Study: Hugs, Encouragement Help Kids’ Brains Grow
February 03, 2012
Study: Hugs, Encouragement Help Kids’ Brains Grow
Raising children through the early years can be a time of frustration, as our kids daily test our patience and ability to keep the hugs and positive words flowing.
Who knew that our support actually can make a difference in how our children’s brains develop?
But that may actually be the case, according to new research by child psychiatrists and neuroscientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
The researchers found that school-aged kids whose moms nurtured them when they were younger developed a larger hippocampus, which is a key region of the brain that’s important to learning, memory and response to stress. The research was published online Jan. 30 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition.
The brain-imaging study found that mentally healthy kids who had been nurtured well had a hippocampus almost 10 percent larger than children whose mothers were not as nurturing.
Studies have shown that nurturing can impact brain development in animals, and that kids raised in nurturing environments are healthier and do better in school. But this study offers the first “solid evidence linking a nurturing parent to changes in brain anatomy in children,” according to the university’s website.
“This study validates something that seems to be intuitive, which is just how important nurturing parents are to creating adaptive human beings,” says Joan L. Luby, the lead author and a professor of child psychiatry.
The study examined the brain images of 92 children ages 7 to 10 who had participated in an earlier study of preschool depression conducted by the researchers about 10 years ago. That study involved mentally healthy preschoolers and those suffering from depression and other psychiatric disorders.
Although the study mostly evaluated the nurturing of biological mothers, the researchers say that nurturing provided by fathers, grandparents and other primary caregivers is likely to have the same impact on brain development.
Raising Readers Video Series
From reading.org:
Raising Readers YouTube Video Series for Parents
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
by Laurie Elish-Piper
“Daniel is having a hard time with reading, how can I help him?” asked Betsy, his mother. Tilly reported, “Shanika’s teacher said I need to read with her at home, but I don’t know how I am supposed to do that.” Jonathan, father of Emily, an eighth-grade student, explained, “She hates to read. She’s in middle school so I worry it’s too late. Is there anything I can do?”
I am often asked these types of questions in my role as a university Literacy Clinic Director. Because we work with K-12 students who struggle with reading and writing, the parents we encounter are often worried and frustrated about what they can do to help their children grow as readers and writers.
In response to the many questions posed by parents about how they can support their children’s reading and writing development, the Northern Illinois University Literacy Clinic has created a series of free YouTube videos to share with parents. The “Raising Readers” video series is currently available in English and offers simple research-based strategies that parents can use to support their children’s reading and writing development at home.
The videos in the “Raising Readers” series are short (two to four minutes each), easy to understand, and demonstrated with real families. They can be shared directly with parents at conferences, at open houses, on school district websites, and by sharing the YouTube Channel address in newsletters and other school publications. The videos are all available on the Northern Illinois University Literacy Clinic YouTube Channel.
During 2012 the NIU Literacy Clinic will be developing a video series, “Criando Lectores,” for Spanish-speaking parents.
For more information about the NIU Literacy Clinic and the “Raising Readers” series, including free informational handouts for parents in both English and Spanish, please visit the website at http://www.cedu.niu.edu/ltcy/literacyclinic/.
Laurie Elish-Piper, Ph.D. is Interim Department Chair, Presidential Teaching Professor, and Literacy Clinic Director in the Department of Literacy Education at Northern Illinois University, laurieep@niu.edu.
The “Raising Readers” series contains 12 videos (shown below) focused on these topics:
• Building the Reading Habit
• Promoting a Love of Reading (Grades K-5)
• Promoting a Love of Reading (Grades 6-12)
• Phonics
• Fluency
• Comprehension of Informational Texts
• Writing (Grades K-2)
• Helping Your Child with Writing (Grades 3-5)
Best Children’s & Teens’ Books of 2011
By SLJ Book Review Editors: Trevelyn Jones, Luann Toth, Marlene Charnizon, Daryl Grabarek, Chelsey Philpot, and Joy Fleishhacker.
December 1, 2011
We are pleased to present this year’s 65 choices for the Best Books of 2011, chosen from the more than 6000 books reviewed this year. Novels were a standout, particularly those for teens, with themes of leadership, coming-of-age, and facing tough situations presented in powerful narratives with memorable characters. Fantasy and science fiction genres made a strong showing for middle grades and YA, featuring taut page-turners and selections laced with humor. And we were impressed by the number of novels with exciting visual components that enhanced the storytelling. This was a particularly fine year for nonfiction across the board, from forensic scientists tackling what George Washington really looked like to the collective power of one community to determine its source of energy to 19th-century voyagers setting out to circumnavigate the globe. Spectacularly illustrated memoirs made a great showing, including those from Claire Nivola and award-winning illustrators Allen Say and Ed Young. Stunning art appears in all genres, from Vicky White’s evocative work in Can We Save the Tiger? to Shane W. Evans’s outstanding and haunting Underground: Finding the Light to Freedom to extraordinary and highly appealing picture books from masterful veterans and exciting newcomers to the field. We think you’ll find something here to engage all of your readers and enhance your collections in all areas. The month in which the original review appeared follows each annotation.–Trev Jones
| In This Article |
| Fiction |
| Nonfiction |
| Adult Books 4 Teens |
PICTURE BOOKS
BURKERT, Rand, retel. Mouse & Lion. illus. by Nancy Ekholm Burkert. Scholastic/Michael di Capua Bks. Tr $17.95. ISBN 978-0-545-10147-9.
Gr 2-6–Skitter-scampering, deed-bragging, can-do Mouse takes center stage in this rousing rendition of Aesop’s well-known fable. Awash with sun-warmed colors and breathtaking natural details, the elegant artwork portrays the delightful dynamic between two characters–one minute and one majestic–who prove to be equals in courage and kindness. (Aug.)
CRUM, Shutta. Mine! illus. by Patrice Barton. Knopf/Borzoi. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-375-86711-8.
PreS-Gr 2–As an intrepid toddler struggles to take possession of a passel of playthings, he is keenly observed by a frolicsome pup and a winsome infant who is preparing to make her move. The characters’ spot-on body language and facial expressions create a virtuoso visual portrayal of nascent social skills. (June)
GREY, Mini. Three by the Sea. illus. by author. Knopf. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-375-86784-2; PLB $20.99. ISBN 978-0-375-96784-9.
PreS-Gr 2–Three pals–an eye-patch-wearing black cat, a white dog, and a little gray mouse–share an idyllic existence until a foxy stranger blows ashore and subtlety sows the seeds of discontent. This tale of friendship tested and ultimately enriched unfurls with perfect pacing and comically detailed artwork in luxuriant seaside hues. (Apr.)
