Instilling the Joy of Reading in a Child

Educational experts agree that the more children read, the more they’ll enjoy reading and the better readers they’re likely to become.

Parents can play a key role in helping their child become a life-long reader by instilling the joy of reading from an early age. Educational experts recommend that parents spend at least one hour per week – or 10 to 15 minutes a day – reading with children as young as preschool.

Reading is an important life skill and source of great personal enjoyment. But reading skills and habits develop young, so it’s important for parents to encourage their children’s love of reading at an early age. Spending an hour a week reading with your children inside and outside your home can foster a lifetime of reading.

Instilling the joy of reading can start with preschoolers. The education experts at Sylvan Learning, the leading provider of tutoring to students of all ages, grades and skill levels, recommend that parents set aside time for reading aloud to their child while pointing to the words on the page as they are spoken - encouraging children between ages 4 and 7 to recognize words themselves.



Reading aloud continues to be important with grade school children, as it helps them to develop language skills. Encouraging discussion with a child also contributes to language development skills and can help with reading. Grade school is the time to introduce a child to the local public library, and expand reading to include newspapers and magazines. Parents can also designate shelves in their child’s room to create a child’s own “home library.”

Don’t forget to read outside the home as well. There are many opportunities to read to your child – and have him read back to you – as you’re running errands, attending events and dining out.

Parents can also take advantage of reading opportunities on the Internet. For example, Book Adventure is a free, interactive, reading motivation program created by Sylvan Learning and found online at www.BookAdventure.com. Students in grades K-8 choose their own books from more than 7,500 titles, take short comprehension quizzes and redeem their accumulated points for small prizes. Book Adventure also offers teacher and parent resources and tips to help children develop a lifelong love of reading.

Reading, Writing & Twilight

Motivating Children by Celebrating Their Interests

How can parents and homework compete with PlayStation and Edward and Bella of Twilight? The simple answer is that they can’t compete. However, parents can use these hot trends to motivate tweens and teens to learn more and, in the process, teach their children skills that will transfer to their classroom learning and, ultimately, lead to higher standardized test scores.

Writing in the journal, Neuron, in December 2009, Carnegie Mellon University brain researchers Marcel Just and Timothy Keller said that after just six weeks of intensive reading, students who had been poor readers were not only able to improve their skills, but grew new white-matter connections in their brains. This means that the brain can actually change its connections through learning and adaptation, and the study shows that white-matter improvements had more to do with how many hours students “trained” or practiced reading than how “good they were.” In essence, the more students read, the more enjoyable reading becomes and the more those skills are used in real-life situations.

Sylvan Learning has developed several techniques to turn the things students enjoy into “training” opportunities to promote a love of reading and help them build the reading comprehension and vocabulary needed for success on standardized tests, the SAT and ACT, and writing college entrance essays.

The first step for you, as a parent, is to identify what gets your child excited and to learn about it yourself. Read the “hot” tween books, watch the movies with them, and listen to the movie soundtracks together. Discuss how the book and movie differ. Did the plot change? Did the movie introduce new characters? In short, learn about the books and trends that
dominate your teenager’s world. Then, look for creative ways to add an educational component to your child’s favorite activities.

For example, if your teen can’t get enough of Twilight, leverage that interest to learn about geography and international culture. Ask her to identify locations from the books on a map – do they exist or are they fictional? Or, encourage him to find a “pen pal” in Italy to compare his life and everyday activities. Use this as an opportunity to learn new words in Italian and determine if your teen can guess the vocabulary word based on if it resembles the English pronunciation.

Discuss the similarity of Romeo and Juliet to Edward and Bella in Twilight. Ask your teenager to read Romeo & Juliet and compare the plot, the historical trends, and the story conclusions. By comparing and contrasting classic prose and trendy literature, students can further develop their critical thinking skills while obtaining additional exposure to new writers and new writing styles and practicing their reading comprehension for standardized tests.

Yes, even Linkin Park and Muse have lessons to teach. By memorizing lyrics or even writing their own, students can learn the importance of the written and spoken word. They can research the artists’ backgrounds and
find out the process to make a CD. Parents can combine these enjoyable activities with the basics of motivating a student – goalsetting,
rewards, and reinforcement. Plan out activities and classroom assignments with your child. Determine together the steps of the process and when the assignment will be finished. Sylvan recommends that you offer mini-rewards throughout the process to keep your tween motivated. Rewards can be as simple as a pat on the back or the ability to stay out an hour later on the weekend. When the project is complete, review it together, and congratulate him or her on a job well done.

The more your teen reads, the more he or she will know! All of the skills learned through these activities will translate into the classroom - and SAT and ACT success - by reinforcing geography, analytical comprehension, reading and research skills.

By joining in your tween’s fun, you’ll also demonstrate that learning takes place everywhere and that it is enjoyable.

For additional tips to instill the joy of reading and make learning a fun family endeavor, visit www.SylvanLearning.com.

Math Test Anxiety

A new survey of U.S. teens reported in Education Week reveals that students highly value the subjects of math and science and understand the important role those subjects play in their futures. Yet plenty of kids still suffer from math test anxiety, which effects learning – and performance.

“I mean, I can get it, but when test time comes I panic about the math parts because I’m afraid that I might get the wrong solution,” says 16-year-old Toni. “And you feel like you have to do well to keep up with everybody else and it just puts a lot of pressure on you,” agrees 16-year-old Sammy.

But the irony is, according to a study, all that worrying can actually lower test scores. Researchers from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas found that anxiety and worry comes from the same part of the brain that is used to take a math test – or any other test. Psychologist Ken Carter explains: “Because they’re fighting with that anxiety and that distraction, sometimes even at an unconscious level - having to compete with that and do the task decreases their performance.”

So, the more you worry, the lower your grade. And that problem gets even worse on a high stakes test, like the S-A-T or a statewide promotion exam.

Fourteen-year-old Mary Ellen has felt the pressure. “The more they talk about how it will affect the school and each person individually- the more stress it puts on the students.”

Experts say there are ways parents can help. First, it’s crucial their kids get a good night’s sleep, have them eat a healthy breakfast, and experts say, reassure them, it’s just one test, and worrying won’t help. “We want you to do well, but if you don’t do well, it’s not going to be the end of the world,” says education expert Stan Williams.

Mary Ellen’s advice: “Try not to stress about it too much, because if all you’re thinking about is how well you’re gonna do then you’re probably gonna mess up, because you’re not concentrating very well.”

Most students experience some level of anxiety during an exam. Causes of text anxiety may be linked to a lack of preparation, poor time management and study habits or worrying about past performance on exams, especially in relation to friends and other students.

Students can try these strategies to reduce test anxiety:
• Avoid “cramming” for a test. Trying to master a semester’s worth of material the day before the test is a poor way to learn and can easily produce anxiety.
• Make the most out of your study sessions. Study in a location where you can concentrate, get interested in the material, and give it your complete attention.
• Improving your perspective of the test-taking experience can actually help you enjoy studying and may improve your performance. Don’t overplay the importance of the grade - it is not a reflection of your selfworth nor does it predict your future success.
• If you feel very anxious in the exam, take a few minutes to calm yourself. Stretch your arms and legs and then relax them again. Do this a couple of times. Do some positive internal selftalk; say to yourself, “I will be OK, I can do this.” Then direct your focus on the test.