One of those issues concerns the health of children. That is where electronic smog comes in. It is the term that has been created to capture the fact that the electricity that powers our civilization gives off a range of effects that appear to be dangerous.Scientific evidence has begun to show that it may be causing cancer and miscarriages as well as making some people allergic to modern life.

So instead of moving with caution, we are moving with extreme speed. The final outcome for the youth of our nation and the youth of the world may be serious --beyond all our imaginings. There is no way for me to even begin to cover the key issues. But if you are interested, there is a large body of information on the web that can get you started on what is happening and what you might do to protect yourself.

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0507-06.htm

http://www.celsias.com/2007/09/10/electronic-smog-can-damage-your-health/

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/09/electronic_smog.php

http://www.bioinitiative.org/

In an effort to cope, schools are coming up with a range of strategies--all of which involve cutting services. In Minnesota, for instance, one district plans to eliminate classes every Monday to come up with the extra $65,000 it needs to fill its buses' tanks. The superintendent commented "I know $65,000 may not sound like a lot, but it's more than one teaching position,"

As everyone is finding out, the final bill is going to be huge. For example, when North Carolina lawmakers drafted the state's current two-year spending plan, they estimated a gallon of diesel would cost $1.69 this school year and $1.83 starting this fall. Those estimates are woefully low, forcing state education officials to scramble for an extra $27 million to get the state's school bus fleet just through the end of this school year.

It is difficult to envision all that has to be done and all that will be done. But what is painfully clear is that services and salaries are going to suffer as every district in the nation tries to come up with some sort of solution.

To deal with the problem, schools have placed one technique into center stage. It goes by the name of “journal writing.”

Practice with this type of writing occurs even in the earliest years such as kindergarten. There, children will be encouraged to draw a picture of something in their lives and then put down whatever words they can to go along with it. (For those who are familiar with invented spelling, it’s easy to see the compatibility between the two systems. The topic can be anything that comes to the child’s mind and the spelling can also be anything that comes to mind.) The seeming lack of constraint is thought to be a boon to the child’s expression and confidence.

As many a parent knows, it frequently doesn’t work. Many children, dreading the daily assignment, begin to rely on simple repetitive formulas that they hope will allow them to get by. Often, for example, not knowing what else to do, a child will write about his pet. The end product, repeated with slight variations from day to day, is something like “I have a pet. His name is Charley. I like him. We play together.” After a few days, the teacher will respond with a message such as “I love hearing about your pet but I would love to hear about something else. Can you think of something else in your life that really is important to you.” The child has been anticipating—with butterflies in his stomach—the moment when this message would come. It always recurs after a certain number of repetitions on the same theme. All the child can do is hope he can get away with his ploy for as many days as possible.

The irony is that even when a child writes journal entries well, they do little or nothing for the writing skills that he or she will need both in higher grades in school and in jobs in adult life. Why is that the case?

Well, think about it for a moment. What is the essence of journal writing? What is its message? The answer is that it is a form of personal diary writing where a written record is made that reports on something meaningful that happened to the writer over the course of a day or other period. But for whom is a diary written? Or put another way, who is supposed to read a dairy?

Generally it is only for the writer. It is the self-expression of someone who wants to get his or her ideas down—just because that expression leads to a better sense of well-being or release. They are not designed to be read by anyone else. So when a teacher reviews, edits and comments on them, it is basically an invasion of privacy. And when the teacher, seeing the repetition, requests new content, he or she is essentially making an inappropriate demand. It is a violation of a diary writer’s rights.

From a purely pragmatic view, the practice is also mired in difficulty. The demands of journal or diary writing have little or no similarity to the major set of demands that individuals face in the later school years or in their careers. The type of writing that is required is termed “expository writing.” Basically in this form, the writer is “exposing” or “illuminating” a theme about a subject of importance in the society—whether it is the causes of the Civil War in a middle school class; a critique of the United Nations in a high school class or an analysis of business practices of competing organizations in a job setting. Journal writing offers little if anything in the way of training for this type of writing.

None of this should be interpreted to mean that I am against a child keeping a diary. If a child independently selects that activity, it’s great. Any reasonable activity that a child ELECTS to do should be encouraged. But journal writing in school does not fit this category. It is not an activity that the child has chosen to do. It is an IMPOSED activity that uses up time and fails to teach what the children need to learn.

