But beyond all cute girly stuff, this app will build a number sense foundation that is crucial for mathematics, but yet not practiced enough in school. You can walk into any primary school in North America and you will see students using their fingers to add and/or subtract and taking a long time to come up with math answers.

Due to lack of number knowledge, students are so overwhelmed by mere addition that they fail to effectively progress to the next level. Numbers “sense”/”knowledge”, “mental math” or whatever you want to call it, is a foundation to mastering mathematics. We stress reading fluency and even time students reading speed, but completely fail to build math number fluency.

Anyhow, apps like MathGirl are a great way to use technology in an educational and fun way where your children/students won’t even notice how much they are learning in the process.    

Have fun with Apps !

Lena M. Ed.

If your child loves “Harold and the Purple Crayon”, by Crockett Johnson, he/she will definitely enjoy the “Harold at the North Pole” IPhone / IPhone App.

As an educator and a parent, I prefer real books to e-books, but this app is not just a story. It’s an engaging story telling app.

Harold really comes to life, exactly as he always is, adorable, with his purple crayon and great imagination.

The app has three options, “Touch Tale” where your child gets to color in pages before the story proceedes (the coloring part is greatly enjoyed by 2-4 year olds), then there is “Read to Me” option where your child can listen to the story, and then there is a “Read Alone” option. Great IPod or IPhone app that will be used daily.

Lexile Measure: 820L

Guided Reading Level: NR

Age: Age 9-12

Genre: Fiction, Mystery and Suspense, Graphic Novels,

Subject: Cleverness, Creativity and Imagination, Movies, Overcoming Obstacles

“The Invention of Hugo Cabret” by Brian Selznick, is an amazing story about a twelve year old orphan boy, Hugo Cabret, who after loosing his father tries to revive a broken automaton in hopes to get answers to his many questions. Selznik tells the story of Hugo through both words and illustrations. The illustrations are a work of art on their own and tweens greatly enjoy flipping thorough the pages of drawings which not only enhance the story but increase students reading comprehension. Chances are, 9 year old readers of Hugo Cabret are for the first time experiencing such a complex and engaging story telling, which offers a great teaching opportunity in terms of teaching reading comprehension skills (predicting, inferencing, summarizing, etc.). At the same time, Selznik uses rich vocabulary (Lexile measure 820L) which further offers great instructional moments.

This novel is a true treasure.

For the lesson plan/novel unit go to:  http://tinyurl.com/8xczvvk

Lena M. Ed.

…. There’s now arguably a “Lego phase” for school-age boys that’s as consuming as the princess phase. But unlike tiaras and pink chiffon, Lego play develops spatial, mathematical, and fine motor skills, and lets kids build almost anything they can imagine, often leading to hours of quiet, independent play. Which is why Lego’s focus on boys has left many parents—especially moms like Orenstein—frustrated that their daughters are missing out. “The last time I was in a Lego store, there was this little pink ghetto over in one corner,” Orenstein says. “And I thought, really? This is the best you can do?”

For the whole story go to:

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/lego-is-for-girls-12142011.html?campaign_id=rss_topStories

         There is an urgency in our educational policy to prepare students better to compete in the global economy. The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study of 2009 showed the US students ranking 11th in Science and 9th in Math, with many Asian and Eastern European counterparts ahead of them. The new educational reform had stressed the need to teach and incorporate problem solving into curriculum, especially when it comes to mathematics and science.

             The problem solving based instruction, also known as, inquiry and/or discovery learning, holds that students learn best when given an opportunity to construct their own knowledge in an unguided or minimally guided environment. Furthermore, in addition to having students construct their own knowledge, inquiry based learning assumes that students acquire knowledge solely through experience.

                 Problem based learning approach was introduced in the health science program at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario (Canada), fifty years ago. Today, most medical programs and many undergraduate and graduate programs utilize some form of problem based learning throughout the United States. The medical students are supposed to be skilled at problem solving and have background knowledge of the content in order to successfully participate in the problem based learning, as noted by the McMaster University website (chemeng.mcmaster.ca/pbl/PBL.HTM).

