April

Reluctant Readers to Book Worms: Tricky Tips to Making Any Kid a Reader

Posted April 27, 2012

Reading is an important life-long skill. And, developing strong reading habits from an early age sets the stage for continued good reading habits throughout life. These are the simple facts. But, even if we know WHY reading skills are important to develop from a young age, often the process of getting kids to become enthusiastic readers requires more than telling them that literacy skills are important.

The Importance of Reading: A Quick Review

Good reading habits are not just about developing strong literacy skills in the quest for good grades—reading is a habit that has benefits for students and adults alike:

•   Reading increases vocabulary and vocabulary has been shown to be a key indicator of future school success (Did you know that studies show that vocabulary use in grade one predicts more than 30% of 11th grade reading comprehension?)
•   Reading is THE core skill that is used in learning every subject in school
•   Reading has been shown to activate several different areas of the brain simultaneously
•   Reading can improve social skills
•   Reading books (not EReaders or off a monitor of any sort) can cut back on the amount of time spent in front of media and technology (up to 7 hours a day)

How to Encourage Reading . The Basics:

•   Make books available to kids.
•   Go to the Library.
•   Gifts books as gifts.
•   Lead by example—kids become readers when they have a role model who reads.
•   Read a book as a family—get multiple copies for all members.
•   Read to young children every night.
•   Try a new genre.
•   Read anything—cookbooks, magazines, comics, textbooks…
•   Get a nightlight for your kids’ beds.
•   Put a book on the bedside table.
•   Read books from a series.
•   Read books from the same author.
•   Read books that are becoming movies.
•   Read scary books and up the thrill quotient!
•   Have a school friend recommend a book.
•   Ask the schoolteacher what the other kids in the class are reading.
•   Listen to audio books in the car.

Advanced Tips:

But what if you’ve tried all these tips and your child is still more slug worm that bookworm? We came across these great tricky tips that just might help:

Give kids banned books—or let them read above their level… anything that sparks their interest. Tell them the book is bad (for whatever reason) and they’ll only want to read it more. Sounds like Psychology 101!

Stop reading right a good part—leave the story right before the climax, and guaranteed your child will be curious enough to read in order to find out what happens next!

This tip from blogger Eden Kennedy of the blog Fussy might be the best tip yet: Read something funny to yourself and laugh about it. When your child asks what’s funny, simply tell him that he won’t get it. Watch this video of Eden explain how she gets her son, who would rather play video games, involved in reading—tricky! And awesome!

Do you have sneaky ways to get your kids to read? We’d love to hear them! Leave us a comment or share them on Twitter or Facebook.

Developing Memory Skills

Posted April 19, 2012

Video: Alexis Yildir demonstrates with BT’s Jeremy John tricks to getting details to stick in your memory.

Source: City TV – Breakfast Television

Date: April 19, 2012

Area: Winnipeg

Watch it here.

Seven Tips to Make the Rest of the School Year Count!

Posted April 17, 2012

Want to make the most of what’s left in the school year? Create a Countdown Action Plan!

HERE’S HOW:

Grab a calendar and determine how many weeks of school are left.
Pull out your Academic Action plan from the beginning of school and review it. Don’t have one? No problem! You can create one at any time with some simple modifications.
Take a mental inventory of current academic standing. Refer to the last report card if necessary. Look at past test marks and comments on assignments.
Ask: “what subjects are the weakest? Where is extra help needed? Where is there room for improvement?
Talk to teachers and create a plan together to use the remainder of the year wisely.
Dust off your agenda usage skills.
Fine-tune organization abilities.

Need extra help? Talk to the professionals at your nearest Oxford Learning centre. They can help you make the rest of this school year count!

Organization Issues Are The Biggest Homework Challenge Families Face

Posted April 16, 2012

We asked families what their biggest homework issue was and the majority of parents indicated that their children struggle the most with organization.

Organization is actually a very common school issue for many students–it is the cause of procrastination and it leads to frustration and to problems with time management issues.

So, to help, we complied our TOP HOMEWORK ORGANIZATION TIPS:

Use an agenda every day, and learn to use it like a pro!
Write the date and class on your notes. Put all loose pages in order in your binder.
Before finishing homework for the night, double check that you have completed all tasks.
Look ahead to tomorrow and gather all the supplies that you need for the next day and out them in the book bag.
Keep all study and homework materials—pens, paper, calculators, dictionaries, whiteout—whatever you need—in a single spot. Get a clear tupperware bin to keep everything easily accessible. Don’t waste time searching for items you need to have at the tips of your fingertips.
Use a wall calendar to keep track of after-school activities and chores.

Make daily to-do lists in the agenda and check off items as they are completed.

What tips do you use to keep your family organized and to combat homework struggles? We’d love to hear them!

Ohio Students Get Triggy With it

Posted April 3, 2012

Fraser Institute’s Secondary Schools Report Card

Posted April 1, 2012

Story: Angela Marseglia from the Beaches and Danforth Oxford Learning locations discusses the popularity of tutoring for secondary students in the wake of the release of the Fraser Report.

Source: Toronto Sun

Date: April 1, 2012

Area: Toronto/GTA

Watch the video and read the full article here.