Christmas decorations

 Here are a few interesting bits of information from Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase & Fable. 

A long time ago the Roman festival of Saturn was held in December and the temples were decorated with greenery. 
The druids are associated with mistletoe, and the Saxons used holly and ivy. 
These customs have been transferred to the Christian festival. 
The decorated Christmas tree was in use among the Romans and was introduced to Britain from Germany soon after Queen Victoria's marriage with Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha in 1840.

Arachnid !

For those of you who love critters! 

What a cutie.
I managed to keep it hidden under the couch while my students were here.  I didn't want any of them to "freak out."

According to the Encyclopedia of Animals [National Geographic], the venom of only 30 out of 40,000 species of spider can cause illness in humans.

No mention of those who have strokes or heart attacks, though!!  Lol.
I think they are very interesting creatures, but they can stay out of our house. 

Interestingly spiders, scorpions, daddy longlegs, mites, and ticks are all arachnids.  Imagine the fun at a family reunion! 
I'm picturing the nine-legged races - hmmm, okay, I don't want to picture that any more.

Reading & Brain Function!

The importance of reading cannot be underestimated for learning.

Now even more research indicates that reading is not only beneficial for obvious reasons, but that it helps develop stronger listening and observing skills as well.  This attentiveness will, in turn, develop even better readers, but it will also ensure that the student is able to learn via other means.

"Dr. Dehaene and his colleagues compared the brain function of adults who can read with those who had never learned to read.
What they found was that regions of the brain that all of us use to process visual information were enhanced among the adults who were readers; both those who had read from childhood and those who learned to read as adults.  They also found that listening skills were better among both groups of readers than among the adults who did not read." (Burns, Martha PHD [2011]: How Learning to Read Improves Brain Function)

Listening to a lecture, social learning, picking up on cues, all appear to be better developed in readers.
These skills are not only useful in academic settings but also in the workplace and individual development as well. 

Of course, these are broad strokes - individual cases are always subject to variations.  Overall, however, there is powerful evidence that improving students' access to reading material and giving them the ability to read will positively affect the breadth of their learning experience far beyond the mechanics of sounding out words and reading phrases.

Halloween or Hallowe'en or All Hallows Eve

HAPPY HALLOWEEN !! 

Halloween
or
All Hallows Eve

Halloween falls on October 31, which in the old Celtic calendar was the last day of the year, its night being the time when all the witches and warlocks were abroad.  On the introduction of Christianity it was taken over as the eve (even or e'en) of All Hallows or All Saints.
Brewers Dictionary of Phrase & Fable


 Of course, most young people know that the most important part is "trick or treating" - and the treats are the most important part of all!!

Changing Leaves !

As the days get shorter and frost starts to appear in the morning, those deciduous trees start preparing for winter - giving us some brilliant colour !

What causes this change ?
Without sufficient light and water, photosynthesis shuts down, and trees must live off food stored during the growing season.

As photosynthesis ceases, the leaves lose their chlorophyll, which gives therm their green colour.  Without chlorophyll, other colours emerge - yellows, oranges, and reds.
In sugar Maples, the red happens because glucose remains.
The yellows and oranges are normally in the leaves but the chlorophyll overshadows them until photosynthesis stops.

At any rate the poetry of colour is beautiful to behold!

PLRS Learning Cycle

Increase your knowledge !












Although the following may sound quite burdensome, it really isn't.  The main theme is that the more you rehearse material, the better you will remember it.  This is useful for tests, quizzes, and exams; but, more importantly, it is essential for building your own knowledge base.

 PLRS = preview, lecture, review, study.

Preview:   

• This preparation before class is similar to a warm-up before a physical activity.  It develops                  a specific readiness for class as previous lecture notes and textbook study notes are reviewed.  Written assignments and problems are proofread before being turned in.

Lecture:    

• Formal learning begins in the classroom where students and teachers engage in dialogue.  Through efficient listening / note-taking techniques and by means of questions, frequent recitations, and lively discussion, learning takes place in a dynamic atmosphere.

Review:   

• This active response to classroom learning includes both recall and reorganization of the lecture and preparation for later intensive study.  This review requires that lecture notes be edited and summarized and that any assignments be planned while their details are still fresh in the mind.  The review following each course’s final weekly class session can be expanded into a full review of all material covered in the past weeks (assignments and lectures).

