Writing from Informational Texts

How many times have you given your child a writing assignment, only to have him/her sit, staring at the blank page, wondering how to begin? I have used many different writing programs over the years.  Unfortunately, many of these programs fall short in that they teach writing about a topic but not critical analysis of pieces of writing.  Students need to be able to think critically about both fictional and non-fictional types of text.  After attending a lengthy seminar about teaching students to read and respond to informational types of text, I created an acrostic / mnemonic strategy that students, actually any writer, can use to help organize and present their thoughts logically.  When students take writing assessments such as the ACT or SAT writing tests, this process will help them quickly and easily plan their essay.  This is also very useful in college classes where students have to compare / contrast documents, pieces of literature, poems, etc…. Over the next several blog posts, I am going to address each of the components of the mnemonic separately, but I will give you the entire acrostic / mnemonic below so you can see the overall picture.
Here it is:  
C  - Close read the text.
U – Unravel the prompt.
B – Be organized. Tame the BEAST!

B- Begin Strong 

           E- Evidence and Examples
           A- Analyze and Apply 
           S- Sum it Up 
           T- Transitions and Terms

S – Say more!
Be watching for the remaining posts in this series where I examine each part of the writing process step-by-step.  Part 1, Close read the text, is coming up later this week.

You are valuable!

Do you feel dirty? Many people have the feeling that they are unlovable and are worthless because they have sinned and failed yet again. I want you to know that I do love you very much. There is nothing you could ever do that would make Me love you any less than I love you right now and there is nothing you could ever do that would make Me love you more than I do right now. When you come to Me with a broken heart, confessing your sin, I am waiting with open arms to welcome you and forgive you. I provide a cleansing that no one or nothing else can provide for you. My children are clean, even when they don’t look like it on the outside. Since I have made you righteous, begin to live righteously – remember, I am living in you. I want you to begin to see yourself as clean, lovable, and valuable because that is how I see you.   John 3:16; Romans 5:19; Psalm 51:17; 2 Peter 3:11

Where do you find guidance?

Are you confused about what you should do? It is not an unusual for people to experience questions and confusion about what they should do. You have many decisions you have to make each day. Some of the decisions you have to make are very important, and some may be rather trivial. The key for you is to make sure you know what I want you to do when making your important decisions. I have all the wisdom you will ever need. If you will come to Me and ask Me to provide wisdom for you concerning what you should do, I will provide you the needed wisdom. I will lead you to the right decision, but you must follow. My Word is a lamp for you and it is the light you need for your path, but you must walk. Seek Me, listen to Me, follow Me and you will be blessed. Here I am, come to Me and I will provide you the guidance you need. James 1:5; Psalm 119:105; Psalm 111:10

We Choose Virtues, Youth Virtue Journal–A Review

    Character education / training is a practice we have used in our family since our children were born.  Life gets busy; however, and sometimes this training gets put on the back burner, so to speak.  We Choose Virtues, a company focusing on character education, makes this training much easier to implement with kids ages 3-18.  We Choose Virtues offers various different products that are well-written, vibrant, and use-friendly.  We received the Youth Virtue Journal, intended for the 12-18 year old age group,  to use and review.

     I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of materials we received with this product.  Included in the $17 package are: 

• 100 Page youth journal covering 9 Virtues (paperback, consumable)

Downloadable PDF tools

• Youth Mentor's Handbook and Mentor Report Form
• Youth Character Assessment for measurable outcomes.
• List of scriptures appropriate for the Virtues covered in the program.

The Youth Virtue Journal was originally designed to be used in the Idaho Court System with youths in trouble.  Because of this, it is written without faith-based references.  In our family, since we believe that character development and faith go hand-in-hand, we greatly appreciated the downloadable and printable list of scriptures that accompany the Youth Virtue Journal.  Because the journal itself does not include faith based references, this program is not only appropriate for homeschoolers but also for public schools,  counseling programs, and juvenile facilities. 

     When we received the products, I took some time to do a little reading and planning myself (as well as some printing).  The journal is designed for users to spend two weeks covering each virtue, for a total of eighteen weeks.  We have covered things a little more quickly than that.  My kids, ages 14 and 17, thought the journal was a little bit young for them.  They felt it would have been more appropriate with middle school kids.  I do agree with them.  While the principles covered in the journal are appropriate for ages 12-18, my kids were used to more adult materials and thought this was a little simplistic for them.

