Supporting Your Remote Learner

Labor Day is behind us and schools are opening -- one way or another -- all around the country. Most students are engaged in some form of remote learning, at least part of the time, since being in school full time seems to be the exception in most places.

It was with the continuing challenges of remote learning especially in mind that Dr. Yellin and his colleagues from QED Foundation, Kim Carter and Betsey Bradley, presented a webinar last week focusing on Observations and Opportunities: Supporting Your Child in Remote Learning.

They used Betsey’s experiences with her own son to frame the challenges and possibilities that learning from home presents for students and parents alike. Betsey had noticed that her son was struggling with writing tasks. She knew that he had a good vocabulary and was a strong reader. But when it came time to create a report or write an essay, his work wasn't up to the level of his conversational skills. So she put on her parental detective hat and used the Neurodevelopmental Framework for Learning (NDFL) that underlies QED's approach, to examine where and why he was having difficulty.

 Betsey knew that writing involved a number of tasks that had to be performed simultaneously -- coming up with ideas, spelling, grammar, vocabulary, organization, punctuation, and actually forming the letters to write. But her son struggled with handwriting (graphomotor function) and attention difficulties made it hard for him to handle all the tasks of writing at the same time. Watching her son work at home gave her insight that she might not have gotten from just looking at a paper he had brought home from class. Once the bottlenecks in his writing became clear, it was possible to put together specific supports to help address the areas that made writing difficult. 

Some of the tools that can help students who struggle with writing can be found on the Resources page  of the Yellin Center website. Graphic organizers can be especially helpful for students who need to put their creative thoughts or academic knowledge into an organized story or essay. 

Parents whose children learn from home this fall -- even part-time -- have a unique opportunity to observe how they learn. Doing this while doing one's own job and managing other kids is not easy. But if circumstances allow, watching your child work through a lesson can provide useful insight into which areas might be challenges for him or her and how to help him or her improve.

 

Some of Our Favorite Resources

There are some "go to" resources that we turn to time and again for information about schools and other subjects. You may already use them, but in case you don't and in the hope you find them as helpful as we do, we thought we'd bring a few of them to your attention.

The terrific website InsideSchools.org has reorganized its resources, making it easier to find information on such topics as free programs for students and families, a wide variety of publications on subjects such as how to find elementary, middle, and high schools, and tools for such important topics as How to Change Schools, Special Education, and English Language Learners.

Inside Schools is always a helpful resource for information about specific New York City Public Schools, with search options popping up right on the home page. But it isn't always up to date, since it depends on school visits to each of the schools it reviews. Parents should also take a look at the NYC Department of Education website, where more recent information (without the narrative discussion that makes InsideSchool's reviews so helpful) can often be found. 

In fact, the major limitation of InsideSchools is that it only deals with New York City Public Schools. Families who live outside of New York City can often find guidance on the website GreatSchools.org., which is a national nonprofit with information on both public and private schools nationwide. 

Another resource we like is the steady stream of emails from the A.D.D. Resource Center, headed by Harold Meyer, a founder of CHADD of New York City (Children & Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder), the national volunteer-based organization. This resource isn't for those who are protective of their inbox - Hal Meyer is prolific and can send a half dozen or more emails each day about topics relating to attention and learning. But most of his emails are interesting and some are really excellent. You can sign up for his e-list from his website. 

The State of Learning Disabilities

If you are a parent trying to better understand the issues involved in in your child's learning challenges, an advocate or professional in need of data about learning disabilities or special education, or an educator who is concerned about how schools deal with students who learn differently -- or some combination of these roles -- you will likely find valuable information in a report recently released by The National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD), The State of Learning Disabilities: Understanding the 1 in 5. The title refers to the fact that one out of five children in the U.S. has learning and/or attention issues.

The report uses data from the 2015–2016 school year and takes a wide-ranging look at the landscape of learning and attention issues in school age children. It includes information about new findings in neuroscience that look at brain structure and function. It looks at policy issues, such as the increased rate at which students of color and students from low-income families are identified as having learning challenges. And it has extensive data on topics like emotional and behavioral issues.

Whether you prefer to review the "Executive Summary" of several pages or the longer report, which includes videos, charts, and personal perspectives of those dealing with learning challenges, this is a resource to bookmark, download, and use again and again.

