. Understand ways in which people define, name and alter places.
E. Understand how maps, models and other graphics contribute to an enriched sense of place.

SOCIOLOGY
Students will be able to apply the skills and knowledge gained in the social sciences to decision making in life situations.
Objectives
A. Understand how individuals and/or groups effect change.
B. Evaluate sources of information in terms of selective criteria.
C. Evaluate the costs and benefits of a particular course of action.
D. Analyze the interdependent roles of an individual as a consumer, a producer, and a citizen.
E. Understand various relationships between the individual and others in the local community, state, nation and world.

Twelve new lessons were added to e-Tutor this month.

Friendship is like a bank account.  You can't continue to draw on it without making deposits. 

Speaking Strategies

In contemporary American culture, speaking seems to have taken a backseat as visual information systems permeate our daily lives.  This relative unimportance accorded to oral language is a new wrinkle in the history of human communication.  Long before the invention of writing, a people's history was passed on from one generation to another through oral language.  

Oral language's beginnings were social and one of its obvious purposes is social.  A more subtle purpose is that it provides a base for thinking, reading and writing.  If a student has difficulty understanding what  has been said to him or her, the student most likely will have difficulty comprehending that information in print.  If a student cannot "silently speak" to himself or herself, that student will have problems with writing tasks.  Oral language develops self-identity and confidence.  It hones pronunciation, enunciation, fluency and expression.  

The following are common methods for improving oral communication.  

• Conversation - Talking on the telephone, giving introductions, role playing, providing directions.
• Show and Tell - Sophisticated examples include salespeople speaking about their products, professors teaching about science, auctioneers displaying objects and describing them.
• Storytelling - A good story teller is an artist.  Storytelling is a worthwhile endeavor not only for oral language development but also for practice with sequence, paraphrasing, story structure and voice elements, such as loudness and highness or lowness of the voice. 
• Discussions - Through discussing, one faces the challenge of defining, clarifying, qualifying, elaborating, analyzing and ordering experiences, concepts, opinions or ideas. 
• Choral Reading - If you haven't tried this as a family, do so.  The reading is usually done in pairs, small groups or by everyone.   Therefore shy children or those who are poor readers can join in without fear of criticism. 
• Oral Interpretation - There are six basic vocal elements:  volume, rate, pitch, inflection, stress and pause.  All oral language will benefit from at least an understanding of the vocal elements.  The intent of practicing voice types is to have fun with oral language.  

Adapted from Idea Factory by Silver Burdett and Ginn

A road map will tell us everything we want to know except how to fold it up again. 

• Precedent vs. precedence.  A precedent is something that is used as an example or justification for later use.  It is often applied in a legal sense:  "The judge's decision set a precedent."  Precedence is something that takes priority over something else:  "People arriving early will receive precedence."
• Complement vs. supplement.  Complement means "to complete something or bring it to perfection;"  "His tie complements the suit he's wearing."  Supplement means "to add something to make up for a deficiency:" "She works nights to supplement her income."  Both words can be used as verbs and nouns.  

Communication Briefings

Wooing Opinion Leaders

Opinion leaders are key audiences in many public relations programs.  But too often they aren't approached correctly in efforts to garner support. 

The wrong way:  Approach opinion leaders by simply stating your case.
Reason:  This technique forces opinion leaders to evaluate your pleas...and they may not side with you.

A better way:  Approach them by saying you recognize that they are involved in the community and that others often seek them out for advice and information.  With that role, they should be aware of your important issue.  Then give them your information from this viewpoint. 

PR Reporter, New Hampshire

Only those who experience truly live. 

Scott Hershey

Disciplining Your Adolescent

Whenever possible, discipline should be a natural consequence of a teenager's actions.  For example, the consequences for coming home after curfew might be to come in early the next night.  

Make every effort to insure that the disciplinary action makes sense for the rule your teen has broken.  in short, don't ground a teenager for five days when two days will serve the same purpose.  

Never make any disciplinary action physical or abusive.

Remember:  The parent who sees the problem behavior should correct it.  Putting the responsibility for discipline onto another parent tells your teen that you don't want to be responsible for taking action.  Statements such as, "Wait till your father gets home,"  or "Your mother is going to be furious,"  don't send the right signals to the adolescent, either. 

Parents should make every effort to discuss their own disagreements in private and not around children or adolescents.  The teen should see a united front. 

When disagreements do surface, keep the lines of communication open.  Make every effort to air disputes with your teens calmly and openly. 

School Public Relations Service

Two Words That Persuade

Two key words will make you more persuasive.  The words:  "if" and "then."

Whether you are trying to sell a car or an idea, the message that works is "If you will take this action, then you will get this reward."

The next time you are planning to persuade someone, use these two words to get what you want. 

Adapted from Overcoming Resistance by Jerald M. Jellison

Pressures on Children

Today's youth is in many ways a superior one.  Our children are rising to intellectual heights probably never reached before.  Yet, adolescent suicide is at a higher rate....many young people turn to drugs to turn off reality....some are victims of child abuse....others develop eating disorders (such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia)....some suffer emotional blocks because of their parents' divorce....others feel alienated and lost because they are latchkey children....many, too many just give up and drop out.