    The first thing we did was complete the Youth Character Assessment.  It is surprising to see how low kids rank themselves on this type of tool.  I had the kids keep their initial assessment so they could compare it to their final assessment.  Then, we began our study of the different virtues. The virtues covered in the journal are:

• Attentiveness
• Contentment
• Forgiveness
• Gentleness
• Helpfulness
• Honesty
• Obedience
• Perseverance
• Respect

I utilized the Mentor Handbook, a 39 page PDF book that explains the journal and how it is to be used as well as the mentoring process. Although the information in the handbook was helpful in our study, some of the information was geared specifically to a more formal mentoring situation and not applicable to a parent.  Things like establishing rapport with the mentee and setting up meeting times were written for a more formal mentoring situation.

     Each chapter in the journal follows the same basic format.  This makes it easy for the kids to know what to expect and what they need to complete.  They begin with a brief writing assignment.  In this assignment, students describe a dream they have for the future.  Then, they describe things that might be obstacles to that dream and what virtues could help them achieve their dream.  Following this, we would cover the lesson and the kids would answer questions about how well they had mastered the virtue we had been discussing.  The kids are then able to rank themselves on a scale of 1-10 about how well they feel they are using the virtue.  Some additional thought questions are provided to sum up the lesson.  We used these as discussion topics.  At the end of the chapter, inspirational and meaningful quotes related to the quote are included. These quotes provided some great talking points for us throughout the week.  They would make great writing prompts as well.  We would take one day each week and focus on the Biblical aspect of the virtue we were studying.  The list of scriptures provided not only lists scripture verses, but also gives examples of Biblical characters who exhibited the virtues being studied.  I assigned the scriptures as memory work for each virtue.  I think memory work is incredibly important for kids.  Having the list of scriptures provided was really convenient for me.  There is a little blank area in each chapter for the mentor (or parent) to write a few words of advice to the mentee.  I used this to write a personal note to my kids each week about how I saw the virtue displayed in their lives.  Then, the kids had an area for writing their own reflection and response about the virtue we had studied.  They used the same ranking scale as they had used at the beginning of the chapter to set a goal for improving their habit of the virtue.  Finally, the kids sign their name to a pledge about incorporating the virtues into their lives.

      We used the Youth Virtue Journal during our Bible time in the mornings.  I let the kids complete their work on each virtue and read the accompanying scripture passages as part of their daily quiet time and we would discuss things during our time together.  Unfortunately, I would forget to emphasize the virtues during other times.  In retrospect, I should have put some reminder cards up around the house so we would all remember to focus on the virtue at hand.    

     Teaching virtues is important.  The Youth Virtue Journal is easy to use and puts the tools for teaching virtues at your fingertips.  We Choose Virtues is offering a few summer specials on their products:

1. MAY-JUNE: *Promo Code BIG50 for 50% off our amazing set of 12 11x17 Kids of VirtueVille Posters! This is the first time we have ever offered these posters at this price. They are great for school classrooms, Kids Church, or your homeschool room. Kids love them for their bedrooms, bathrooms and kids’ hallways.

2. JUNE-AUGUST: *Promo Code BTS20 for 20% off anything in our WCV Store. This includes any product for kids or youth. Let’s start School with Virtues this year!  

*Only one promo code per order

If you would like to connect with We Choose Virtues via social media:

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/wechoosevirtues
Pinterest –  http://www.pinterest.com/WeChooseVirtues/
Blog -- http://www.wechoosevirtuesblog.com/

My friends on the Schoolhouse Review Crew also reviewed products from We Choose Virtues.  To read their reviews, click on the banner below.

