Weideman  Pediatric Dentistry

Kids + Reading = Success

By: Jacqueline Bodnar

By and large, children today are not reading much and, when they finally do, they are not doing it very well, according to a recent report To Read or Not to Read, issued by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The report states that American children are not doing well when it comes to their reading skills. The report also states that less than one third of all 13-year-olds read on a daily basis. Additionally, those ages 15 to 24 are only spending seven minutes of their leisure time per day reading, yet they spend nearly two hours per day watching television.

  Several elements are believed to contribute to the decline in reading, including the prevalent use of electronics. Todays children have so many attention-grabbing outlets, such as computers, video games and televisions, that they are not interested in books.

  The NEA reports that a decline in reading skills and related abilities will lead to difficulties later in life, especially in civic, social and economic areas. Although parents may not realize it, a child who struggles with reading will find that it impacts nearly every other subject they attempt. Reading is the basis for most subjects, and it must be mastered in order for children to reach their full potential.

  So what can be done to turn the tables and get children reading more? Some people have turned to incentive programs, such as the Book It program by Pizza Hut; since 1985 kids earn free pizzas for reading books. While some people find that program to be a positive way to encourage better reading habits, not everyone agrees. Last year, such programs came under fire because they reward children with food at a time when there is a childhood obesity problem, as well as teaching children consumerism from a young age.

  The most effective way to get children to read more and improve their reading skills is to simply turn off the electronic forms of entertainment (e.g., television, video games, computer, etc.). If just having the reading material around does not get them motivated, try other options until you see what works. Here are a few suggestions:

- Have your kids earn television-viewing time based on how much time they spend reading.

- Take them to the library or bookstore and let them choose what they would like to read.

- Have a family reading time, each day, even if its only for 20 minutes a time when the family sits together in one room and reads separately or aloud from a classic.

- Encourage older kids to read to younger kids. This improves their reading skills and gets the younger children interested in reading.

- Keep reading material in the house that you think will be of interest to your children.

- Play word- or reading-related games, such as Scrabble or Boggle.

- Get a special bookmark for each child to keep all to themselves.

- Encourage them to try their hand at writing their own book or short story.

- Get them to read things in every area of life, such as the directions to make a recipe, signs on the street and food labels.

  One of the most effective ways to get children to read is by having parents set an example by being readers themselves. Children who see their parents read are much more apt to make it a priority in their own lives. So pull out your library card and take a family field trip to get some fresh and fascinating reading material. In addition to helping your children with their reading skills, you will be helping them to be more successful in everything they do throughout their lives.

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Growing Up Online:

Following Kids to School

By Carolyn Jabs

A new era has quietly dawned in the relationship between parents, teachers and students. Instead of waving good-bye at the bus stop, parents can now follow their kids into the classroom, thanks to web-based programs such as PowerBook, PowerSchool, Edline and Parent Connect. All of these programs give parents instant and unprecedented access to assignments, grades, tardy reports and discipline notices. Armed with a PIN number and a password, parents can log in to find out exactly what a child did, was expected to do or failed to do on any given day.

  Is this a natural extension of legitimate parental supervision? Or is it an intrusive form of surveillance that will ultimately make it more difficult for kids to take responsibility for their own learning? To be honest, its too soon to tell. What is clear is that there are positive and negative ways to use the information parents now have available to them.

  Nobody likes a tattle tale, and the worst way to use monitoring programs is in a game of "gotcha." Some kids report they now dread going home because they know their parents will be ready to pounce on a demerit, a missed assignment or a lower than usual grade. Instead of getting information about what's happened from the childs point of view, parents may have spent the afternoon stewing about what they knew hours ago and feel they must take instant and punitive action.

  That couldn't be further from the truth. What kids really need when theyve had a rough day at school is a safe space where they can sort things out and figure out how to do better. That doesn't mean parents shouldn't impose penalties for poor performance, but consequences should help the child solve the problem; for example, less TV or online time for a child who didn't study enough for a test, a written apology to a teacher for mouthing off in class.

  The best way to use gradebook programs is as a conversation starter. Research does suggest children do better in school when parents monitor their progress, but the kind of monitoring the researchers had in mind revolved around talking asking children about assignments, discussing what theyve learned, encouraging them to do their best. Although online record books can jumpstart these conversations, what matters most is listening to what the child has to say. If parents show a genuine, non-judgmental interest, children are more likely to take school seriously and reflect on their experiences in and out of the classroom.

  The optimum use of online monitoring tools also changes as kids age. In elementary school, most children bring home backpacks crammed with papers that give attentive parent's a good idea of what's happening in class. On the occasions when "What did you do in school today?" gets a "Nothin ", you can turn information from the school website into conversational prompts: "Tell me about the science experiment you did today."

  Middle school student's are unpredictable talkative yesterday, sullen today, organized one week, clueless the next. Use online monitoring tools to fill in the blanks and find out whether moodiness at home is the result of problems at school. Because most middle-schoolers arent good at time management, check for upcoming tests and long-term projects so you can help your child schedule the work.

  High school students often resent parents access to their school records, and they have a point. At this age, students should be taking responsibility for their own performance. Spot check now and then, so you can flag problems before they become overwhelming. Instead of grounding a teen for a low grade or a tardy, use it as an opportunity to talk about goals and ask the crucial question, "What could you do differently next time?"

Other constructive ways to use online gradebooks at any age include:

- Being upfront. Be sure your child knows about the schools gradebook program and that you will visit it from time to time. At the same time, make it clear that schoolwork is your childs responsibility.

