The Homeschool Handbook May June 2016 by Brilliant Publishing LLC

ISSN 2379-2841 May / June 2016 $6.50 USA/$15.50 INTL

Publisher’s Letter

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Brilliant Publishing LLC Post Office Box 31687, Myrtle Beach, SC 29588 Telephone: 717.571.9233

PUBLISHER / ADVERTISING Publisher

Maureen Williams maureen@thehomeschoolhandbook.com 717.608.5869

Account Executive Alex Chambers alex@thehomeschoolhandbook.com

EDITORIAL Editor In Chief

Maud Casey said it best when she said, “I was born with a reading list I will never finish.” I can relate to that as it seems I am always surrounded by a plethora of books that I am reading, just starting to read and ones that I dream of reading. Do you check out many books at the library on each visit? I can not understand those that can limit themselves to just one. After all, every success has a story. To be able to tell that story one must first be able to read. When I was a child my goal was to read every book in the library, I thought by doing so there would be nothing I did not know. Needless to say that lofty goal is still a work in progress. My point, visit your local library where there are a thousands of wonderful books to help you in your home education journey. Why read? Well we have put some pretty convincing articles and statistics to show you why you need to focus on reading. We have also included some fun free challenges that may just be the key to encouraging your child(ren) to read this summer and all year long. Remember always to make time for you and enjoy these summer months, join a free reading challenge and win some books or simply read to escape the heat on the beach or in the comfort of your home…no matter the time or place there is never a bad time to read. Like they say reading is fundamental. Teach your child to read and you truly will be changing the world! During the summer months we hope to run into you at an upcoming trade show. Safe travels to one and all…until next time always remember…

Maureen Williams, Publisher maureen@thehomeschoolhandbook.com 717-608-5869

http://twitter.com/@TheHomeschool www.facebook.com/TheHomeschoolHandbook http://pinterest.com/thehomeschool/

The Homeschool Handbook | May / June 2016

MaryAnne Morrill maryanne@thehomeschoolhandbook.com

Senior Editor

Michelle Donofry editor@thehomeschoolhandbook.com

Social Media/Asst. Editor

Molly Anika molly@thehomeschoolhandbook.com

Style / Asst. Editor Charity Plata

Subscription Service / Back Issues:

Circulation@thehomeschoolhandbook.com

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Vicki Bentley, Dr. Bernard Bull, Richard Havenga, Homeschool Handbook Staff, Tanya Moat, MaryAnne Morrill, Annie Murphy Paul, Donna Vail, Megan Zechman

PRODUCTION / DESIGN Art Director

Jeremy Tingle art@thehomeschoolhandbook.com The Homeschool Handbook is published bi-monthly by Brilliant Publishing LLC, Post Office Box 31687, Myrtle Beach, SC 29588 Telephone: (717) 571-9233, Fax: 843-215-7712. Postage paid at Scottsdale, AZ and additional offices. POSTMASTER please send address changes to The Homeschool Handbook, Post Office Box 31687, Myrtle Beach, SC 29588. Volume 7 Number 03. The Homeschool Handbook subscription rates: one-year $19.95 USD, Canada & Mexico $49.95 International $79.95. All subscriptions are non-refundable. Copyright© 2016 Brilliant Publishing LLC. All rights reserved. The publisher reserves the right to accept or reject any advertising or editorial material. Advertisers, and/or their agents, assume the responsibility for any claims against the publisher based on the advertisement. Editorial contributors assume responsibility for their published works and assume responsibility for any claims against the publisher based on published work. No part of this publication can be reproduced in any form or by electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher. All items submitted to The Homeschool Handbook become the sole property of Brilliant Publishing LLC. Editorial content does not reflect the views of the publisher. The imprints, logos, trademarks or trade names (collectively the “Marks”) displayed on the products featured in The Homeschool Handbook are for illustrative purposes only and are not available for sale. The Marks do not represent the implied or actual endorsement by the owners of the Marks of the product on which they appear. All of the Marks are the property of the respective owners and are not the property of either the advertisers using the Marks or The Homeschool Handbook. MEDICAL DISCLAIMER No warranty whatsoever is made by the publisher and there is absolutely no assurance that any statement contained or cited in any article touching on medical matters is true, correct, precise, or up-to-date. Even if a statement made about medicine is accurate, it may not apply to you or your symptoms. The medical information provided is, at best, of a general nature and cannot substitute for the advice of a medical professional (for instance, a qualified doctor/physician, nurse, pharmacist/chemist, and so on). None of the individual contributors, LLC members, subcontractors, advertisers, or anyone else connected to Brilliant Publishing LLC and The Homeschool Handbook can take any responsibility for the results or consequences of any attempt to use or adopt any of the information presented in this magazine. Nothing included, as a part of this publication should be construed as an attempt to offer or render a medical opinion or otherwise engage in the practice of medicine.

