Beth's Book of the Month: Ready Player One!

Imagine my confusion upon reading the cover of a novel that proclaims “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory meets the Matrix!” What in the world could those two stories have in common!? This paradox was enough to pique my curiosity and pickup a copy of Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.

I devoured the book in a few days, deeply engrossed by it's thrilling plot and exciting storyline. Believe it or not, it WAS accurately described as a mix between the two aforementioned tales. In Ready Player One,we follow the adventures of Wade, a teenage boy on a quest to inherit the estate of the world's most powerful computer developer, James Halliday. Halliday, an eccentric Willy Wonka-ish character, has developed a virtual reality based world, nicknamed the OASIS which has replaced the Internet and gave people an “escape” from the dystopic world that Earth has become.

The technological jargon and abundance of 1980s references may seem overwhelming to some readers, but somehow it's still easy for today's teens to comprehend. This is the ultimate book for those who enjoy geeky pop-culture, yet it was recommended to me by a completely un-nerdy14 year old girl, who had to read it for school, and loved it!

This book breaks all stereotypes and can get even the most avid video-game player a reason to put down the game controller and pick up a great book!

Ready Player One at Amazon.Com

College Application Process

Keeping busy with your senior year? It is just beginning...

Princeton Review suggests these steps to get organized in the college application process:

When you apply to a college, you'll submit several things: an application, high school transcript, SAT or ACT score report, letters of recommendation and one or more personal statements or essays.

An important heads–up: applying for financial aid is a separate process that requires you to fill out a separate set of forms.

Application

You can fill out a paper application or apply online. Most schools require you to list basic information about you and your family, as well as your GPA, standardized test scores, and any extracurriculars or awards you earned in high school.

Over three hundred colleges and universities now accept the Common Application, a single form that you can fill out and submit to multiple schools. The Common Application is meant to simplify the admissions process for you. Using it means you don't have to fill out individual application forms for each school you apply to.

There is no penalty for using it: Colleges are required to give equal consideration to students who use the Common Application and those who use the school's own application. If you do use the Common App, however, be advised that schools may have supplementary forms you'll need to fill out (including additional essays!).

Transcript

Some colleges require that your high school send your transcript directly, others allow you to send it. In the latter case, your high school will give you a sealed envelope. Do not break the seal on the envelope or your transcripts will not be accepted!

SAT or ACT Score Report

When you take the SAT or ACT, you can request that a score report be sent to your prospective colleges. Make sure you leave plenty of time for your scores to be processed and sent.

Beginning in March 2009, students will be able to choose whether colleges see one, some or all of their scores for the SAT and SAT Subject Tests. You must opt into this program online or via telephone; otherwise schools will see all your scores. Be advised that you cannot mix and match sections (you can't send in your great Math score from June and your great Verbal from January).

Letters of Recommendation

Colleges usually require two or three letters of recommendation from high school teachers or guidance counselors.

When requesting a letter of recommendation, pick someone who knows you well and can speak to your strengths. Approach your potential letter–writers about two months prior to the actual due date. Teachers and guidance counselors are usually swamped with term papers and other college application requests toward the end of the fall semester.

Personal Statement or Essay

This is by far the most time–consuming and difficult part of any application. The personal statement or essay is usually about 300 to 500 words in length, occasionally longer, depending on the college. The prompt or question will be provided in the application. Be sure to write in your own voice about a topic unique to you. We recommend writing several drafts. Proofread carefully, and ask a teacher to edit your work.

http://www.princetonreview.com/college-application.aspx

Easy Reading

Here are some easy suggestions to get your child to read. 

You can motivate reluctant readers when you ….

