------------------------------------------------------------ An Online Educational Community A newsletter that educates parents, teachers, and students. October 2001 Issue #27 Zigmond Snook, Editor, mailto:editor@innovamultimedia.com ------------------------------------------------------------ Welcome to the twenty-seven issue of "An Online Educational Community". To read past issues of our newsletter, visit http://www.innovamultimedia.com/archive.htm or to learn more about us, check out our website at http://www.innovamultimedia.com If you think a friend might be interested in reading this newsletter, pass it along in whole or in part. You are receiving this newsletter because you requested a subscription. To subscribe or unsubscribe to this newsletter, fill out the form at http://www.innovamultimedia.com/newsletr.htm Each month we will focus on a different educational theme and base our feature article and learning tips around that particular theme. ------------------------------------------------------------ IN THIS ISSUE ------------------------------------------------------------ => What's New => Feature => Contest - Win a Whale => This Month's Free Lesson Plans => More Great Education Web Sites => Whale Links for Whale Lovers => Webmaster's Wanderings => Feedback ------------------------------------------------------------ What's New ------------------------------------------------------------ INNOVA Multimedia Ltd. has just learned that it will be supplying electronic learning products to Grade One and Two classrooms across the state of Arizona. The deal comes as a result of a partnership INNOVA signed last month with LearningStation.com, a U.S.-based distributor of e-learning products. INNOVA's content was included in LearningStation's successful bid to supply educational resources to Arizona classrooms. Throughout the three and a half year agreement, INNOVA's A Whale of a Tale® series, levels 1 and 2, will be made available to students in every elementary school in Arizona. The products, which will be delivered to the classroom through LearningStation's web site, help children learn math, science, language and social studies. For more information on LearningStation visit http://www.learningstation.com ------------------------------------------------------------ Feature ------------------------------------------------------------ How To Improve The Reading Level Of Children With Learning Disabilities Or Reading Impairments: 10 Sure-Fire Methods Parents Who Homeschool Their Kids Are Using Right Now Very Successfully! by Christopher J. Sewell http://www.specialeducationhomeschoolingresourcesvault.com/letter.shtml "Weekly tips to help you give your ADD/ADHD, Deaf, Hard-of-Hearing, Autistic, and Reading Impaired child get the best homeschooling education possible." Like most parents that homeschool their children, I'm pretty sure you homeschool your children because you feel they need that special "one-on-one" attention. If your child has a learning disability (ADD/ADHD, Deafness or Hard-of-Hearing, Autism, or a Reading Impairment) homeschooling your child maybe the way to get them that much needed extra attention to improve their reading level. What I'm going to reveal in this short but powerful report are the 10 strategies parents all over the U.S. have used very successfully to improve their child's reading level. These methods can be used for any child that has a learning disability. Your goal to improve your child's reading level should be just that...to make whatever improvement your child can make. Most of the tips and suggestions in this report have come directly from the mouths of parents who are homeschooling children with ADD/ADHD, Deafness or Hard-of-Hearing, Autism, or a Reading Impairment. I think you will find this report very interesting because as a parent I'm sure you often wonder what other parents are doing to improve their child's reading level. Here are the 10 tips: 1. If you have child who is behind a grade level or two in reading, one father suggests using the "Fast ForWord" reading program. The father used the Fast ForWord program for 1 1/2 hours per day. In 4 1/2 weeks, he reported that his son came up one reading level. His son had very low auditory and receptive processing and he was amazed at the difference this program made. You can learn more about "Fast ForWord" at http://www.fastforword.com/ 2. Here's a list of workbooks one parent recommends for children that are two or three years behind in reading. Some of these books have age ranges. But, don't let your child know that the material is a few years behind. * Auditory Processing Super Pack Listening * Category Workshop * Let's Talk Today (Calendar) * Interactive Language Skills * Developing Comprehension in Non or Minimally Verbal Children * Verbal Reasoning Activities You can find the above materials at http://www.eclpublications.com/products.htm Also, you should try the "Reading Lady". This program has a 4 block method for increasing a childs reading level by 3 grades. http://www.readinglady.com/ 3. Visit Reading Rockets, WETA's newly launched educational site that has over 250 articles for parents, teachers, and others about teaching young children to read and helping those who struggle. http://www.readingrockets.org/ 4. Talking about stories with your child is a great way to develop and determine their reading comprehension skills, and a lot more fun. Here are a few suggestions offered by one parent. * If you're doing reading together, stop at strategic parts of the story and see if your child can predict what might happen next. * Have them describe what they like or don't like about the characters. * Ask how they think a certain character might be feeling, or contrast 2 characters, or