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Challenge your students to read millions of words!

Register today for the Million Word Challenge:
www.millionwordchallenge.org

How Can a School/Agency Participate? Register your school/agency online at www.millionwordchallenge.org today.  The Campaign  launches on February 1, 2012.  There are limited spaces available so schools/agencies will be registered on a first-come, first-serve basis.        Implement the challenge in your school/agency following the guidelines. Schools/Agencies will have access to an online handbook to help with implementation.         Submit the name of your school/agency’s Million Word Challenge Winner by logging back onto www.millionwordchallenge.org in April 2012.         Each student winner receives a $50 gift certificate to purchase books at the Target Book Store at Festival of Books, which will take place at USC April 21 – 22, 2012. Students unable to attend Festival of Books will be able to use their gift card to purchase books at any Target store.  For additional information, please contact Colin Meng at (213) 201-3907 or at ctmeng@familiesinschools.org. Million Word Challenge participant challenges you to read outside of school!

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• Getting Ready for Read with Me: A 2-hour Read with Me training for new staff.
• Read with Me Again: A 2-hour Read with Me refresher training for staff already trained in the Read with Me program
• Read with Me Literacy Backpack:  Replace your Read with Me backpack with or without books.
• Read with Me Backpack Tags:  Replace you lost tags for your backpacks.
• Storysharing Tips:  Replace lost Storysharing tips for your Read with Me backpacks.

I have attached a Read with Me brochure for your information.  Please feel free to contact me at (213) 201-3905 or at lmiranda@familiesinschools.org to expand your Read with Me/Lea Conmigo program today.  I look forward to speaking with you soon.

Best Wishes,

Lupe Miranda

Lupe Miranda Program Assistant, Early Education and Family Literacy Families In Schools Web: www.familiesinschools.org Direct Number: (213) 201-3905 Main Office Number: (213) 201-3900 Email: lmiranda@familiesinschools.org

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Isabel Allende, Elena Poniatowska, Laura Restrepo, Paco Ignacio Taibo II, Carmen Boullosa, Francisco Martin Moreno, José José and Kate Del Castillo, are Among Presenters

One of the most ambitious efforts to celebrate the world of Spanish language books will make its debut when LéaLA, the Spanish book fair in Los Angeles, premieres April 29, 30 and May 1, at the Los Angeles Convention Center. “This book fair is the first of its kind in the U.S.,” says Marisol Schulz, Director of LéaLA. “LéaLA was conceived as a cultural festival where the spinal cord is the literary program, a space where authors from Latin American countries and U.S. Latino writers can find a home that reflects the U.S. Latino reality. A place where Hispanics from all walks of life can rediscover their roots, reading, culture and understand the new society they are building in the U.S.,”

LéaLA will feature an impressive gathering of highly acclaimed authors from the literary, cultural and entertainment worlds. More than 100 publishers and 80 authors will showcase their works from fiction to non-fiction, with topics ranging from history to empowerment, for everyone from book aficionados to children just learning to read, in Spanish and English. The jam-packed literary and cultural program will complement the sale of books and give the public a close-up look at the wonders of the written page in an entertaining way.

Confirmed authors include: Isabel Allende, Laura Restrepo, Francisco Martin Moreno, Xavier Velasco, Sealtiel Alatriste, Carmen Boullosa, Sanjuana Martinez, Paco Ignacio Taibo II, and Sandra Lorenzano. Also participating will be the Director of the Royal Spanish Academy, Jose Manuel Blecua; former Miss Universe, Dayanara Torres; legendary singing superstar, Jose Jose; actress Kate del Castillo, and more celebrities who will read to children in the kids’ zone.

