Pre-K: Growing Popularity?

Here in the Kansas City area, we tend to think of those children who need pre-kindergarten -- schooling for three and four year olds -- as those who appear to be behind in the developmental skills s/he will need for school. In the Shawnee Mission District here in Overland Park, it is called Smart Start. But the Sunday New York Times (12/18/11) has a write-up of how popular pre-K is in New York City -- to the point that middle class and wealthy parents are scrambling for a spot in the strong programs.

And the spots aren't there. Some parents are forming their own pre-K groups but, given the politics of running a program for one's children, parents are finding the task harder than expected. I don't know if this is the trend of the future or just an East Coast experience; I'll be interested to wait and watch.

CADERS, The Test

     CADERS is not only the name of the early readers I have but a computerized assessment reading test I've developed. It's all on www.sheilaberenson.com, but at this point I have the site locked since student scores are listed on it (and once you open the site, all scores are available). Once I figure out a way to make it available to the public, I'll be able to unlock it and let anyone use it for testing their classroom or own child. It assesses phonic skills, comprehension, and literacy and is very user friendly. Not ready for public use yet, but someday and soon...

Online Learning: May Not Yet Be What We Think

   There's an intriguing article in Education Week this week that tells of studies in Colorado and Minnesota, describing how students who complete all their studies online are not keeping pace with traditional classrooms. Who knew? I had assumed that already flesh-and-blood teachers would be running a fast race against online learning -- after all, look at the way our children take to online games, both educational and recreational. The article also reports there's even some question as to the financial incentives some of these online schools have. (Now that I had always suspected.)
    But of course there are huge advantages to online learning -- most importantly, its ability to individualize --and I think such companies just haven't discovered what they can do and what we traditional teachers can't do (given the numbers of children in any classroom). How often we've wanted some great program that will take our most struggling students -- or our brightest -- and let them soar...

You Can Now Download Early Readers...

You can now download my early readers (CADERS), at least the last few postings. I am presently designing a website where you'll be able to download all 80+ beginning readers I have. More are being created each week. Instructions for how to create the 8-page booklets are at the end of each posting. And be sure to refer back to November 14, 2010 for explanation of these booklets.

Please do remember -- these are posted for families and communities. They are not for other websites, to earn $, or anything other than to for single copies with your children (or class sets with your students). Enjoy!

CADERS (Early Readers): Can a Cliff Sniff? (for studying blends)

                     Can a Cliff Sniff?

This 8-page story practices blends, as posting 21 and 22 included, but it doesn't use digraphs. Don't forget to play with the vocabulary. And definitely, definitely, much of the fun of these stories is in how the children use them -- drawing illustrations on their copies, creating skits off of each page.

As always, check back with November 14, 2010, if you need to see more about these CADERS readers.

Directions for creating this 8-page booklet:
1. Click on story title above, then on link that opens under it.
2. Run off story that opens. (If your printer prints double-sided, print only on one side.)
3. Take every other page and turn it upside down. All pages will still face upwards, but every other one will be upside down.
4. Run in copier, double-sided.
5. Fold in middle. Result is 8-page booklet, using only two sheets of paper.
6. If making more than one copy, set copier to "sort."

CADERS (Early Readers): Trick a Tick (for studying blends, digraphs)

              Trick a Tick

As with the last story posting, this 8-page story is for blends but also includes many digraphs (ch, sh, th, th). It also has some good vocabulary worth discussion with your child.

And, as always, check back on November 14th posting for last year to read an explanation for these CADERS readers postings. (You may still sometimes find them listed under "Berenson Books," but as they were part of a larger program, having two names became much too confusing -- at least for me!)

Directions for creating this 8-page booklet:

1. Click on story title above, then on link that opens under it.

2. Run off story that opens. (If your printer prints double-sided, print only on one side.)

3. Take every other page and turn it upside down. All pages will still face upwards, but every other one will be upside down.

4. Run in copier, double-sided.

5. Fold in middle. Result is 8-page booklet, using only two sheets of paper.

6. If making more than one copy, set copier to "sort."

CADERS (Early Readers): You Are Pink (for studying blends)

           You Are Pink

This 8-page story is for children learning blends (sl, st, nd, etc):

    

Directions for creating this 8-page booklet:

1. Click on story title above, then on link that opens under it.

2. Run off story that opens. (If your printer prints double-sided, print only on one side.)

3. Take every other page and turn it upside down. All pages will still face upwards, but every other one will be upside down.

