Sunday, December 25, 2005

Parenting Help - Whats the root problem? How can you help?

In some ways, children are strikingly direct. What parent hasn't heard their child in a voice too loud: "Look at that very fat man"?

In contrast, children with anxiety or emotional needs generally "act out" rather than directly ask for help. And, any child can feel anxious if they don't get some regular attention fromt their parent. And while parents know that being rushed is part of life, many children find the morning rush to be a source of anxiety.

Most parents find the mornings to be tough. Children are woken at a fixed hour, by a knock, yell, or alarm. Children are then expected to rush out of bed, rush thru dressing, rush thru breakfast, and rush to get to school on time. Once they sit down in class, many misbehave and "act out". Oddly, these children can often be expressing their need for attention.

Could this solve the problem? Try going in to your child 30 minutes before they have to get up. Lie down with them and talk with no agenda other than to listen to whats on their mind. Did they have dreams? Whats today going to be like? With 20 minutes of pure attention from a parent, many children who act out at school are now equipped for an entirely different sort of day.

This message sponsored by Time4Learning - A great Homeschool Resource
and Homeschool Curriculum. Time4Learning provides interactive math lessons and teaches reading from teaching phonics through reading comprehension.

Tuesday, December 06, 2005

Teaching Writing

There's a new focus on WRITING--just ask your kids!

Writing was always a part of the 3 R's--Reading, 'Riting, and 'Rithmetic--but when you were in 4th grade, did you know the difference between narrative, informative and persuasive forms of writing? Could you write in all three forms? Todays 4th graders are expected to master this and will demonstrate their mastery of these skills on standardized tests.

How important is writing?
Writing is a vitally important life skill. The link between writing skills and academic success is clear and most standardized tests assess writing. Employers care more about writing skills today, as most jobs now require some writing. There's no doubt--writing is a skill your children must master. Time4Learning's K-8 writing curriculum can help.

A Writing Curriculum Proven to Work
Correlated to federal and state standards and field-tested nationally in thousands of schools, Time4Learning uses the best, most current methods of teaching writing. Your children will learn and practice each stage of the writing process, from pre-writing strategies to drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. Each lesson ends with a quiz and kids can check their own work with self-assessments. Progress is recognized every step of the way--motivating kids and reassuring parents.

A Kid-Friendly Approach to Writing
Time4Learning's writing curriculum isn't cut and dry. It's designed to bring out the writer in every student. Age-appropriate animated characters present each lesson in a highly interactive format that promotes self-expression. Children have the opportunity to learn and try different forms of fiction and nonfiction writing, from short story narratives to informational reports. As early as the kindergarten level, Time4Learning engages children in telling their own stories. Try Time4Learning's Story Creator exercise to see how young children are introduced to writing.

How to encourage writing at home
Encourage your children to write regularly, whether it's about their favorite video, a poem, or keeping a journal. When you review your child's writing, be entirely positive and focus on the elements that were the most effective: "I really liked reading about your friends..." or "your description of the garden made me feel like I could see the garden." Your goal is to help your child establish a writing habit and a comfort level with expression.

At other times, shift your focus to the rigors of writing. This approach should be kept distince from the expressive non-critical mode. With this approach, you can help your child develop critical thinking skills and the ability to write clear prose. Time4Learning's writing curriculum provides a full menu of pre-writing tools, such as electronic note cards and graphic organizers, which promote clarity and organization of ideas. Time4Learning also covers grammar and punctuation, as well as vocabulary and spelling, so that your child learns and practices the fundamentals. Check out Time4Learning demo lessons such as "Punctuation: Comma Confusion" and "Homonyms".

Improve Your Child's Writing
This K-8 Writing Curriculum is a component of Time4Learning's comprehensive reading and language arts program. You can have full access on your home computer to this comprehensive learning system for only $19.95 a month. Let Time4Learning help the young writers in your home! Sign up today!


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