Shelfari

Check it out!!!  Look to your left.....notice anything new??  Yup, my very own bookshelf!  Well, actually it's the blog's bookshelf, but I created it and added books of my choice, sort of like my very own library!  The books on my shelf  are currently books reccommended by the Chicago Public Libraries, as some of the very best books published for kids in 2010.  I will continue to update my shelf with more outstanding books in time to come, but you can do the same!  How fun would it be to create a Shelfari with your student!  You could make a shelf of books you have read together, or books you hope to read together, or some of your favorites when you were growing up.  Again, another tool for you and your student to use together to make reading more fun!  Enjoy!

GOOD words

"How was your day today?"

"GOOD"

Ummm.....how many of you get this response from your student when you ask them how their day was, or how they are doing???  I get about 29 "goods" when I greet my students at the door every morning. It seems that this is a pretty popular word in our students' vocabulary and we need it to go....NOW!  So here are some words to bring to your student's attention from time to time.  Why not teach them one each week!

wow, terrific, beautiful, brilliant, marvelous, sharp, wonderful, splendid, super, superior, clever, smashing, sensational, great, tremendous, remarkable, stunning, outstanding, exceptional, amazing, fantastic, spectacular, excellent, fabulous, superb, breath-taking, astonishing, grand, impressive, astounding, magnificent, incredible, significant, noteworthy, notable, extraordinary, stupendous, dazzling.

Watch Our Words

 Happy and enthusiastic students give us a far better learning environment, therefore we need to be mindful of the words we choose to use during our time with them.  We might say things like:

"This looks hard" 

   Don't plant seeds of doubt, instead use words that apply to them, like "let's tackle this together", they will stay more focused this way.

"You won't like this assignment" 

Never predict that a student won't like an assignment, we want them to like it. When predicting something negative, students will usually prove you right.  So make it a big deal of how important the material they are working on is and how it will help them later down the road.

"You don't have enough time to finish this"

 You have now given your student a reason to close their books and minds and get ready to go home.  Try to plan your evening out where you get the amount of work done that seems resonable.  If you don't get to everything its OKAY, they can do the rest of their homework at home.  But if you leave a piece of work unfinished, it is much harder to get back to and can be frusturating.  Always start with the most important items first.

Our words need to be positive and productive and they will be if we keep our actions motivating and uplifting.  A "can do" approach is always the better way to go!

Red Rubber Ball

Last week, I gave a writing workshop to third through sixth graders.  I based the workshop on creative writing and how to bring that into our student's lives.  There is so much stress on proper writing in schools, using correct grammar and punctuation, writing for fluency, etc.  All great things and certainly necessary, but somehow the fun of writing gets a back seat and students learn to write because they have to and not because they want to.

A friend passed along a book to me that really inspired my workshop.  The book is called "Rules of the Red Rubber Ball". 

Written by a man named Kevin Carroll, he has inspired many through his "red rubber ball" theory, implenting the idea that you can do anything you want as long as you follow your dreams and discover your passion.  This book reminded me of how important it is to let kids be kids and give them their chance to find their "red rubber ball", whether it be writing, basketball, or singing, that door has to be open and able for their passion to be found.

Young writers will not exisit if we don't show them the path to creative writing, writing for pure enjoyment, anytime, anywhere.  If the only writing experience they have is in their classrooms at school, practicing for the ISAT, then how will they ever know what its like to write for pleasure?  How will they know if writing is their passion?

I ended the workshop by giving each student a journal and stressed how important it is to write each and every day, even if it is a little something.  Daily practice is essential to improving creative writing skills and tutoring can be a great place to let that happen.  If you would like a journal, please come see myself or Jenny, we will be happen to pass one along to you. 

So if you get a chance to get your hands on a copy of the book I mentioned above, please read it.  I promise it will open your eyes to the importance of being young again and finding a dream that is yours to be proud of.

Word Power

Vocabulary words helpd kids read better, learn more and succeed on tests.  A good vocabulary can also help your student in writing and speaking.    Strengthen their word power with some simple games:

*Take turns flipping through random pages of a dictionary and choosing words to act out.  If your student brings their reading books to tutoring (the ones they use at school), a lot of the time their will be a dictionary or thesauraus at the end of the book.  This would be good to use as these are words they are seeing and using in school.

*Make a bingo board using words your student is learning in school.  Write the definitions on slips on paper and have them use pennies or erasers to cover the words on their BINGO boards.  This works better when playing with multiple people so grab the group next to you and test out those vocab. skills together.

*Make crossword puzzles

*Choose a theme, like Spring, but don't tell the other players.  Write down as many words as you can about Spring for one minute.  Then use a thesauraus and write down more words about spring for another minute.  After each player has written down their "themed" words, read them aloud and guess what each other's themes are.

*Challenge your student to use one vocabulary word in conversation throughout the evening.

Don't forget to check out the word of the week on the left side of the blog for more vocabulary fun!

Test Time!

Number 2 pencils are sharpened, scantrons are being passed out....sounds like testing time to me!

This week, third through eighth grade students will be taking the ISATs (Illinois Standard Achievement Test).   The ISATs are used not just to see individual strengths and weaknesses, but also to compare students among their peers as well as monitor schools and districts yearly progress.  Bottom line, these tests are important and there are some things you can say to remind your students of before the big day:

1.  Get a good nights rest.  A well rested student makes for a more successful test-taker
2.  Eat a healthy breakfast.  Lots of protein, little sugar.
3.  Read.  Skip.  Spend.  Read the directions and each question to the very end.  Skip any questions that stump you and come back to them when you have time.  Spend any extra time checking over your work.
4.  Encourage students to ask their teacher questions about anything that they don't understand.  It never hurts to ask.
5.  Remind students to attend school on the days of testing and to arrive early if they can. 
6.  Students might be feeling nervous, anxious, and also a little pressure to do well.  Some might need some relaxation tips to calm them down at times.  Show them how to stop and take some deep breaths or close their eyes and visualize a happy place, like the beach or Disney World.
7.  Be positive.  Let them know you are proud of them.  Remind them that they are smart and that you have confidence in them to do their best.