HENKES, Kevin. Little White Rabbit. illus. by author. Greenwillow. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-200642-4; PLB $17.89. ISBN 978-0-06-200643-1.
PreS-Gr 1–A venturesome bunny investigates the spring countryside, wondering what it would be like to be green as the grass, tall as a fir tree, or motionless as a rock, before returning safely home to his mother. An affectionate ode to the power of imagination, lushly illustrated and lyrically told. (Feb.)
RASCHKA, Chris. A Ball for Daisy. illus. by author. unpaged. Random/Schwartz & Wade Bks. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-375-85861-1; PLB $19.99. ISBN 978-0-375-95861-8.
PreS-Gr 2–A gray-and-white pup and her red ball are constant companions until a poodle inadvertently deflates the toy, taking the air out of Daisy as well. Raschka’s nuanced illustrations brilliantly depict joy, shock, disbelief, sadness–and, with the gift of a blue ball–renewed contentment. (Aug.)
ROCCO, John. Blackout. illus. by author. unpaged. Hyperion/Disney. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4231-2190-9.
PreS-Gr 2–On a summer night in the city, the youngest member of a family finds that everyone is too busy to play with him. But when the lights go out, and everything shuts down, suddenly there’s time for games and impromptu street and rooftop parties. Luminous, fluid artwork, filled with visual gags that extend the charming story, glows with warmth and humor. (July)
ROHMANN, Eric.Bone Dog. illus. by author. Roaring Brook. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-59643-150-8.
PreS-Gr 2–Gus still grieves for his beloved pet, but the two are reunited when the boy finds himself surrounded by menacing skeletons in a graveyard on Halloween and Ella–now a bone dog–turns up to save the day. A spine-shivery tale of enduring friendship told with atmospheric artwork, a pun-cracking narrative, and plenty of heart. (July)
SENDAK, Maurice. Bumble-Ardy. illus. by author. HarperCollins/Michael di Capua Bks. Tr $17.95. ISBN 978-0-06-205198-1.
PreS-Gr 2–In this cautionary tale about partying with a bunch of swine, Sendak’s rollicking rhyme records Bumble the pig’s first (and last) birthday bash at the ripe old age of nine. The sublime watercolors are expressive and expansive and the full-bleed spreads of the unrestrained revelry are priceless. (Aug.)
SMITH, Lane. Grandpa Green. illus. by author. Roaring Brook. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-59643-607-7.
K-Gr 3–A boy tells the story of his great-grandfather’s life as he gives readers a grand tour of the man’s glorious topiary garden. Verdant shades predominate but graceful pen-and-ink drawings and colorful accents lend interest and whimsy to the towering constructions. (Aug.)
UNDERWOOD, Deborah. The Loud Book! illus. by Renata Liwska. Houghton Harcourt. RTE $12.99. ISBN 978-0-547-39008-6.
PreS-Gr 1–A look at “lots of louds,” from booming thunderstorms to spilling one’s marbles in the library to the deafening silence of parental disapproval. Liwska’s whimsically drawn animals act out the various scenarios with clever and nuanced detail. (May)
VIVA, Frank. Along a Long Road. illus. by author. unpaged. Little, Brown. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-316-12925-1.
PreS-K–A bicycle rider loop-de-loops through countryside and cityscape, winding his way up, down, around, and through various landmarks before starting all over again. Part concept book and part freewheeling adventure, this visual tour de force blends succinct text with supple shapes and silhouettes and whimsical wayside wonders. (June)
WARDLAW, Lee. Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku. illus. by Eugene Yelchin. Holt. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8050-8995-0.
Gr 2-5–Wide-eyed and wary, a charcoal-gray stray tells it like it is, from a stay at a shelter to adoption to settling in with a just-right boy, before finally letting down his guard and confiding his true name, Haiku. Terse verse and lithe-lined paintings reveal this feline’s foibles with winsome wit and poignant punch. (Feb.)
YUM, Hyewon. The Twins’ Blanket. illus. by author. Farrar/Frances Foster Bks. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-374-37972-8.
PreS-Gr 2–Accustomed to sharing everything, two “look-alike” sisters squabble over their now-too-small-for-both-of-them baby blanket, an incident that leads to new covers, separate beds, and the first steps toward independence. From quarrels to cuddles, simple text and impish artwork convey a heartwarmingly genuine sibling relationship. (Aug.)
FICTION
BEDFORD, Martyn. Flip. Random/Wendy Lamb Bks. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-385-73990-0; PLB $19.99. ISBN 978-0-385-90808-5; ebook $16.99. ISBN 978-0-375-89855-6.
Gr 7 Up–Alex, 14, wakes up one day in the body of another teen and must adjust to a new family and surroundings while he tries to figure out what happened and how he might reverse the switch. This engaging, often funny, and at times poignant story grabs readers and doesn’t let go. (June)
BILLINGSLEY, Franny. Chime. Dial. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-8037-3552-1.
Gr 7 Up–Even as the Industrial Revolution has modernized much of England, belief in the Old Ones is still deeply rooted in the isolated Swampsea community. Convinced that she is a witch, 17-year-old Briony holds herself accountable for her stepmother’s death and her twin’s injury, until she is befriended by a handsome Londoner who helps her to see her world and herself in a new light. A lush, lyrical, romantic page-turner. (Mar.)
BROSGOL, Vera. Anya’s Ghost. illus. by author. First Second. Tr $19.99. ISBN 978-1-59643-713-5; pap. $15.99. ISBN 978-1-59643-552-0.
Gr 7 Up–Anya, a Russian immigrant, just wants to blend in at her high school. She meets a ghost, who seems friendly at first, but once Emily’s secrets are revealed, things take a surprising turn. This fantastic debut graphic novel has an atmospheric palette and clean, dramatic cartoon lines. (July)
DAVIES, Stephen. Outlaw. Clarion. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-547-39017-8.
Gr 5-8–Jake and his sister are kidnapped in Burkina Faso, where their father is the British ambassador, and must use ingenuity and their wits to survive. High technology and a modern-day Robin Hood play a part in this political thriller that exposes several social issues facing contemporary West Africa. (Nov.)
DEEDY, Carmen Agra & Randall Wright. The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale. illus. by Barry Moser. Peachtree. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-1-56145-595-9.
Gr 5-8– A cagey cat with a penchant for cheese pretends to be a mouser at an inn overrun by rodents and frequented by a famous author with writer’s block. Rich in lofty language and vivid characterization, and artfully embellished by Moser’s expressive illustrations, this laugh-out-loud tale is one to savor. (Sept.)