4. Run in copier, double-sided.

5. Fold in middle. Result is 8-page booklet, using only two sheets of paper.

6. If making more than one copy, set copier to "sort."

Pam Allyn and Reading

On 11/12/11, Pam Allyn in Huffington Post asks that students spend a far greater time of the school day reading. Her analogy -- what if a soccer player spent much of her practice time talking about playing? -- is appropriate. I often tell my students I've yet to see a student read a lot (and read widely, not simply one category) and not be a good reader. (I also tell them there are some strong readers who seldom read but who are fluent readers, though this is far less common.) True, there are deeper levels of understanding that should be addressed, but just as the coach gathers around his players and discusses better strategies after his team has been on the team, a teacher can discuss strategies, hidden meaning, etc after the students have delved into their stories.

We just finished up a book fair at our school, and teachers and I agonized when we saw children leaving the library -- a library filled with delightful books to purchase -- only carrying out the toys and novelties they bought. (One such group came to my reading classroom, proud not one of them purchased a book).

Yes, our children need to read. And enter new worlds. And delight.

Another Awful, Awful Bullying Result

And again, we read of a child, ten-year old Ashlynn Conner, who could not take the bullying at her school and ended her life.

Parents, please talk to your children. Find out if they feel threatened -- by anyone, anything. Let them know their rough days will pass; they always do.

And investigate.

Our kids need us.

CADERS (Early Readers): Grouch (for studying ou/ow, silent e, digraphs)

           Grouch

This 8-page story, Grouch, practices the ou and ow sounds. It also includes silent e and digraphs. And don't forget new vocabulary words that are introduced.

(Be sure to look back at my posting last year on November 14th for a full description of CADERS readers.)

    

Directions for creating this 8-page booklet:

1. Click on story title above, then on link that opens under it.

2. Run off story that opens. (If your printer prints double-sided, print only on one side.)

3. Take every other page and turn it upside down. All pages will still face upwards, but every other one will be upside down.

4. Run in copier, double-sided.

5. Fold in middle. Result is 8-page booklet, using only two sheets of paper.

6. If making more than one copy, set copier to "sort."

Bk: The Hunger Games Series

Suzanne Collins definitely has some of my students reading, and I thank her for that. I've only read the first two in her Hunger Game series. I found the first one excellent for my older readers. The second one was more difficult to get involved in, but I think it is because she is somewhat awkward in how she covers backstory. Once that was over, though, the story picked up pace. Unlike Horowitz's books, though, Collins apparently reworks the same theme and format with each Hunger Games. This may keep my students enthralled, but I think I'll pass on the last of the series.

A New Take On Same-Sex Schools for Girls

Ok, we learn something new every day, don't we? The online magazine Slate recently posted that, contrary to recent studies, girls really do not do better in same-sex high schools, and they have a peer-reviewed article in Science to prove it. Now having taught in a high school, and having struggled to get my many of my girls to add (anything!) to the conversation (rather than keeping their hands folded in their laps) while the boys in the room couldn't keep their hands down, I had every reason to believe those "other" studies. But I should argue with Science? I think not. Time to reread that article and see what I did wrong with those high school girls...

CADERS (Early Readers): A Crook Took Our Books! (for oo/ew)

        A Crook Took Our Books!

This 8-page story practices the oo/ew sounds. It is appropriate for a second grader.

(Check back to November 14th for explanation of CADERS readers.)


 Directions for creating this 8-page booklet:

1. Click on story title above, then on link that opens under it.

2. Run off story that opens. (If your printer prints double-sided, print only on one side.)

3. Take every other page and turn it upside down. All pages will still face upwards, but every other one will be upside down.

4. Run in copier, double-sided.

5. Fold in middle. Result is 8-page booklet, using only two sheets of paper.

6. If making more than one copy, set copier to "sort."

Ferlazzo's Predictions for Education in 2011

Larry Ferlazzo offers interesting insights on education. Before 2011 closes out, I thought we might want to take a look at his predictions for the year. How many actually occurred? Hmm, well, how about next year? The ideas are still good...

