Archive for June, 2010
Posted by SFleming on
June 13, 2010
I was reading status updates on a social media site that I frequent, and happened to see a post by a young friend of mine saying she was headed to the library to get a book to begin summer reading. A mutual acquaintance (also a teen) responded, “Why are you doing that? Haven’t you heard that school is out???” This tells me something very important about that young man’s family’s expectations of him. My feeling is that he has not been expected to exercise his brain during the summer for many, many years. Not coincidentally, the young man also struggles in high school and is at risk for dropping out.
NOW is the time to make that expectation clear to your children. Kids live up (or down) to the expectations that their parents and other important adults have for them. This vacation, make it clear to your children that you expect more from them. Bookmark this site and consider some of our classes to keep the brains active at your house!
Posted by SFleming on
June 11, 2010
Upper elementary and middle school students will enjoy the novel Holes by Louis Sachar. With a reading level of 5.2, the book is accessible to upper elementary students and interesting to middle schoolers. It’s a Newberry Award winner and has been made into a popular movie.
Holes is the story of a boy named Stanley who seems to have everything go wrong in his life. He blames it on a family curse from four generations back, but the results seem very real to him. He’s a social outcast, overweight, and now accused of a crime he didn’t commit and sent to a juvenile detention camp with a twist- the warden believes that boys’ characters can be changed by having them dig holes in the desert in the hot sun. Is he secretly searching for buried treasure?
The book touches on themes of friendship, destiny, and even literacy. The characters demonstrate determination and strong will. It will appeal to girls as well as to boys, and is an outstanding choice for summer reading fun.
Online resources to use with Holes include:
SparkNotes: Holes
Free Holes Online Trivia Game
Activity Suggestions for Holes
Scholastic.com Activities for Holes
Book Wizard: Holes Literature Guide
Don’t forget that you can help your child learn to write an outstanding book report in the Book Report Workshop!
Posted by SFleming on
June 6, 2010
Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird shows up on a LOT of high school reading lists, and with very good reason. The book tackles racism, being a social outcast, and many other very deep subjects through the eyes of a child. In between, there are themes of maturation and lost innocence. The book will cause some deep thoughts about racism and issues of right and wrong both at the personal and at the community and societal levels.
The story is about a young girl growing up in the deep south in the 1930s, and is told through her eyes. She and her brother ponder why some people are outcast from society, and look on as her attorney-father tackles the defense of an African-American man accused of rape.
Parents will want to be aware that there are some instances of bad language and references to rape, violence and racial injustice in the book, and might want to screen it before sharing the story with younger or more sensitive readers.
To Kill a Mockingbird is on classic reading lists for good reason. Harper Lee was honored with a Pulitzer Prize in 1961. The story boasts some outstanding depictions of life in the 1930s in the deep South. The tone moves from childish joy and innocence to dark and almost frightening depictions of the town’s racism during the trial. It’s truly a masterful work of art.
You can read To Kill a Mockingbird online for free at Goodreads.com.
You’ll find a few outstanding study guides and question sets for To Kill a Mockingbird at the following websites:
And as always, you’re welcome to sign up for the Book Report Workshop for $5.00. This self-paced online class will guide your student through the process of writing an outstanding book report, and may be just the ticket to boost those English grades in middle school and high school.