              In 1985, the University of Chicago Department of Education introduced Everyday Mathematics, which is problem based learning math curriculum for elementary school students. Presently, Everyday Mathematics is widely implemented throughout Florida and the rest of the nation. The program is currently being used in over 185,000 classrooms by almost 3,000,000 students (everydaymath.uchicago.edu). The What Works Clearinghouse at the U.S. Department of Education (2010) found the program to be “potentially positive”, however, there needs to be a more thorough study conducted before the program can be declared effective. Presently, there is no single large scale study conducted on effectiveness of the program on students achievement in mathematics despite the nationwide program implementation and support by federal education funding.

                   Everyday Mathematics curriculum rests on constructivist theory of learning though inquiry and problem solving. After all, problem solving is a current staple goal of national mathematics and science curriculum. Unlike traditional mathematics curriculum, Everyday Mathematics does not teach algorithm and it does not promote drill of mathematical foundations in any form, such as, multiplication tables, addition, and subtraction. The amount of curriculum topics are numerous and are presented in non-sequential order. On any given day, a student in third grade can work on a wide range of unrelated math problems, from finding parameter of a rectangle to telling time.

                   In Everyday Mathematics children are encouraged to connect their prior knowledge of mathematics to the problem at hand. During their inquiry into the problem solving, students are supposed to create their own algorithm to the mathematics problems in order to show that they “get” the learning material. The Everyday Mathematics program is learner centered and students receive minimal or no guidance at all during their problem solving.

              Critics of Everyday Mathematics have pointed out that the programs constructivist nature is effective with a certain type of learner, such as, gifted and expert/university students. When novice elementary students are required to make their own algorithm without having sufficient mathematical foundation on which to base their problem solving, their working memory, which can only manage two to three new elements become overwhelmed and their learning suffers. In addition, without sufficient schema to process new information, students are likely to have false starts that further lead to misconceptions and failed learning (Moreno, 2004). Research found the knowledge of context and background knowledge to be the key elements of successful problem solving.

                 In order to engage in an effective and successful problem-solving activity, students need to work within familiar and realistic contexts that use familiar background schemas and prior mathematical foundations. Only then will students be able to transfer their learning to other problems and contexts (DeBono, 1983; Kirkley, 2003). On the other hand, when students learn science through unguided discovery with no or minimal feedback, they experience cognitive overload and are likely to form false start and misconceptions (Brown & Campione, 1994; Sweller, 2004).

                  The lack of background and/or context knowledge and minimal guidance are major obstacles in students ability to create their own algorithm and problem solve, especially when it comes to developing problem solving skills, which could then transferred to new problems. Kirschner, Sweller, & Clark (2006) found that the minimally guided instructional approach goes against over half a century of research on human  cognitive architecture and overwhelming evidence that minimally guided instruction is both less efficient and less effective.

                Consequently, it can be concluded that the premise and practice of the Everyday Mathematics is inconsistent with the current research of human cognition, as well as, in contradicting accepted working and long term memory theories. Research indicated that students need explicit instruction of novel information and when instructional guidance is absent cognition and new-old knowledge integration fails (Kirschner et al, 2006; Aulls, 2002).

               If we expect our students to compete in the global economy, we need to provide their schools with curriculum that aligns with learning and educational theories. It is simply not enough to believe that any curriculum is “successful” without prior large-scale extensive independent research.

                                            References

               Aulls, M. W. (2002). The contributions of co-occurring forms of classroom discourse and academic activities to curriculum events and instruction. Journal of Educational Psychology, 94, 520–538.

               Brown, A. L., & Campione, J. C. (1994). Guided discovery in a community of learners. In K. McGilly (Ed.), Classroom lessons: Integrating cognitive theory and classroom practice (pp. 229-272). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

               DeBono, E. (1983). The direct teaching of thinking as a skill. Phi Delta Kappan, 64, 703-708.