CADERS (Early Readers): Cage (for practicing silent e)

             Cage


This 8-page story, Cage, practices the silent e rule. It is appropriate for mid-first grade (or any time a child is practicing the silent e). It also practices digraphs (ch, sh, th, wh) and blends (br, st, cr, etc).

(Refer to last year's November 14th posting for description of what CADERS readers -- once called Berenson Books -- are all about.)

Directions for creating this 8-page booklet:

1. Click on story title above, then on link that opens under it.

2. Run off story that opens. (If your printer prints double-sided, print only on one side.)

3. Take every other page and turn it upside down. All pages will still face upwards, but every other one will be upside down.

4. Run in copier, double-sided.

5. Fold in middle. Result is 8-page booklet, using only two sheets of paper.

6. If making more than one copy, set copier to "sort."

Book: We the Animals

Justin Torres's debute novel, We the Animals, tells his childhood with two brothers and two very broken parents. Such stories remind us all of the diversity of families we live among. An excellent and engaging literary piece, he has passages that require repeated rereading.For example, it opens with the following:

We wanted more. We knocked the butt ends of our forks against the table, tapped our spoons against our empty bowls; we were hungry. We wanted more volume, more riots. We turned up the knob on the TV until our ears ached with the shouts of angry men. We wanted more music on the radio; we wanted beats; we wanted rock. We wanted muscles on our skinny arms. We had bird bones, hollow and light, and we wanted more density, more weight. We were six snatching hands, six stomping feet; we were brothers, boys, three little kings locked in a feud for more.

Sounds like a typical house with three loud and thrashing boys, yes? But in my ego-centric way, I think of such a household through my own eyes -- a mom, a grown-up, a female. Torres allows us a wonderful brash glimpse of one boy's view. A literary romp through a young man's coming of age...

CADERS (Early Readers): 1, 2, 3 I'm In the Army (for studying ar, er, ir, or, ur)

      1, 2, 3  I'm In the Army

Here's an 8-page story for practice with the r-controlled vowels -- ar, er, ir, or, ur.

(Refer back to November 14th for a description of CADERS readers.)

Directions for creating this 8-page booklet:

1. Click on story title above, then on link that opens under it.

2. Run off story that opens. (If your printer prints double-sided, print only on one side.)

3. Take every other page and turn it upside down. All pages will still face upwards, but every other one will be upside down.

4. Run in copier, double-sided.

5. Fold in middle. Result is 8-page booklet, using only two sheets of paper.

6. If making more than one copy, set copier to "sort."

           

Book: My Start-Up Life

Ben Casnocha, in his My Start-Up Life, tells how he, as a 12-year old, began a path that made him a CEO by the age of 14 and a millionaire by 16. I found it wonderfully inspirational and, if placed in the right hands, might help a youngster see beyond the world around her, into the world of possible dreams. I see that Ben Casnocha is an active blogger and would like to follow his ideas, his thoughts, his direction.

Self-Esteem -- It's Not Doing What We Thought For Our Kids

     Roy Faumeister and John Tierney recently wrote an excellent book, Willpower. In it they argue against the recent trend to build up a child's self-esteem, saying that studies have shown that children with high self-regard do not translate into leaders in our communities. Their argument is that although doing well does, in fact, raise one's self esteem, raising one's self-esteem does not automatically translate into higher achievement.
     There's so much more in the book. Obviously the topic is willpower, but they cover a huge range of topics. Very engaging.

CADERS (Early Readers): Posting #16

To continue on with the CADERS readers from last year, here is one that uses CVC/CVC. It is for children who know short vowel sounds. This book lets the children string together several short vowel syllables (/pic/ and /nic/), making longer (yet relatively simple) words (picnic).

Refer back to November 14th for a description of CADERS readers.


       Picnic

Camel wanted to have a picnic.
He wanted hot dogs for his picnic.

He asked Piglet to come.
"but I like mash at my picnics" said Piglet.
"Mash is best."
Camel didn't like mash.
He liked hot dogs.

He asked Falcon to come.
"Have rabbits," said Falcon.
"I like rabbits."
Camel like to play with rabbits.
He didn't want them for dinner.

He asked Bobcat and Cricket
to his picnic.
"Have catnip," said Bobcat.
"Have grubs," said Cricket.
Camel wanted hot dogs.

Camel asked Skunk what to do.
"Just spend your picnic
with your friends," said Skunk.
"The food does not matter."