Medical Students - News and Resources

In addition to our work with K-12 students, The Yellin Center has long worked with older students in college, graduate, and professional schools. One important piece of this work is the assessment and support we have offered to approximately 100 medical students, who are often sent to us by their academic dean when they encounter difficulties with school or licensing exams, or with their "rotations" in the clinical aspects of their training.

In fact, we are delighted to announce that we have just been awarded a grant (together with the nonprofit Center for Learning Differences) from the Sergei S. Zlinkoff Fund for Medical Research and Education that will allow us to quantify the impact of our work in the assessment and remediation of these students, with a view towards providing medical educators with guidance in helping these students to achieve success in their studies and careers.

As part of our work with medical students, the Resources section of our website has information on a number of tools and apps that can help medical students with the unique demands of their professional studies. As we noted in an earlier post, this section of our website isn't always easy to locate from our home page, so we are taking the opportunity to shine a light on this helpful information. 

photo credit: University of Exeter via flickrcc

Keep Kids Current! News Resources for Kids

Reading non-fiction is great practice for kids, and many young people are genuinely interested in current events. But most print news outlets publish articles that are too tough for developing readers to handle. Here are three of our favorite kid-friendly news sources:

National Geographic for Kids  (3rd – 5th grade)

Just like the beloved yellow-bordered magazine prized by adults, National Geographic for Kids makes for great reading, too. Their website is also a useful resource, though there are not quite as many articles to choose from as you’ll find through our two other recommendations (below). Still, the wonderful pictures and international bent to their coverage will motivate travel- and animal-loving students to read.

 

Time for Kids  (4th – 6th grade)

Time for Kids offers articles about a wide range of current events, including international news, sports stories, and articles with a cultural focus. We also like the TFK Mini-sites, where topics like Women’s History Month, book reviews, video game guides, the Sochi Olympics, and more are explored through collections of articles. The site also features articles written by “kid reporters”; aspiring journalists can visit the site in March for information about the application process to join them. Lots of resources are available on the site for free; buy a subscription to get issues of the magazine in the mail and to access quizzes and worksheets about the stories

NEWSELA  (3rd – 12th grade)

We are big fans of this fantastic site, which allows parents or teachers to change the language of any article to fit a student’s reading level. By clicking on various Lexile levels* in a field to the right of an article, it’s possible to adjust the difficulty of the text. For example, a December article about Nelson Mandela’s death can be modified so that it reads as a 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, or 12th grade-leveled piece; the content is essentially the same, but the vocabulary and sentence length are adjusted to make it easier or harder. (Not sure how to use Lexile levels? Don’t worry; the site displays the grade level of the text underneath the title and adjusts it every time a different Lexile level is selected. See our footnote for more information.) This is great news for parents of children who want to read about a current event but can’t find an appropriately leveled article. It’s also wonderful for teachers of classes with a wide range of abilities represented; NEWSELA allows the whole class to read the same article at different levels, then discuss it together. Registration to the site is free.

Many NEWSELA articles are accompanied by quizzes – take them off the screen or print them out – to check students’ understanding.


*A text’s Lexile Measure is based on the difficulty of its syntax and vocabulary. MetaMetrics can analyze a piece of writing, and the more complex the language, the higher the Lexile level. Texts below 200L are best for very young readers, and the most advanced readers can tackle texts higher than 1600L. There is no direct correspondence between a student’s grade and her Lexile Measure, but this site provides a table of typical Lexile ranges by grade.

Your Library in the Age of e-Books

While there is nothing like a printed book -- especially a kids' picture book -- for a dedicated reader to enjoy, electronic devices can make reading more convenient and accessible for readers of all ages. Whether on a commuter train, on vacation, or at summer camp, reading a hefty tome or carrying a large stack of books can pose logistical problems. These are perfect times to take advantage of an e-reader, such as a Kindle or Nook, or to use a tablet, or even a phone, for reading.

Ipoh Kia

But even avid users of e-reading devices often have a major objection to purchasing books; although they can re-read their purchases or even share them via a linked device, they don't have the ability to share them more generally. If you like an e-book, the methods of sharing it with a friend are very limited; you can't just hand it over and say, "Hey, you have to read this. You'll love it!" That means that even though you pay less for an e-book (sometimes much less) than you would for its printed counterpart, it sometimes seems like you are getting less value.

