Index of Interesting Research, Facts, or Literature Involving the Education of 4th and 5th Grade Age Kids
Help Your Kid Ace Her Homework: Don't know long division? Doesn't matter. Top teachers have your back. (taken from the September 2011 issue of Men's Health as a synopsis of advice from education experts Jo Boaler, Ph.D. of Stanford University and Ann Dolin, M.Ed., author of Homework Made Simple)
1) Shelve the Modesty. Don't admit that you struggled with a subject when you were in school . This can deflate your child's confidence in your ability to help and her own ability to learn. Point out that practice makes permanent: the harder she works at something, the more she'll retain.
2) Don't Demonstrate. Instead of showing her how to solve a problem, have her work it through on her own while explaining her answer. If she stalls, set a timer for 10 minutes and promise a break if she keeps at it until the bell rings. This can help her start.
3) Don't Tell Her She's Smart. If you do this when she's correct, you set her up to think she's no longer smart the next time she fails. Say, "Good job. You've learned a lot!" Then relate the work to real life. If she understands percentages, she can calculate sales prices at her favorite store, for instance.
4) Never Say "Wrong." Instead, say, "I see what you're thinking, but let's try it like this." This approach can make your child feel comfortable with her abilities even if she's struggling. "Wrong" shuts down her thought process and puts you in control.
A Snooze Alarm (taken from the April 7, 2006 issue of Time for Kids)
According to a new survey by the National Sleep Foundation, more and more kids may be catching z's at school instead of earning A's. The foundation polled more than 1,600 kids ages 11 to 17 and their parents and found that 20% of adolescents are getting fewer than nine hours of sleep on school nights.
The poll found that students who get at least nine hours of sleep do better in school than those who get less. Doctors recommend that school-age kids sleep 10 and 1/2 hours every night. "Sending students to school without enough sleep is like sending them to school without breakfast," said Jodi Mindell, the associate director of the Sleep Center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Experts say that technology is partly to blame for poor sleeping habits. Around 97% of adolescents have at least one electronic item in their bedrooms--a computer, a TV, sometimes both. Scientists are hoping that the poll will serve as a wake-up call for adolescents to sleep more--at home, not at school!
Is Teaching Cursive Writing a Waste of Time? (taken from the March 2004 American Teacher Magazine)
"YES!" says David Rufo, third and fourth grade teacher at Manlius Pebble Hill School in DeWitt, New York, and a freelance painter and sculptor.
"We no longer use eight-track tape players because we now have audio technology that is easier, faster, and better. We no longer beat clothes against rocks at the riverside because we now have a method that is easier, faster, and better. So, why do we force our schoolchildren to write in a systemized loopy script that is rather difficult to decipher and leaves many adults with knots the size of walnuts on their knuckles?
Whenever I bring up the idea of doing away with the practice of cursive writing instruction in our schools, most folks over the age of 35 look at me with a mix of shock, confusion and eventually, disgust. Humans are creatures of habit. Attempting to change what they have come to expect from our classrooms is more difficult than Sisyphus getting his boulder to stay put. Even in the face of unbelievable technological advances over the last decade, many teachers blindly accept that cursive writing instruction must be part of the daily curriculum.
Granted, cursive writing (like every other form of writing) had a useful purpose when it was originally developed. However, at the dawn of a new century filled with picture-taking cell phones and instant messaging, I feel it's safe to say cursive writing has pretty much run its course. It's not that I have anything against the aesthetic qualities cursive writing offers, quite the contrary. In addition to being a teacher, I am also an artist and fascinated by the variety of flourishes made by the handwritten word--be it Sanskrit, illuminated medieval manuscripts or the gorgeously hypnotic patterns created by cursive writing pioneer Charles P. Zaner. But keep in mind that the original Zaner manual was published more than 100 years ago.
As teachers, we need to determine the purpose of writing. Is it not to communicate effectively? If so, shouldn't we allow our students to do that in the easiest, most effective way possible? Depending on the classroom, the options might include manuscript (printing), keyboard typing or speaking into a computer.