The Mexican state of Jalisco is the honored special guest and as a tribute LéaLA will present a homage to three Mexican literary greats: Juan Rulfo, Agustín Yáñez and Juan José Arreola, as well as the theatre performances by one of Mexico’s greatest artists, actor-writer-director, Ofelia Medina, presenting "El Placer de Nuestra Lengua,"  "The Pleasures of Our Tongue,” with the Rubén Albarrán (lead singer of Café Tacvba). The play’s name is a double entendre referring to the Spanish language as well as our physical tongue.  It is a dramatic staging where delicate, romantic lyricism is intertwined with potent eroticism through the Spanish Language.  The Ballet Folclórico of the University of Guadalajara, considered one of the best folk dance troupes in Mexico with international acclaim, will also offer a command performance, with concert caliber mariachi on Sunday, May 1 at the Wiltern Theatre.

Plenary sessions, book signings, talks, panel sessions and talks will fill each day’s program revealing insights into a plethora of topics including: popular trends, current events, immigration, the vitality of Latino culture in the U.S. and Latin America, the history and roots of Latin American countries, mysteries of love and sex, personal finance, mental and physical health for women, gay history, the drug trade, Mexican cinema in L.A., the art of Mexican cuisine, and the education crisis, among others.

Topping each day will be evening concerts at the Nokia Theatre with top recording artists including, Lupillo Rivera and Banda El Limon, Pedro Fernandez, and Molotov and Kinky.

The event is open to the public and expects to draw over 30,000 people. Admission is free to the book fair. Event hours are: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Los Angeles Convention Center, Concourse Hall, 1201 South Figueroa St., Los Angeles, 90015. Tickets for the concerts and theatre performances are available through Ticketmaster. For more information visit the LéaLA website at www.lea-la.com

LéaLA is an initiative organized by the University of Guadalajara USA Foundation and supported by the Guadalajara International Book Fair, Feria Internacional del Libro, known worldwide as FIL; and the University of Guadalajara in Los Angeles.

For interviews, photos and more information, contact:

• USA: Oralia Michel
• 626-705-1942
• oralia@ommpr.com
• México: Yadira Cota
• 33-31342222 ext.12641
• Yadira.cota@redudg.udg.mx

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Thank you for supporting literacy through Read with Me/Lea Conmigo, a family engagement program designed to improve the early literacy skills of infants and toddlers, preschool children, and students in kindergarten through 1^st grade. Expand your Read with Me program today for the low, one-time cost of $100 per student. Also, please feel free to contact us for other support services including:

• Getting Ready for Read with Me: A 2-hour Read with Me training for new staff.

• Read with Me Again: A 2-hour Read with Me refresher training for staff already trained in the Read with Me program
• Read with Me Literacy Backpack:  Replace your Read with Me backpack with or without books.
• Read with Me Backpack Tags:  Replace you lost tags for your backpacks.
• Storysharing Tips:  Replace lost Storysharing tips for your Read with Me backpacks.

CLICK HERE to Read with Me brochure for your information. 

Please feel free to contact me at (213) 201-3905 or at lmiranda@familiesinschools.org to expand your Read with Me/Lea Conmigo program today.  I look forward to speaking with you soon.

Best Wishes,

Lupe Miranda

Copyright © by RaiseYourChild.org. All Rights Reserved.

Target Early Childhood Reading Grants are for $2000 and are submitted through an online application process. Application instructions will be posted on the Target web site on March 1, 2011. (Look for the button "Apply for a Reading Grant.")  Grants can be submitted until April 30, 2011. Recipients will be notified in September.

For more information, Click here.

But what really did the trick for me was this fun and excellent IU Acapella choir ‘Straight No Chaser’ singing Christmas carols.

Christmas carols do not have to be obvious and ‘boring’. If you have any of your bigger kids sing for the family this year, perhaps they can hustle things up a little, like this choir does, for some fun, kicks and drama.

Silent Night

There is still enough time for them to play and practice their made-up original songs made up of a medley of old Christmas carol classics.

Mickey’s Christmas Carol

And for their performance, perhaps they can even dress up in a fun costume, like a great Mickey Mouse outfit …..! (This poster makes a great gift btw.)

Alternatively, if your kids are not so into singing, or a bit more shy, reading a short-version of a classic Christmas story for the family.