volu me 07

issue 03

2016

inside

The Homeschool

Handbook 16

cover story 8

Challenge Read!

special features 3

There’s an APP for That

curriculum 12 14 16 17

Let the Classics Do the Teaching What Did You Say? Books… Who Knew?? An Analogy That Illuminates The Nature of Reading

solutions 18

Read Aloud to Build Skills and Relationships

inspiration 20 22

Eggs, Spring & the Kairos for Educational Innovation How These Words Became a Poem

extra curricular activities 24

A Pioneer Craft for Teens to Make

health and hearth 25

Strawberry Limeade Cooler

resources 26

Index/Resources List

Fo r b r e ak i n g n ew s & t i p s b e sur e to f o ll ow T h e H o m e s c h o o l H an db o o k o n s o c i al m e di a: twitter.com/@TheHomeschool

The Homeschool Handbook | May / June 2016

facebook.com/TheHomeschoolHandbook

pinterest.com/thehomeschool ©

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Challenge Read! By: By MaryAnne Morrill

The Homeschool Handbook | May / June 2016

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eading proficiency matters! Anyone who thinks it is not that important just needs to consider some of the facts presented in the boxed Did You Know…section of this article. Reading impacts an individual’s quality of life and significantly contributes to success. In a recent study conducted by John W. Miller, President of Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, he found that “literate behaviors are critical to the success of individuals and nations in the knowledge-based economics that define our global future”. The study was based on a populace’s literate behaviors and their supporting resources. A companion book, World Literacy: How Countries Rank and Why It Matters (Routledge, 2016) by John W. Miller and Michael C McKenna provides an extended analysis of the WMLN (World’s Most Literate Nations) study. Based on this study Finland is the world’s most literate nation with the U. S coming in seventh. Even though the U. S. has seen its years of compulsory education increase, its practice of literate behaviors has decreased, while the ability to read has stayed relatively the same. As Miller says, “It is not so much that we are slowing down in this world race, but rather that others are speeding up.”1 Based on test scores alone, Singapore is first Finland ties for second and the U. S. ties for twelfth. 2 Based on this and so many other studies and statistics, reading well is important. Additional education statistics are available from U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics at http://www.nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/. When you consider the World Culture Source Index of hours per week per person spent reading: India 10:42; Thailand 9:24; China 8:00; Russia 7:06; Australia 6:18; Germany 5:42 and USA 5:42, clearly reading needs to be encouraged. This is especially true when according to the National Education Association, having kids read a lot is one of the crucial components of becoming a good reader. Young readers need to become practiced at recognizing letters and sounds. The only way to get good at it is to practice.3 Considering all of the above information, the question every parent should be asking is how do I improve my child’s reading proficiency and make him/her excited about reading. Perhaps one of the following reading challenges might be just the answer, whether to encourage summer or all year reading:

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/mar/11/finland-ranked-worlds-most-literate-nation

http://www.ccsu.edu/wmln/testScores.html

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May / June 2016 | ©The Homeschool Handbook