EDWARDSON, Debby Dahl. My Name Is Not Easy. Marshall Cavendish. RTE $17.99. ISBN 978-0-7614-5980-4; ebook $17.99. ISBN 978-0-7614-6091-6.
Gr 7 Up–In the early 1960s, an Inupiaq boy is sent from his home near the Arctic Circle to be educated in a Catholic-sponsored school where he struggles with homesickness and alienation as well as strange customs and an unfamiliar language. A heartrending and memorable story of a child who is thrust into a difficult and harsh environment. (Nov.)
GRIFFIN, Paul. Stay with Me. Dial. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8037-3448-7.
Gr 9 Up–Céce dreams of getting an education, but much of her time is consumed with working and caring for her alcoholic mom. Mack has a horrible home life, but is essentially a sweet, if troubled, teen who rehabilitates abused pit bulls. The teens fall in love, only to be separated when violence toward his dog drives Mack over the edge. A powerful and haunting look at sorrow and hope. (Aug.)
HANDLER, Daniel. Why We Broke Up. illus. by Maira Kalman. Little, Brown. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-316-12725-7; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-316-19458-7.
Gr 9 Up–A romance gone wrong, a wannabe director drama queen, and a quirky assortment of relationship mementos are all part of this wickedly clever, surprisingly soulful look at young love. Handler’s debut YA novel is smart, sophisticated, and ultimately satisfying. (Nov.)
HILMO, Tess. With a Name Like Love . Farrar/Margaret Ferguson Bks. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-374-38465-4.
Gr 6-8–Olivene Love, the daughter of a traveling preacher, is tired of life on the road. However, when she takes on a mission to prove that a woman accused of murder is innocent, she realizes that family is more important than a place to call home. Set in 1957 Arkansas, this thoughtful story gives a refreshingly optimistic understanding of human nature. (Oct.)
HOWE, James. Addie on the Inside. S & S/Atheneum. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4169-1384-9.
Gr 6-8–Seventh-grader Addie is comfortable with her outspoken self, even though she annoys and intimidates others. When she participates in the National Day of Silence in support of GLBT teens, she learns that being quiet isn’t all bad. This perceptive novel in verse captures the ups and downs of navigating adolescence while being true to oneself. (Aug.)
HUBBARD, Jenny. Paper Covers Rock . Delacorte. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-385-74055-5; PLB $19.99. ISBN 978-0-375-98954-4; ebook $16.99. ISBN 978-0-375-89942-3.
Gr 9 Up–Alex learns about friendship, loyalty, and the burden of truth in this captivating story set in a boys’ boarding school in the 1980s. The 16-year-old is not certain what happened the day his best friend drowned, yet he feels compelled to hide his part in the tragedy even if it means destroying the career of a young female teacher. (June)
LAI, Thanhha. Inside Out & Back Again. HarperCollins. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-06-196278-3.
Gr 4-6–Ten-year-old Hà and her family flee Saigon and struggle to make a new life in Alabama. Told in verse, the story features a spirited child who misses her homeland and faces bullies, unfriendly people, and perfectly horrid American food. A tender tale, leavened with humor and hope. (Mar.)
MELOY, Colin. Wildwood. Bk. 1. illus. by Carson Ellis. (The Wildwood Chronicles Series). HarperCollins/Balzer & Bray. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-202468-8.
Gr 3-7–When a flock of crows carries off her baby brother, 12-year-old Prue has no choice but to cross the bridge from her Oregon home into the Impassable Wilderness to save him. There, she and a friend become embroiled in a fantastical world of warring creatures, corrupt leaders, and peace-seeking mystics. A fresh and forthright modern fantasy. (Aug.)
NESS, Patrick. A Monster Calls. illus. by Jim Kay. Candlewick. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-5559-4. LC 2010040741.
Gr 7 Up–With an absent father and a mother dying of cancer, Conor O’Malley has recurring nightmares that are becoming more and more real, until they transform into a monster that tells him three stories and demands one in return. Eerie illustrations help set the mood in this haunting tale of acceptance, letting go, and healing. (Sept.)
RESAU, Laura & María Virginia Farinango. The Queen of Water. Delacorte. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-385-73897-2; PLB $19.99. ISBN 978-0-385-90761-3; ebook $16.99. ISBN 978-0-375-89680-4.
Gr 9 Up–A seven-year-old indígena goes from her family in the Ecuadoran Andes to be a servant in an urban home, where she is abused verbally and physically. As a teenager, she knows she must escape–but where can she find refuge. A heartbreaking, ultimately uplifting, tale of a young woman who takes her life in her own hands. (June)
ROTH, Veronica. Divergent. HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Bks. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-202402-2.
Gr 9 Up–In a futuristic Chicago, the populace is divided into distinct factions, each devoted to a particular virtue: Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity, and Erudite. At 16, Beatrice parts ways with her family and chooses her own path, only to find that the highly structured society isn’t as perfect she’s been led to believe. A dystopian thriller filled with secrets, suspense, and romance. (June)
RYAN, Amy Kathleen. Glow. Bk. 1. (Sky Chasers Series). St. Martin’s/Griffin. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-312-59056-7; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4299-9842-0.
Gr 9 Up–Two ships are hurtling through the heavens on their way to colonize New Earth. After a violent attack that kills most of the adults, teen lovers Waverly and Kieran are separated and called upon to galvanize and rescue the traumatized younger kids and crews on their respective ships. Weighty issues of power and leadership, compassion and religion fuel this high-stakes, jet-propelled dystopian space opera. (Sept.)
Schmidt, Gary D. Okay for Now. Clarion. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-547-15260-8; ebook $16.99. ISBN 978-0-547-53417-6.
Gr 6-9–A forced move from Long Island to upstate New York in the late 1960s leaves Doug Swieteck on his own to deal with his reprehensible dad and bad-boy older brothers. His salvation comes largely from kind strangers who help to nurture his talents and his humanity. Schmidt’s masterful characterization and balance of humor and pathos make this coming-of-age novel so memorable. (Apr.)
SEDGWICK, Marcus. White Crow. Roaring Brook. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-1-59643-594-0.
Gr 9 Up–Rebecca’s vacation with her father in a small English coastal village takes a dark turn when a strange local girl befriends her. This chilling, compulsive read switches back and forth from the teens’ stories to that of an 18th-century rector obsessed with communicating with corpses. (Aug.)
SELFORS, Suzanne. Smells Like Treasure . Little, Brown. Tr $15.99. ISBN 9787-0-316-04399-1.
