ladder of success doesn't care who climbe it.
generally is thought of as a strategy for older students, lower
elementary pupils can be introduced to this strategy through simple
activities such as the following:
Have your child play the
roles of message-taker in a telephone-message activity. Have
someone be a message-receiver role and leave the room. A
message-giver begins by reading the message aloud to the message-taker
at a normal rate of speech. Then the message-taker takes notes
of the pertinent information. Remind the message-taker to keep
and the purpose of the message in mind when selecting those facts
worth noting. Once the message-taker has the message, the
message-receiver may return to the room. The message-taker can
refer to the notes as he or she recounts the message. Others who
have observed the activity should determine whether or not the message
has been adequately conveyed.
The following will
introduce note-taking to intermediate students.
Select a short expository
passage and have a family member read the passage while another models
note-taking procedures on a pad of paper. Think aloud to clarify
your purpose for listening to the passage. Then, as the passage
is read, make notes relevant to your purpose for listening. You
might also vocalize why you are noting some points and not noting
others. Use indenting and skipping spaces to indicate the
relationships and subordination of ideas. Next, ask your child
notes over the same passage, but with a different purpose for
listening. Ask your child to explain as he or she takes notes
why he or she is noting particular facts and not
Silver Burdett and Ginn
and don'ts that will help you get the most out of the time you are
studying, whether completing an e-Tutor assignment, doing homework or
going through a lesson.
- Invest in folders. Get
one folder for each subject, just for your assignments, activities,
extended learning or homework.
- Start with a plan.
Create a work schedule every day that outlines all of the work
that needs to be done and give each assignment 30 to 45 minutes
for completion. Do your work in small chunks and you will
find that it will prevent you from feeling overwhelmed.
- Go get a snack and take a
five-minute break to clear your head. This will help you
to stay positive and give you enough time to remind yourself that
the work is all just a part of the overall grade. If you are
still stuck when you get back to work, call for help.
- Work in the same place every day
and make sure you have a good source of light.
- Make a bargain with your parents.
If you work hard and finish your assignments and learning
activities in a decent timeframe, maybe you deserve a
little treat....like some time on the Xbox.
- Invest in just one big
mega-binder. Get separate binders for separate subjects
to help keep your papers organized.
- Beat a dead horse. If
you have been stuck on the same math problem for an hour and it's
not getting any easier, you'll burn yourself out and develop a bad
attitude. All you're doing is wasting time. If your
parents can't help you, call a friend. Or move along to the
next problem and ask e-Tutor about it the next day.
- Work yourself into a
frenzy. Don't get mad if you're stuck on a problem or
if one assignment takes longer than scheduled.
- Listen to music or watch TV
while you're studying. Even if you think you can multi-task,
it's not a good idea. By working in a quiet zone, where you
are really focused, you will be able to shave off time in those
math and English assignments.
is oft times nearer when we stoop than when we soar.
To cope with the many
changes ahead, the successful person will have to exhibit four
The successful one must possess an intuitive insight into what
styles, fashions and technologies will be hot weeks, months...or
even years...in advance
Successful individuals will have to act on hunches, even when
everyone else says they are crazy.
Technological change is rapid and trends are short.
Successful individuals will have to act quickly, before the window
of opportunity closes. And they won't have the luxury
of time to wait for consensus in decision making.
character. Knowledge value will be burned up and
disposed of rapidly. Those in the work force will be asked
to be "artists," racking their
brains for tiny improvements to be more "cutting-edge"
than a competitor. To make it all happen the successful
person will have to inspire others to exert themselves to their limits
Adapted from Success,
New York, NY.
Science of Memory
The brain is all about creation,
connection and control. Electrical charges flowing from axons to
dendrites create chemical packages in nerve cells. These
chemical packages are like little buckets of memory juice.
Whenever we want, we can dip into these buckets to access our
memories. Cells in the brain and body are constantly creating
new packages and recreating old packages.
Scientific studies affirm what seems to
be common sense: if you are extremely busy, don't get enough
sleep or are nervous or anxious, your power of memory will fade
rapidly. Low self-esteem and poor self-image also inhibit
memory. Many drugs can influence the memory process. Drugs
like seratonin, adrenaline, dopamine and the endorphin group (created
by the body itself) enhance memory. Alcohol, marijuana and
nicotine can greatly decrease the ability to remember. Even
prescription drugs to reduce blood pressure, eliminate pain or induce
sleep interfere with the memory process.