               Kirkeley, Jamie (2003). Principles For Teaching Problem Solving. Retrieved on (February, 2011). www. plataeam/down loads/papers/paper_04. pdf, 2003 – Citeseer.

              Kirschner, Sweller, & Clark (2006). Why Minimal Guidance During Instruction Does Not Work: An Analysis of the Failure of Constructivist Discovery, Problem- Based, Experiential, and Inquiry-Based Teaching. Educational Psychologist, 41,(2), 75-86.

               McMaster University. Problem-Based Learning, Especially In the Context of Large Classes. Retrieved from http://chemeng.mcmaster.ca/pbl/PBL.HTM.

               Moreno, R. (2004). Decreasing Cognitive Lead for Novice Students: Effects of Explanatory versus Corrective Feedback in Discovery-Based Multimedia. Instructional Science, 32,(1), 99-113.

              National Center For Education Statistics (2011).Trends In International Mathematics and Science Study. Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/timss/

              Sweller, J. (2004). Instructional design consequences of an analogy between evolution by natural selection and human cognitive architecture. Instructional Science, 32, 9–31.

               The University of Chicago School Mathematics Project Everyday Mathematics (2011). Curriculum Features. Retrieved from http://everydaymath.uchicago.edu/about/curriculum.

                What Works Clearinghouse (2010). Intervention:Everyday Mathematics. Retrieved from http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/reports/elementary_math/eday_math/index.asp

Lena M. Ed

Grades: 1-3

Subject: Language Arts, Science, Insects, Teamwork

Skills: Main Idea, Sequence of Events, Reading Comprehension,

Life Cycle of a Silk Worm

Grade Level Equivalent: 4.4

Summary: For 3000 years, the Chinese kept the origin of silk a secret. In “The Empress and the Silkworm”, Lily Toy Hong tells a wonderful story of silk and its discovery. This book is greatly enjoyed by primary students, even though it is above their reading level. The vocabulary list is pretty extensive while the story offers a great pre, during, and post reading discussion.

Interest Level: Grade 3 – Grade 5

Grade Level Equivalent: 8.9

Lexile® measure: 1060L

Genre/Theme: General Nonfiction

“Inuksuk Journey” by Mary Wallace gives a first hand narrative of Mary Wallace’s summer trip to the Arctic. Scholastic designated interest level to be for grades 3-5, but I can see student in high school enjoying this book.

The book is filled with the most beautiful artwork, photographs, and images. The composition of the book is an art piece on its own. Mary Wallace made amazing paintings of inuksuks, stones most of us remember as the sign of Canadian Olympic games in 2010, which are actually stones that carry message(s).

During her journey, Mary Wallace experienced living in the traditional Inuit way, living in one with the nature, and she brought the story to life through her art that is highly engaging and inspiring.

Simply Amazing!

Grade Level Equivalent: 5.9

Lexile® measure: 1120L

Genre/Theme: Nonfiction

I have personally reviewed many books on the rainforest in attempt to find one that is both engaging for students and curriculum appropriate. After many bland reviews of books made by the large textbook companies, coming across “How Monkeys Make Chocolate” is a true breath of fresh air. “How Monkey’s Make Chocolate” by Adrian Forsyth is a personal account of a scientist that you and your children/ students will find extremely engaging and informative.

The book is filled with an abundance of interesting facts on the ways monkeys make chocolate, chimpanzees make cola drinks, parakeets make coffee, bats make vanilla, adaptation, habitat… Even more importantly, the author uses personal stories to bring to life not only life of animals, plants, and people, but the large role that the rainforest plays in being a home to thousands of unique and special plants that don’t grow anywhere else in the world, yet provide us not only with food, but with very needed medicine that cure cancer and other serious illnesses.

Be it a great read, classroom material, or a great non-fiction for enrichment, you’ll notice increased engagement and learning.

Happy Reading! 