So what is a parent to do? It is, of course, neither feasible nor realistic for parents to create the writing curriculum that schools have failed to create. But there are a number of things you can do that are manageable and have enormous payoff.

It is well known that artists learn a tremendous amount about their craft from (intentionally) copying other artists. The same is true of writing. Imitating the construction of well-formed ideas is invaluable. So here is one activity to try with children from about third grade on.

Take a newspaper that the child can read. It might be something as esoteric as the New York Times or the Los Angeles Times or it might be something like New for You http://www.news-for-you.com/ --an excellent paper for young children. First have the child read an article--or a good percentage of an article. Then take a few minutes to discuss the ideas with him or her and use the time to go over any points that are unclear. Following that, select one of the paragraphs. At the outset, it should be a relatively short paragraph of no more that three to four sentences.

Ask the child to read the paragraph again. Then cover it and ask him or her to “recreate” the set of ideas. This need not be a word for word recreation–but all the key ideas need to be included in well-formed sentences.

If, in the middle of the writing, the child needs to go back and look at the paragraph, allow that to happen. However, when it does, the child has to start the writing again—from scratch. In order for these writing skills to develop, it is essential that the child be able to mentally hold and manipulate a set of ideas. If you allow him or her to deal with one sentence at a time, a key element in effective expository writing will be eliminated.

If you do this activity twice weekly for a sustained period of time (e.g., six months), you will begin to see major changes in your child’s writing abilities. Of course, the atmosphere has to be supportive. If it ends up as a yelling bout or with lots of preaching, it will just add to a child's negative feelings about writing. But if you can put the time aside and commit yourself to this, the effects are amazing. Not only do your child’s writing skills flourish, but the regular interactions lead to interesting, illuminating exchanges which enhances your relationship with your child.

But the project has lots of valuable things to say about ways to fix our schools and strengthen the economy. Those who want to keep up with the state of education today can turn to http://www.edin08.com/

It started when a mother brought her six year old son to see me because he had not made any progress in reading during this school year and she was, understandably, distraught.

I began some preliminary testing. In the one-to-one situation, it was not easy, but at least it was possible to keep his attention to the task at hand. However, if at any point, I did not attend directly to him (for example, when I turned to the mom to get some information), he bounded out of his seat in an instant. Then he raced over to one or another of the toys in the room. It would not be amiss to characterize his behavior as much like “a jack in the box.”

But of even greater significance were the implications for daily life. I asked the mother if his behavior made it difficult for things at home. Immediately tears started flowing as she said, “It’s impossible. We can’t take him places because he won’t listen to anything we say. I can’t talk on the phone because he constantly interrupts. We can never have a meal together because he is bouncing up and down….” The list went on and on.

I replied that, despite this behavior, we could actually get him to read. But it would be far better if, simultaneously, we spent some time getting his behavior under control. I added that certain relatively simple techniques were available that were particularly effective with young children.

She responded with a look that said. “This is too good to be true.” Her skepticism was totally understandable. If techniques were available, why wasn’t everyone using them?

I replied to her unasked question by telling her that most parents find it very difficult to implement the techniques. "Is this because the techniques are harsh and punitive? Not at all. There are no punishments, no threats, no time-outs.

But there are significant changes in the nature of the interaction between the child and the parent—changes that require that the parent to consciously adopt behaviors that are quite different from those they traditionally use. Change is always hard and somehow, in this realm, it seems particularly hard."

But the mother was desperate and nothing is more powerful than desperation for greasing the path to change. So with her request to proceed, I outlined the main points. She listened attentively.

About two months later, the mother and child returned. Difficult as it may be to believe, the boy behaved as if he were a different child. His movements were slower and more directed; he was able to stay in his seat with no difficulty. The mother’s face was beaming. She reported that they had just been on vacation with her extended family and on several occasions they complimented her on how well behaved her youngster was,

So what are the key ingredients to this formula that made such a difference? Basically, they involve two major groupings:
behaviors you want the child to stop (such as ending a game) and
behaviors you want your child to start (such as getting undressed).

Here are the main point for each. (For ease of writing, I refer to the hypothetical child as “he” but the guidelines apply equally well to “she.”)