Gr 3-7–Aspiring treasure hunter Homer Pudding is thrilled when an invitation to join the Society of Legends, Objects, Secrets, and Treasures (L.O.S.T.) arrives at his family’s goat farm. However, when an opponent challenges him for the slot, Homer sets off on a madcap mission, accompanied by his treasure-sniffing basset hound, to prove his mettle. Zany episodes and fantastic characters add to the fun. (Sept.)
SELZNICK, Brian. Wonderstruck . illus. by author. Scholastic. Tr $29.99. ISBN 978-0-545-02789-2.
Gr 4-8–Young Rose and Ben, both deaf, find themselves at the American Museum of Natural History on similar quests though 50 years apart. Their parallel stories, one told in prose and the other in pictures, eventually intersect, but until they do readers are left hoping that Ben will find a family to love and Rose a place where she belongs. A warm, magical tale done in Selznick’s signature style. (Aug.)
SEPETYS, Ruta . Between Shades of Gray . Philomel. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-399-25412-3.
Gr 8 Up–When teenager Lina and her family are ripped from their home in 1940s Lithuania, it’s only the beginning of a terrible journey that will take her to a labor camp in Siberia as part of Stalin’s forced relocation program. Moving, edifying, and quietly beautiful, Sepetys’s well-researched novel is an exquisite look at a devastating atrocity. (Mar.)
SILVEY, Craig. Jasper Jones. Knopf/Borzoi. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-375-86666-1; PLB $19.99. ISBN 978-0-375-96666-8; ebook $16.99. ISBN 978-0-375-89678-1.
Gr 9 Up–Town outcast Jasper Jones shows 14-year-old Charlie Bucktin his terrible discovery–the body of Jasper’s friend Laura hanging from a tree–and the boys know they must hide her or Jasper will be blamed. A nail-biting tale told with wit and featuring two memorable teens who face difficult and life-altering decisions. (June)
STIEFVATER, Maggie. The Scorpio Races. Scholastic. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-545-22490-1; ebook $17.99. ISBN 978-0-545-38827-6.
Gr 8 Up–When the carnivorous capaill uisce, or water horses, rise from the sea each year, the island men prepare to prove their brawn and courage by outrunning the deadly beasts. And now, Kate, the first girl to enter the race, is determined to win it, facing fierce competition from Sean, to whom she is strangely attracted. Intense action, riveting suspense, and two determined protagonists make this a competition to remember. (Nov.)
TAYLOR, Laini. Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Little, Brown. 2011. Tr $18.99. ISBN 978-0-316-13402-6; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-316-19214-9.
Gr 9 Up–An art student in Prague who was raised by demons, 17-year-old Karou has many questions about her past. The appearance of a gorgeous male angel to whom she feels connected adds to her confusion and propels her on a quest to find answers about her heritage, rescue her demon family, and understand where she belongs. A romantic, action-filled fantasy. (Nov.)
URSU, Anne. Breadcrumbs. HarperCollins/Walden Pond. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-201505-1; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-06-204924-7.
Gr 5-8–When Hazel’s best friend suddenly stops talking to her, she’s devastated. Nonetheless, after Jack is taken by a witch into the woods, she plunges into an icy world filled with people, creatures, and elements that echo the books she loves to rescue him. Imaginative and brave, Hazel is a memorable and feisty heroine. (Nov.)
WYNNE-JONES, Tim. Blink & Caution. Candlewick. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-3983-9; ebook $16.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-5455-9.
Gr 9 Up–Caution is hiding from her drug-dealer boyfriend and reeling over her brother’s death. Blink is a street kid who stumbles on what looks like a kidnapping, drawing him into a complicated political plot. When the teens’ paths cross, they decide to help each other, keeping readers on edge the entire way. A masterful noir. (Feb.)
Zarr, Sara. How to Save a Life. Little, Brown. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-316-03606-1; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-316-19291-0.
Gr 8 Up–An abused, pregnant teen works her way into the home of a widow bent on adopting her baby despite the misgivings of the woman’s teenage daughter, who is adamantly opposed. How these individuals cope with their feelings and affect one another is an emotionally compelling story of loss, renewal, and the permutations of family. (Dec.)
NONFICTION
ADOFF, Arnold. Roots and Blues: A Celebration . illus. by R. Gregory Christie. Clarion. RTE $17.99. ISBN 978-0-547-23554-7.
Gr 5 Up–This aptly named collection honors the tradition of blues music and its foundation in African-American history. The rhythmic poems take readers on a melodious journey from a slave ship in “Chained” to a Chicago train station in “Muddy Waters Steps Down.” The accompanying vibrant paintings are in turn joyful and affecting. (Feb.)
BLUMENTHAL, Karen. Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition . Roaring Brook/Flash Point. Tr $18.99. ISBN 978-1-59643-449-3.
Gr 7-10–Social reformers thought the 18th Amendment would curtail drunkenness, but it inadvertently created a culture of crime. This enthralling text traces the nation’s relationship with alcohol from our earliest settlers to contemporary crusaders against drunk driving, creating a rich portrait of a volatile and fascinating chapter of American history. (July)
BROWN, Don. America Is Under Attack: September 11, 2001: The Day the Towers Fell. illus. by author. Roaring Brook. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-59643-694-7.
Gr 2-4–The events of that fateful September day are told through solid factual reporting and stylized watercolors. Brown’s art vividly conveys the devastation and horrific loss, as well as the selfless heroism and valor of the responders and everyday citizens in this moving, accessible account for young readers. (Sept.)
De LA PEÑA, Matt. A Nation’s Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis. illus. by Kadir Nelson. Dial. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-8037-3167-7.
Gr 3-5–Stirring verse and incandescent oil paintings trace Louis’s childhood and career, culminating with his historic 1938 matchup against Max Schmeling. Solidly set in Jim Crow America, this story tells how one individual, through courage and determination, transcended long-entrenched social boundaries and united a nation. (Feb.)
DENENBERG, Barry. Titanic Sinks!: Experience the Titanic’s Doomed Voyage in This Unique Presentation of Fact and Fiction. Viking. Tr $19.99. ISBN 978-0-670-01243-5.
Gr 3-8–Designed as a “special edition magazine,” this arresting work covers the ship’s construction, voyage, and catastrophic fate. Photographs, sepia-toned oversize pages, and an eye-catching format offer readers an unusual approach to a historical tragedy. The informative text raises important questions, such as those about the fates of so many third-class passengers. (Nov.)
DRUMMOND, Allan. Energy Island: How One Community Harnessed the Wind and Changed Their World. illus. by author. Farrar/Frances Foster Bks. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-374-32184-0.
