In The News November 2011 Vol. 14-09
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Our children benefit when
they see adults who delight in s Thanks May your Thanksgiving be
filled with love and abundance.
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I
had a special phone call one afternoon this
month. I was working on one of the many projects which occupy my
time. My daughter-in-law was running errands and called to tell
me about the beautiful view she had of the surrounding
landscape. Well, her call lifted my day.
Without thinking
we go about our daily tasks not taking a moment or two to delight
in our surroundings. I love the sound of a child's voice, the laugh of
a friend, hugs from my sons or the quiet pleasure of a sunrise.
There is so much to be thankful for...ye
t we often don't take the time
for reflection or for sharing what delights us. I am thankful
for the phone call which brightened my day. 
imple pleasures. Often their
lives are as busy as ours. Our guidance in helping them to reflect on
the beauty that surrounds them helps to balance what might be a hectic
day or time. They learn to quiet their minds and allow pressure
to flow away. 
to each of you for
your time and participation in online learning. We appreciate
hearing from you. We are especially thankful for the efforts of
our students who continue to surprise
us with their growth, development and perspectives on what they are
learning. 
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Parents Are Partners in Learning Parent participation is important in the eTutor Program. We ask that parents review all off line work that is in eTutor lesson module. These include vocabulary, resources, problem statement, activities and extended learning. Below are some questions that can be used with your student to stimulate conversation about what has been learned. Remember, you do not need to grade your student's work. Take this opportunity to have your child teach you what he or she is learning. Focus on asking questions about the information your child is studying and try to remember other activities that stimulated thinking about the concept. The following are questions and prompts to help in this area:
Fifteen
New Lesson Modules were added Nearly
3200 Lesson Modules
Join the eTutor world of learning today to view |
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Encouragement of
imagination is needed...encouragement of new and different ideas,
new combinations of materials, new arrangement of space concepts
that give originality the freedom of growth and practice that will
only be possible if we allow our children their natural
growth. Realize that much that is new in the world arises as a consequence of felt needs and problems. Why these feelings arise, no one can explain as of today. But that they do arise is demonstrated by the artist or author who feels compelled to paint or write in his particular way whether or not it conforms to what is assumed to be good by his critics. There may be the writer who fills pages and hides them away or feels obliged to publish his own work or the musician who composes despite the jibes and insults of his audiences when first hearing the performance of his work. These are creative urges that continue with or without an acceptance by society. Perhaps the
long-sought-for acceptance comes years after the artist h Adapted from Public School Administrator |
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More exercise leads to fewer headaches. People who exercise three times a week suffer fewer headaches than their sedentary counterparts, says anesthesiologist, Dr. John Bonica, at the University of Washington. Reason: Exercise tones the body, reducing stress on muscles that can cause backaches and headaches. Adapted from Working Smart
In my early years of teaching, I tried hard to teach phonics rules but I never understood why my favorite rule, "When two vowels go a-walking, the first one does the talking," didn't seem to help my students read better. In a graduate course I was presented with research about phonics rules and was shocked to find that many of the rules I was teaching were only true fifty percent of the time. It was at that point that I stopped chanting those rules. Phonics
rules that are taught as part of a spelling program to older children
can often help them as spellers. Another revelation I had as a
teacher w Maryann Manning, School of Education, U. of Alabama at Birmingham |
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In today's hectic world,
families often spend more time apart than together. This is why
it is important to devote some individual time to each child every
day. In addition, spend time together as a family. Here
are some activities that will bring your family closer together...and
set the stage for better lea
Adapted from Parents
Can Help Students Achieve, |
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You know your children imitate what they see...especially when it comes to eating habits. Get on track by setting and following these four exemplary eating practices with your family.
Adapted from Mathew Kadey, RD |
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Biting tops the list of reasons for expulsion from day care and nursery school, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. On the spectrum of bad behavior, which includes hitting, hair-pulling, kicking and plain old meanness, biting is considered extreme. There are health risks to biting, particularly when skin is broken. Myths about the transmission of AIDS have heightened anxieties about an already-feared behavioral problem. In most of us, the very
idea of biting....and blood and saliva...evokes a vis Most children who bite are not yet verbal. Infants and toddlers nip and gnaw, like puppies, eager to explore the world using all their senses. But older children tend to bite out of frustration, usually because they cannot express themselves. They bite because they feel powerless. "Biting is the last weapon," say child development specialists. "Young children don't have a lot in their arsenals. Experts agree on one thing: Never bite a child who bites, in an attempt to "show how it feels." Research recommends this response:
The most important step in dealing with a biter is creating an environment where children can learn to express their emotions while feeling they have control over their situation. Adapted from Chicago Tribune |
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Marine
Mammals The Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) provides
solutions to the challenges of ocean stewardship and economic growth
in the Gulf of Maine bioregion. A great source for student activities,
research, links and more. Animal
Diversity: Sponsored in part
by the Interagency Education Research Initiative, the Homeland
Foundation and the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. This
material is based upon work supported by the National Science
Foundation. Extensive information on Animal Kingdoms, BioKids,
teaching materials and more. Lizards:
Lizards are
fascinating creatures. There are thousands of different kinds and they
can be found almost everywhere in the world. This site provides web
quests, information and details about these interesting reptiles. Water Science: This site
offered by the U.S. Geological Survey offers information on many
aspects of water, along with pictures, data, maps, and an interactive
center where you can give opinions and test your water knowledge. Autumn
Leaf Scrapbook: Presented by the Missouri Botanical Garden,
this site identifies trees and shrubs by their leaves. Easy for
young readers.
Happy Thanksgiving!! From the Copyright © 2011 Knowledge Headquarters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. www.knowledgehq.com |
as
struggled to win recognition. For the behavior of certain processes
in the environment does so not because someone else has structured
the problem, but because he has a feeling that he can approach it
differently and that it must be done. The inner compulsion
of human beings, often working against strong opposition, seems to
be an individually felt need that has not been explained but
persists and should be recognized as one aspect of
creativity. 
as that after a student can read independently, there is no
more need for the study of letter-sound correspondences. Reading
authorities have written that children don't need phonics instruction
after second grade. Each year, I test more than one hundred
students who are experiencing difficulty as readers and I've found
that many of these students have had so much phonics instruction that
they believe reading is merely sounding out words. These
students need to learn to use semantics and syntax rather than just
phonics.
rning. 
ceral
response. We're repulsed by an act of aggression that seems
feral, almost animalistic, and simultaneously undermines a child's
feeling of safety and security as well as parents' impulse to protect
their child from danger. 