Barnes & Noble Summer Reading Challenge

Did You Know… •• 45 million Americans are functionally illiterate and cannot read above a 5th grade level •• 50% of adults cannot read a book written at an 8th grade level •• 57% of students failed the California Standards Test in English

Fostering a love of reading and its rewards, the Barnes & Noble Imagination’s Destination Summer Reading Program is popular with students in first through sixth grades. Participation is a fun and easy way for kids to earn free books. They simply read any eight books – library books, books borrowed from friends or books bought at Barnes & Noble – write about their favorite part in our Reading Journal, and bring a completed Reading Journal to a Barnes & Noble bookstore. Children then choose their free book from the a list of books and collect their free book from a store near them. This year, Barnes & Noble is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Summer Reading Program with a special Summer Reading Triathlon that kicks off with an “Opening Ceremony” at all stores nationwide June 4. View the press release for more information.

•• 1/3 of fourth-graders reach the proficient reading level •• 25% of six million kids in California school systems are able to perform basic reading skills •• 85% of juvenile offenders have problems reading •• 3 out of 5 people in American prisons can’t read •• To determine how many prison beds will be needed in future years, some states base part of their projection on how well current elementary students are performing on reading tests

Be A Reading Superhero! Sign up for the free, on-line Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge and start logging your reading minutes. Take weekly challenges and enter sweepstakes. Join now and help Scholastic set a new world record for number of minutes read. Parents, Scholastic has book recommendations and plenty of resources to help you motivate your kids to get reading this summer.

•• 3 out of 4 people on welfare can’t read •• 44% of American adults do not read a book in a year •• Illiteracy costs American taxpayers an estimated $20 billion each year (Sources: National Institute for Literacy, National Center for Adult Literacy, The Literacy Company, U. S. Census Bureau)

The Homeschool Handbook | May / June 2016

Book Adventure is a fun, free way to motivate your child  to read! Kids in grades K-8 can search for books, read  them offline, come back to quiz on what they’ve read,  and earn prizes for their reading success. Start your  reading adventure at http://www.bookadventure.com/home.aspx ©

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Use the free printable bingo-themed chart at KC Edventures http://www.kcedventures.com/blog/summer-readingbooks-from-different-genres-free-printables to introduce your child to books from across various genres. It can be used by children of all ages (even adults) as a way to help them branch out to new areas of literature.

BOOK IT! motivates children to read by rewarding their reading accomplishments with praise, recognition and pizza. The program runs from October 1st to March 31st and homeschoolers can register at http://www.bookitprogram.com/homeschool/ default.asp, Because achieving a goal is a great reason to celebrate, BOOK IT! was created in 1984 and currently reaches over 14 million students. Pizza Hut is proud of BOOK IT! kids! The restaurant manager and team congratulate BOOK IT! kids for meeting their monthly reading goal and reward them with a free, one-topping Personal Pan Pizza and a Passport to Reading and sticker on their first visit. On each subsequent visit, they get another stamp (sticker) for their Passport to Reading, another Personal Pan Pizza, and more kudos!

Oxford Owl Reading a project from the Oxford University Press has 250 free eBooks for you to share with your child as well as simple ideas, top tips, activities and games to help your child with their reading at home. You’ll also find advice from educational experts on many areas including phonics, motivating boys and how to help a child who is struggling with their reading. Available free at: https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/for-home/reading-owl/reading

Tints provides access to dyslexia-friendly kid’s fiction. The interactive app features dyslexia-friendly text, a range of colored page tints and a sliding ruler to provide reading support. Tints offers sample chapters, free content and in-app purchases of full stories for young people aged 8 to teen. Available at: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tints-dyslexiafriendly-reading/id975773541?mt=8

Gutloff, Karen. 1999, January. “Reading Research Ready to Go.” NEA Today. Washington, DC: National Education Association.

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