One solution for the thrifty voracious reader is to use the digital download services of your local public library. All you need is a library card and a computer or tablet to view the digital card catalog. Some libraries, like the New York Public Library, have extensive digital collections of all sorts of media -- including movies, over 700,000 photographs and images, as well as historic archives and online exhibitions and, of course, books. Others, with more modest budgets, band together to provide e-books and other materials to their patrons. In Nassau County, on Long Island, for example, the Nassau Library System offers the Nassau Digital Doorway, which allows patrons to download up to five e-books or audio books at a time, for up to two weeks. Popular books can be reserved, and patrons will be alerted by email when they are ready to download.

So, if you put away your library card the day your iPad was delivered, it may pay to find it again to take advantage of this easy and convenient way to make sure you always have something good to read.

Eye to Eye: A Mentoring Program By and For Kids with Learning Differences

Children with learning differences or difficulty with attention may feel like no one really “gets” them. Wouldn't it be fantastic if each one of these kids could work with an older mentor who not only provides good company and advice but who actually shares their learning difference? Eye to Eye, a fascinating organization for empowering students with learning differences, makes this fantasy a reality.

This outstanding program began in 1998, when five students from Brown University with learning disabilities (LD) and/or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) began a public service project. Christening their idea Project Eye-to-Eye, they targeted a group of elementary school children who’d been given labels similar to theirs. Their goal was not to tutor these kids, per se; they say they simply wanted to give them hope. So they worked on art projects together, hoping the kids would find art an accessible medium to express their feelings and showcase their talents. Founding member David Flink graduated and went on to work as an admissions officer at Brown, but he kept getting requests from students at Brown and other universities for information on how to continue the program. So he changed tacks, recruiting employees and traveled the country to set up similar experiences for both LD/ADHD mentors and mentees around the country. The goal is to empower “at risk” kids by giving them membership in a community that accepts and supports them.

Today, Eye to Eye pairs highly trained high school and college mentors with LD/ADHD with younger students who have similar learning challenges. The pair meets weekly to work on art projects, talk, laugh, and learn about each other and themselves. We are especially impressed by Eye to Eye’s commitment to helping kids develop metacognition  This important skill allows kids to understand themselves from the inside out, recognizing their strong and weak areas and determining how to overcome challenges using their unique talents. One of Eye to Eye’s core principles is that self-esteem, self-awareness, and self-determination are critical for resilience, and so they strive to help students feel good about who they are, learn about themselves, and become self-advocates. Additionally, mentors help students develop concrete academic study skills and personalized goals that students can propose during IEP or 504 meetings or parent-teacher conferences.

Interested in getting involved with Eye to Eye? Visit their website to learn more. The FAQ page contains instructions for contacting Eye to Eye if you are interested in finding a mentor or mentee for a child in your life; currently, fifty-one chapters are spread across nineteen states. Information is available for those wishing to start chapters in their areas if one does not already exist. Also, those in the New York, New Hampshire, and San Francisco areas may be interested in the outstanding, week-long Camp Vision, where kids learn to celebrate their different strengths through a variety of fun and enriching activities.

The Prevalence of Over-Protective Parenting

Yet another study has emerged which suggests that parents who shield their children from failure are likely doing more harm than good. In a recent article in The Atlantic, author and teacher Jessica Lahey summarizes the research on this subject and provides a few hair-raising stories of her own about over-involved parents.

The study surveyed “parenting professionals,” people like psychologists, counselors, and teachers about instances of hyper-protective parenting they have encountered. Some shared stories of parents being overprotective and too involved in their children’s lives. Others reported that they’d seen examples of parents who insisted on “taking their child’s perception as truth, regardless of the facts,” and “were quick to believe their child over the adult and deny the possibility that their child was at fault or would even do something of that nature.” Lahey proposes that the latter parenting style is the more damaging one. While some parents may feel that they are simply protecting their children, Lahey believes that they are in fact depriving their kids of the opportunity to solve their own problems and learn independence. Also part of this group are parents who bail their kids out of situations that might teach them responsibility, such bringing a forgotten assignment to school or demanding that a teacher change a child’s final grade.