Study:  

•  This intensive session normally occurs the night before the next class lecture.  It begins with a brief review of the latest lecture notes.  Then the textbook assignment is over-viewed and mastered with a study-reading technique such as Survey-Question-Study-Read/Summarize-Test. Questions and personal reactions to the study-reading should be written down to be brought up for clarification and discussion in class.

Cumulative learning is far better than cramming and temporary memorization.

Schedule a minimum of 1 hour per night  (more for high school) on the following days:
    Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday
to review your notes, rewrite and correct when necessary, rehearse, and practise various learned concepts.
You have homework on these days whether or not your teacher gave you “homework.”  With additional homework, you will need to add time
Review notes nightly (weekly notes on Sunday and preview for the week).
Rewrite messy or incorrect notes - make corrections.
Self-Test or rehearse material (while not looking at answers - then check).

Note:     Simply reviewing your notes (even many times) before a test will not be enough as you progress.

Well, Back to School !

For many students this is an exciting time.
Time to get new supplies, clothes, etc. and head back to meet up with friends scattered since the summer holiday.
Some students are even eager to get back to learning!

For others, however, it isn't such a great thought.  They aren't looking forward to time in classrooms, teachers' expectations, and ........."work."

For them and for parents (equally inclined), I suggest trying to turn thought patterns into something more positive.  Don't think of it as "work" but more of an opportunity - a chance to expand your knowledge and your understanding not just of history, geography, math, English, etc., but of the whole network of knowledge and how it connects you to the world.
The more you know - the more you can know, and the more opportunities will open up for you time after time.
Turn your thoughts to the idea that school is for you - a tool you use to help yourself.
Once you are in more control, the challenges are acceptable, and you may look forward to proving yourself up to the task.

Being engaged is more than half the battle!

So give it a try.   Turn negative thoughts into positive ones, "work" into challenges, "tests" into games to be conquered.

You can do it !

Fantasy books for Teens

Click on the link below for a list of some fantasy books that might keep your teen reading.  Many of these kinds of stories are in series form which will encourage them to keep reading as well. 

Fantasy | Booklists for Teens | Books & Authors | AdLit.org

Back-to-School Tips for Parents of Children with Special Needs | Reading Topics A-Z | Reading Rockets

There are some excellent tips here - particularly keeping up with your child's IEP.

Also, I'm a big fan of setting a schedule (not only for children/adults with learning challenges) because this ensures a consistent approach to learning.

Above all - stay POSITIVE !!  Learning is not intended to be torture or a punishment. 

Back-to-School Tips for Parents of Children with Special Needs | Reading Topics A-Z | Reading Rockets

Summer schedule

Well, we have just about everybody sorted for the summer schedule ! The first week went very well, with lots of bright-eyed students eager to learn. Of course, it takes a little adjustment to be here in the morning for those that switched to morning hours, but they seemed to handle it quite well.

I always think that if the expectation is they will handle it well - they do!

-Perhaps surprising even to themselves.

A lot of behaviour is somewhat dictated by others' expectations.

(Student: "If I eat this piece of candy, I will be bouncing off the walls." My response, "We won't do candy next time. It isn't essential." Suddenly, there is no bouncing off the walls!)

I hope everyone is enjoying the heat - HOT HOT HOT !!

Visitors to the back yard!

Just a few visitors to our back yard recently. We've had skunks, opossum, raccoons, cats, squirrels, and now a rabbit. A few more creatures, and I think we'll be able to charge admission!

Motorcycles & Sweetgrass

Just finished reading "Motorcycles & Sweetgrass" by Drew Hayden Taylor.

It is really a fun book that has a modern take on some native myths, especially the trickster character - Nanabush.

The conversation between Jesus and Nanabush is hilarious.

The novel was a finalist for the Governor General's award.  
It is relatively safe reading for older children, too. 

Math Facts Game !

Here is a fun game to help build addition/subtraction, multiplication, and/or division facts.  The free version works fine and covers all the basic facts.
What is exceptional is that the game builds on the player's current skills and reviews weaker areas to help him/her become stronger!

Despite the ubiquitous calculator, one is always better off having some basic math facts in the best computer of all - the BRAIN!

http://www.bigbrainz.com/indexs.php

Brainstorming

Credit photo to: zirconicusso

Don't forget to use brainstorming to help you get started on any writing assignment.

Whether you are writing a book report, speech, essay, or fiction story, brainstorming can help you get started, get organized, and get that final draft quicker!