So Camel asked Piglet
and Falcon and Bobcat
and Skunk to his picnic.

And he had his hot dogs.

The Family: America's Smallest School

This title says it all, though I'll link to the ETA site that lent me this very basic, powerful idea. The article discusses how early developmental delays the child experience in the home will impact the child for life. Of course. Right now I can think of a child in the kindergarten classroom where I help whom I am fairly certain received little attention during his/her earlier years. Unless s/he suffers from low intellect, it is evident now that much as we try, the teacher and I are making little impact. I so wish we could.

It's Never Too Early to Talk About Bullying

I have strong memories of a girl who bullied me during many of my school days. (We attended all the same schools.) No one paid any attention. I wonder how those days would have been so much better if the issue of bullying had been seen as an issue back then. I can only applaud the work that is being done nowadays. But parents, it is up to you to talk to your child, to make sure s/he is not a victim, to make sure s/he isn't the bully. To educate yourself first, education.com has several good background articles on the topic.

CADERS (Early Readers): Posting #15

I will be continuing the CADERS readers from last year. Go back to November 14th to get an explanation of these books, then look for my posts, title "CADERS (Early Readers)" to copy the stories. (They were first named "Berenson Books.")

This one practices /ing/ and silent e.

Note: These are only meant for parents and teachers. These are not for someone else's website or for selling.


          The King Who Liked To Sing

There was this king.
He liked to sing.
He sang all day long.
"La, la, la, la," he sang.

When he swung on his swing, he sang.
"La, la, la, la."
When he hung by his hands
from a tree, he sang.
"La, la, la, la."
When he banged on his gong, he sang,
"La, la, la, la."

Then one day a bee
stung the king.
When the king tried to sing,
all he could do was go,
"Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz."
Buzz?

And his hands just wanted to flap.
Flap?
He couldn't stop.
Buzz, buzz, flap.
Buzz, buzz, flap.
Buzz, buzz, flap.

I like your buzz,"
said his mom.
"I like your flap,"
said his dad.
"Well, I don't,"
said the king.
"I will give gold if you
could help me stop.
I will give you a LOT of gold!"

So if you see a king one day
who is buzzing and flapping,
maybe you can stop
and help him.

Maybe you will be the one
to help him stop.
Maybe you will win
all that gold!

          When I Wake

Learning Spanish for Children (and Me!)

I found these delightful videos on education.com called "Little Pim." Appears to teach both Spanish and English.

YA Book: Starcrossed by Bunce

     For the most part, fantasy is not my genre, but with so many of our students seeking it, I make sure I read it -- at least, some. Reading StarCrossed by Elizabeth Bunce, however, was an unexpected, quite enjoyable read for me. Bunce, from the onset, introduces a cast of characters that propels the plot and suspense forward. Digger, a thief, flees to a far-flung castle to escape the king's soldiers by way of new friends she accidentally acquires. Her life becomes embroiled with that of the owners of the castle who have just returned from exile. Magic, memories of her past love, hidden chambers, seven moons, missing royalty, locks (that come unlocked in Digger's hands), threats for future war, and, of course, an evil lord who must be overcome, all weave nicely into this quickly-paced drama.

"These Things Hidden" by Gudenkauf

     I just finished Heather Gudenkauf's "These Things Hidden." Though it's not marketed as a YA book, it easily could be. Allison, bright, beautiful, falls in love with Christopher and becomes pregnant (What else?). The story moves seamlessly among the three families who are impacted, and then between the past (so critical in this tale) and present.

     Best of all for teens, "These Things Hidden" shows the huge complexity of teen pregnancies. I found the present tense used a bit unnatural at times, but it was the only tense that could be used (given the plot). But Gudenkauf's intimate portrayal of Allison and her sister, Brynn, are well worth the reading.

Say It's Not So -- Jane Austin for Infants and Toddlers?

     I almost missed the article in Publishers Weekly. As they write, "The first two titles in the new Baby Lit board book series from Gibbs Smith will introduce classic writers to the youngest readers -- newborns to three-year olds -- with the publication of Little Miss Austen: Pride & Prejudice and Master Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet.
     Think that's bad enough? I just read that advanced orders reached 12,000 copies. 12,000 copies. That's more than most children's books reach once they are in print. They are already planning their second printing.
     I don't understand. There are such fascinating books geared for these babies of ours -- books with plot lines the children can actually follow!
     Gibbs Smith and Suzanne Taylor hint at the reason why these books may be selling so well: "...great introduction for very small children and...parents who may not have read the classics before." Okay. I guess if you are going to spend so much time reading to your children, perhaps you should get something out of it, too.
     After all, how long will stories about baby duck and kitties hold most adults' attention?