1. Read aloud to them. 
   Choose books that you love, and read aloud with passion and expression. Get silly and change your voice to mimic the characters. (If you’re not comfortable doing this, offer to babysit for a friend and practice reading to a child. It’s fun!) When you’re reading aloud, stop at the good parts and say, “Looks like we’re out of time today….” Leave ‘em wanting more!
2. Let them choose their own books. 
   The biggest turnoff to reading is being required to read boring books. Provide a wide variety of books from different authors and across different genres, and let students choose the books they want to read. You can use reading interest surveys to help them find books on topics that interest them.
3. Provide time for reading. 
   This one’s a no-brainer, but sometimes it’s difficult to do if you have to teach from a basal reader. Kids need class time to read, and lots of it. The room needs to be quiet, and everyone needs to be reading, not playing games or doing centers. Just reading. If you’re not sure how to implement this effectively, you can find helpful information and a free webinar on Teaching Resources that explains the Reading Workshopapproach. 
4. Let them create a cozy reading nook.
   Who wants to sit at a desk for six hours a day? Collect an assortment of folding chairs, pillows, beanbags and other items that your kids can move to another spot in the room to read. Let reading be a time when they can get away from their desks and get comfortable.
5. Confer with them.
   An important part of the Reading Workshop approach is conferring with students individually about what they are reading. You’ll learn about your students as readers and as individuals, and you’ll be able to connect with them personally. You’ll also find out if the books they’re choosing are on the right level. If not, you can help them find better choices, books that are just right. 
6. Read what they’re reading.I used to get a secret thrill when the Scholastic Book Clubs flyer arrived! I know it’s silly, but I love seeing the new books that are available and trying to decide how to spend my bonus points. I discovered that it’s fun to let students help me pick out books for the class, and I often ordered an extra copy for myself. If you’re not in the habit of doing this, you’ll be amazed at how quickly you can become engrossed in a book like The City of Ember. You might even discover that the inner quirky kid in you loves The Diary of a Wimpy Kid or Captain Underpants!
7. Introduce them to audio books. Think audio books are for little kids? Maybe you haven’t listened to Madeleine L’Engle read A Wrinkle in Time! Audio books are some of the best reading motivators you’ll ever find, and they help students become better readers as well. One reason is that when students follow along in the book as they listen, they see the words in print as they hear them. Powerful stuff. Not to mention the benefits of hearing amazing stories read by fluent and proficient authors!
8.   8.Make it social. Do you have a social bunch of students this year? If so, get your kids talking about books by forming classroom book clubs. Book clubs are groups of students who read the same books and get together to talk about them, sort of like Literature Circles without roles. Check out this YouTube video posted by Texas teacher Chase Young that shows Literature Circle in action. You can also use kid-safe social networking sites like Edmodo.com and Kidblog.org to get online discussions going about books. If you want to know more about Literature Circles, check out the Literature Circles resources on my website. 
9. Let them read other stuff. If books don’t interest your students, let them read magazines, graphic novels, informative websites, or instruction manuals for their favorite game systems. Be sure to check for appropriateness, but you can often turn kids on to reading by letting them read nontraditional forms of literature.
10. Get them hooked on a series. I must have read every single Nancy Drew book in the library when I was a kid! And I fell hook, line, and sinker for Harry Potter long before the series was turned into a movie. When kids get to know the characters in a series, they feel connected and want to know more about them. So find a great series, read the first book aloud, and make sure you have plenty of copies of the sequels on hand!
11. Let kids give book talks. Why not start each day with a short student-led book talk? Ask students to sign up in advance to do a 2-minute informal book share. Letting them tell about their favorite book will motivate other kids to want to read that book or others by the author.
12. Use technology. Books in print might not be a thing of the past, but ebooks seem to be edging them out. However, you don’t have to have a Kindle or an iPad in your classroom to introduce your students to ebooks. Younger kids will enjoy StorylineOnline.net, and older students will enjoy reading ebooks on free Kindle software that you can download from Amazon.com and display on your computer.

Ahhhh, September

September.. Bittersweet month but "It's the most wonderful time of the year" for many!
Summer is ending, vacations are memories, and school is in!

So here's a few reminders:
1. Reach out to your kids' teacher. Attend Open Houses and visit the school. This is  how you  will begin to build a relationship with the teacher. Find out the  preferable way to communicate with him or her..... email, phone, text. Just ask.

2. Get into the routine. Bed times, wake-up times, bath times, homework times need to be  established. Remember kids need their sleep, too. Elementary  age kids need ten hours of sleep a night.. Teens at least 8! Lack of sleep manifests itself in detrimental ways. Think of how you are when you are tired. You are the boss!!!

3. Set up a calendar that everyone uses!  Hang it in the kitchen or the most popular room in the house and have everyone use it. Keep organized and write down everything! Or use an app. Whatever works for you. Just use some type of time management tool.

4. Make sure the backpack is not causing unnecessary strain. It is  recommended it weigh  about 15% of their  body weight.
And clean it our.... Check it for loose papers, wrappers, old food, and other trash, I am disgusted and amazed at what I find when I look. Scary.

5. Finally enjoy the crisp air and go outdoors. Look at the trees, the changing sky, the beauty around us! We live in New England and are so blessed to have four seasons. Teach you child to appreciate nature. If you don't, who will?

Hope your kids have a stimulating, educational, and fun year!!!