- E-mailing teachers. Most teachers have limited phone access during the day. Instead of playing phone tag, use e-mail to ask simple questions or set up appointments. Send an introductory e-mail early in the year to let the teacher know you are an engaged parent, and e-mail is a good way to reach you.

- Finding time for face to face. A monitoring website cant substitute for teacher meetings or visits to school. Especially if your child is struggling, an in-person conference will yield much better information about what you can do to help.

- Looking for links. Instead of sorting through hundreds of homework helper sites to find the one that explains quadratic equations the way your childs teacher does, check the gradebook website for teacher-recommended links, including those that reinforce the textbooks your child uses in class.

- Not expecting perfection. Every student is not an honors students, and even honors students go through rough patches. Make it clear that you want the best from (and for) your child; however, when that doesnt happen, help your child learn from mistakes by asking questions about what went wrong and how things could be different next time.

- Valuing learning more than grades. Often the class in which a child doesnt get especially good grades turns out to be the one that provokes the most thought. Remind yourself ?and   sometimes your child that grades are only one way to measure whats been learned.

  Most important, encourage independence by teaching your child to use the schools online gradebook to keep track of his or her own progress. Unless youre planning to follow your child to college and then the workplace, your ultimate goal is to transfer responsibility for monitoring your childs life from your shoulders to your childs. Then you can relax, knowing that even though you could follow your child to school and check on every quiz and homework assignment, it really wont be necessary.

Carolyn Jabs has been writing about families and the Internet for almost two decades. To read other Growing Up Online columns, visit her website at www.growing-up-online.com.  Copyright, 2008, Carolyn Jabs. All rights reserved.

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Dear Teacher

By Peggy Gisler and Marge Eberts

Parents: The language arts are extremely important. Your children use their skills in this subject area to receive information, think logically and creatively and express their ideas. In the school curriculum, the language arts include reading, writing, spelling, vocabulary building, listening, speaking, handwriting, grammar and storytelling.

  We know that you will be encouraging your children to read this summer to enhance their reading skills; so our summer activities will focus on improving their speaking, listening, spelling, handwriting, vocabulary and grammar skills. Also remember to keep in mind the all-important goal of making these activities family fun times.

Summer Language Arts Activity 1 Speaking: How well your children can speak in school influences their participation in classroom discussions and their ability to give oral reports. Confident speakers tend to get higher grades because their verbal skills impress their teachers. The more your children talk at home, the more this skill will transfer to school. Turn your dinner table into family chat time through choosing a nightly activity that is appropriate for the ages of your children.

  Take turns telling what every family member did during the day.

Play games. You might have everyone ask questions to guess the name of an object in the room or of a family friend, relative or famous person.

Discuss books that family members are reading.

Talk about favorite friends and foods.

Make vacation plans that include something each member would like to do.

Summer Language Arts Activity 2 Listening: If your children are good listeners, they will find it easier to learn from their teachers and classmates. You can promote improving this skill through doing new things with your children this summer. For example, find a docent-led tour of a museum that would be fun for your children to visit such as a toy, car or science museum. Or you and your children could visit a shop, art gallery or museum where you follow instructions to complete a craft project. Another possibility is joining your children at a cooking school, such as those offered in some grocery stores. Everyone will have to listen carefully so that the food item will taste like it should.

Summer Language Arts Activity 3 Spelling: Many people, even educators, now say that being able to spell is not as important as it used to be as you can always use a computer to check spelling. However, most classroom work is still done with paper and pencil, and later on, your children may need to write an SAT essay for admission to college; so it is important for them to have good spelling skills. Playing games, such as hangman, Boggle and Scrabble, with you will require your children to use and expand their spelling skills. Also, you can give your children sidewalk chalk and encourage them to write words, letters or messages on the sidewalk. A good snack time game is for your children to dump a box of alphabet cereal, candy or crackers on the table. Then everyone can eat only the words that they have made from the letters within a time limit.

Summer Language Arts Activity 4 Handwriting: Poor handwriting is bound to influence teachers reactions to your childrens papers. Prepare your young children to write by working on their small motor skills. You can have them string beads, move small objects with tweezers and put pennies into a piggy bank. They can also improve these skills by playing the game Operation. Theres no fun in doing handwriting drills, but there is fun in introducing your children to calligraphy. Then you can encourage them to make signs to display in your home.

Summer Language Arts Activity 5 Vocabulary: A good vocabulary quite often means good grades in the language arts. You can turn even ordinary family outings into vocabulary-building exercises. For example, at the grocery store, young children can learn the names of such food items as asparagus, squash, avocado and melon. A visit to an office supply store can familiarize them with such supplies as binders, folders and staples. Older children will find that excursions to places such as railroad museums will teach them a new vocabulary including "caboose," "locomotive" and "diesel." Or you can take them to ethnic restaurants so theyll acquire a vocabulary that includes words such as "fettuccine," "guacamole" or "hors doeuvre." In addition, children in elementary school can learn a great deal about the interesting ways words can be used if you read and discuss their usage in Amelia Bedelia books.

Summer Language Arts Activity 6 Grammar: Believe it or not, your children can have fun improving their grammar skills. Divide your family into two teams to play Verb Charades. They can use such easy words as "kick," "run" and "jump" and more difficult ones such as "think," "move" and "raise." Remind your children that the names of all the people, places and things that they see are called nouns. Then have them name all the people, places or things that they see in a restaurant or during a car drive.

Parents should send questions to Dear Teacher, in care of this publication, P.O. Box 395, Carmel, IN 46082-0395. 2007 Compass Syndicate Corporation. Distributed by King Features Syndicate