These are disturbing effects of today's pressures on children and youth.  They show that the pressures can be so intense as to cause a significant portion of young people to crack under them. 

Throughout time the individual at every age of life has experienced pressure, anxiety and fear to some degree.  When they occur in reasonable amounts, these conflicts can stimulate growth and learning.  The emotionally healthy individual finds ways to deal with conflicts as they arise and becomes more mature through each experience.  

It is when the pressures are too many or when they come before the child is able to cope with them that they result not in learning but in varying degrees of mental or physical disturbance.

As parents, we want our children to learn from the experience of pressure as part of the process of growing up.  We also want to do whatever we can to help our children cope with the pressure in life and to prevent the pressure from becoming insurmountable.  Generally, the clue children give that they are being over pressured is a change in behavior.    Obviously, we cannot eliminate many of the pressures they face,  even if we wanted to.  But we can help our children face them and we can avoid adding to them to make them worse.

Adapted from National Education Association

Page 4

We have two ears but only one mouth so that we may listen more and talk less. 

Experiencing Literature

Summer provides time for parent and child to open some of the books they have been promising themselves to read.  It is generally recognized that literature broadens a child's knowledge and understanding of the world and of themselves.  Literature also models language and stimulates language growth.  Through reading and listening the child acquires an "ear" for the rhythms and patterns, the structures and the vocabulary of the English language.  As it is being read and heard, literature is also experienced; it integrates many personal experiences as it stimulates the child's imaginations, emotions and intellects.  

Individuals respond to literary selections in unique ways.  When a story, an author and a reader or listener "meet," a personal and private interaction occurs.  This personal response is influenced by the ideas, understandings, sensations, feelings and images evoked by the literature.  Personal reactions to literature are necessary beginnings for the development of the enjoyment of literature and for the appreciation of various literary genres and techniques.  Opportunities to experience a variety of literature can lead our children to an awareness of the beauty and power of the written word. 

A child's understanding of literature and the depth of their response is intensified when encouraged to explore ideas and feelings about the story characters, events, settings, illustrations and language.  The response is enhanced when the child can relate these elements to life experiences. 

Adapted from Saskatchewan Department of Education

Rewards of Aging

One of the things that impresses most of us as we grow older is how many nice people there are in this world.  Even people we used to find annoying or downright irritating don't seem to bother us so much.  We discover that many of the ones we didn't particularly like really aren't as bad as we thought.  

Maybe you and I are a little smarter than we used to be.  We have begun to understand why prickly pears are prickly and make allowance for it.  Other people appreciate the change in the way we react to them and it makes them more friendly toward us.

Taking this tack, we have found, makes for smother sailing.  Life becomes friendlier and more enjoyable.  You learn to forgive and forget.  Those who don't learn this miss out on the warmth and friendships they might enjoy.  

Bits and Pieces, The Economics Press, Inc.

Page 5

Time is the most valuable gift one can give. 

Jazzy July Links

Astro-Venture:    This is a NASA-sponsored project that encourages kids to research what elements of astronomy, geology, biology and atmospheric science lend themselves to supporting human life.  Students who join the Astro-Venture Academy will set out to design a habitable planet. http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/projects/astrobiology/astroventure/avhome.html

Math Literacy:  A week of mathematical activities is presented by Digiblock, Inc.  A new mathematical concept is given each day.  Activities are included which can be completed at home. 
http://www.mathliteracy.com

Education Watch Online: Compare your schools to those in other states.  The Education Trust has created a site that lets stakeholders view their own and other states educational data.   
http://www2.edtrust.org/edtrust/states.html

Desktop Traveler:  The lives of artists can be as curious and fascinating as their work.  Visit the home of Paul Cézanne and his studio in Aix en Provence, France.  Learn about his haunts, study his paintings and even play guessing games with his masterworks.
http://www.atelier-cezanne.com/aix-en-provence.html

WeatherNet Classroom:  This site has created a new interactive learning tool that integrates real-time local and national weather data and camera images into a variety of hands-on science and math lessons.   
http://classroom.aws.com/splash.asp

Sense and Dollars:  Every kid knows money doesn't grow on trees.  It comes from the ATM.  At least that's probably what it seems like to most kids these days.  This site breaks things down into the big three:  earning, spending and saving.  Several interactive tools demonstrate good financial practices.  
http://senseanddollars.thinkport.org/

Lots of Games:  This is a kid-safe site that provides children with fuel for imagination.  There is a treasure trove full of self-entertaining activities, including games, reading adventures and coloring pages. 
http://www.bonus.com

Beach Live:  Can't get to the beach this summer.  This site links to WebCams in seaside communities around the United States. If you live an hour from the beach, you can spare yourself a 60-mile ride to a cloudy coast by viewing weather conditions from home.  Dining, lodging and community information is also available.  
http://beachcomberii.com/cgi-bin/links/search.cgi?query=live+cams

Enjoy a Wonderful Month!

From the Staff at Strategic Studies Corporation

 
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