1. Stopping a behavior. First, never give directions from a distance. Instead get within “touching distance” of your child and say, as briefly and simply as possible, what you have to say (e.g., “please put the toy down.”). If he seems to ignore you, without saying a word and without getting angry, simply take the child’s hands and wait. Ignore anything he has to say—whether they be complaints, questions or entreaties. If, after 3 or so minutes, he fails to start carrying out the direction, repeat it and wait again. At this point you probably won’t have to do anything further—but just in case, move him so that he is in a position to start the action (e.g., positioning his hands so they are holding the toy and in position to put it down). At no point, do you say anything else. When the action is carried out, say something simple like “Good” or Thank you” and act as if this was just what was expected. At the same time, say nothing further. Specifically guard against the strong pull to “take advantage” of the situation by delivering a moral lesson (via statements such as “Look how easy that was. If you had done it right away, we would not have wasted all this time…” etc). If you want to get a child to tune out, just start preaching. It can destroy all the effort you just put into the situation.

2. Starting a behavior. Once again, never give directions from a distance. Once within “touching distance” say what you have to say (e.g., “please go up the stairs.”). Make sure to stick to one direction at a time and do not bunch a set of directions together. So do not say “Go upstairs, and get undressed and then take your bath.” Once one direction is completed, you can move on to the next. If your child continues to do something else, again take his hands and wait—making sure to show no anger or annoyance. But if he is simply doing nothing, then stay close behind and just wait. If nothing happens after 3 or so minutes, place your hands on his shoulders and press lightly in the direction in which you want him to move. Essentially you are positioning him to start the action. When the action is carried out, again say something simple and continue on as if nothing special has happened.

At this point, you may be wondering what makes the techniques so difficult for parents to adopt? In some ways, the answer is the same as it is for the questions, “why is it so difficult for people to diet?" or "why is it so difficult for people stop smoking?” The rules for changing those behaviors are clear and simple. But they require a major commitment to change and the willingness to alter old patterns and replace them with new ones.

In the case of parent-child interaction, one source of difficulty is the paucity of language. Our culture has accustomed us to talking, and explaining, and reasoning ad infinitum with our children. That becomes an ingrained habit that is hard to relinquish. But of even greater significance is the discipline required to do this on a regular basis. It takes both physical and mental effort to make sure that with each request, you are up, close to your child and ready to carry out the routine. It is so much easier to call out your request from the next room. But that calling out is useless and actually counterproductive in terms of the goals you hope to achieve.

Further, it's easy to be misled by the improvement you will see. Generally there will be significant gains within three to four weeks. That often is taken to mean that all is well and you can return to your old ways. Alas, that is not the case. Typically, even when your child seems calm and in control, you have to maintain this pattern for about six additional months. At that point, the new interaction patterns are reasonably secure and you can start, step-by-step, to be more relaxed about the discipline.

As a psychologist, I find that an even more intriguing question is “Why is the physical contact so effective?” It appears to play at least two roles.
First, children who are active and impulsive find it exacting to control their behavior. When the adult is nearby and imposes the control, much like the governor in an engine, it regulates the flow of what is occurring. Then over time, with continued practice, the child can take over the job on his own.
Second, physical contact presents a situation that is far easier to “read” than one involving verbal directions. When there is distance and the control is verbal, the child always face the tantalizing pull that tells him “Keep doing what you are doing. No one is close enough to stop you.” or “She may not mean what she is saying. Wait till she starts yelling.” When you are nearby, all that changes. Your message is clear, unambiguous and effective.

Whatever the source, the physical contact represents a magic touch that can do wonders for enhancing your child's behavior and adding tranquility to family life.

Across the state, the number of California college students between the ages of 50 and 64 rose 61 percent between 1986 and 2006. Among people ages 40 to 49, enrollment increased 32 percent. Overall enrollment climbed 33 percent during the same two decades.

Regardless of the reasons, this is an exciting development. After World War II, the wave of college students that were created by the GI Bill had a tremendous effect on the society. It would be wonderful if the new wave of schooling for aging baby boomers led to similar outcomes.

"Despite extensive use of standardized tests by the 50 states, 30-year reading trend data show minimal if any improvement for 9-, 13-, or 17-year-old children since the early 1970s...Further, the testing of adult literacy in 1992 and again in 2003 shows little or no improvement in literacy at the lowest levels and a decline at the highest levels."

Even if we could get literacy testing right - which we have not done up to now - there is no way we can test ourselves out of the serious educational problems that afflict our K-12 and adult literacy education systems. There is a word for the obsessive repetition of utterly foolish, unreasonable, and failed practices: insanity."