It is another great way for children to show off their skills, and to be positively involved in preparing for the big family get togethers.

It is important to children to be part of the togetherness, and by contributing to the big event, it makes them feel important, invited, and special.

I look forward to hearing how you are managing to involve your youngsters this year in fun and constructive ways.

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This article certainly gives a more comprehensive and soulful meaning to Halloween. It offers interesting stories and good values for you to relay to your children. ((A notch up from orange candy without going organic )

Below is the first part of the story…

“At its core, Samhain is about the night when the old God dies and the crone Goddess mourns him deeply for the next six weeks. The popular image of her as the old Halloween hag stirring her cauldron comes from the Celtic belief that all dead souls return to her cauldron of life, death and rebirth to await reincarnation.”
…. more ~ read the whole story here

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1. Talk and listen.Have you ever explored an idea with a trusted friend? Your conversation probably helped you figure out what you thought or felt. Talking out loud does not just express your thinking; it actually helps you to think.

Researchers have been observing the power of talk in the classroom for decades. They’ve noticed that kids are natural thinkers and problem-solvers, provided they get the chance to think out loud. At home, think and wonder out loud yourself and build on your child’s observations.

2. Embrace problems.Employers and guidance counsellors have said it for years: problem-solvers will rule the century. If you’ve ever hired a problem-solver, you know what I mean. Problem-solvers say, “Ok, here’s what we could do.” People who can’t problem-solve stare at you blankly and say, “Janice isn’t back until Tuesday.” Always involve your child in problem-solving and invite her solutions to the problem.

3. Argue.From the classroom to the boardroom, the ability to argue well is a hot thinking skill. Arguing means making a claim and backing it up with evidence, or reasons. A claim sounds like this: Recycling should be the law. A reason sounds like this: because the world is running out of space for all the garbage. Dream up some claims with your child and argue them together. They can be silly or serious. You can take one side and she can take the other. Praise good reasons even if you don’t agree with them, and plant the seed for civil discourse.

4. Become obsessed with cause and effect.Seize every opportunity to talk about the way stuff works and how one thing leads to another. This develops your child’s ability to recognize and use causal reasoning. Your examples can be everyday–why the dust disappears when you suck it up with a vacuum cleaner; why you pay to get on the bus; what happens when you put the pot of water on the stove. These conversations will feed your child’s natural curiosity and encourage him to learn more. If you’re unsure about how something works, visit the How Stuff Works website to brush up.

5. Say when you don’t get it.When you say you don’t get it, two things happen: 1. Your child sees you as a person who instinctively evaluates the information she receives; 2. You send a message that being smart doesn’t mean you understand everything.

Only confident people say that don’t get it because they feel entitled to understand. This should be every child’s entitlement–and yours–at home and school. When your child doesn’t understand a concept, never blame him. Encourage him to explain his current understanding so that you can help him move forward. Never let him think he should keep quiet to avoid looking stupid. Smart people always speak up.

6. Ask for the executive summary.Heck, it saves time and it makes your child think–hard. Summarizing is filtering thinking: it means isolating the key ideas and omitting unnecessary detail. think of the last time you tried to summarize your thoughts in front of a friend or boss and failed. Did your brain feel like spaghetti? That’s how mine feels when I haven’t come prepared to summarize.

Ask your child to summarize often. It can be anything–a movie, a school day, a birthday party. When your child masters how to summarize, her brain will start to autocruise for key ideas all the time. A recent article in the Journal of Business Communication characterized the ability to summarize as “key to business survival” but noted that few people could do it well.

7. Offer choices.Choices, rather than directives, force your child to think. You don’t have to offer a complete smorgasbord of options–just a range. Lunch ideas, movie rentals, things to do on the weekend, lessons, hobbies, and extra-curricular activities are some areas where your child benefits from exercising choice within a controlled range. Once your child lives with her choices for awhile, she will start to think more deeply about the implications of them.