 

Victory is Yours

Everything will be OK. Many people tell you this, but they don’t have the ability to guarantee you a true positive outcome. The difference between them and Me is that I do have the ability to guarantee you a positive outcome. Don’t misunderstand Me, I don’t mean that everything will turn out the way you necessarily think it should, but it will work out for the best. I have the amazing ability to work all things together for the good of all those who truly love Me and are called according to My purpose. Even when you experience difficulties in life you can rest assured of My presence with you and My love for you. For My children, even the world’s greatest fear – death – does not prevent me from bringing victory because I overcame death and the grave. Romans 8:28; Matthew 28:6

A Life in Balance–A Review

When I first became a parent, the first thought in my mind was, “Is there anything wrong with my child?”  I was the typical first-time parent – my child was never going to drink cokes, was never going to be around anyone or anything with germs, and was never going to be anything but the perfect student.  I love my kids dearly; however, I am grown up enough to have realized my expectations were not realistic.  Enter my child with physical and learning challenges.  In retrospect, I wish I had been homeschooling from the start and I wish I had been able to read Frank Belgau’s book, A Life in Balance, many years ago. I received a copy to read and review and have been completely intrigued. Belgau has been a life-long student of brain to body connections.  He became the founder of Learning Breakthrough Program, a company specializing in brain fitness activities, and has never stopped learning and sharing what he has learned. 

      Unlike other books about brain-body connections, A Life in Balance is an inspiring story rather than just a listing of statistics, facts, and exercises.  The story itself was inspired by Frank Belgau and his life and struggle with learning and how his experiences shaped him and spurred him to help struggling students.   This is a story of determination and hope.  Belgau demonstrates perseverance and hope with all children he works with, even children who have been written off by other teachers and adults as having severe learning disabilities.  He comes at his practice from the premise that every child can learn. He uses non-traditional teaching methods with success. 

       Interspersed with his story, Belgau outlines all of his methods, experiences, and theories.  As I read, I was taken aback by how many of his methods I actually had discovered through trial and error working with my Aspie child.  Oh how I wish I had been able to read this book years ago!!  Belgau gives a thorough explanation of the relationship between physical  intelligence (things like balance) and higher order brain functions like reading and memory.  My l.d. son struggled, and still does, with many higher order brain functions.  He especially has issues with sequencing.  Looking back, I see that he had a severe vision issue as a child.  He compensated for the vision issue by becoming left handed. He was not naturally left handed.  By the time his vision was restored, he was used to being left handed and we never tried to have him switch.  His vision issue resulted in him being several years behind in his motor skills.  As he got into school, he had some teachers who understood the connection between his motor skills issues and his learning, other teachers who did not.  He is actually an extremely intelligent young man, but he was labeled because he did not learn the same was as other kids.  One guidance counselor recognized his giftedness and wanted to test him for giftedness.  As we were in the process of lining it up, she lost her job and the next counselor would not continue the process.  I wish I could change what he went through, but I can’t.  We, unknowingly, made lots of accommodations and adaptations to help him succeed when we could.  Fast forward to him in ninth grade.  We began homeschooling.  I was able to incorporate learning activities that he flourished in.  I was able to help, based on my limited research, him regain some of his physical deficits.  I can see now that I should have spent even more time on his physical intelligence.  There is a huge connection between the physical and the mental. He still lives at home with us.  I am going to be encouraging him to work on some of the exercises in Belgau’s book in hopes that there is still time to improve his physical and mental issues.
    While many of the techniques and exercises in Belgau’s book require a kit / special equipment, the last bit of the book describes some exercises / activities that can be done at home without special equipment.  One of these activities is called the Space Walk.  My husband is recovering from a brain injury and has issues with balance.  I am using the Space Walk with him to help improve his balance and walking in general. It is similar to some things he did while in physical therapy.  I want to do anything I can to improve not only his physical fitness but also his brain fitness.

     All in all, I recommend Belgau’s book not just for those with special children, but for anyone who wants to learn how the physical and the mental are intertwined.  This is a book for parents, but it would also be appropriate for older teens.  It retails for $16.94 through the website.    To connect with Learning Breakthrough Program on social media visit:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LearningBreakthrough
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LearningBreak
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/LearningBreakthrough

  
To read reviews from my friends on the Schoolhouse Review Crew, click on the banner below.

   

Progeny Press E-Guide to The Giver–a Review

Progeny Press is a company that we associate with quality study guides for literature, written from a Christian perspective, for students in kindergarten through twelfth grade.  Out of the over 100 study guides available through Progeny Press, we received the E-Guide for Lois Lowry’s The Giver to use in our homeschool and review. If you would prefer a print or cd version, those are available as well.  This guide is intended for middle school children (grades 5-8).  As with any literature study, please examine the book and literature guide and determine if they are appropriate for your child. 