Gr 2-6–On a windy island off the coast of Denmark where oil tankers once docked, today’s visitors will find turbines, solar panels, biomass furnaces, and electric cars. Breezy watercolor panels filled with amusing details tell the story of an indefatigable teacher (and a storm) that convinced the community to move from nonrenewable fuel sources to energy independence. (Mar.)
EVANS, Shane W. Underground: Finding the Light to Freedom . illus. by author. Roaring Brook/A Neal Porter Bk. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-59643-538-4.
PreS-Gr 3–In this visual tour de force, darkness becomes a protective blanket, hiding “passengers” on the Underground Railroad as they huddle, crawl, and flee to safety. The family members’ fear and determination are palpable as is the warming glow of the sun at journey’s end. (Jan.)
FLEMING, Candace. Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart. Random/Schwartz & Wade Bks. Tr $18.99. ISBN 978-0-375-84198-9; PLB $21.99. ISBN 978-0-375-94598-4.
Gr 4-7–This captivating biography of a brave, talented, and savvy celebrity examines both the myths (some Earhart perpetuated herself) and the facts about a woman whose boundless ambition fueled her determination to fly around the world. This riveting look at an aviatrix who soared high in pursuit of her dreams is solidly grounded by impeccable scholarship, insightful writing, and well-chosen period photos. (Mar.)
GEORGE, Kristine O’Connell. Emma Dilemma: Big Sister Poems. illus. by Nancy Carpenter. Clarion. RTE $17. ISBN 978-0-618-42842-7.
Gr 1-4–From room-wrecking trespasses and secrets tattle-told to shared giggles and hand-holding moments of comfort, Jessica conveys the frustrations and delights of being older sibling to an exasperating but loving preschooler. The slice-of-life free-verse poems and sherbet-colored illustrations shine with playful humor and heartfelt emotion. (Feb.)
JENKINS, Martin. Can We Save the Tiger? illus. by Vicky White. Candlewick. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-4909-8.
PreS-Gr 2–Telling the stories of several critters on the verge of extinction, Jenkins clearly indicates how the actions of humans can cause the demise–and sometimes conservation–of a species. With conversational text and majestic pencil and oil-paint illustrations, this handsome picture book eloquently brings the plight of endangered animals home to young readers. (Mar.)
JURMAIN, Suzanne Tripp. Worst of Friends: Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and the True Story of an American Feud. illus. by Larry Day. Dutton. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-525-47903-1.
Gr 2-4–“As different as pickles and ice cream” people said, and they were. But these passionate proponents of American independence were also the best of friends until they disagreed–mightily–on the powers of the new nation’s president. Inviting pencil-and-watercolor artwork, filled with humorous touches, illustrates this lively tale of two men whose bonds outlived their barbs. (Nov.)
KIRKPATRICK, Katherine. Mysterious Bones: The Story of Kennewick Man. illus. by Emma Stevenson. Holiday House. Tr $17.95. ISBN 978-0-8234-2187-9.
Gr 6-9–The discovery in 1996 of a 9500-year-old, nearly complete skeleton set in motion a nine-year legal battle between forensic anthropologists and the Native American community. Source notes, informative sidebars, maps, and clear color photos and paintings support this engrossing study that poses important questions about cultural identity and responsibility. (July)
MCCLAFFERTY, Carla Killough. The Many Faces of George Washington: Remaking a Presidential Icon. Carolrhoda. RTE $20.95. ISBN 978-0-7613-5608-0; ebook $15.71. ISBN 978-0-7613-7157-1.
Gr 6 Up–A fascinating, start-to-finish account of why and how specialists from numerous disciplines came together at Mount Vernon in 2005 to create three full-size statues of Washington at different stages of his life. McClafferty blends thoughtful narration with superb color photographs for a fully absorbing read. (May)
MARRIN, Albert. Flesh & Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy. Knopf/Borzoi. Tr $19.99. ISBN 978-0-375-86889-4; PLB $22.99. ISBN 978-0-375-96889-1.
Gr 6 Up–Social history at its best, this is a powerful account of the devastating 1911 New York City factory fire that defined the workers’ rights movement. Marrin places the event in the context of its time and draws parallels with sweatshops in developing countries today. (May)
NAPOLI, Donna Jo. Treasury of Greek Mythology: Classic Stories of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes & Monsters. illus. by Christina Balit. National Geographic. Tr $24.95. ISBN 978-1-4263-0844-4; PLB $33.90. ISBN 978-1-4263-0845-1.
Gr 5-9–Wise, witty, and thoroughly entrancing, this collection showcases 25 tales sumptuously illustrated with luminous, jewel-toned paintings. At once eloquent and elemental, poetic yet contemporary, these deftly written selections gloriously regale the characters’ legendary adventures while vivifying them with personality. (Oct.)
NELSON, Kadir. Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans. illus. by author. HarperCollins. Tr $19.99. ISBN 978-0-06-173074-0.
Gr 5 Up–An unnamed narrator of a collection of family stories relates stirring accounts of relatives who fought by George Washington’s side, worked in fields and factories, and marched with Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Electrifying portraits shed light on the triumphs and tragedies of our nation’s history as reflected in the faces of its people. (Sept.)
NIVOLA, Claire A. Orani: My Father’s Village. illus. by author. Farrar/Frances Foster Bks. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-374-35657-6.
Gr 2-5–The sights, sounds, and sensations experienced during childhood vacations in Sardinia are evoked in this stunning illustrated memoir. From sweeping mountaintop vistas to intimate domestic interiors, Nivola paints a picture of life in a village where small and large events mingled–lively meals with family, a fledging rescue, and three-day-long weddings–and children were part of them all. (June)
PHELAN, Matt. Around the World. illus. by author. Candlewick. Tr $24.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-3619-7.
Gr 3-8–In the late 19th century, adventurous individuals felt inspired to circumnavigate the globe on a tight timetable: via bicycle (Thomas Stevens), by steamer and train (Nellie Bly), or on a 36-foot sloop (Joshua Slocum). In this graphic novel, Phelan deftly records these remarkable journeys in expressive artwork and paneled sequences that capture the travelers’ personalities and propel them toward the next horizon. (Sept.)
ROSS, Stewart. Into the Unknown: How Great Explorers Found Their Way by Land, Sea, and Air. illus. by Stephen Biesty. Candlewick. Tr $19.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-4948-7.