New Testing for Pre-K

     As if it hasn't gotten silly enough, Education Week (July 9) posts that a good portion of Race To the Top funds for education will be spent on early childhood education -- hey, that part is good -- but, very importantly, pre-K testing. Now just how will they test pre-K? Pre-K students are usually placed in such classrooms because they do not seem ready for the academic life.
     To test a teacher's success with such children, we will test these kids on a child's ability to work independently at her desk. To not punch Mickey. To not cry when Mom leaves every day, to share toys, to find his own bookbag, to focus on the lesson at hand. These children are exposed to the alphabet letters and counting and math concepts and days of the week, but none of these concepts are expected to be mastered -- that's the domain of the kindergarten classroom -- and beyond.
    Sometimes this testing frenzy gets a bit, well, frenzied. It appears that this pre-K testing is one of the ways. There is a whole world of skills children learn in school that cannot be tested. Can't we see the difference?
  

Differentiated Learning

      At last.
     We all know the push in education is to "differentiate" teaching. That's a no brainer. With a classroom that includes gifted students, mainstream students, special education students (each with his/her own unique difficulties), hungry children, children who just recently arrived in the States, children coming from stressed homes, eager students, disinterested students -- how can the teacher NOT differentiate? But with one adult responsible for it all and 25 bodies out there, exactly how is this done?
     Lisa Nielson's article explains that it all can really work if we look at a different, yet connected, concept -- that of "differentiated learning."This flips the responsibility for learning the task onto the learner, where it already rests, anyway. How many of us adults become far more engaged in an activity when we added our our thoughts and direction into it? And how often do we passively go along when a task is handed to us and we are forced to take it in? (Think: inservice days.)
    Of course there are basics that any student needs to learn in a lesson. Where is the country? What are the multiples of 5? What sounds do /ch/ and /sh/ and /th/ make? But what if the students had input on how they wanted to learn the content? What if they then decide what else they wanted to learn on the topic? After all, the editors of a textbook decide that for the learner. What if they had a hand in the direction of their learning, too?
     John Dewey, an early pioneer educator whose work thrilled me when I first entered education classes, would be proud.
Note: A hearty thank you to
  

Showing Students What Real Writers Do

     Kate Messner, an award-winning writer of children's books and a classroom teacher, now offers a book that should help other teachers and their students. Real Revision gives both of them an inside look into what actual writers must do on a daily basis. And what is that, exactly? Revise, revise, revise -- and revise even more.
     As a former English teacher (middle and high school), I know this is the furthest from many students' interest. I also know that we have some excellent writers under the age of 18. I hope some of them take Messner's book to heart. I'd love to see their talent grow.

Book: "Who's Teaching Your Children?"

     It has taken me a month to read through Vivian Troen and Katherine Boles's well-researched Who's Teaching Your Children? No, it's not because it wasn't written well or didn't engage me -- quite the opposite. I kept pausing to breathe, to think, to vent.

     The authors blasted many of the problems of today's schools. With politicians around blaming the teachers, teachers, teachers for the poor performance of some schools, Troen and Boles take aim at the way public schools are viewed by society -- as a second-class profession. Education schools are notoriously easy to enter and graduate from, the pay is poor, and the profession itself is flat, giving little encouragement or opportunity for teachers to better their instruction in the schools, and those with advanced knowledge and skills perform the same tasks as the novice. No wonder charter schools, home schooling, and private schools are flourishing, they argue, and the immense drain those cause on public schools would diminish significantly if the public policy designed a route entering professionals would take to grow from student teacher to master teacher.

     I applaud the efforts by the authors. Perhaps someone out there will take notice. And someone needs to -- fast.

CADERS (Early Readers): Posting #14

Here's a silent e book:

    Nate and the Ape

Nate likes to swim.

The last time
Nate swam at Pine Lake,
he saw an ape.

The ape had a kite.
It was way, way up.