Grades: K-2                        

Subject: Language Arts

Skills: Word Study,

Reading Comprehension, Writing

Grade Level Equivalent: 2.8

Genre/Theme: Holidays, Humor,

Rhyme, Christmas

Summary: ”The Night Before The Night Before Christmas” by Natasha Wing is a highly engaging rhyming book that follows the rhythm and rhyme of Clement Moore’s classic Christmas poem. The book is a fun read plus the students will appreciate the humor all the way through. The story begins with Mom catching the flu two days before Christmas, and then cookies are burned, Christmas trees were almost sold out, stockings had holes,… however, it all ends well. A great way to celebrate holiday season in your classroom with a story that everyone will enjoy.

A beautifully written book about moving and change.
“If I could
If I wanted
Tell Mama and Papa that I won’t go.
…
To a new house,
To the new place,
To a land I’ve never seen…

Moving and change is such a big part of life, especially when it comes to children. Changes that take place during and after moving affect children’s lives for years after. Patricia MacLachlan does a great job describing the stages of coming to terms and accepting moving. Be your first home a farm or the ocean side, the universal experience of accepting change is universal.

“What you know first stays with you, my Papa says.”

MacLachlan

can read online anytime. Even better, for every book that you read, We Give Books donates a book on your behalf to the campaign partner of your choice.

This just doesn’t get any better.

http://www.wegivebooks.org/books

DRA Level: n/a  

Reading Level:  age 9-12      

Lexile Measure: 750L

Topics: 

1960s America–Civil Rights Movement, Black Panthers

Sense of belonging / sense of community

Historical fiction (Language Arts–Genres)

Changes and new experiences

African American community/history

Summary : 

“One Crazy Summer” by Rita WIlliams-Garcia is perhaps one of the best juvenile historical fiction novels ever. The story is set in 1968, when three sisters Delphine, eleven years old, Vonetta, nine years old, and Fern, seven years old, go from Brooklyn to Oakland to visit their mother, who left them seven years ago. At first the girls are shocked by their mother’s cold welcome. Their mother, Cecile, sends them to get take out on their own, get breakfast at the community center and attend camp sponsored by the Black Panthers instead of spending time with them. As girls get immersed in the community and the civil rights movement, they get closer to knowing their mother and growing as individuals.

This novel is just amazing, and it’s written in a way that it will keep students’ attention due to its wit, humor and realistic narrative.

Wow!

For a lesson plan/novel unit go to

http://tinyurl.com/6psgbgq
Mrs. Lena M. Ed

HowToSmile IPhone App- is an amazing IPhone app for kids. Even better, HowToSmile.org website has a blog with numerous math and science activities for the kids, as well as, links to great science places and activities.

I have been waiting to get an app like this for my kids. This is great. Up to know, my kids used the IPhone mostly for drawing, videos, and taking pictures. Now they can actually have fun and learn when we are out.  As someone who has specialized in Educational Technology in graduate school, I have realized the potential of technology and its many drawbacks when it comes to learning and its application in educational settings.

The truth is, most of the learning software that is out there, be it learning how to read, math, or science, is just not very good. Even the software that is purchased by our school boards is rarely researched for its effectiveness, but you will hear your child’s teacher state the “success” of the program (without any serious research to back it up). So, we as parents and teachers can’t rely on any software, even the effective ones are not effective for all students. What we can do is use great made apps such as howtosmile.org and use them as tools to help our children learn science and math through their own personal engagement.

howtosmile is a free IPhone app 

Mrs. Lena M. Ed

Reading Level: 5.9

Grade level: 6 – 12

Subject: Language Arts, Historical Fiction,

World History

Plot Summary:

A Long Walk to Water novel alternates between two narratives, following a Southern Sudanese girl, Nya, from 2008 – 2009 and a Southern Sudanese boy, Salva Dut, from 1985 – 2009. The boy, Salva Dut, becomes one of the “lost boys” of Sudan as a result of the civil war. In his search for safety, Salva Dut walks to Ethiopia and back to Sudan and Kenya. In his journey, Salva grows from a boy to a young man leading more than 1500 “lost boys” across Sudan to the safety of Kenyaʼs refugee camp. Salvaʼs story of survival, hope, and perseverance is unlike any other. On the other hand, Nyaʼs story parallels and complements the story of Salva Dut. Nyaʼs life revolves around getting water on daily basis for months on end, until things change for the better with the building of a water well and new school.