Beth's Book Blog- "The Giver"

I am a bookworm. No doubt about it. I am stunned when I learn that people I know haven't read a certain book that I'm enamored with. For example, I was shocked when I learned Mrs. Yeo had never read The Outsiders. But, what goes around comes around. I have never been berated as frequently over not-reading a novel as I was with The Giver by Lowis Lowry. Whenever it comes up in conversation, I have had to reluctantly admit that I had never picked up this beloved novel. 

Well, I finally gave into peer pressure and read The Giver. Having had already read and loved Lowry's other novel Number the Stars, and with such a passionate following of readers, I dove into this tome with very high expectations. 

The Giver is suddenly making a huge comeback in popularity. The resurgence is due to it's similar themes to that of other popular teen novels, The Hunger Games and Divergent,  as well as the fact that a movie was released this summer. The book disguises itself as a story of a Utopian society, but peel away the layers and it's heart is fully dystopian. Like Divergent, this book warns the reader of the perils of a society based on similarity. It highlights the value and benefits of having a diverse society rich in individuality. These morals are highlighted as we follow 12 year old Jonas in this coming-of-age story set in the future.

I enjoyed reading this book and completely understand it's devoted following. However, I may have set the bar a little to high with my expectations, as I enjoyed it, but it wasn't exactly life-changing for me. But it may be for you! 

Homework 101

DEVELOPING GOOD HOMEWORK AND STUDY HABITS fort American Academy of Pediatrics

• Create an environment that is conducive to doing homework. Children need a consistent work space in their bedroom or another part of the home that is quiet, without distractions, and promotes study.
• Schedule ample time for homework.
• Establish a household rule that the TV and other electronic distractions stay off during homework time.
• Supervise computer and Internet use.
• Be available to answer questions and offer assistance, but never do a child's homework for her.
• Take steps to help alleviate eye fatigue, neck fatigue and brain fatigue while studying. It may be helpful to close the books for a few minutes, stretch, and take a break periodically when it will not be too disruptive.
• If your child is struggling with a particular subject, and you aren't able to help her yourself, a tutor can be a good solution. Talk it over with your child's teacher first.
• Some children need help organizing their homework.  Checklists, timers, and parental supervision can help overcome homework problems.
• If your child is having difficulty focusing on or completing homework, discuss this with your child's teacher, school counselor, or health care provider. 

- See more at: http://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/news-features-and-safety-tips/Pages/Back-to-School-Tips.aspx#sthash.MC3Q2KqN.dpuf

Don't Help Kids... with Homework

Are you activity involved in your child's education?  These obligations are drilled into American values.
In the largest study ever conducted by University of Texas at Austin,  researchers found that parental involvement does NOT affect academic achievement.

They measured such activities as volunteering in school, helping with homework,  and talking to them about colleges. Some of these even backfire! Once your child enters middle school, research indicates that reviewing your child's homework every night can actually bring down test scores. This could be caused by the fact that many parents have forgotten or never truly understood the material children learn in school.

Other essentially useless interventions: observing a child's class, helping a teenager choose a high school class, and especially disciplinary measures such as punishing for bad grades or having strict rules about when and how to get homework done. This kind of meddling could leave kids more anxious than enthusiastic about school.

Some habits do make a  difference. Habits such as reading aloud to young kids and talking about college plans and these often take place at home!

Conventional wisdom holds that poor children do badly in school because their parents don't care about their education. The opposite is true! The majority of parents talk to their kids about the importance of education and the hopes they will go to college.   Asian parents are not more involved than Hispanic parents.

So why are some parents more effective at instilling achievement values?  Some believe greater financial and education resources in the neighborhood and social settings. These kids meet adults with interesting careers.  Upper-middle class kids are around family and friends who are doctors, lawyers, engineers who talk about their college days. Asian parents are unique that they are able to convey the value of education in an effective manner.

One proven way to improve test scores is to get your child placed in a classroom of a teacher with a great reputation. So don't worry about not baking for the bake sale or volunteering.  Being  a pesky parent by getting new text books or  a new playground for your child's school may not raise your kid's test scores but it will school a more positive place and possibly create good citizens!

For the complete article, see "The Atlantic" April 2014 magazine.