The act of writing occurs in the imagination and mind of the writer. We now have a variety of methods at our disposal to communicate those thoughts and ideas to an audience. I'm sure there will come a time in the not so distant future when keyboards, too, will become quaint and antiquated. At that time, I hope teachers will not tenaciously hang onto their PowerBooks because of tradition."
"NO!" says Janie Cravens, a 23-year veteran teacher at Washington-Wilkes Elementary School in Washington, Georgia, and a member of the International Association of Master Penmen, Engrossers, and Teachers of Handwriting.
"There is still a real need for cursive writing instruction in today's curriculum. Anything we teachers can do to help our students succeed is never a waste of time. Last summer, an 11th-grader asked me to help her improve her cursive writing. After three weeks of lessons, she felt confident enough to write her college entrance essay. She was stepping into the competitive world, and cursive was a tool she instinctively knew she needed--even in this day of Palm Pilots and .doc files.
For elementary school students, writing in cursive is a rite of passage--just as important as a teenager learning to drive. Teenagers are motivated to study their driver's manuals, practice parking, and learn the rules of road safety. They will study and practice so they can "take off and drive." In the same way, third-graders are motivated to take the time and make the effort to learn cursive. They want to "take off and write." In the process, of course, they are learning sentence structure, capitalization, and a myriad of other writing rules. Why not jump on the chance to teach something that will benefit students for life? They are motivated to write, so why not make the most of it?
Teaching cursive writing in the classroom reaps other benefits, as well. Students need to learn to read cursive script--it is still widely used in everything from advertising to invitations. In addition, the process of cursive writing instruction and then practice enhances the students' skills in listening and following directions.
What's more, the flow and rhythm that comes from cursive writing is like "visual music" in the way it can help information stick. We surely don't remember all of the prose we read during our teens, but we can still remember the words to every Top-40 song. The flow and kinesthetic rhythm make these songs stick.
Nor has the technological revolution supplanted the need for handwriting, even in the world of instant messages and chat rooms. (How soon will YOUR school be able to afford a PDA for every student?) This is still a world of pen and ink, and will be for years to come.
There's one other area in which good cursive instruction will offer great rewards for the time spent--an area that is dear to any teacher squinting through another night of reading students' runic scrawls. When a student turns in a legible paper, my heart wants to sing, because I know I can grade it without deciphering it first. Priceless."
What We Know About All Learners: The Learning Pyramid of Knowledge Retention (in percentages of knowledge retained when using each method) (presented and given to me by former principal, Doug Johnson)
Lecture 5%
Reading 10%
Demonstration 20%
Audio-Visual 30%
Discussion 50%
Practice By Doing 75%
Teach Others 90%
Index of the Average 10-Year-Old (taken from the October 6, 2003 Sports Illustrated):
1) Number of 10-year-olds in the U.S.--4.2 million
2) Favorite sports to play (in order)--basketball, football, soccer
3) League whose games they are most likely to attend--Major League Baseball
4) Percentage who rate their athletic ability as "expert"--40.2%
5) Percentage who believe that having a boyfriend or girlfriend is the biggest problem facing them--39.2%
6) Percentage who own a Nintendo 64, Sony PlayStation, Nintendo GameBoy--59.1%, 58.0%, 53.8%
7) Percentage who own in-line skates, skateboard, snowboard--58.8%, 42.2%, 22.4%
8) Percentage who have stopped playing a sport because of a lack of time--29.1%
9) Favorite candy (in order)--Butterfinger, Skittles, Starburst
10) Pieces of gum chewed per week--3 to 4
11) Percentage who believe that being physically fit is extremely important--57.4%
12) Percentage who are afraid of being fat--81.0%
13) Favorite TV shows (in order)--"SpongeBob SquarePants," "The Simpsons," "Lizzie McGuire"
14) Percentage who own or plan to get a cell phone in the next six months--16.9%
15) What they rank as the biggest problem facing the U.S.--terrorism
16) Percentage who think that Pete Rose should be allowed in the Hall of Fame--44.6%
Inside Out the Perfect 10: It's the age when a kid becomes a player--on the field and at the mall--here's what's going on in his body and soul (also from the October 6, 2003 Sports Illustrated):
1) Mind--While 8- and 9-year-olds tend to be conformists and willing to try a wide range of things, 10-year-olds will assert their independence and delve more deeply into their passions.