If you would like to read his full statement, you can find it at http://ednews.org/articles/25499/1/The-great-literacy-testing-debacle-in-the-United-States/Page1.html

Given that certain families produce abundant numbers of musicians, sci­en­tists have long sus­pected that talent in this realm mu­sic might have ge­net­ic roots. Now research indicates that they may be right. Sci­en­tists in Finland say they’ve found ap­prox­i­mate loca­t­ions in our ge­nome where genes af­fect­ing mu­si­cal tal­ent may lie. The find­ings suggest not only that mu­si­cal abil­ity is partly ge­net­ic but it may share ev­o­lu­tion­ary roots with lan­guage.

As part of the re­search, each par­ti­ci­pant al­so took three tests of mu­si­cal ap­ti­tude. The re­search­ers re­ported find­ing “sig­nif­i­cant ev­i­dence” for an as­socia­t­ion be­tween that abil­ity and a small re­gion of Chro­mo­some 4. The patch of DNA in ques­tion en­com­passed about 50 genes. Of par­tic­u­lar in­ter­est was one gene that in­ter­acts with mo­le­cules that gov­ern the de­vel­op­ment of brain cells and their intercon­nec­tions. Mu­ta­tions in the gene are al­so in­di­rectly linked to de­fects in time and pitch pro­cess­ing. There’s al­so ev­i­dence such mutations may be con­nect­ed to the dys­lex­ia.

Interestingly, a second sep­a­rate group re­ported in the April 16 ad­vance on­line is­sue of the Jour­nal of Cog­ni­tive Neu­ro­sci­ence that chil­dren with lan­guage syn­tax deficits al­so have mu­si­cal dif­fi­cul­ties .

These stu­dies, while too small to be de­fin­i­tive, are good start­ing points for fur­ther map­ping, isola­t­ion, and description of genes that may help us account for the Mozarts of the world--and at the same time, the children who struggle with the printed page.

If anything, Whitehurst understated the problem. The history of reading instruction shows that comprehension receives almost no serious attention in the curriculum. For example, back in 1998, a prestigious government sponsored study was carried out, aimed at "promoting optimal literacy instruction." It was titled Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children. If you turn to that material, you will find the index to contain over 200 references to phonology and related sound analysis activities, but only about 60 references to anything concerned with comprehension.

One of the keys to comprehension is what is termed “the main idea.” That refers to the ability to take the varied and numerous details in a story and extract the unifying theme that holds them together. Hard as it may be to believe, teachers are offered almost no systematic instruction for fostering this vital aspect of reading. For the most part, the problem is shifted on to the children by asking them “what was the main idea.” It might be phrased in different words –such as “what was the story about?” Regardless of the words used, what is happening is not teaching, but testing. The children are being asked to come up with the right answer—without having received any instruction in how to get to that answer.

For many, the question becomes one that is feared and avoided. Sometimes, as intelligent beings are wont to do, the children come up with clever defenses. One fourth grader proudly reported the strategy he had devised. “The main idea? I don’t have a clue. But it doesn’t matter. Most of the questions are on details. So I can still get an 80 or 90% score without ever understanding the main idea.”

Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be this way. There are effective, albeit ignored, methods that can be extremely effective. Given the history of bureaucracies, schools are likely to take years before they implement the necessary procedures. However, parents who are committed to their children’s success do not have the luxury of waiting.

One of the most effective methods is to use the powerful technique of modeling. Here, the adult formulates a well-organized main idea about a particular piece of material that the child has read. At the outset, it should involve no more than three or four points. That summary serves as a model for the end product that the child needs to achieve.

You involve the child in the process step by step. Specifically, with the summary in hand, you offer the first point contained in the summary—pausing to allow the child to complete the idea. If the child cannot offer the information, you provide it for him or her. You then ask the child to restate the complete idea. You continue in this manner for the next two or three points—until the summary is complete. Then you ask the child to restate the entire summary. He or she need not use the identical words, but the key ideas should be present. If they are not, you repeat the process –from the start.

Initially, it may take a number of sessions before the child can restate summaries smoothly and easily. But if you regularly engage your child in the process, within a few weeks, you should begin to see major improvements in your child’s ability in this vital, but for so long, neglected sphere of reading.