Gr 4-8–From Pytheas the Greek to Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldren, Ross recounts the stories of daring expeditions undertaken by men and women through the ages. An accessible text and superb visuals–foldout diagrams and spectacular physical maps and cross-sections–guarantee hours of enjoyment. (May)
SAY, Allen. Drawing from Memory. illus. by author. Scholastic. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-545-17686-6.
Gr 4 Up–Say traces his lifelong love of comics and tells of those who disparaged and those who nurtured his talents, including one of Japan’s most famous cartoonists who became his mentor and spiritual father. This captivating and seamless melding of words and brilliant pictures provides the lens of memory and inspiration. (Sept.)
SCHANZER, Rosalyn Witches!: The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem. illus. by author. National Geographic. 2011. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-1-4263-0869-7; PLB $27.90. ISBN 978-1-4263-0870-3; ebook $16.95. ISBN 978-1-4263-0888-8.
Gr 7-9–With text that flows like a dramatic novel, Schanzer brings readers into the famous Salem trials, asking them to ponder the motivations of the accusers and the tribulations of the accused. Black-and-white ink prints with red accents are wonderfully evocative and set an appropriately horrific tone. (Dec.)
SIDMAN, Joyce. Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature. illus. by Beth Krommes. Houghton Harcourt. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-547-31583-6.
PreS-Gr 3–Simple science and stunning artwork spell success in this sensational look at a shape found fairly frequently in nature. From the shell of a snail to the starry arms of a spiral galaxy, the colorful scratchboard spreads capture these micro and macro worlds in show-stopping style. (Sept.)
SILVERSTEIN, Shel. Every Thing On It. illus. by author. HarperCollins. Tr $19.99. ISBN 978-0-06-199816-4.
Gr 4 Up–The titular poem of this posthumous collection recites all the ridiculous things that come on a hot dog ordered with the works (including a flag, a wristwatch, and a frog). Such is the deliciously absurd spirit of this delightful romp. Silverstein’s illustrations are inseparable from the fantastic poems that move seamlessly between humor and profundity. (Sept.)
WARREN, Andrea. Charles Dickens and the Street Children of London. Houghton Harcourt. Tr $18.99. ISBN 978-0-547-39574-6.
Gr 5-8–Abject poverty, an unresponsive government, and an indifferent upper class left thousands of homeless children on the streets of London during the 18th and 19th centuries. Archival images and absorbing prose document the efforts of a few individuals, including a brilliant writer and his sympathetic portrayals of victimized youth, to change a nation’s attitude and galvanize a reform movement. (Aug.)
YOUNG, Ed. The House Baba Built: An Artist’s Childhood in China. as told to Libby Koponen. illus. by author. Little, Brown. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-316-07628-9.
Gr 3-8–In this exquisitely designed and illustrated memoir, Young describes his family and the haven his father built in Shanghai for his wife and children but later opened up to refugees fleeing the horrors of World War II. The dynamic, mixed-media art is constructed with inventive foldouts, vibrant color, and layered collage. (Sept.)
| In This Article |
| Fiction |
| Nonfiction |
| Best Books 2011 |
The “Adult Books 4 Teens” blog is designed to replace the “Adult Books for High School Students” print column. It launched on the School Library Journal website in October 2010, and has offered four or five book reviews each week ever since. The purpose of AB4T is to help librarians learn about the best books published for the adult market that also have appeal to teen readers, including books in all genres and formats. Books are chosen for review through attendance at publisher previews, trade shows, and conferences; reading advanced reviews and catalogs; and by keeping one eye on twitter and the other on well-known authors whose works have exhibited crossover appeal in the past.
Currently, nearly 20 librarians review for the blog. All work with teens in either public or school libraries, in a variety of settings across the country, and participated in the selection of the Best list. The year of 2011 has been a particularly strong one for adult books with appeal to young adult readers. It was a challenge to narrow down our list to the titles displayed here. Genre fiction is well-represented, as are debut authors and literary fiction, likely to appeal to the most ambitious of teen readers. Full reviews can be found on SLJ’s website at http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/adult4teen.
BIRCH, Carol. Jamrach’s Menagerie. Doubleday. Tr $26.95. ISBN 978-0-385-53440-6.
Jaffy leaves behind his life on the streets of 19th-century London for an adventure to the Pacific Islands aboard a whaling ship in search of a mythical–yet far too real–dragon in this enormously satisfying novel of friendship, survival, and redemption. (June)
CAMPBELL, Bonnie Jo. Once Upon a River. Norton. Tr $25.95. ISBN 978-0-393-07989-0.
Sixteen-year-old runaway Margo Green creates a new life on the river. Guided by a biography of Annie Oakley and an astounding ease with the natural world, Margo struggles to navigate the perils of human nature while she searches for the mother who abandoned her long ago. (July)
CLINE, Ernest. Ready Player One: A Novel. Crown. Tr $24.95. ISBN 978-0-307-88743-6.
Imagine if Willie Wonka had been a video-game designer. Now imagine a world in which most people spend their time as avatars in a virtual reality. The founder of this virtual reality leaves his fortune to the first to win a contest, comprised of puzzles and tasks based on 1980s popular culture. Three teens compete to win against an evil conglomerate. (Aug.)
CUTTER, Kimberly. The Maid. Houghton Harcourt. Tr $26. ISBN 978-0-547-42752-2.
This thrilling, visceral retelling of the life of Joan of Arc follows the rise of a poor, abused, illiterate girl who leaves her family and follows fervent belief and conviction to victory in battle and renown. Readers will yearn for a different story this time, to avoid the betrayal, abandonment, and death at its end. (Oct.)
DIFFENBAUGH, Vanessa. The Language of Flowers. Ballantine. Tr $25. ISBN 978-0-345-52554-3.
Alternate chapters weave Victoria’s past as a foster child and her present as a semi-homeless 18-year-old in Diffenbaugh’s moving debut. Victoria finds her first job in a florist shop, putting to use the language of flowers she first learned from her only real family, the foster mother she lost 10 years earlier. (Aug.)
GRANT, Helen. The Glass Demon: A Novel. Bantam. pap. $15. ISBN 978-0-385-34420-3.
In this creepy gothic novel, Lin’s family moves to a German village so her father can study the legend of the Allerheiligen Glass–medieval stained-glass windows said to have been cursed by a demon, bringing death to those who gaze upon them. A brilliant combination of horror, fairy tales, mystery, and romance. (June)
GROSSMAN, Lev. The Magician King. Viking. Tr $26.95. ISBN 978-0-670-02231-1.
Fillory is a magical utopia. With little for a monarch to do, Quentin goes on a quest. Alternating chapters relate his old friend Julia’s backstory. While the king enjoys life at Brakebills, Julia learns magic on the streets. Her journey is powerful and horrifying in this follow-up to The Magicians (2009). (Sept.)