Lahey implies that even if these parents don’t do actually complete students’ homework for them—something that, frighteningly, most teachers have encountered—they’re still preventing kids from developing other, arguably more important skills. Teachers, you see, have a hidden agenda. A teacher’s explicit curriculum is readily visible. This is the academic part of school, in which students learn facts and concepts about concrete subjects like math, science, and history. But the implicit curriculum is harder to see; in fact, most kids aren't even aware that it’s there. The implicit curriculum is a teacher’s way of helping kids learn important life skills, like keeping track of dates, pacing work, and organizing and being responsible for materials. It’s hard on a student when he procrastinates on a seventh grade science project and earns a poor grade for his sub-par work. But it’s even harder when, as an adult, he procrastinates on an important project in the office and has to present poor results to his boss. Suddenly the failed science project looks like an learning opportunity instead of a disaster. Kids whose parents shield them from the consequences of their irresponsible behavior may learn the explicit curriculum well. But they’re missing out on the critical lessons conveyed by the teacher’s implicit curriculum.

The thing is, if a child is going to learn from his mistakes, he has to be allowed to make some.

We want to be sure to present one very important caveat, however: If a child is clearly doing her best but continues to fail, her parents need to consider that something else may be going on. While we whole-heartedly believe it’s important to let children struggle and make mistakes when they have all the tools they need to succeed, asking a child with serious learning challenges to simply roll with the punches is simply not fair, and is likely to do more harm than good. We encourage parents who perceive that their child isn’t experiencing success, even with a great deal of time and effort, to consult the child’s teacher or other education professionals for guidance.

Read the full article from The Atlantic: Why Parents Need To Let Their Children Fail by Jessica Lahey

New Apps and Tools for Students: Graphing Calculator and V.Reader

An iDevice app for advanced math students and a "kiddie Kindle" for early readers are two of the many new ways that technology can help students of all ages.

For Advanced Math Students: Graphing Calculator

This news might make you feel a little bit better about breaking down and buying your child that iPhone he or she has been begging for: Thanks to the app Graphing Calculator by Appcylon, there’s no need to shell out another $150 for that powerful, essential accessory to all advanced math courses. For just $1.99 from the iTunes store, Graphing Calculator does all that a standard graphing calculator does, and does it better, too. The display is sharp and clear, lines can be presented in different colors, and the interface is streamlined instead of being clunky. Graphing Calculator works on all iOS devices.

A word of caution, though: Be sure that your child’s school will allow him/her to use a phone/iPad/iPod Touch in class and on tests before relying solely on this app for all calculation purposes.

For Beginning Readers: V.Reader

Think of Vtech’s interactive e-reading offering as a "kiddie Kindle" -- kids read downloaded electronic books on its high-resolution screen, look up words they don’t know, and much more. The device is rated for users from age 3-7, so while pre-readers can choose to have stories read to them and enjoy the animated pictures that accompany the words, beginning readers can read the stories themselves. V.Reader also features a helpful tutorial function in which tapping a word with the stylus or just a fingertip provides the reader with a definition or help sounding the word out. Kids can play games or create digital artwork as well, and a tracking mechanism allows parents to monitor their kids’ progress. New e-books can either be purchased in cartridge format or downloaded via a computer and transferred to the device. The V.Reader is made of durable plastic and comes in either pink or blue, and parents will be relieved to know that they can silence the beeps and whistles typical of children’s electronic games by plugging their tots into the headphone jack.

The downsides are few, but are worth pointing out. For one, the V.Reader plows through batteries – it requires 4 AA’s to run – so investing in a battery charger may be wise if you buy a V.Reader for your child. Additionally, the stylus is not tethered to the reader and can be easily lost, so it may be a good idea to require that it live in a special place while not being used. Overall, however, reviews of the V.Reader have been overwhelmingly positive. Kids seem to love it, and parents report that they are seeing literacy progress. At $39.99, the V.Reader is a good deal, one parents will appreciate even more when they don’t have to read the same bedtime book to their little one for the tenth night in a row.

Upcoming Event: What Educators Should Know About Executive Function

The Yellin Center is kicking off our new Professional Development Series with a special presentation for educators called What Educators Should Know About Executive Function. The presentation was originally planned for October 11, but due to high demand (the October 11 event is now completely booked!), we've added a second date for an encore presentation on October 25, at The Yellin Center in Manhattan, from 4:30 p.m. until 6:00 p.m.