2) Heart--A 10-year-old boy is more likely to join a team first, then make friends among his teammates. Girls at 10 tend to join teams with their preexisting friends.
3) Idols--At 10, kids are deep into their favorite player. They'd rather know everything about Shaq than a little about a lot of different players.
4) Baseball--Although it is the team sport 10-year-old boys are most likely to play, more than 60% of them won't be plying the game six years later--one of the largest drop-offs of any sport.
5) Extreme Sports--When coaches and parents take the fun out of traditional sports with misplaced emphasis and boorish behavior, kids increasingly turn to the adult-free world of extreme sports, in which they can make their own rules.
6) Growth Plates--Excessive training can cause repetitive-stress injuries that damage them. And damaged growth plates can diminish a child's ultimate adult height. Orthopedists recommend that a 10-year-old run no more than three miles a day.
7) Brand Names--By 10, kids have developed an acute brand-consciousness. More than 80% of 8- to 11-year-olds have a favorite brand of sneaker--and it's Nike by a mile.
8) Beginners--Most experts agree that a child can be exposed to sports as late as 10 and not be at a competitive disadvantage later. One exception is tennis: coaches believe it's worth "grooving the strokes" as early as age 5.
9) Travel Teams--More and more kids are forsaking rec leagues to play on these elite squads. At 10, says one youth sports expert, travel-team coaches begin to pressure kids to play only one sport.
ENJOY FEBRUARY 29th (2004)--It Doesn't Come Around Every Year! (taken from the February 2004 issue of Boy's Life Magazine)
Why leap year? Blame it on the Earth's orbit, which is 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 45 seconds longer than the 365 days we consider to be a year. The extra time goes to February 29 every four years. If it weren't for Leap Year Day, we would eventually celebrate Thanksgiving in spring and take summer vacation in October.
Leap Year Birthday. Legend says Superman was born on February 29 because he never seems to age. DC comics even minted a commemorative coin when Superman turned 50 on February 29, 1988. If you're good with math, though, you'll see a problem. Leap-year babies can't turn 50 on their actual birthdays. They would have to be either 48 or 52--because 50 cannot be divided by four (and 1938 was not a leap year).
History of Leap Year. Roman Emperor Julius Caesar took the first stab at fixing the calendar when dates were no longer in sync with the seasons. First, he created one extra-long year--445 days--to get things back on track. He followed that with a pattern of three 365-day years and one 366-day year--leap year. Fifteen centuries later, though, the calendar was off-kilter again. It turns out that Caesar's plan created three extra leap years every 400 years. So, in 1582, Pope Gregory XIII came up with a way to fix the problem. That year, the calendar jumped from October 4 to October 15. Gregory also set up a new rule to get rid of those three extra leap years. Under the Gregorian calendar, only century years divisible by 400 are leap years.
Random Leap Year Facts.
--One in 1,461 people are "Leapies," born on Leap Year Day.
--There are approximately 200,000 people in the United States with Leap Year Day birthdays and 4 million in the world.
--Leap year happens only in years in which January 1 and December 31 of the same year fall on different days of the week.
--The Henriksen family of Stavanger, Norway, has three siblings born on consecutive Leap Year Days--Heidi on February 29, 1960; Olav on February 29, 1964; and Leif-Martin on February 29, 1968.
Brian S. Lees
Morning Creek
Elementary School
Poway Unified School District
10925 Morning Creek Drive South
San Diego CA 92128
(858)748-4334 (ext. 2121)