HARRINGTON, Laura. Alice Bliss: A Novel. Viking. Tr $25.65. ISBN 978-0-670-02278-6.
Alice’s idyllic small-town life is interrupted when her father’s army reserve unit is called up for active duty in Iraq. After he is declared missing in action, she turns to her best friend, the boy next door, for support. (June)
HENDERSON, Eleanor. Ten Thousand Saints. HarperCollins. Tr $26.99. ISBN 978-0-06-202102-1.
It begins with the drug-fueled last day in the life of 15-year-old Teddy McNicholas, and spirals from there into the lives of those who were closest to him. Henderson’s depiction of late-1980s New York is impressive–from the Straight Edge scene to the gay community’s grappling with HIV. (June)
HOWREY, Meg. Blind Sight. Pantheon. Tr $24.99. ISBN 978-0-307-37916-0.
When he is invited to live with his biological father for the summer, 17-year-old Luke is amazed to discover that the man is a famous television star. Chapters begin with the teen’s wonderfully witty college application essays, which reflect a new understanding of family dynamics and the workings of the human brain. (Mar.)
JORDAN, Hillary. When She Woke. Algonquin. Tr $24.95. ISBN 978-1-56512-629-9.
Reproductive freedom, racism, and the separation of church and state are only a few of the issues explored in this character-driven dystopian novel that bears parallels to The Scarlet Letter. (Oct.)
MORGENSTERN, Erin. The Night Circus. Doubleday. Tr $26.95. ISBN 978-0-385-53463-5.
Le Cirque des Rêves appears without warning on the outskirts of cities around the world. Only open at night, it is filled with magic and theater, each tent a sensory experience, manipulated and sustained by two young people locked in a mysterious competition. (Sept.)
OBREHT, Téa. The Tiger’s Wife. Random. Tr $25. ISBN 978-0-385-34383-1.
In a war-torn Balkan country, a young doctor remembers her grandfather and tells a series of interlinked tales both historical and magical featuring the tiger’s wife and the deathless man. In this account of love, loss, and war in the modern world, Obreht’s vivid writing creates unforgettable visions of unique settings. (Mar.)
RUSSELL, Karen. Swamplandia! Knopf. Tr $24.95. ISBN 978-0-307-26399-5.
Mere months after their mother dies, the Bigtree family’s alligator-wrestling theme park and cafe, Swamplandia!, goes out of business, sending the abandoned siblings on individual perilous journeys away from home in this dazzling, affecting, funny novel. (Feb.)
SOLOMON, Anna. The Little Bride. Riverhead. pap. $15. ISBN 978-1-594-48535-0.
In late-19th-century Russia, Minna, a 16-year-old servant, wishing for a new life in America, signs up with Rosenfeld’s Bridal Service. She is sent to the hardscrabble South Dakota Territory where both her devoutly Orthodox husband-to-be and his crude one-room dugout fall far short of her dreams. (Sept.)
VENDITTI, Robert & Mike Huddleston. Homeland Directive. Top Shelf. pap. $14.95. ISBN 978-1-603-09024-7.
This tightly plotted thriller of a graphic novel probes the fine line between government protection and privacy invasion. The United States has determined that its residents can be investigated for suspicious activities by mining everyone’s data DNA, the sum of each person’s online transactions and activities. (June)
WALTON , Jo. Among Others. Tor. Tr $24.99. ISBN 978-0-7653-2153-4.
As she recovers from the confrontation with her mother that killed her twin sister, Mori keeps a journal permeated by a love of reading in this mesmerizing fantasy novel. Sent to a boarding school where she is desperately lonely and abandoned by the fairies who once kept her safe, Mori finds refuge in books, which are her instruction manuals and her joy. (Jan.)
WILSON, Daniel H. Robopocalypse. Doubleday. Tr $25. ISBN 978-0-385-53385-0.
In this artificial intelligence blockbuster, the heroic actions of a handful of characters are told in the form of briefing reports recovered after the Robot Wars that nearly exterminated humanity. This format with its emphasis on survival in battle and full-throttle action will appeal particularly to those who enjoy science-gone-wrong thrillers. (June)
WOODING, Chris. Retribution Falls. Spectra. pap. $16. ISBN 978-0-345-52251-1.
Captain Darian Frey loves the Ketty Jay, his airship, and he’ll do whatever it takes to keep flying. After he and his crew of misfits take on a job that goes horribly awry, they find themselves aligned against a conspiracy and trying to save the day in this action-filled, steampunk adventure. (Apr.)
BROWN, Mike. How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming. Spiegel & Grau. Tr $25. ISBN 978-0-385-53108-5.
Brown gives a charming account of the astounding series of discoveries that result in the downgrading of Pluto from planet status. The combination of engaging humor, accessible science, and personal anecdote makes for a lively glimpse into an extremely successful career in
astronomy. (Jan.)
GRENNAN, Conor. Little Princes: One Man’s Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal. HarperCollins/Morrow. Tr $25.99. ISBN 978-0-06-193005-8.
What was intended to be a 90-day experience working in an orphanage became much more on the day Grennan learned that many of his young charges were actually the victims of a child trafficker. In this adventurous, funny, and even romantic book, he dedicates himself to reconnecting the children with their families in remote Nepalese villages. (Jan.)
LLOYD, Rachel. Girls Like Us: Fighting for a World Where Girls Are Not for Sale, an Activist Finds Her Calling and Heals Herself. HarperCollins/Harper. Tr $24.99. ISBN 978-0-06-158205-9.
Lloyd began working in the sex industry at age 17 (dancing in a club). In her memoir, she expands the narrative of her personal decisions into an understanding of the larger societal issues involved in women’s choices. (Apr.)
OTTAVIANI, Jim. Feynman. illus. by Leland Myrick. First Second. Tr $ 29.99. ISBN 978-1-59643-259-8.
Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman was a researcher, professor, civilian scientist at the birth of the atomic bomb, and famed lecturer. His quirky personality and his passion for physics and for fun are presented in energetic, colorful images, as are his more important scientific theories. (Sept.)
TRAN, GB. Vietnamerica: A Family’s Journey. illus. by the author. Villard. Tr $30. ISBN 978-0-345-50872-0.
In this intriguing graphic memoir, Tran, born and raised in the United States, returns to Vietnam to research his family’s history, especially their experiences of the Vietnam War and then adapting to life as immigrants living in the United States. (Jan.)