These changes occur in all children. However, what also happens is that some children have difficulty with the process. Often their difficulties are placed under the rubric of dyslexia. Keep in mind that most children who have difficulties in reading are not dyslexic. However, that term has had a kind of magnetic attraction that has led to its becoming prominent in the field of reading difficulties--and almost synonymous with reading failure. It is also a term that is marked by major misconceptions. For example, though it has long been shown not to be the case, many people think that dyslexics see backwards, or in reverse.

What is known is that dyslexia is a language-based learning disability that can include problems in reading, spelling, writing and pronouncing words. Reading an alphabetic language like English requires different skills than reading Chinese, which relies less on sound representation, instead using symbols to represent words.

Given the importance of reading and reading disability, the findings have naturally led to the issue of intervention: How can they be used to help the children learn more effectively? Tan has suggested different treatments are needed for different languages. As a general principle, this is excellent.

As so often is the case, the devil is in the details. For example, one of the first suggestions is that treatments of English dyslexia focus on letter-sound conversions and sound awareness--since those skills seem central. But this is exactly what has been done for years--with little success. What comes to mind is Albert Einstein's definition of insanity which is said is "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

It's not difficult to figure out why the failure rate remains stable and high. As I have indicated over the course of many blogs, current techniques focus endlessly and almost exclusively on sounds and sound analysis--the areas that pose greatest difficulty for the children. From the perspective of learning and motivation, this cannot be a recipe for success. What is needed are new approaches that via more appealing and less stressful methods offer the children entry into the world of print. What is not needed is using brilliant, intriguing studies to reinforce tired, ineffective methods.

For example,

An American kid drops out of high school every 26 seconds.

More than a million drop out every year.

These are among the highest dropout rates in the industrialized world. Roughly a third of all American high school students drop out. Another third graduate but are not prepared for the next stage of life — either productive work or some form of post-secondary education.

Think about it! Two-thirds of all teenagers old enough to graduate from high school are leaving, without the skills to negotiate the modern world.

Said Mr. Gates: “By obsolete, I don’t just mean that they are broken, flawed or underfunded, though a case could be made for every one of those points. By obsolete, I mean our high schools — even when they’re working as designed — cannot teach all our students what they need to know today.”

The Educational Testing Service, in a report titled “America’s Perfect Storm,” cited three powerful forces that are affecting the quality of life for millions of Americans and already shaping the nation’s future. They are:

• The wide disparity in the literacy and math skills of both the school-age and adult populations. These skills, which play such a tremendous role in the lives of individuals and families, vary widely across racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups.

• The “seismic changes” in the U.S. economy that have resulted from globalization, technological advances, shifts in the relationship of labor and capital, and other developments.

• Sweeping demographic changes. By 2030, the U.S. population is expected to reach 360 million. That population will be older and substantially more diverse, with immigration having a big impact on both the population as a whole and the work force.

The nation’s future depends on how well we educate the current and future generations. Our "score" in this realm is abysmal and, unless dramatic change occurs, it reflects a time bomb that will cause unbelievable destruction.

Time is a great healer, but a terrible beautician.

If #2 pencils are the most popular, are they still #2?

I live in California, and my watch is three hours fast, I can't fix it, so I'm moving to New York.

Living on Earth is expensive, but it does include free trips around the sun.

If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked and drycleaners depressed?

It's not who you know, it's whom you know. (It's so nice when jokes also teach some language.)

If your feet smell and your nose runs, you're built upside down.

A clean desk is a sign of a cluttered drawer.

I had amnesia once - maybe twice.

Originality is the art of concealing your sources.

Photons have mass? I didn't even know they were Catholic.

Wear a watch and you'll always know what time it is. Wear two watches and you'll never be sure.

How long a minute is depends on what side of the bathroom door you're on.

Two can live as cheaply as one---for half as long.

Is Marx's tomb a communist plot?

That guy is so old he shops at EXTREMELY Old Navy.

If you're riding ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still there.

Am I ambivalent? Well, yes and no.

Red meat is not bad for you. Fuzzy green meat is bad for you.

All power corrupts. Absolute power is pretty neat, though.

A hangover is the wrath of grapes.

If at first you don't succeed, redefine success.

Failure is not an option. It's bundled with your software.

I just got lost in thought, and it was unfamiliar territory.

I feel like I'm diagonally parked in a parallel universe.