retell the story to a friend or sibling or other parent. * If your child likes to draw, they could draw a sequence of scenes that tells the story, or draw a scene and tell you about it. These ideas can help a child develop their comprehension because now they are using pictures and you are interacting with your child to make the entire reading process more just looking at words. You may also try "Pathway Readers" (the ones written by and for Amish schools). They are interesting stories about Amish farms and families and have worktexts that concentrate on comprehension skills with a minimum of writing. Also check out "Reading Strands". It isn't a curriculum per se but helps you (the parent) help your children get more out of reading with simple oral dialogues that you use that encourages kids to think deeper about their reading. It also has reading lists, etc. You can get both of these from Rainbow Resource. http://www.rainbowresource.com/ 5. For children who hate to read, a parent told me about a computer reading program called "Reader Rabbit". What this parent liked about "Reader Rabbit" was that her 10 year old daughter didn't realize she was actually reading. She that she was playing a game. You should try this computer program with your child if they hate reading and are giving you a difficult time teaching them to read. This program is very suitable for children with ADD/ADHD. You can purchase the "Reader Rabbit" program and learn more about it at: http://www.learningco.com/SubCategory.asp?CID=251 6. Earobics is another computer program that helps kids learn to read who hate reading. It also appears like the child is playing a game, but they are also learn to read as well. You can learn more about Earobics, and purchase the program at http://www.earobics.com/ 7. Here's another interesting technique you can use you get your child interested in reading. It works very well with kids that have ADD/ADHD as reported to me by another parent. Make a chart out of paper with little squares and in each one write the name of the books that you are going to read or chapters from books you plan to read. Once they complete a square by themselves they get a sticker and at the end of the set they get a prize once the squares are all filled. Let them pick a sticker of their choice from several colors. Then give them a small selection of toys to choose from when they complete the chart. You may want to start small on this technique. Reading a whole book may be a bit much depending on your child. You may want to start with by filling each square with a list of small chapters to read. As your child progresses, use longer chapters, and then small books to larger books. Stickers may work well with small children (5-8yrs), but older children will need more of a reward. You can try playing their favorite video game or giving them their favorite treat as a reward. 8. If your child has been diagnosed with a lack of short-term memory, reading may be very difficult for them. After all, if your child can't remember words, how can they read them? Well, you could try "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons". You can find it at almost any bookstore or you can get it directly from Amazon at: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0130996696/profit 9. You may want to also try the "Hooked on Phonics" books. With children who seem to lack short-term memory, it can take 100's of repetition to get the knowledge into their heads. 95% of parent's say "Hooked On Phonics" worked for their kids. When you purchase the "Learn to Read Deluxe" package you also get a FREE gift. There's also a 90 day money-back guarantee. You can pick up the "Hooked On Phonics - Learn To Read Deluxe" package at: http://www.hop.com/hopshop/catalog/index.jhtml 10. Peggy Wilber is the cofounder of the "Pikes Peak One+One Reading Tutoring Program" that shows parents how to help children with dyslexia and ADD/ADHD how to improve their reading skills by as much as TWO grade levels. Here new book, "Reading Rescue 1-2-3," reveals how you can help your child improve their reading level. You can get Peggy's new book at http://www.readingrescue123.com/ What you have just read were a few tips found in my "SPECIAL EDUCATION HOMESCHOOLING RESOURCES VAULT". Each week I fill this private site with all sorts of valuable tips on how parents, like yourself, can give children with ADD/ADHD, Deafness or Hard-of-Hearing, Autism, or Reading Impairments a better education at home. Most of the advice found in my private vault comes directly from the mouths of parents with children with "special needs" just like yours. To learn more about how my "Special Education Homeschooling Resources Vault" can help improve your child's education, just visit http://www.specialeducationhomeschoolingresourcesvault.com/letter.shtml I have another free report I'd like to give you at my site. It's called, "HOMESCHOOLING QUICK START GUIDE: Helpful Tips To Homeschooling Your Child And What You Must Do To Get Started The Right Way!" A must read for any parent who is considering homeschooling their child. http://www.specialeducationhomeschoolingresourcesvault.com/letter.shtml Chris Sewell ------------------------------------------------------------ Contest - Win a Whale ------------------------------------------------------------ INNOVA Multimedia Ltd. is giving away TEN of our "A Whale of a Tale" educational software lessons and the latest version of LessonBuilder, a custom course creation utility, as a FREE DOWNLOAD on our website! Visit http://www.innovamultimedia.com/lbuilder.htm to download your free copy. When you download LessonBuilder you are automatically entered in our contest to win a free CD-ROM from our "A Whale of a Tale" series. Good