In the presentation, Paul B. Yellin, MD, and friend of The Yellin Center, executive function specialist Terry Edelstein, Ph.D. will provide a detailed explanation of what is meant when we talk about "Executive Function," along with practical recommendations for educators to implement immediately with their students. Teachers, school administrators, school learning specialists, school psychologists, and related service providers are all welcome to attend.

The event is totally free for educators (unfortunately, we won't have room for parents or other interested parties at this presentation, but we do have a few talks in the works for parents, so stay tuned to our blog for details). Registration is required and space is limited.

To register, send an email to info@yellincenter.com with "October 25" in the subject, and be sure to include your name, title, and school affiliation.

Color-Coding Algebra

Algebra introduces students to ideas that were previously foreign to them. Suddenly, they are expected to work on both sides of an equal sign, calculate with negative numbers, and told they can’t add all the numbers in an expression together they way they’re accustomed to doing. To help kids navigate this confusing transition, try using color-coding to help them grasp concepts and notice details. 

Negatives vs. Positives

Prior to beginning algebra, most students have not had much practice with negative numbers. They are often not accustomed to taking a number’s sign into consideration. To help draw students’ attention to this important factor, ask them to highlight positive numbers in one color and negative numbers in another.


Examples:

-12 + 4 =

(4)(-6) =

Variables

Color-coding is a great strategy for helping algebra neophytes understand the idea of like terms. When adding or subtracting in expressions containing variables, ask students to highlight unattached numbers with one color and like terms with other colors before solving. Grouping blue terms with other blue terms will seem a lot more natural than grouping x’s with other x’s. Tip: Ask them to include the sign preceding each number in the highlight so that they will understand which numbers are positive and which are negative in tricky equations. When there is no sign, ask students to add in their own addition sign, then highlight it.


Example:

4n + 3x - 4 = 7x - 2n + 10      ->        +4n + 3x - 4 = +7x - 2n + 10

Technological Innovation for Individuals with Reading and Print Disabilities

I spent time this past week in Bellevue, Washington, just outside of Seattle, at the AER International Conference, sponsored by the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired.

Jim Fruchterman

Before I gave my own presentation on Understanding the Individual Learning Needs of Visually Impaired Students, which looked at the professional development The Yellin Center is doing with the New York Institute of Special Education, I had the opportunity to attend a terrific talk by Jim Fruchterman, founder and Chairman of the Board of Benetech. Fruchterman is a former rocket scientist and a 2006 MacArthur Fellowship winner (among other accolades). Benetech grew out of his interest in reading machines for the blind and has grown into an organization that uses technology to address unmet social needs -- from making reading materials accessible to all readers to improving landmine detection.

Fruchterman spoke about Benetech's signature program, Bookshare, which "provides people with print disabilities in the United States legal access to more than 50,000 books and 150 periodicals that can be converted to Braille, large print or synthetic speech." Bookshare's resources are provided free to most students and at a nominal cost to the public. (Read an earlier article from our blog about Bookshare).

Fruchterman discussed his work, and that of Bookshare, in making print media broadly available, not only in Braille, but to individuals with reading and print disabilities and ADHD. He discussed iPad, iPhone, and Android applications directly connecting to Bookshare and spoke about the importance of making all materials available in MP3 format. It was particularly interesting to hear of a major initiative now underway to make visual material, such as maps and graphs, more accessible to those with visual disabilities.

Take a look at the Benetech website to get a full sense of the important work they are doing in so many areas.

Reading Recommendations for Writers

The following writing guides are among the best out there for those looking to get inspired or improve their writing skills. Appropriate for all adults, most high school students, and even precocious middle school students, these books will have even the most reluctant of writers racing for paper and pen.

On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction, by William Zinsser, is a classic resource for people who have to do lots of non-fiction writing. His advice is useful for students and professionals alike; Zinsser provides great tips for writing formal essays or simply writing an email to a colleague. The first part of his book contains writing principles and discusses various methods of getting words on a page. The second half is dedicated to specific forms of non-fiction like business, sports, memoirs, travel, etc. We are particularly impressed by his tips on rewriting and the way he explains how to banish “clutter” (i.e. extraneous words) from sentences and paragraphs.

Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within is more than just a writing guide. This is the kind of book that turns browsers into readers; dip into it for tips and you may find yourself reading it from cover to cover. Potential users should be aware that this is not a book to reference if you’re looking for very specific writing tips. It seems to be equal parts zen and instruction. Goldberg shares many of her own experiences and offers great advice on how to choose verbs, getting first thoughts out, and how to listen (because, she claims, “writing is 90% listening”). Goldberg believes that writing is not necessarily about the final product – though the final product is important – but about the self-discovery that occurs while creating the final product. Her short, witty chapters and warm tone may give reluctant, anxious, or frustrated writers the confidence they need to pick the pencil back up and begin again.

Fans of Stephen King’s literature will be surprised to see that the cover of his On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft features a bright window in a clean, white house with decorative flowers planted beneath. And this is the guy who kept us tossing and turning after reading The Shining?  There’s nothing spooky about this part-memoir, part-guide, however, except maybe how addictive it is. King recounts his experiences as a writer, and his keen observations about the links between writing and life will inspire and empower would-be writers everywhere. The book contains a writer’s “tool kit,” a reading list, various assignments writers can sink their teeth into, a story with corrections so that readers can appreciate the importance of editing, and more.

For those who wonder why they should take advice on writing from authors they've never heard of, Jon Winokur’s Advice to Writers: A Compendium of Quotes, Anecdotes, and Writerly Wisdom from a Dazzling Array of Literary Lights will be a welcome relief. The book is a collection of statements about all aspects of writing from people across the ages who demonstrated their prowess with a pen, from Aristotle to Toni Morrison. Though the book is intended to be more entertaining than instructive, readers will certainly find inspiration and wisdom in the words of some of their favorites, like Kurt Vonnegut’s tip: “Make your characters want something right away even if it’s only a glass of water,” and Hemingway’s suggestions to: “Use short sentences. Use short first paragraphs. Use vigorous English. Eliminate every superfluous word.”

History Lessons Brought to Life by "Maps of War"

What if you could learn about the spread of world religions throughout the world's history in only 90 seconds? The website Maps of War may not impart all of the details as religions ebbed and flowed across the world during the last 5,000 years, but it does an impressive job of showing how ideas spread.

Maps of War features many different maps showing both historic and current events and trends. Students can watch democracy spread across the globe, see the Middle East change hands (again and again and again), check out the way the Western Front wavered its way around Europe during World War I, and see firsthand how troops have moved through Iraq over the past few years. 

Maps of War will suck in history buffs, cartophiles, and reluctant students who just can't fathom why anyone should bother studying history. 

Watch the presentation embedded below for an example of how Maps of War can help bring history to life.

Math Lit: Probability, Measurement, and Graphing

Math and story books may seem as though they belong to completely different disciplines, but they can work together to teach mathematical concepts that some students find difficult. The stories and pictures are engaging for kids, helping them to stay focused on the principles at hand. Also, the stories provide children with a familiar, more concrete platform for understanding concepts that are both foreign and abstract. Below are some great titles which can make the tricky concepts of probability, measurement, and graphing easier to swallow. Parents and teachers may want to use these books as introductions to new material, or as a way to reinforce concepts that have already been taught using more traditional methods.

Probability

Most children are fascinated by the concept of probability once they become aware of it, though statistics is not typically taught until the very end of high school. The understanding that many events are not completely random represents a big milestone in a child’s development, and as children learn to play simple games involving coin tosses, spinners, cards, and dice, probability becomes an important principle in their lives.

To help kids move beyond the kind of probability they’ve learned by tossing coins, children’s literature comes to the rescue with a variety of fun and informative storybooks. For teaching simple statistics, The Reading Teacher* recommends A Very Improbable Story by Edward Einhorn, It’s Probably Penny by Loreen Leedy, and Caldecott Medal winner Jumanji by Chris van Allsburg. Odds are good kids will love learning with these stories!

Measurement

Using a measuring tape or ruler seems pretty basic, but for some children it can be a real challenge, particularly when inches are subdivided into fractions. The concept of length can be difficult for kids to wrap their heads around, in part because many of them don’t have a lot of experience measuring things themselves.

More practice is obviously called for, but parents and teachers may want to consider reaching for storybooks to teach children the fundamentals behind measurement. For teaching linear measurement, a recent article in The Reading Teacher* recommends Inch by Inch, written by legendary children’s author Leo Lionni, The Fattest, Tallest, Biggest Snowman Ever by Bettina Ling, Much Bigger Than Martin by Stephen Kellogg, and The Inch-High Samurai by Ralph F. McCarthy among others. Books like Mr. Archimedes’ Bath by Pamela Allen help explain other types of measurement.