This is such an amazing story that you won’t put down until you’re finished,

and I greatly recommend it.  To learn more about Salva Dut’s project go to:

PBS video “Lost Boy of Sudan”  http://video.pbs.org/video/1726685656

Water For Sudan http://www.waterforsudan.org/

For “A Long Walk to Water” Lesson plan go to http://tinyurl.com/7a5ozjd

Grades : 2-5

DRA: 24

Genre/Theme: American History, Thanksgiving, 

Cooperation & Teamwork, Historical Fiction

Grades: K-2

Subject: Language Arts, Thanksgiving,

Character development

Skills: Word Study, Reading Comprehension

Grade Level Equivalent: 2.7

DRA: 24

“Twas the night before Thanksgiving” by Dav Pilkey definitely makes

the cut with the other funny and engaging holiday reads, such as,

“Twas the Night Before the Night Before Christmas” by Natasha Wing.

“Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving” tells a story of a group of school kids

who go on a field trip to a farm where they make friends with

turkeys and have a grand time until Farmer Nugget tells them “a grim tale of dread”…

The story turns out for the best and the kids will love the ending.

The illustrations tell as much of the story as the story itself, while the rhymes

are perfect for the word study in grades K-2.

Great story that you’ll read over and over .

For a full lesson plan, grades K-2, go to 

http://tinyurl.com/3lyw6lr

Interest Level – K-3

Lexile measure: 410L

Guided Reading: M

Genre/Theme: Fables, Folk Tales

Topics: Compassion and Honesty, Manners and Conduct, Friends and Friendship

What an awesome book with beautiful illustrations and great message. “The Three Questions” by Jon Muth is recommended to K-2 by Scolastic but this picture book will be better understood by grades 2-5 and younger gifted students.

It’s a story about a boy who is searching answers to three questions.

When is the best time to do things?

Who is the most important one?

What is the right thing to do?

Through the reading, children can see how answers change

depending on who is asked. “The Three Questions” is an ideal read for both boys and girls.

For “The Three Questions” lesson plan (grades K-3) go to:

http://tinyurl.com/ 

Grade Level Equivalency 3.7      

Lexile Measure: 690L

Guided Reading: Q 

Genre/Theme:

Realistic Fiction

Topics:

Elementary School

Friends and Friendship

Immigration

Drita is a fourth grader who just arrived in New York City from Kosovo. As every immigrant, Drita is excited at first, but soon encounters many hard adjustments. Their “new” apartment is small, old, and dirty. She is having a hard time making friends at school and her whole family goes through big changes.

What is really amazing about this novel is how real it feels when you read it. Even though, the author, Jenny Lombard, is not an immigrant/refugee herself, she did an amazing job portraying the life of an adolescent girl who is trying to start her new life in a new country.

For Lesson Plan go to:

http://tiny.cc/pygy9

High Frequency Words also referred to as sight or tricky words are the most frequent words in the text. They make up 50-75% percent of the written word. However, many of these words cannot be sounded out phonetically, which is why we have our primary student memorize them. This also makes them better and more fluent readers.

Here is the high frequency word list for First Grade

Interest Level – Grades 6 and up

Grade Level Equivalent – 6.5

Lexile Measure : 890L

Genre – Historical Fiction

Topics : Civics & Government, World History, Language Arts

“Before We Were Free” is an amazing historical fiction story about a tween girl, Anita, who lives in Dominican Republic in the time of major political turmoil. Anita’s family becomes involved in the elimination of the country’s dictator and as a result their lives change forever. This novel is appropriate for middle, as well as, high school students. This is not only a story about adolecent changes. Anita’s life becomes more complicated as the novel proceedes and much of what happens to her and her family is a study of civics and governemnt. Complex, educational, great read.

