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What's New at AES
Welcome to the inaugural edition of All Educational
Software (AES) News. We plan to publish articles of
interest to parents, educators and all learners. We
welcome your feedback, comments and topic requests. We are
also looking for resources you have found particularly
helpful that we might share with our readers. Please email
them to AES News. And watch for the release of the AES
blog where you'll be able to share your thoughts and
experiences with others.
The biggest news at AES this month is the upcoming
expansion of our selections! We are nearly doubling the
number of educational software titles we carry to over 617
If you haven't visited AES in awhile, please make a return
visit and see what's new. But one thing hasn't changed -
whether you order 1 CD or 1000, it's one flat shipping fee
of $2.99 and our 100% satisfaction guarantee. |
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For Parents
My child
is struggling in the traditional classroom. What can I do?
First of
all, it isn't too late in the school year to work on this
issue. Any progress you can make to identify problems
your child is having will set the stage for solutions that
you can implement as early as this summer.
If you
know your child doesn't have a learning disability (that
requires extra attention and resources), then you will
need to do some homework of your own to ensure your
child's success in the classroom.
Here
are some suggestions that will aid in increasing your
child's motivation, interest and learning.
Talk
to your child. Is there a distraction or stressor that
is preventing him or her from staying on task. This
could be a social problem with another child, the
organization of the classroom or a personal problem they
haven't shared with you yet. Be sure you
consider bullying in your investigation. It's an
insidious problem with dire consequences. Be
patient. Plant the seeds that you have noticed a
problem and slowly chip away at the subject.
Is he
or she interested in the classroom material? Is
your child able to grasp the material? Boredom
and frustration can create roadblocks to
learning. Consider outside supplementation with
educational software or a tutor. Sometimes all it takes
is a little reinforcement of the material or
presentation at the child's own learning pace. You will
find educational software particularly well suited to
that. If your child needs more personal assistance or
more interaction, then enlist the help of a tutor.
There are many reputable organizations that you can
contact, such as Kumon and Sylvan, but if your child is
reluctant, start with a local teen or older friend.
Enlist
the help and advice of your child's teacher. Your child's
teacher is a learning expert and wants your child to
succeed. They know tactics you haven't
thought of yet. And they see your child in a totally
different environment. Teachers can get
overwhelmed with the kids with the greatest needs, but
be assured, they will be able to give you insight into
your child.
Find
your child's passion and special ability and run
with it. Every kid has something that brings a
smile to their face: a drawing, a LEGO construction, a
musical or theatrical or sports performance,
understanding the workings of computer programs. This
can help in 2 ways. Self-esteem is a powerful tonic and
whatever constructive means can be used to build it,
should be used. The other way a special interest or
talent can help is as a track to follow for the future.
Find a high school or outside program where your
child can take classes (including technical classes) in
what they love. It will set them on a path to the
future that they will enjoy following.
Above
all, don't wait to take action. Your child' learning
success depends on communication and diligent pursuit of
the best learning style and environment for your child.
Watch for the summer newsletter for more ideas on
keeping your child's interest in learning alive over the
summer.
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For Educators
Use Harry Potter Trivia in Effective Reading Lesson
Plans
Why not change the format of the comprehension questioning
in your reading lesson plans to use Harry Potter novels?
This will in fact work with any novel study.
After each chapter or section of the book is completed,
ask your students to submit a trivia question about what
they have just read. The questions can be both simple and
complex. The teacher will also strategically add his/her
own questions, making sure to cover the comprehension
and/or grammar questions that are important. Spelling
questions can also be added using new words learned from
that chapter. Trivia can also include questions on other
lessons such as science and math which relate to the
passages that have been read.
After all the questions have been received, divide your
class into the 4 Hogwarts house teams: Gryffindor,
Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. These four teams can
be changed from time to time for each new book or they may
be kept constant. The competition among the children in
each house will further increase their desire to read
effectively so they can help their teams. Children with
more advanced reading and comprehension skills will want
to help out those in their teams who may be struggling,
thus offering some peer coaching.
Children will look forward to reading the assigned
chapters and learn to enjoy reading and to comprehend the
written content much more effectively when Harry Potter
Trivia is used in your classroom.
________________________
Valerie Giles owns and operatesCyber-Prof:
Teacher Resource Site an educational web site that
specializes in resources for school and
teacher supplies. Free stuff for teachers,
teaching strategies, K-8, educational toys & games,
back to school, classroom technology and home school
curriculum. |
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Product Spotlight
The Advantage series is a set of
comprehensive learning software designed for elementary,
middle school and high school kids.
Elementary
Advantage 2007 gets grade
school kids off on the right foot with built-in guidelines
for better report and paper writing, as well as activities
that promote critical thinking. Basic grade school
subjects of math, language arts, social studies, science,
basic typing and foreign language are covered thoroughly
with creative, interactive exercises that are tailored to
the student's level of learning. Bonus
included: Encyclopedia Britannica Ready Reference 2006.
Middle
School Advantage 2007 provides reinforcement for the
fast-paced middle school material that leaves many
students struggling to keep up. This interactive
educational software for kids in grades 6-8 covers middle
school math, English, US history, science, typing and some
foreign language. Middle school pre-algebra,
algebra I and geometry are covered and that absolutely
vital skill of typing. Bonus included:
Encyclopedia Britannica Ready
Reference 2006.
The
High School Advantage 2007 software helps kids
in grades 9-12 learn core subjects of English, math,
science, history and even touches on conversational
vocabulary in French, Spanish, German and Italian. Math
topics include algebra II, geometry and trigonometry.
Bonus included: College Exam Prep and The Complete Guide
to College Admissions.
The unique features of the Advantage
products are:
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The
huge number of exercises related to the subject
material.
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Interactive software adapts to different learning
levels.
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Student's progress is tracked by scores on quizzes and
tests and areas are targeted for improvement.
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Each
product comes with bonus software.
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A real
best-buy for your money! If you can only get one piece
of educational software, this is it.
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Coming Next Issue (Summer)
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NEW! Special product section just for
educators
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Back-to-school discount coupons
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Finding math in fun places
- Don't
lose ground over the summer!
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