Literature may lend meaning to measurement that kids didn’t see there before, and the selections above are a few examples that really measure up!

Graphing

A book about Rene Descartes, the French philosopher and mathematician who gave us the Cartesion system of coordinates, hardly seems destined to be a child’s favorite. Yet The Fly on the Ceiling by Julie Glass is clever and engaging enough to keep kids entertained while they learn about the theory behind graphing on a coordinate plane.

The Reading Teacher* recommends several other titles for teaching students about graphing through storybooks, among them Fair is Fair by Jennifer Dussling (bar graphs) and TigerMath: Learning to Graph from a Baby Tiger by Ann Whitehead Nagda (various types of graphs).


*Bintz, W. P. et al. Using Literature to Teach Measurement. (2011). The Reading Teacher, 65(1), 58-70

Vocabulary Knowledge Scale

Memory is a strange animal indeed. Recent research suggests that people have difficulty differentiating between what they know and what is familiar to them unless they are specifically prompted to do so. Dr. Yellin likes to share a story about a conference about memory he attended in which the lecturer asked the attendees how many of them knew how a toilet worked. Most of the hands in the room went up. The lecturer then asked how many of them could explain it step by step. Nearly every hand went down. This is the difference between familiarity and mastery: Just because our memories have encountered a concept before does not mean that we understand it thoroughly.

The first step in transitioning from a recognizer to a master of a concept is to determine where the gaps are, and sometimes that realization takes some outside prompting. This issue is particularly prevalent in the issue of vocabulary. Many students will say that they know a word’s meaning only to be unable to define it when asked. Chances are they’re not being cheeky; their brains are just confusing familiarity with mastery. To help students combat this, a vocabulary scale can be a great tool. 

The scale is made up of four levels:

Level 1 – I can define that word and use it in a sentence.

Level 2 – I’ve heard that word before and know the gist of it. I may be able to give you some examples or use it in a sentence, but I can’t come up with a solid definition.

Level 3 – I’ve heard that word before, but I have no idea what it means.

Level 4 – Huh? I’ve never heard or seen that word.

If an adult working or talking with a student suspects that a student does not know a word, s/he should ask the student to determine which level the word is for them using the scale. Sometimes, simply discussing a Level 2 word is enough to help students construct a definition for it. Words from Level 3 and 4 should be taken in context, and preferably in the context of other sentences as well, deconstructed, and looked up.

The vocabulary scale is not intended to instruct students in vocabulary, per se. It can, however, make students more self-aware of their levels of word knowledge, making it even more powerful than any curriculum.

Photo: Horia Varlan/Flickr Creative Commons

Science and Science Fiction Reading Ideas

Science can be one of the most fascinating subjects a student can study. Kids love learning about the way the world around them works and appreciate the practicality of science. Science taught from a textbook, however, can be a dry topic indeed. Trade books can pep up science instruction that young people find tough to get excited about, however; and there are many fantastic offerings available. To ensure you’re supplying your young readers with the best of the best, check out favorites picked by the staff at the Smithsonian and the National Teachers of Science Association.

But not every child enjoys reading books about science. Why not whet kids’ appetites with science fiction instead? Great conversations can be had about whether or not the futuristic ideas in a science fiction novel are currently feasible, or what would need to happen for them to exist.

A quick Internet search for “children’s science fiction book list” yielded many great lists, some complied by various libraries around the country, others by news media and awards committees. One outstanding source for excellent science fiction titles for children of all ages is the Golden Duck Award list, though of course this list should not be considered exhaustive. Some stellar young adult titles, like The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer (National Book Award Winner for Young People's Literature, Newbery Honor Book, Printz Honor Book) and Feed by M.T. Anderson (National Book Award Finalist) are notably absent. Still, it’s a great starting point for those unfamiliar with the genre’s offerings for young readers.

With this variety of genres and topics available, it should be easy to convince even the most skeptical of students that science rocks!