Luck! ------------------------------------------------------------ This Month's Free Lesson Plans ------------------------------------------------------------ Teachers, check out free "A Whale of a Tale" lesson plans on our website at http://www.innovamultimedia.com/lp_index.htm Leap into Language 3 - "Let’s Have a Whale of a Time" at http://www.innovamultimedia.com/lang3a.htm encourages children to access a variety of information sources (encyclopedias, picture books, Internet). They also identify an effective format for sharing information and organize ideas by making notes and drawings. Leap into Language 3 - "Paragraph Fun" at http://www.innovamultimedia.com/lang3b.htm encourages children to explore, with assistance, the forming of phrases into sentences, and sentences into paragraphs and begin to use simple paragraphing. ------------------------------------------------------------ More Great Education Web Sites ------------------------------------------------------------ Check out some of these INNOVA recommended resource sites: Live and Learn http://www.ed.gov/free/ The Live And Learn web site is actually two sites in one. We have The Learning Pages, which has information and resources for teachers, daycare providers and concerned parents. And we have the Live And Learn Online Catalog, which features high quality educational and specialty toys at discounted prices. Our site is not too fancy. Rather than employ all the latest bells and whistles, we put our efforts into finding valuable content for our reference pages. We believe that content is more important than glitz. Because of this focus, we are one of the better portals to the many educational resources the WEB has to offer. National Institute on Early Childhood Development and Education http://www.ed.gov/offices/OERI/ECI/ The Early Childhood Institute (ECI) sponsors comprehensive and challenging research in order to help ensure that America's young children are successful in school and beyond -- and to enhance their quality of life and that of their families. Sesame Workshop http://www.sesameworkshop.org/ From Sesame Workshop, creators of Sesame Street, this site delivers high-quality, entertaining and educational programming for kids and parents together. The Workshop reaches parents (of kids ages 0-14), preschool families, kids 6-14, and fans of all ages. ------------------------------------------------------------ Whale Links for Whale Lovers ------------------------------------------------------------ "Whales and Dolphins of the World" developed by Multimedia 2000 Inc. "Whales and Dolphins of the World" is a very informative educational CD that utilizes text, sound, graphics and video to cover such topics as Evolution, Whale Research, Whales and Man, Life in the Water, Anatomy and Physiological Adaptations, and Dolphins and Porpoises. This product is an excellent reference for middle and high school students studying the topic of whales and dolphins. For further information or to order you can: Fax 206-622-4380 Web site www.m-2k.com Check out these INNOVA recommended whale sites! RESEARCH TECHNIQUES FOR CETACEAN STUDIES IN THE LIGURIAN SEA SANCTUARY http://utenti.tripod.it/camp_cetacei2000/welcome.eng.html The aim of this naturalistic campaign was to get the students in touch with the various research techniques applied to the study of cetacean populations in their own environment. The Center for Coastal Studies http://www.coastalstudies.org/ The Center for Coastal Studies CCS is a private nonprofit organization. Our first work, as a largely voluntary organization of concerned scientists and citizens, involved issues of coastal erosion and planning. Over the years, we have concentrated on various aspects of applied research in the marine environment, mostly having to do with marine mammals, although our program includes a wide range of scientific disciplines, conservation interests and educational activities. ------------------------------------------------------------ Whale Trivia: ------------------------------------------------------------ - The fast-swimming Ocra Whale is considered to be the most feared of all the ocean predators. - Scientists consider the Right Whale to be the most endangered of all whale species. The current worldwide total is estimated to be about 1,000 individuals. - The Right Whale's body is so rich in oil, it floats when dead. - Whale calves are born with their eyes open, alert senses, and enough swimming skills to follow their mothers immediately. - Blue Whale offspring can reach up to 23 feet in length and weigh as much as 8 tons, making them the largest newborns in the world. ------------------------------------------------------------ Webmaster's Wanderings ------------------------------------------------------------ Links http://www.innovamultimedia.com/links.htm Are you a parent, teacher, kid looking for the perfect link to fit your needs? INNOVA has host of different links for parents, kids, teachers, etc. Whatever suits your needs best. We even have a "Whale Links" section that allows people to view sites about whales and their habitats. ------------------------------------------------------------ Feedback ------------------------------------------------------------ If you have comments or suggestions concerning our online newsletter or website, please direct them to mailto:editor@innovamultimedia.com Your comments and suggestions will be published in the feedback section of future issues. Past Online issues can be found at http://www.innovamultimedia.com/archive.htm ------------------------------------------------------------ English Resources Newsletter For teachers and parents. Free opt-in monthly newsletter with free units and puzzles. 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