     Each study guide provides “easy-to-use, reproducible lessons on literary terms, comprehension and analysis, critical thinking, related scriptural principles, vocabulary, and activities, plus a complete answer key.” The E-Guide version, which we received, is very user-friendly.  It is available immediately after payment.  The E-Guide is a downloadable .pdf that is created so students can type in their answers to the questions.  It can be printed if your child would prefer to write his/her answers.  Also, you can use the ‘save as’ feature and save the guide for each student with his/her answers typed in.  This is what I do.  Then, when my daughter is finished with the entire study guide, I print the completed guide and she places it in a literature notebook. The E-Guide version of the study guide for The Giver retails on the Progeny Press website for $18.99.  There is also a printed booklet version available for $21.99 and a cd version for $18.99.  The novel does not come with the study guide; however, it is also available for purchase through Progeny Press (or you can secure your own copy from a library or a bookstore).  This study guide was very popular with my daughter!  She loves to be on the computer, and hates to write things out by hand.  So, when she found out she would get to complete her literature assignments on the computer she was stoked!

The Giver study guide is intended for students in middle school, grades 5-8, but would be most appropriate for students in grades 7-9.  I have been using it for an eighth grader and it has been just right for her level. She has been able to be incredibly independent in her study.  She really has enjoyed the interactive format of the E-guide.  The questions in the guide range from rote information such as vocabulary to critical thinking and analysis.  She was able to handle the rote type exercises by herself.  The deeper, more thought-provoking questions have led to some great discussions between us.  This book was her first introduction to dystopian fiction.  It can be a little disturbing at first, so I am glad we have been able to use the study guide as a springboard to discussion.

     I love the way that these study guides are laid out.  For me, they are a lesson planning dream.  Each guide provides background information to help both students and parents understand more about the books and authors.  My daughter and I each read through the background information first and discussed it.  Then, it was a simple process of assigning a few chapters to be read and study guide pages to be completed.  These study guides are detailed, but not ‘nit-picky.’  I appreciate that. Students are exposed to new vocabulary words by definition and through context, they are given opportunity to demonstrate comprehension of what they have read, and they are taken through questions to help them interpret and analyze what they have read and make application to the Christian life.  Many of the questions are very thought provoking and have led to some interesting discussions in our house.  Most of the lesson sections revolve around chunks of reading approximately 3 chapters in length.  I have found, that for my daughter, this is a perfect amount of reading to work with at one time. She is a slower reader who takes a few days to complete 3 chapters, so completing both the reading ad activities for that much material is easily completed in about a week and a half.  These guides are designed to take approximately a half of a semester to complete, and we have found that is a very accurate time frame.  .  I have already planned four study guides and books to use with each child next year (both high school age, yikes!).  Voila! Literature curriculum is complete and ready for next year.  It is independent, which is what high school should be, yet, it fosters discussion.  I can’t say enough good things about these study guides!

To check out Progeny Press on social media:

Facebook –  https://www.facebook.com/progenypress
Twitter –  https://twitter.com/progenypress
Pinterest – http://www.pinterest.com/progenypress/
YouTube -  https://www.youtube.com/user/ProgenyPress

     My friends on the Schoolhouse Review Crew have been using and reviewing many other study guides from Progeny Press.  To read their reviews, click on the graphic below.

 

 

Fear v. Peace–a Devotional

Are you afraid? Feelings of fear engulf many people each day. As My child, you have been given a spirit of power, of love, and of a sound mind, not a spirit of fear. My power is unlimited, My love is unending, and My mind is unequaled. As My precious son or daughter, you have all you will ever need. I understand, with the limited knowledge you have, there are times you are tempted to focus on your problems and struggles rather than on Me and My strength. You need not be bound by the chains of fear. I have adopted you. You are mine. I have given you the privilege of calling Me Daddy. Come to your Daddy and experience the peace I have for you. Allow Me to embrace you, surround you, and engulf you with My love rather than being controlled by fear.

2 Timothy 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

Romans 8:15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."

Dear God, my Daddy,

I bow before You today acknowledging that often I am overcome with fear. I confess that worrying and living in fear is a sin against You because it demonstrates a lack of faith in You. I want to begin to focus on You rather than focusing on me and my problems. I lift my family to You place them in Your hands. I choose to trust You rather than worry about them. I lift our Grace Family to You and ask You to work in a powerful way in and through us. Please bring an awakening to my heart and to Grace.

In Jesus’ Name,