Why read literature?
September 24, 2012
“Built to Last”, a recent article in the NY Times Book Review asked an important question: “Why study literature?” Here is one of the responses that most resonated with me.
“Life without literature is a life reduced to penury. It expands you in every way. It illuminates what you’re doing. It shows you possibilities you haven’t thought of. It enables you to live the lives of other people than yourself. It broadens you, it makes you more human. It makes life enjoyable.”
Emphasis is on Conversation for language acquisition.
September 10, 2012
Schools are over hauling their approach for students to acquire English language proficiency. Emphasis is on conversations rather than just focusing on vocabulary and grammar. What makes vocabulary valuable and important is not the words themselves so much as the understandings they afford. The focus on oral language is of greatest importance for children for […]
Brainpower helps but kids need to learn grit.
September 8, 2012
We all want the best for our children, but how do we ensure that they not only survive but also thrive–today and in the future? For children to reach their full potential in school, the workforce and in life they need to acquire knowledge in many different areas. In addition they also need life skills […]
“Play and Talk” are the key to academic success.
August 30, 2012
“Play is the key to academic success” http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/23/simon-says-dont-use-flashcards/ Parents who want to stimulate their children’s brain development often focus on things like early reading, flashcards and language tapes. But a growing body of research suggests that playing certain kinds of childhood games may be the best way to increase a child’s ability to do well […]
Clear connections between reading aloud & success in reading.
August 23, 2012
Long before we focus on children and reading, we need to make sure children have the rich vocabularies they need to get ready to learn to read There are clear connections between reading aloud and success in reading. Learning to read is incremental. Children need to be familiar with letters, words, & sounds. Reading success […]