The ape walked up the kite line.
It sat on the kite.

So Nate walked up the kite line, too,
and sat on the kite.

The ape played a flute.
Nate told jokes.

The ape ate cake.
Nate ate cheese.

The ape and Nate
stayed up there all day.

I wish I could go to Pine Lake.

CADERS (Early Readers): Posting #13

And now for a book that practice the /au/ sound.

(Refer to November 14th posting for information on CADERS readers.)

           I Can Draw

I can draw.
I can draw a fawn.

I can draw a fawn
in a shawl.

I can draw a fawn
in a shawl,
holding a cup and saucer.

I can raw a fawn
in a shawl,
holding a cup and saucer,
standing in a rocket
when it launches.

I can draw a fawn
in a shawl,
holding a cup and saucer,
standing in a rocket
when it launches
from our lawn
at dawn.

So there!

I can draw a bobcat...

CADERS (Early Readers): Posting #12

This booklet moves on to the r-controlled vowels -- ar, er, ir, or, and ur -- along with a number of blends (gr, st, -nd, etc)

(Refer back to November 14th for full explanatin of CADERS readers.)


          A Turnip on Her Head

"I want to look good for my birthday,"
said Bird.

So first she put on a skirt.
Bird looked at herself.
"I need more," she said.

Bird held a purse in her hand.
She put curls in her hair.
"I need more," she said.

So she put a turnip
on her head.
On top of the turnip
she put a fish.
On top of the fish
She put a nest.

And in the nest she put a frog.
On top of the frog
she put a frog in a nest
and the nest on top of a cat
that purred.

Bird whirled and whirled
and looked at herself.
She grinned.

"I look good!" Bird said.
"I am ready for that party!"

CADERS (Early Readers): #11

Here's another book for silent e and digraphs. And this one not only works for illustrations, it works for acting. The children really enjoy waking and pacing and chasing and...

(Refer to November 14th for explanation of CADERS readers.)


              When I Wake

When I wake, I pace.

Then I race

and chase.

I brake

and shake.

But then,
best of all,
I bake...

And bite!

CADERS (Early Readers), Posting #10

CADERS is moving on to CVC/CVC. These are longer words that have the pattern (short vowels for CVC) the children learn early in their reading, but it allows for more complex words. But let the child take this story slowly. It has MANY CVC/CVC. And there are several good words your child probably won't know and will be great for vocabulary enrichment.

As always, refer back to November 15th posting for a full description of CADERS readers.

         The Game

It was time for the kickoff.
"Hiccup!" went Kevin.
"Hiccup!"

"Shh," said Bob, sitting
next to him. "You hiccup nonstop.
You sound like a chipmunk."

Kevin did not want to sound
like a chipmunk.
So he hit his lunchbox.
He hit his pencil.

"Hiccup!" went Kevin.

A man with a red helmet
looked over at Kevin.
"You are making a racket!" he said.
"If you do not stop,
they will cancel the game."

"Cancel the game?" said Bob.
"Cancel the game," said the man.
So Bob stopped -- just like that.

But then...
"Hiccup!" wen the man.

MOTIVATION WEDNESDAY: "THE LINE"

 Okay, I know it isn't Wednesday yet, but I got way behind in my posts last week. New Motivation Wednesday in two days.
   
     Children want to succeed on their own. This includes reading, of course. A strategy I developed years ago never fails me. I call it The Line.
     A child, sitting next to me, falters as he reads aloud. I sense he could do better, a lot better. The passage is not too difficult.
     I take out a piece of paper, put it between us, and draw a line down its middle, separating the paper into "his" side and mine.
     "Now," I tell him, "whenever you read a word, you will get a point on your side. I will keep track as you read, and you can watch me as I mark the points. However, whenever you miss a word, I get a point on my side.
     "You need to understand that I hate, absolutely hate, to lose. So I have no intention of helping you. I'll let you get to the end of the sentence to correct any mistakes. But if you go ahead and read the next sentence without correcting the mistake, I will take that point. I plan on beating you, that's for sure." And I am true to my word. I'll even whisper "Miss, miss," every now and then.
     Every elementary age child I've worked with takes the challenge. And excels.
     His side fills with slashes -- 50, 100, 200. My side collects three or five or fifteen. He can't help but see what the paper shouts out, that he is reading far, far more words than he can't.
      The reading finishes. I count the points. When I get to my few points, I recount them over and over, acting as if I am counting new points."See how many I have!" I say.
     A word of warning, though -- The Line only works if you stay true to its intent -- letting the child be responsible for his own reading. The child misses a word or hesitates a bit too long? DO NOT GIVE HIM THE WORD OR OFFER ANY HINT. This is crucial. At the end the child must know that he, and he alone, earned those points.
     And as he carries off the score sheet, he knows it.

