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NEW AWARD, READING PATHWAYS, TEACHING TIPS,
VANISHING LANGUAGES, THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Another 1st-place award for *Best Phonics Program!* The debut of Reading Pathways. It's big, it's bold, and it's beautiful! Some great teaching tips. Pondering our English Language.
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NEW AWARD
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Phonics Pathways has just won its 6th (yes, SIXTH) award
for *Best Phonics Program In The Country*! This latest
award is from *Homeschooling Parent,* and is their 2006
Stamp of Approval Award which is only issued in certain
categories to select recipients. They wrote:
*There comes a time through the review process that the
best-of-the-best rises to the surface. We launched the
Homeschooling Parent's Homeschool Friendly Stamp of
Approval to recognize these over-the-top products and
services, which have truly risen up and above their
industry peers.* Winners are described as *remarkable,
unparallelled, first-rate, extraordinary, top notch!*
Once again we are dancing in the streets, and simply
overjoyed at this wonderful new award from such a
respected journal. Thank you, Homeschooling Parent!
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READING PATHWAYS!
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Reading Pathways is here, it's in place, and it's shipping.
It contains everything that was in Pyramid, plus these
added features:
It is over one/third longer with many new pyramid
exercises in all existing sections of the book. It has
new graphics, introduction, and a stunning new cover.
Teaching-wise, it has three all-new teaching sections:
(1) A new section called *The Long And The Short
Of It* provides gentle and gradual introduction and
practice using short-vowel words and long-vowel words
together, prior to moving into mixed vowel pyramids.
Simple combinations are read first, such as *mad made,
fed feed, hid hide, hop hope, dud dude,* which are grouped
by the vowel used. More complex and mixed combinations
follow, such as *rat bite, Jack woke,* and *seek Jim.*
A special and intriguing *Treasure Chest* game provides
reinforcement for this section in a most enjoyable fashion!
(2) Another new section is called *Brain Busters*, because
it truly is a challenge! It is comprised of progressively
complex full-page multisyllable word pyramid sentences which
use a wide variety and number of multisyllable words in every
sentence. It further develops reading skills in a fun-filled way,
and was described by one wag as *Pyramid on steroids!*
View an especially wild example here. (PDF file - Adobe Acrobat required to view)
Kids are sure to love the challenge of these advanced pyramids!
(3) Multisyllable words are summarized, alphabetized, and indexed
at the end of the book for easy reference and vocabulary work.
A selection of unique and engaging multisyllable word games will
further develop fluency and comprehension and are easily
adaptable for home or classroom use.
Early reviews are beginning to trickle in. One reading specialist
wrote:
*I tutor a 6th grade girl who comes in to read it every day during
recess. She grabs the book off the shelf, and told me she really
loved it! I found that interesting as she has had lots of problems
reading. It's intriguing that students can work their way through
it without a teacher and maintain a high level of interest to finish it
with no external incentives. It's quite interesting that they also
appear to profit a great deal from the adventure.*
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VANISHING LANGUAGES
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We've just returned from the annual meeting of the American
Association for the Advancement of Science. It was difficult
to choose which of these fascinating sessions to attend --
Over 25 were presented simultaneously at any given time!
A symposia that especially interested me was on endangered
and vanishing languages. One speaker from the Myaamia
American Indian tribe commented on the vital connection
between his people's spoken language and its identity.
*For some of us,* he said, *our language reconnects us to
a human experience shared with previous generations.*
There were many excellent speakers in this symposia,
all with similar themes of how their shrinking language is
vital to anyone concerned by the loss of human cultures.
A number of endangered languages were represented with
one glaring exception -- the English language!
Many articles have been written about our own shrinking
language, and indeed -- a few years ago the Australian
Times featured a study showing how primates knew more
words than the average first-grade Australian child!
This article also drew an analogy between their shrinking
language and going blind. At first a blind person can recall
what family and friends look like, but with time this ability
fades. When enough time has passed they can no longer
recall what their loved ones look like.
Reading is our *remote control* to the past. If we are
limited to reading only words we know and guessing
at new words through context clues, we are confined
within the boundaries of our current vocabularies and
thoughts, interpreting things only from within our own
shallow perspective.
But if students are able to effortlessly read and understand
a wide variety of multisyllable words it will help them build
the strong vocabulary, critical thinking skills, and independent
judgments based on complex, nuanced thinking that are so
vital for success and survival in today's challenging society!
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TEACHING TIPS
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*Spell, Read, and Erase* is a lively game for the whole classroom,
sent to me from a grade school teacher in Taiwan:
It is played by one student at a time, with the whole class as
referee. Write a whole list of words comprised of the sound being
learned on the whiteboard. Without looking at the words, name
one of them. Call upon one student and ask him/her to spell the
same word.
Then ask the class to spell it. (If the student was wrong the
class will certainly let him/her know!) The student must now
find the word on the whiteboard, and erase it. Proceed in this
manner, with students taking turns coming up, spelling the word
dictated, and finding and erasing it.
Sounds like fun!
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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
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Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a person's
growth without destroying his roots. (Frank A. Clark, writer)
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That's it for this newsletter! We hope you have enjoyed it, and
will free to share it with others who might be interested.
The next newsletter will give step-by-step information about
Reading First funding, and how your school can qualify.
Enjoy your day,
Dolores
Copyright 2007 Dolores G. Hiskes
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