Despite the cost of living, have you noticed how popular it remains?

Atheism is a non-prophet organization.

The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane and going the wrong way.

To succeed in politics, it is often necessary to rise above your principles.

The problem with the gene pool is that there is no lifeguard.

A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.

Change is inevitable except from vending machines.

Can vegetarians eat animal crackers?

I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman where the Self Help section was, she said if she told me it would defeat the purpose.

Is there another word for synonym?

Isn't it scary that doctors call what they do "practice"?

What should you do if you see an endangered animal eating an endangered plant?

If a parsley farmer is sued do they garnish his wages?

Would a wingless fly be called a walk?

Is a shell-less turtle homeless or just naked?

What was the best thing BEFORE sliced bread?

If people from Poland are called "Poles," why aren't people from Holland called "Holes"?

If a pig loses its voice, is it disgruntled?

Heck is where people go who don't believe in Gosh.

It's hard to make a comeback when you haven't been anywhere.

We have enough youth: how about a fountain of "smart"?

Two rights do not make a wrong, they make an airplane.

Two wrongs do not make a right, but three lefts do.

Is reading in the bathroom considered multi-tasking?

Why do bankruptcy lawyers expect to be paid?

How do you tell when you run out of invisible ink?

Polynesia - memory loss in parrots.

A good pun is its own reword.

A bartender is a pharmacist with a limited inventory.

I have friends who swear they dream in color; I say it's just a pigment of their imagination.

3 out of 4 Americans make up 75% of the population.

An unemployed court jester is no one's fool.

Cole's Law: Thinly sliced cabbage.

Help stamp out, eliminate and abolish redundancy!

I wouldn't touch the metric system with a 3.048m pole!

And finally--
Take everything in moderation. Including moderation.

Fortunately, there are other paths that are open. Reichenberg-Ullman & Ullman in a well researched book Ritalin Free Kids report their experiences in treating ADD children via homeopathy. If you are interested in learning more about this, you can go to http://www.amazon.com/Ritalin-Free-Kids-Effective-Homeopathic-Behavioral/dp/0761507191

:

1. A vulture boards an airplane, carrying two dead raccoons. The stewardess looks at him and says, "I'm sorry, sir, only one carrion allowed per passenger."

2. Two fish swim into a concrete wall. The one turns to the other and says "Dam!"

According to a new national study, about a third of the nation’s eighth-grade students are proficient writers. The results are even worse for high school seniors where only roughly a quarter achieve this level. The results are about the same as those in 2002, when a similar exam was last given.

A success rate of 30% may not sound like much--and indeed, it isn't. But it is the best performance by eighth-grade students in any subject tested in the national assessment in the last three years. For example, only 17 percent of eighth graders were proficient on the 2006 history exam, for example.

As with so many issues, there are those who are ready and willing to put their efforts into activities akin to re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. For example, some experts question whether the writing test, which requires students to compose only brief essays in a short time, is an accurate measure of their ability. But, for those who are willing to venture into the real world, the problems are clear. For example, a survey of 120 corporations conducted by the College Board in 2003, concluded that a third of employees in the nation’s blue-chip companies, including many recent college graduates, wrote poorly. Keep in mind, that these are "the best and the brightest."

So once again, our students are being short-changed by a system that leaves them without the skills needed for the modern competitive world.

What is a parent to do? Waiting (and hoping) that the system will change is not an answer. Fortunately, for those who are willing and able to make the time, there are pathways to follow. One activity for children who are in fourth grade or higher is the following. Take an article from a reasonably well-written newspaper or magazine. Of course, the level should be one that is appropriate for your youngster. The article should be on a topic that relates to "school type subjects" such as government, health, science, and so on. Have your child read a paragraph. Answer any questions and give any help that is needed. Then put the article aside and, either via paper and pencil or on the computer, have your child re-construct the paragraph.

It will take time to see the effects of this work. At first, your child is likely to feel overwhelmed and keep turning back to the article. There are also likely to be complaints about "how boring" the work is. But writing, like all diligence- based activities, involves a level of attention that children in the modern, glitzy, high-tech reject as boring.

At the same time, "being bored" is often a cover for "being unable." A good paragraph has three to four major points. Without training, it is difficult for novices to "take in" and then reformulate those points. But if you willing to persist by regularly doing this activity twice a week throughout the school year, you are almost certain to see steady growth.