For “Before We Were Free” lesson plan go to  tiny.cc/kpr1i

Lexile Framework:

340L

Grade Level Equivalent:
4.3

Guided Reading Level:
Q

Age:
8-10

Genre:
Realistic Fiction

Subject:
Friends and Friendship, Growing Up, Elementary School, Peer Pressure

Summary: Fourth grade is all about mixed emotions of wanting to grow up and stay a child at the same time. It’s a story about two friends, Joey and Suds, both of whom just started fourth grade. Joey is excited to become a fourth grade “rat”, who bullies younger kids, says “no” to his mother, messes up his room, puts tattoos on himself, doesn’t want to take a bath for a month, lets a bee sting him, etc. All of which makes him one step closer to becoming a man. Joey comes up with some pretty funny rules on growing up, such as, “If you want to grow up, you got to eat stuff you don’t like (8).” On the other hand, Suds is not sure about wanting to be a rat or act like one until Joey gets attention from the girl he likes, Judy Billings. The novel depicts a real picture of fourth graders who are stuck between their childhood and preteen years while being pulled in both directions all the time.

“First grade babies!

Second grade cats!

Third grade angels!

Fourth grade……RRRRRAts!” (1) 

Wow, what a great summer read for ages 8 and up. This Newberry Honor Book is deserving of its prize. This is a story about an 11 year old girl, Turtle, who lives during the Great Depression Era. The novel is a sure hit for both boys and girls due to its great plot full of adventure, fun, and personal experience. Reading “Turtle In Paradise” recounts life in Key West before air-conditioners and flip-flops. Turtle gets to know her extended family, her origin and gain a sense of belonging.

For a lesson plan go to http://tinyurl.com/3nwho6g

Wonderful read!

Lexile Framework 650L

Grade Level Equivalent 3.7

Age 8-10

Subjects – Friendships and Friends, Understanding Others and Self

Amanda and Leo were born on the same day and same hospital, and for the past 10 years they have been not only celebrated their birthdays together but they have been best friends. Unfortunately on their 10th birthday, Leo says things that hurt Amanda’s feelings and they don’t talk for the whole year, but things change when their 11th birthday comes. They are unable to move pass the 11th birthday day and the day keeps repeating itself over and over. Amanda and Leo relive their 11th birthday 11 times and as they do, they change and grow and learn from their actions. Only when they are able to work out their differences are they able to get out of the enchantment. This is a great read. Your child will not want to stop reading this book. The characters are funny, real, and extremely engaging. 

Awesome read! 

Happy Reading! 

1. Judy Moody Series – Megan McDonald

2. Superfudge – Judy Blume 

3. Beezus and Ramona – Beverly Cleary

4. Matilda – Roald Dahl

5. Mallory Series – Laurie B. Friedman

6. Turtle in Paradise – Jennifer L. Holm

7. The Empress and the Silkworm -Lily Toy Hong

8. The Hundred Dresses – Eleanor Estes 

9. Sarah, Plain and Tall – Patricia MacLachlan

10. Bailey School Kids Series – Dadey and Jones 

Sample Pages…

Purchase at

http://tinyurl.com/45oeftp

Or e-mail  kidsread@rocketmail.com to purchase via PayPal 

The Hundred Dresses – Book Report and Reading Comprehension Questions

Book Report Questions

What is the title of the book?

Who is the main character of the story?

Who are other characters in the story?

What happens to the main character in the book?

What is the story about?

Where does the story take place?

How does the story end?

What did you learn from the story?

Reading Comprehension Questions 

Compare and contrast Maddie and Peggy? How are they similar and different?

Why did the girls tease Wanda?

Why did Maddie feel bad about the way Peggy was treating Wanda?

Why didn’t Maddie say anything?

How did Maddie feel about teasing that Wanda had to endure?

Can you think of the time when you did not stand up for yourself or someone

else because you were scared of what might happen to you?

