Super Bowl a good opportunity to teach kids about Roman numerals

LEANNE ITALIE, Associated Press

NEW YORK — Kids LOL and OMG each other all the livelong day, but ask them to decipher the XLVI of this year’s Super Bowl and you might as well be talking Greek.

They may know what X means, or V and I, but Roman numerals beyond the basics have largely gone the way of cursive and penmanship as a subject taught in the nation’s schools.

Students in high school and junior high get a taste of the Roman system during Latin (where Latin is still taught, anyway). And they learn a few Roman numerals in history class when they study the monarchs of Europe.

But in elementary school, “Roman numerals are a minor topic,” said Jeanine Brownell of the early mathematics development program at Erickson...

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Toddler center built on respect for the child

By Cathy Kelly, Santa Cruz Sentinel

LIVE OAK, CALIF. — At the Santa Cruz Toddler Center, even the chairs for adults are small, as everything is geared to 1- and 2-year-olds.

And the tots have some carefully orchestrated freedom, so that they can learn to make their own age-appropriate choices.

They nap when they get tired, and their caregivers help them to recognize the signs of being tired, so that they soon begin announcing nap time on their own. They are not forced to share toys.

On a recent morning, several tots sat down to lunch in a remarkably organized way, certain of the expectations and the routine. The menu was a nutritional powerhouse, featuring organic, whole wheat pasta, kale chips, pistachios, chard and nutritional yeast, some grown...

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Charter school becomes a success story

By Rosemary Shinohara, McClatchy-Tribune

What does berry picking have to do with math?

Children at a public charter school in Anchorage, Alaska, know the answer _ they’ve sorted berries by color, size and shape, measured and weighed them, and figured out how many there are per square foot of ground.

Turning berry picking into a math lesson is one example of an approach that is helping students at the Alaska Native Cultural Charter School make remarkable gains in achievement scores.

The school is grounded in Native values and activities; it strives to make students proud of their heritage. That’s coupled with a strong academic program. The result: In just two years, scores for students’ performance on statewide tests have risen...

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Film suggests hollow achievement has trumped critical thinking, creativity

By Carol McGraw, The Colorado Springs Gazette

Has the achievement treadmill destroyed students’ love of learning and led to disengagement, burnout and an inability to think critically and creatively?

That’s the viewpoint of the documentary “Race to Nowhere, the Dark Side of America’s Achievement Culture.”

According to the film’s creators, students are victims of a “culture of hollow achievement and pressure to perform.” That atmosphere has led to an epidemic of stress-related illnesses and depression, and an uninspired generation that is unprepared for college and the workplace.

It follows another documentary, “Waiting for Superman,” which also viewed the education system as...

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Five tips to prevent your student from cheating

By Aisha Sultan, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Cheating among students is rampant. Nine out of 10 middle schoolers admit to copying someone else’s homework and 74 percent of high school students admit to cheating on an exam. Technology makes it even easier, with homework assignments sent via mass e-mail and test answers showing up as text messages.

Educator and author Dr. Michael Hartnett shares five useful tips on how to make sure your child is not a chronic cheater:

1. Check your child’s homework every night. This advice may sound a little intense and age inappropriate by the time your child is in high school, but it’s an important way for parents to know what their child is actually learning. A good sign that a teenager is cheating is the absence of...

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This game adds up to fun

By Amy Kaldo-Bull, Disney FamilyFun magazine

In Sumoku, one player rolls a die, then all players take turns arranging numbered tiles, crossword-style, so each row or column adds up to a multiple of the number rolled.

Scores are tallied based on the number combinations played on each person’s turn, with the game continuing until no tiles remain. Our tester moms especially loved how all 97 pieces stow away in the easy-to-tote, cone-shaped sack.

Directions for variations, such as speed and team play, are included. 1 to 8 players. Ages 9 and up. Blue Orange, www.blueorangegames.com,$15....

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Smokey Bear/Woodsy Owl poster contest under way in Ohio

The Wayne National Forest in southeastern Ohio, in partnership with the Garden Club of Ohio Inc. and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry, announces the kick-off for the 2011 Smokey Bear/Woodsy Owl Contest.

The contest is a great opportunity for students in grades 1-5 to demonstrate, through original drawings of Smokey Bear or Woodsy Owl, their understanding of wildfire prevention and basic environmental conservation principles. Garden Club of Ohio will award winners for each grade level with honorable mentions. Ohio first place winners are sent to the Central Atlantic regional contest where posters are judged and grade winners are selected to compete nationally.

Posters must feature Smokey Bear or Woodsy Owl and must not feature both together....

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Play will get child ready for reading

Detroit Free Press

Dear Leanna: My daughter, Olivia, had an OK year in kindergarten, but she’s not reading like some of her classmates. Her teacher says not to worry, but I do. Are there flashcards, workbooks or online courses we can use this summer to help her catch up as she enters first grade?

Answer: I’m with the teacher. Lots of kids don’t read as they exit kindergarten, so she’s not behind. Don’t make her feel like she is. Pushing her with flashcards or drills can do more harm than good. Devote the summer to play.

Yes, play. Researchers say play is an essential component in learning to read. Play helps kids develop background knowledge so they can link the words to things they’ve...

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Food for thought for new readers

By Pamela Brill, Disney FamilyFun magazine

My kindergartner, Peyton, is excited that she’s beginning to read, so I was thrilled to discover Pop for Sight Words.

This fun game should help her maintain her skills and enthusiasm over the summer. Players take turns picking kernel-shaped pieces from the popcorn box. If a player recognizes the word on the piece she’s chosen, she says it and keeps the card.

But if she draws a piece that says “pop,” she has to return all her cards to the box. The words range from easy (do, now) to challenging (please, there). The game is simple, yet addictive — kind of like its snack counterpart. Ages 6 and up, Learning Resources, $10....

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Vocabulary vitamins: Playful ways to build your child’s word power

McClatchy-Tribune

Want to help your children to become better readers and stronger students? Feed them a steady diet of interesting words!

Studies have shown that children with rich vocabularies do better in school. It’s common sense: When kids sit down to read any text, they have a huge advantage if they are familiar with a large number words and what they mean. And that holds true whether the words are on an exam, newspaper, billboard, computer or cell phone screen.

“Vocabulary knowledge is a major indicator of reading comprehension,” says Joseph Pettigrew, who teaches at Boston University and recently conducted an online seminar with tips to improve students’ word power. “Motivating students to learn new words is crucial,...

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