"THE SOLOIST" AND CHILD-REARING

     I heard a radio interview by Steve Lopez, author of The Soloist. I have yet to see the movie, but I was struck by the lyricism of the passage he read and decided to purchase his book.

     The story, of course, is compelling -- how Lopez, L.A. Times columnist, discovers a former rising star at Juilliard, now on Skid Row, and slowly helps the broken man rediscover himself.
     Their saga could also be a possible blueprint for educators and parents of troubled children, teens, and young adults. When difficulties arise, especially when someone under our care becomes difficult, we may try to impose our expectations on them. Or, exhausted, we may stop. "There's nothing I can do," we throw voices and hands into the air. "When he decides to change, he'll change."

     Lopez, in his hugely-challenging relationship with Nathaniel Ayers, combines both. He looks for what he feels Ayers must silently yearn for, excellence in classical music, then arranges the stage beforehand. Indoor apartment. Donated instruments. Music lessons. Makeshift studio. Exposure to great musicians.
     Lopez watches. Waits. Offers again. And again. And again. Perhaps most importantly of all, he establishes himself as someone Ayers can trust. Then, when Ayers is ready to move, Lopez has his set ready.

     It is a struggle; Ayers slides and fights and bumps and reverts. But he is succeeding. As Nathaniel would say, "Bravo."
     Now back to those children of ours...

     

CADERS (Early Readers): Posting #9

The next installment of CADERS readers moves on to the silent e -- words like "same" and "like" and "hope." The e at the end of the word usually forces the vowel in front to say its name. Until now, children think vowels are always short (a sounds like "cat," e sounds like "hen," etc).

Refer back to November 14th posting for an explanation of CADERS readers.

          A Whale Can Bike

A whale can bike.
Didn't you know?
Of course it can,
when it wants to.

A whale can slide.
Didn't you know?
Of course it can,
when it wants to.

A whale can shake.
Didn't you know?
Of course it can,
when it wants to.

A whale can clap
and glide

And stare
and hike

and yelp and hop
and smile and pace
and blush and wave,
when it wants to...

Just like you.

`

WHY CHILDREN STUDY

    

     Catherine Gewertz reported an interesting study in the Harvard Business Review. It found an employee's good feelings toward work are far more dependent on "making progress," not on incentives or compliments offered. Gewertz sees this, too, with her own children, how much more empowered they feel when new, difficult topics open up to them.
     For some time now, when I've work with kindergarten students in my room and they correctly answer a challenging question, I'll place a small sticker on their arm. "This is a Smart," I tell them. "It shows how smart you are getting." Then, when they line up to leave, I'll ask them how much they had learned in class. Little arms rise.
     According to Harvard and Gerwertz, I am doing something right. Good.
     I give older students paper clips for correct answers during discussions which, by the end of class, they "cash in" for a letter, then for stars on a chart which, in turn, eventually become small rewards. Especially difficult questions might earn two, even three, clips. I justify the process in that it gives a bit of playfulness to class, it gives the students a visual (the clips) of how active they are in class, and it takes very little time to manage.
     But with these older students I may be omitting the very point the Harvard article makes. It should all be about what the child realizes she's acquired, not the incentives. Of course, that has always been my primary intent. I am consistent in my discussions with my five-year olds. Do my 10-year olds understand the same?
     I need to check. Otherwise, I have some changes to make.

PHOTO CREDIT: 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnnystiletto/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

CADERS: Posting # 8

Another CADERS reader for digraphs (ch, sh, wh, th) and blends (gr, st, dr, etc).

(See November 14th for description and purpose of CADERS books.)

          Hush, Hush

Hush, hush.
Josh rests now.

Please don't chat
Or belch

Or fix a bath.

Please don't flush

Or thud
Or munch or crunch.

And please don't whiff
The fish for lunch.

Let Josh rest!