You should take a few minutes to brainstorm for ideas.
Sit down with a piece of paper and jot down any ideas that come to you when you think about the topic.

For example, if you need to write an essay based on the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, you might brainstorm for ideas you could use to help generate a thesis.  Don't waste time - start scribbling down your thoughts.  Later you will discard those ideas you don't like and narrow down your focus.
              Example:
                      Atticus - just man
                         - willing to sacrifice
                        - too good to be true ?
                        - model parent
             Novel written from child's point of view
                          - flaws in perception ?
                         southern racism and conflict
                    religion vs morals vs law
            Boo - scary character or innocent ?

Your list could be much longer.  Once you have decided on a thesis (or your teacher has given you one) you can brainstorm again to find supports.

You might ask:  "Why do all this chicken-scratching on scrap paper, writing and storming my brain?"

Primarily because "It gets one started."

Looking at a blank page for hours (or days in some cases) waiting for the perfect inspiration to come is the true waste of time!

Also, these thoughts can be used to help you organize your article.  I have read many essays in which the author had a good thesis and some solid supports, but they are written as they come to mind rather than in an organized, planned fashion.  At best, the article seems confused and tricky to read.  At worst, the author's meaning is completely lost in a mish-mash of ideas without unity and coherence.

So don't be afraid of the blank page - use brainstorming to get you started.

Leap Year !

Well, it is February 29th - We don't have a lot of these, and here's why:
 

1. The earth does not orbit the sun in exactly 365 days.   In fact, it is a little less than 365 1/4 days.
2.  Julius Caesar (Roman Emperor) with the help of his astronomer came up with the solution of having a 365 day year (previously 355 days with an extra 22 day month every 2 years - a wee bit complicated), with an extra day every four years.
3. Remember, however, that the earth does not quite orbit in 365 1/4 days but slightly less. So Pope Gregory XIII and his astronomers made an adjustment in the 1500's. A year that is divisible by 100 but not 400 is not a leap year. So, the year 2100 will not be a leap year.
4. One more little tidbit is that February used to have 30 days; however, during the reign of Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus - he did not like that his namesake month (August) had only 29 days, whereas Julius Caesar's namesake month (July) had 31. So, he took a couple of days from February to make August the same as July! (Hence, the two months in a row with 31 days!)   Ahhhh, Ego - thy name is many and varied.

Usually, if the year is divisible by 4 - it is a leap year (noting the exception above).

One final note - just because you are born on February 29th does not mean you only age 1 year for every 4 years compared to everyone else!
Yes, a couple of students did inquire about this.

Teaching and Learning Tips - Quotations

Teaching and Learning Tips - Quotations

Sunrise

Just a couple of recent sunrise pictures from our house.

Computer Invasion

Just had an uninvited guest on the computer called "XP Security 2012."
This is NOT an actual security program - but rather a rogue that invades and hijacks your computer - telling you that you have all kinds of viruses, etc. when, in fact - it IS the virus!
If you see this program popping up on your computer - Do NOT buy it - do NOT delete what it wants you to - and take action right away to get it off your computer.
Apparently it goes by different names as well:  
XP Antispyware 2012
Vista Antispyware 2012
Win 7 Antispyware 2012
XP Antivirus 2012
Vista Antivirus 2012
Win 7 Antivirus 2012
XP Security 2012
Vista Security 2012
Win 7 Security 2012
XP Home Security 2012
Vista Home Security 2012
Win 7 Home Security 2012
XP Internet Security 2012
Vista Internet Security 2012
Win 7 Internet Security 2012

I tried several things to try and eliminate it but finally used Trojan Killer:
http://trojan-killer.net/

I had to run the computer in Safe Mode (hold F8 key while restarting before welcome screen) - and run the trojan killer for both the Admin and under my name.  Of course, it may be different for others.

Also, I had to open the task manager (control-alt-delete) and keep pushing "end task" on avp.exe  (again may be different on other computers)  this stopped the rogue from having all the control - but it kept popping up.

So far, things seem to be working.  My regular anti-virus software, internet, firewall, etc. all seem to be back (they had all been hijacked by this nasty software).

I should note that I was typing reports and, apart from a brief look at my e-mail and facebook (i.e., I didn't open anything or download anything!) I was not doing anything that should have brought on this little creature. 
Of course, it may have been lurking from a previous e-mail or other program - who knows.

If anyone runs into it - maybe this will help.