MSI Press Blog

  Today's tip for parents from two talented teachers comes from  365 Teacher Secrets for Parents  by Cindy McKinley Alder and Patti Trombly. #90 The "Pros" of Poetry   Poetry is plucking at the heartstrings, and making music with them  ~Dennis Gabor   Using poetry or verse as reading material for a change can prove to be very motivational for reluctant readers and quite enjoyable for all readers. Poems are usually short, sweet, and highly entertaining. Finding poetry that fits your child's interests (such as humor, nature, realistic…) is easy to do. A librarian or bookstore employee can help you find anthologies to suite any child. If your child especially seems to enjoy reading poetry, you might try to gently suggest ways to increase academics through the use of poems. Perhaps you could:   ●       You can pause, while reading him a poem, and omit the rhyming words for him to fill in. ●    ...

  Today's tip for parents from two talented teachers comes from  365 Teacher Secrets for Parents  by Cindy McKinley Alder and Patti Trombly. #89 Summarizing   As you child writes in her personal journal, encourage her to try writing a summary about her day.   Have you ever heard your child retell a movie or book to someone and listen to her go on and on and on? It may even be difficult for the listener to follow if he isn't familiar with the plot. Teaching your child how to summarize can help her capture the plot and feeling of the movie or story without getting lost in minor events, thus increasing her comprehension of the main idea of a story. Start by showing your child examples of good summaries. Good summaries (also called a synopsis) are not hard to find. You can find summaries on the back or inside cover of books. In the newspaper, there are synopses of movies and books. On the Internet, you can look up a title of any book and most often there will be a s...

  Today's tip for parents from two talented teachers comes from  365 Teacher Secrets for Parents  by Cindy McKinley Alder and Patti Trombly.   #73 A Real Cliffhanger   I find it ironic that happy endings now are called fairytale endings because there's nothing happy about most fairytale endings . ~ Joe Wright               Many of the long-running television shows accomplish their popularity by keeping the viewing public wanting more. They do this by ending each show with a question, problem, or situation that makes you want to watch it next time to see how it develops. Books can do the same thing. Part books are often written so that each chapter ends in a cliffhanger, enticing the reader to continue and making it hard to put the book down. Picture books can also be read in a way to make your child want more. Try this with your child. After reading a chapter or a few pages in a picture b...

Today's tip for parents from two talented teachers comes from  365 Teacher Secrets for Parents  by Cindy McKinley Alder and Patti Trombly.   #71 "The Rule of Thumb"   Educators are increasingly encouraging their students to read and write on their own outside of school  ~The Condition of Education, National Center for Education Statistics 1999   When your child is looking at a new book and deciding whether to begin reading it (such as at the library or a bookstore) ,sometimes it may be difficult to tell if it is at the right reading level for her. A quick look on the cover (both front and back) of the book may tell you what grade level it is intended for. However, not all books carry that code and not all children are reading exactly at grade level. A quick and easy way to judge whether a book will be too difficult for her to read can be called the "Rule of Thumb.” Here’s how to do it: 1.      Simply have your child begin ...