Vocabulary

shabby

assail

impulsive

contrary

Subject : Language Arts, Reading Comprehension

Duration: 45 minutes

Interest Level: Kindergarten – Grade 3

Grade Level Equivalent: 3.5

Lexile® measure: 630L

DRA: 28

Guided Reading: M

Genre/Theme: Folktales

Topic: Honesty

“The Empty Pot’ – by Demi is a timeless Chinese folk tale about honesty. The Emperor gives out the flower seeds to the children and says that whoever grows the most beautiful flower will get to be his successor. A little boy Ping, receives his seed and he works hard to have it grow but to no avail. Ping feels ashamed and is worried that other children, who have grown beautiful flowers, will make fun of him. In spite of his empty pot, Ping decides to bring it to the Emperor. The Emperor does not appear happy to see all the beautiful flowers that children had brought because he knew that they did not grow the seeds that he gave them, since the seeds that he gave out were cooked and couldn’t grow. Ping was the only one who brought “the empty truth” and as a result gets to become the next Emperor. The “Empty Pot” makes it for an ideal character building story for primary grade students.

For “The Empty Pot” Lesson Plan go to

http://tinyurl.com/3nhyolp

Happy Reading!

For the Eart Day Lesson Plan – for grades 2-4 go to

http://tiny.cc/6i8i8

…”I am the Lorax who speaks for the trees

which you seem to be chopping as fast as you please.
But I’m also in charge of the Brown Bar-ba-loots
who played in the shade in their Bar-ba-loot suits
and happily lived, eating Truffula Fruits.

“NOW… thanks to your hacking my trees to the ground,
there’s not enought Truffula Fruit to go ’round.
And my poor Bar-ba-loots are all getting the crummies
because they have gas, and no food, in their tummies!

“They loved living here. But I can’t let them stay.
They’ll have to find food. And I hope that they may.
Good luck, boys,” he cried. And he sent them away.

I, the old Once-ler, felt sad
as I watched them all go.
BUT…
business is business!
And business must grow
regardless of crummies in tummies, you know….

Dr. Seuss

The novel is presented in reverse chronological order, starting from adulthood and going back into girls’ childhoods. The reason I picked this book is because it presents a bigger picture of multiculturalism. In our Lee County, predominant number of students is of Hispanic origin, and this novel not only tells a story of racism and hardships that the Garcia family encounters in America, but it tells of internal struggles of each individual. Perhaps, even more importantly, this novel breaks the stereotype of immigrants coming to America to find a “better” life.  By all means, the Garcias lived an abundant life of high society with all its attributes. Coming to America did not result in a higher standard of living but rather the opposite.

The story spans across three decades and shows a more complete picture of cultural assimilation, integration, and clash of cultural norms through the life stages of Garcia family.

For the article go to http://eklhad.net/chimath.html

http://tinyurl.com/45oeftp

You can purchase lesson plans for both books at following links:

“Green Eggs and Ham” by Dr. Seuss- Lesson Plan   http://tinyurl.com/4q72f8m

“The Lorax” by Dr. Seuss Lesson Plan –    http://tinyurl.com/4mdaam3

Happy Teaching!

The thing is, kids who suffer chronic ear infections, will outgrow them, but there are some things that we as parents can do to reduce frequency of ear infections.

1. Research has shown that ear infections can be due to food allergies.

2. Nutritional deficiency, be it lack of vitamin A, iron, or zinc, or eating food that support inflammations.

3. Using Saline Drops as soon as the cold starts, which is basically salt water to help fluid pass.

Here is a great link for some more information on ear infections and remedies…

http://www.mothering.com/health/remedies-for-earaches-soothing-discomfort-naturally

(http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/01/us/01tenure.html?_r=2&ref=education)

Teacher tenure seems to be a topic of discussion lately, as it should be. Our students are not performing well in school and while teachers are not the main reason that our schools and kids are failing, they are one of the reasons. We need knowledgeable and effective teachers. We need teachers who love teaching and who love teaching kids. We need teachers who can teach in a racially diverse classroom, and we also need teachers who can teach to many different learning styles. We need teachers who can see potential in every child, rather than always viewing his/her classroom as a Bell Curve.