8. Watch TV.That’s right–TV. Television increases your child’s general knowledge; exposes him to narrative and all its devices, including characterization, conflict, and chronology; and often offers up a feast of vocabulary.

Start listening to television with your child and talk about what you see and hear. Why was a character funny? Why was a situation unfair? What does quasar mean, anyway? Share with your child the storylines and characters that intrigue you or make you laugh.

9. Dig advertising.Advertisements need not be empty lures; they can be an education in media literacy. If an ad pushes your buttons, don’t get disgusted–get even by talking about the ad with your child. As an adult consumer, you already know the basics of advertising manipulation–from catchy slogan to eye-catching graphics. If you and your child want to know more, visit the Ad Detective at Don’t Buy It! (a PBS website for kids). It’s one of the best sites out there.

By Jessica Pegis

Jessica Pegis is an author and consultant specializing in learning resources kids. She is the mother of 10-year-old Simone, her sternest critic and loudest cheerleader. Sign up today for KidSmart, her FREE e-zine, by going to http://www.talkplaythink.com ! Tips, games, and other fun (and brainy) stuff to do with kids.

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She scored one point shy of admission to the gifted student program at our local elementary school. Because she didn’t hurry through a timed portion of the test – indeed, has never hurried through anything – a score sheet said she wasn’t The “profoundly gifted,” but just a “plain old smart kid.” I was invited to bring her back in a year and have her tested again. The school was sure she would make it on the second round. I decided it wasn’t that important.

Of course she’s gifted. Her IQ measures in the 120 range. She’s twelve now, a magnificent artist, with a mature flair for cartooning and a deep and abiding love and understanding of nature. But she can’t do grade-level math to save her soul. Her sister, whom I never had tested, is also gifted. At ten, she shows “prodigious talent” at the piano and works well above grade level in math. But she gets confused with word problems on paper and her giftedness takes flight at the sight of any kind of “test.” The girls’ seven-year-old brother would probably be stuck in a learning disabled class. His giftedness is somewhat hidden behind a gregarious, fun-loving nature and an abhorrence of reading, although he loves to be read to and has the focus and maturity to enjoy listening to long novels with his sisters.

My friends’ kids are gifted, although not all of them notice their gifts. These children are wonderful skaters, artists, inventors, budding scientists, amateur filmmakers, young architects, and more. NThem have ever been formally tested for giftedness. As far as the public schools are concerned, these plain old smart kids have to tough it out in crowded classrooms with everyone else. Fortunately, many of these friends homeschool and they don’t have to worry about that.

I’m sure your children are gifted too. When my children were very little and we spent time with other friends who had children the same ages, I would watch in fascination and wonderment at the skills and talents they all showed at those tender ages. I couldn’t figure out why those other parents didn’t seem to see their children’s talents. Indeed, over time, a lot of those talents went unrealized because they were never recognized.

How many brilliant scientists have we lost? How many doctors, how many possible cures for cancer, how many magnificent compositions and great works of art, how many inventions and cosmological theoretical advances have never seen the light of day because throughout their youth, our possible saviors were told they were nothing special? Genius isn’t relegated to the domain of high I.Q. Genius, said Thomas Edison – who was considered “addled” in his youth and probably wouldn’t have qualified as GSP material today – is one tenth inspiration and nine tenths perspiration. It’s the result of the blue-collar work ethic, not white-collar elitism.

I am grateful that homeschooling allows me to nurture the unique genius and gifts of each of my children. I mourn the genius lost in public schools because a child hasn’t yet realized his or her potential at the age of 5. I believe we get what we expect from our children – and from one another. At least, I believe we do if our expectations consist in belief in one another’s highest potential. If we treated all our children as the geniuses they can be, and nurtured their innate gifts of kindness, charity, understanding, and compassion, as well as their hoped-for academic gifts, then 9,999 children out of 10,000 could brighten our future and theirs with their own “extraordinary abilities.”

What are the odds your child is gifted? Probably pretty good if you believe in your child!

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