Finally, here are a couple of
- It is difficult to remembers something you have never
- It is hard to remember something that has no meaning or
significance for you.
Benefits of Volunteer Work
Nearly everyone agrees that volunteer
work is a nice thing to do for others. But, as more young people
are discovering, you benefit yourself as well as others when you
donate your time to a worthy cause. Here are several ways
volunteer work can help you later, in a paying job or career:
with no employment history gain that all-important "previous
- Volunteers learn basic skills needed
- You can establish contacts.
- Volunteer work lets you explore
Here are some other ways you can use
volunteer work to serve yourself as well as others:
- You'll meet people. Volunteers
who work on the same project together often share common interests
and can form lasting friendships.
- You gain self-esteem. Those
who do volunteer work learn to see themselves as productive
citizens who are valued, needed, respected and have something
important to contribute to society.
- You gain a sense of personal
power. Volunteer work lets you know you can make a
difference in our society and helps you realize that you do have
the power to make changes.
- You can explore your own
values. Many volunteers must confront issues like hunger,
illiteracy, homelessness, poverty and environmental pollution.
- You can improve academic
skills. Volunteer work lets you practice skills like
reading, writing and math in the "real world."
Many learn these skills more effectively when they can be applied
in real-life situations.
Illinois Association of
greatest gifts you can give your children are the roots of
responsibility and the wings of independence.
San Francisco Symphony Kids' Site:
Visit this website for a refresher course on The Instruments of the Orchestra and or an introduction to reading music in Meet the Notes.
Practical Money Skills for Life: Created by the folks at Visa, this website
is a good learning center for all ages. Lessons (look under For Teachers) include Spending
Plans (for younger children) up to Living on your Own (for college age
students). One of the better sections, for students, is entitled In Trouble and lists the major reasons for financial troubles and some of
the warning signs.
German for Travelers:
Educators will want to zero in on the Learn section. Explanations,
vocabulary lists and exercises are available for those who wish to learn
conversational German. There is even a quiz (in German) on Harry Potter;
look under Exercises with Video. You can find travel information here,
as well as links to “all things German.”
Chevron Cars are toy cars. The site is colorful and fun. Divided into several sections including the Playground, Kids Shop, Meet the
Cars and Free Stuff. The site features games, biographies and multiple views of the cars, coloring and sticker pages,
jigsaw puzzles and connect the dots games, screensavers, desktop themes,
musical tunes and more. There is also educational content covering oil
and gas refining and subjects ranging from famous people and history to
animals and science.
Digital History: Digital History includes a U.S. history textbook; over 400 annotated
documents from the Gilder Lehrman Collection on deposit at the Pierpont
Morgan Library, supplemented by primary sources on slavery, Mexican American and Native American history, and U.S. political, social, and
legal history; succinct essays on the history of film, ethnicity,
private life, and technology; multimedia exhibitions; and reference
resources that include a searchable database of 1,500 annotated links,
classroom handouts, chronologies, glossaries, an audio archive including
speeches and book talks by historians and a visual archive with hundreds of historical maps and images. The site's Ask the
HyperHistorian feature allows users to pose questions to professional historians. This Web site was designed and developed to support the
teaching of American History in K-12 schools and colleges and is
supported by the Department of History and the College of Education at
the University of Houston.
SuperThinkers: SuperThinkers features a set of original interactive mysteries designed
to foster literacy and problem-solving. Created by children's book
author & illustrator/educator Peter H. Reynolds and his creative team at
Emmy Award-winning FableVision and funded by Verizon. This site takes a
creative approach in order to engage every type of learner, using sound,
animation, words, images, and interactivity. The SuperThinkers site offers a variety of activities and suggested reading, as well as games.
Al Parker, American Illustrator:
This tribute to Al Parker, the noted magazine illustrator and artist, was fashioned from extensive holdings at the Washington University
Library in St. Louis. Al Parker was one of the most prolific and important American illustrators of the twentieth century. Parker was
known for his use of line, patterning, and bold, flat colors. The look
will definitely be familiar if you have seen anything from the 1930s to
the 1960s. Also includes short media clips.
Fermilabyrinth : Part of a much larger site, the games are outstanding. Fermilabyrinth
was developed at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, operated by Universities Research Association, Inc. under contract with the United
States Department of Energy. Also available in Dutch , Slovac and German; as
if Physics in English aren't challenging enough! These games will require extensive
use of the brain.
A Wonderful Month!
From the Knowledge HQ Staff
Copyright © 2005 Knowledge Headquarters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. www.knowledgehq.com