Our public schools grant teachers tenure after teaching for only 2-3 years. The truth is, it takes time to develop an effective teacher. And if we are to accurately assess if a person would make a good teacher, we need to observe their progress for more than a couple of years. The probationary period needs to be much longer. There is simply no way to tell if someone is going to become a “good” teacher after only 3 years.

A well known “ten year/ten thousand hours” rule holds that it takes 10 years or ten thousand hours to reach the level of an expert. So instead of doing away with teacher tenure, probationary period should be much longer than three years. This would allow for more accurate assessment of teachers’ abilities and effectiveness. At the same time, more experienced teachers with years of experience and higher salaries would not be at risk of dismissal due to budget cuts and arbitrary decisions.

“Shark vs. Train

Great read for boys!

Happy Reading

Happy Reading!

Kids Read

But, more troubling than boredom is the fact that most teachers refuse to believe in giftedness of their students. This is even true for teachers with masters degrees in education. I have too often heard,”Every parent thinks that their child is super smart.” Well, I hope that is the fact, and yes every child is smart, but there are some kids who are not only very good at one thing or a couple of things, they are very good at many things and they show extraordinary ability to learn and grasp difficult concepts. Denying them their needs as gifted just because “every parent things their child is super smart” is simply wrong,and it goes against everything that we have learned in the recent learning, education, and brain studies.

Another fact is that if you tell most teachers that there is a gifted child in their classroom who needs more challenging work and is ready for more learning, they will send the child home with more of the same worksheets that they give out. Well that just does nothing for the gifted child. And parents and children are left to wonder where to turn next…

The latest funny book is “What Are You So Grumpy About” by Tom Lichtenheld and Lazear (Illustrator).  If your kids or students are prone to being or feeling grumpy for no obvious reason, reading them “What Are You So Grumpy About” is bound to break the grumpy spell.

This funny book goes through a series of funny questions, such as, “Did you not get your kind of cereal? Were your favorite clothes in the laundry?” etc. The whole book is a true creative piece of work, from different fonts, great presentation, to funny illustrations that do a great job telling the expressions of kids’ faces when things don’t go their way.

This is a definite reread!

Enjoy!

“As part of a pilot program, Roslyn High School on Long Island handed out 47 iPads on Dec. 20 to the students and teachers in two humanities classes. The school district hopes to provide iPads eventually to all 1,100 of its students.

The iPads cost $750 apiece, and they are to be used in class and at home during the school year to replace textbooks, allow students to correspond with teachers and turn in papers and homework assignments, and preserve a record of student work in digital portfolios.

“It allows us to extend the classroom beyond these four walls,” said Larry Reiff, an English teacher at Roslyn who now posts all his course materials online.”….

All I can say about this is… “Give me a break!”

How many arts and music programs did we cut in public schools? How many teachers did we let go or not hire because of budget cuts? How many students come to school hungry? How many of our students are now homeless or living with relatives?

How do we always find a very wasteful ways to spend education dollars? Who is overseeing this?

Our kids need IPads to have their portfolios digitally preserved and “extend their classroom beyond four walls”?

Wow!

For a complete article go to:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/05/education/05tablets.html?_r=1&hpw

Close “best friend” friendships are discouraged in many private schools for the fear that the child will not be able to learn how to make friends with other kids if he/she is exclusively playing with one best friend. Years ago I clearly remember two little girls who met on the first day of kindergarten and who held hands and played together throughout the year. Their teacher wanted girls to be apart so that they also play with other children. Needless to say, both girls were one of the youngest children in the class and the school experience was something they were experiencing for the first time.

It was obvious that they both took comfort in having each other at school and got together for play out of school. Unfortunatelly, their teacher was really determined to separate them, so they were placed in different classes in the following year. And they did made new friends, but they missed each other as well. Eventually, by the first grade, they did not play at all and hardly remembered the time when they sat next to each other and were best friends. Personally, I didn’t see the point in separating two friends, and I believe that two friends were going to make many more friends together and on their own without being in different classes.

Anyhow, the NYT article

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/17/fashion/17BFF.html?pagewanted=2&ref=education

makes a number of great points and I hope that educators across the country get to read it.