Safe Traveling To and From School

TRAVELING TO AND FROM SCHOOL

Review the basic rules with your student:

SCHOOL BUS

• Children should always board and exit the bus at locations that provide safe access to the bus or to the school building.
• Remind your child to wait for the bus to stop before approaching it from the curb.
• Make sure your child walks where she can see the bus driver (which means the driver will be able to see her, too).
• Remind your student to look both ways to see that no other traffic is coming before crossing the street, just in case traffic does not stop as required.
• Your child should not move around on the bus.
• If your child's school bus has lap/shoulder seat belts, make sure your child uses one at all times when in the bus. (If your child's school bus does not have lap/shoulder belts, encourage the school system to buy or lease buses with lap/shoulder belts.}

CAR

• All passengers should wear a seat belt and/or an age- and size-appropriate car safety seat or booster seat.
• Your child should ride in a car safety seat with a harness as long as possible and then ride in a belt-positioning booster seat. Your child is ready for a booster seat when she has reached the top weight or height allowed for her seat, her shoulders are above the top harness slots, or her ears have reached the top of the seat.
• Your child should ride in a belt-positioning booster seat until the vehicle's seat belt fits properly (usually when the child reaches about 4' 9" in height and is between 8 to 12 years of age). This means that the child is tall enough to sit against the vehicle seat back with her legs bent at the knees and feet hanging down and the shoulder belt lies across the middle of the chest and shoulder, not the neck or throat; the lap belt is low and snug across the thighs, and not the stomach.
• All children younger than 13 years of age should ride in the rear seat of vehicles. If you must drive more children than can fit in the rear seat (when carpooling, for example), move the front-seat passenger's seat as far back as possible and have the child ride in a booster seat if the seat belts do not fit properly without it.
• Remember that many crashes occur while novice teen drivers are going to and from school. You should require seat belt use, limit the number of teen passengers, and do not allow eating, drinking, cell phone conversations,  texting or other mobile device use to prevent driver distraction. Limit nighttime driving and driving in inclement weather. Familiarize yourself with your state's graduated driver's license law and consider the use of a parent-teen driver agreement to facilitate the early driving learning process. For a sample parent-teen driver agreement, seewww.healthychildren.org/teendriver

BIKE

• Always wear a bicycle helmet, no matter how short or long the ride.
• Ride on the right, in the same direction as auto traffic.
• Use appropriate hand signals.
• Respect traffic lights and stop signs.
• Wear bright-colored clothing to increase visibility. White or light-colored clothing and reflective gear is especially important after dark.
• Know the "rules of the road."

WALKING TO SCHOOL

• Make sure your child's walk to school is a safe route with well-trained adult crossing guards at every intersection.
• Identify other children in the neighborhood with whom your child can walk to school.  In neighborhoods with higher levels of traffic, consider organizing a "walking school bus," in which an adult accompanies a group of neighborhood children walking to school.
• Be realistic about your child's pedestrian skills. Because small children are impulsive and less cautious around traffic, carefully consider whether or not your child is ready to walk to school without adult supervision.
• If your children are young or are walking to a new school, walk with them the first week or until you are sure they know the route and can do it safely.
• Bright-colored clothing will make your child more visible to drivers.

- See more at: http://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/news-features-and-safety-tips/Pages/Back-to-School-Tips.aspx#sthash.MC3Q2KqN.dpuf

Who Needed a Time-Out Today in Your Class? 25 Ways to Ask How was School Today.

Are you sick of hearing "Fine," every time you asked the expected question, "How was school today?" Try a novel question from Simple Simon and Company like the ones listed below and engage your child in lively conversation. 

How knows? You may even learn something!

1. What was the best thing that happened at school today? (What was the worst thing that happened at school today?)

2. Tell me something that made you laugh today.

3. If you could choose, who would you like to sit by in class? (Who would you NOT want to sit by in class? Why?)

4. Where is the coolest place at the school?

5. Tell me a weird word that you heard today. (Or something weird that someone said.)

6. If I called your teacher tonight, what would she tell me about you?

7. How did you help somebody today?

8. How did somebody help you today?

9. Tell me one thing that you learned today.

10. When were you the happiest today?

11. When were you bored today?

12. If an alien spaceship came to your class and beamed someone up, who would you want them to take?

13. Who would you like to play with at recess that you've never played with before?

14. Tell me something good that happened today.

15. What word did your teacher say most today?

16. What do you think you should do/learn more of at school?

17. What do you think you should do/learn less of at school?

18. Who in your class do you think you could be nicer to?

19. Where do you play the most at recess?

20. Who is the funniest person in your class? Why is he/she so funny?

21. What was your favorite part of lunch?

22. If you got to be the teacher tomorrow, what would you do?

23. Is there anyone in your class who needs a time-out?

24. If you could switch seats with anyone in the class, who would you trade with? Why?

25. Tell me about three different times you used your pencil today at school.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/liz-evans/25-ways-to-ask-your-kids-so-how-was-school-today-without-asking-them-so-how-was-school-today_b_5738338.html