Photo: Lokesh Dhakar/Flickr Creative Commons

Book-Finding Websites

Here at The Yellin Center, many kids who are considered reluctant readers tell us that they like reading, if they can only find the right book. This caveat proves to be a frustrating challenge for both kids and their parents and teachers alike. The three websites below, however, may provide much-needed help in the search for that perfect next book. All three are easy enough for most children to use themselves and will allow kids and parents to make informed choices about their reading lists. Note that all three sites can search through titles for all ages, so children can use them to find books similar to The Hungry Caterpillar while parents can use them to decide what to read after The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

What Should I Read Next? is about as no-frills as its name suggests. Type in the title of a book you enjoyed and uncover a list of recommended titles. The site allows users to link easily to Amazon where they can learn more about the books on the list and purchase them. Users should double-check recommendations before purchasing, as some of the results from this site can be a bit unusual. A search for titles like Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie yielded many great choices, like Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patrician MacLachlan, Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Mongomery, and All-of-a-Kind Family by Sydney Taylor. Jon Scieszka’s The True Story of the Three Little Pigs seemed a less relevant match, however.

YourNextRead is both user-friendly and visually appealing. Simply type in the title of a book you enjoyed and similar books will appear in a colorful diagram. Click on the image of a recommended book to read a brief description and reviews of the book, and if none of the suggestions are appealing (or if you’ve read them all), look for the More Books option at the bottom of the page to see even more suggestions. A search for books like James and the Giant Peach yielded The Fantastic Mr. Fox, also by Roald Dahl, Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh, The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, and many others. Hovering the mouse over the book will cause various thumbnail links to appear, allowing the user to easily find the book on Amazon, save it to a favorites list, email the title to a friend, preview sections of available books, and more.

Membership (free) is not required to useYourNextRead, but members can save searches and view their search history, so it may be worth the time it takes to sign up.

GoodReads works well for those looking for a spur-of-the-moment recommendation, but users who use it to record their reading may reap the biggest benefits. Nonmembers can simply visit the site, click on Recommendations, and start searching by genre. We clicked on “young adult” and found loads of titles appropriate for readers between the ages of 14 and 21. Descriptions of the books are easy to access: simply hover the mouse above the image of the book’s cover. A helpful text box on the right of the screen offered Related Genres such as Young Adult Fantasy, High School, and Coming of Age for further refining searches. And by scrolling down there were lists galore, with titles like “Most Read This Week,” “Best Creative Plots (w/ Love),” and “Best Young Adult Realistic Novels.”

As above, users don’t have to create an account to use GoodReads, but membership has great benefits. Members can enter and rate books they’ve read, and based on their preferences the site will recommend other similar books to them. Keeping such a record can be fun and rewarding for kids. Additionally, the site will save books in an “I want to read this” list for future reference.

Teen Reads

Teen Reads is an outstanding resource not only for teens, but for their teachers and parents as well. This website is a gold mine of book suggestions and reviews geared toward young people.

Users can sign up for the site’s monthly newsletter, or, for those who just can’t wait that long between installments, browse hundreds of book reviews and author interviews. Teens may enjoy participating in polls, which will allow them to compare their opinions and experiences with those of their peers around the country and world.

The site also features various contests for teens. For instance, entrants can submit their contact information for the chance to win the monthly Grab Bag, containing a selection of books. And for would-be authors, there are writing contests, too; for example, this month teens can submit a short story that puts a modern twist on a classic story for the chance to win an e-reader, gift certificates, and more.

Photo: Monterey Public Library via Flickr Creative Commons

A Resource for Learning Math... And More

Learning mathematics requires that students grasp simple concepts and procedures and then build upon these to understand more complex or abstract material. When students have challenges with learning math in early grades, it makes it difficult for them to jump in, even with strategies and support, to learn higher mathematics as they move into middle school, high school, and beyond.

One tool we often recommend to students who struggle with math is the Khan Academy website. Founded by Sal Khan, a former hedge fund analyst with degrees from MIT and Harvard, the website and the nonprofit organization behind it grew out of videos Khan posted to YouTube in 2006 to help tutor his cousins in math. Now supported by grants from organizations such as Google and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Khan Academy offers online tutorials in a wide range of subjects including science and social studies and is now replete with sophisticated interactive features. But the heart of the Khan Academy website is step by step instruction in fundamentals, especially math, that can be accessed by students on their own or in class groups, to fill instructional gaps or build new knowledge.