Ten Myths About Math Education And Why You Shouldn’t Believe Them
From: NYC HOLD
By Karen Budd, Elizabeth Carson, Barry Garelick, David Klein, R. James Milgram, Ralph A. Raimi, Martha Schwartz, Sandra Stotsky, Vern Williams, and W. Stephen Wilson (affiliations and more), in association with New York City HOLD and Mathematically Correct, two education advocacy organizations of parents, mathematicians, and K-12 educators.
May 4, 2005
For almost two decades, mathematics education in K-12 classrooms has been driven by unsupported pedagogical theories constructed in our schools of education and propagated by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). Their curricular and pedagogical “vision” for mathematics education reform, articulated in the two NCTM standards documents (1989 and 2000), has dominated local, state and federal education decision-making and policies, as well as public discussions, and press coverage. But many parents, mathematics experts, and K-12 teachers of mathematics do not share this vision.
A well-informed group of education stakeholders rejects the NCTM doctrine and model for mathematics reform. The expertise and viewpoints of this diverse group, comprised of mathematicians and scientists, K-12 teachers of mathematics, educational researchers, and concerned parents across our nation has been regularly eclipsed and marginalized by the dominant voice of mathematics educators in our schools of education and of NCTM officials. This constituency’s expertise is often entirely absent from the decision-making process. We are members of that constituency, and are part of an informal bipartisan grassroots coalition of advocates for authentic reforms in mathematics education.
The chart below offers our point by point refutation of a set of common myths propagated by mathematics educators in our schools of education and NCTM officials that are often presented as fact to policy makers and the general public.
“NCTM” (Fuzzy) Myth |
Reality |
References |
Myth #1Only what students discover for themselves is truly learned. |
Students learn in a variety of ways. Basing most learning on student discovery is time-consuming, does not insure that students end up learning the right concepts, and can delay or prevent progression to the next level. Successful programs use discovery for only a few very carefully selected topics, never all topics. | Dixon, R., Carnine, D., Lee, D. Wallin, J., & Chard, D. (1998). Review of High Quality Experimental Mathematical Research: Executive Summary. Eugene, OR: National Center to Improve the Tools of Educators, University of Oregon.Klahr, D. & Nigam, M. (2004). The Equivalence of Learning Paths in Early Science Instruction: Effects of Direct Instruction and Discovery Learning. Psychological Science, 15, 10, 661-667.
Becker, W. C. and Engelmann, S.; Sponsor Findings From Project Follow Through. University of Oregon. John R. Anderson, Lynne M. Reder, Herbert A. Simon. Applications and Misapplications of Cognitive Psychology to Mathematics Education. R. James Milgram, “What is Mathematical Proficiency?,” March, 2004. Invited address, First Workshop on Mathematics Education. Mathematics and Science Research Institute, Berkeley, CA. |
Myth #2Children develop a deeper understanding of mathematics and a greater sense of ownership when they are expected to invent and use their own methods for performing the basic arithmetical operations, rather than study, understand and practice the standard algorithms. |
Children who do not master the standard algorithms begin to have problems as early as algebra I.The snubbing or outright omission of the long division algorithm by NCTM- based curricula can be singularly responsible for the mathematical demise of its students. Long division is a pre-skill that all students must master to automaticity for algebra (polynomial long division), pre-calculus (finding roots and asymptotes), and calculus (e.g., integration of rational functions and Laplace transforms.) Its demand for estimation and computation skills during the procedure develops number sense and facility with the decimal system of notation as no other single arithmetic operation affords. | General reference: The algebra, pre-calculus and calculus teachers and professors who must remediate or flunk these children.From 1998 issue of the Notices of the American Mathematical Society:
“We would like to emphasize that the standard algorithms of arithmetic are more than just ‘ways to get the answer’ — that is, they have theoretical as well as practical significance. For one thing, all the algorithms of arithmetic are preparatory for algebra, since there are (again, not by accident, but by virtue of the construction of the decimal system) strong analogies between arithmetic of ordinary numbers and arithmetic of polynomials.” (The above was quoted in an open letter to Secretary of Education Richard Riley in 1999, which was signed by 200 prominent U.S. mathematicians.) The Role of Long Division in the K-12 Curriculum; David Klein (California State University, Northridge), R. James Milgram (Stanford University) |
Myth #3There are two separate and distinct ways to teach mathematics. The NCTM backed approach deepens conceptual understanding through a problem solving approach. The other teaches only arithmetic skills through drill and kill. Children don’t need to spend long hours practicing and reviewing basic arithmetical operations. It’s the concept that’s important. |
“The starting point for the development of children’s creativity and skills should be established concepts and algorithms… Success in mathematics needs to be grounded in well-learned algorithms as well as understanding of the concepts.”What is taught in math is the most critical component of teaching math. How math is taught is important as well, but is dictated by the “what”. Much of understanding comes from mastery of basic skills – an approach backed by most professors of mathematics. It succeeds through systematically empowering children with the pre-skills they need to succeed in all areas of mathematics. The myth of conceptual understanding versus skills is essentially a false choice – a bogus dichotomy. The NCTM standards suggested “less emphasis” on topics needed for higher math, such as many basic skills of arithmetic and algebra.
“That students will only remember what they have extensively practiced – and that they will only remember for the long term that which they have practiced in a sustained way over many years – are realities that can’t be bypassed.” |
Kenneth Ross, Chair, Mathematical Association of America President’s Task Force on the NCTM Standards. (June 1997). Response to NCTM’s Commission on the Future of the Standards.Basic Skills vs Conceptual Understanding; a Bogus Dichotomy; Hung-Hsi Wu, Department of Mathematics, University of California, Berkeley (American Educator, Fall, 1999).
Willingham, D. (Spring 2004). Practice Makes Perfect-But Only If You Practice Beyond the Point of Perfection. American Educator. Algorithms, Algebra, and Access, by Stanley Ocken (Sep 2001). In Defense of “Mindless Rote”, by Ethan Akin (Mar 30, 2001). On the Algorithms of Arithmetic, by Ralph Raimi (2002). |
Myth #4The math programs based on NCTM standards are better for children with learning disabilities than other approaches. |
“Educators must resist the temptation to adopt the latest math movement, reform, or fad when data-based support is lacking…”Large-scale data from California and foreign countries show that children with learning disabilities do much better in more structured learning environments. | Miller, S.P. and Mercer, C.D., “Educational Aspects of Mathematics Disabilities.” January/February 1997, Journal of Learning Disabilities, Vol. 30, No. 1, pp. 47-56.Darch, C., Carnine, D., & Gersten, R. (1984). “Explicit Instruction in Mathematics Problem Solving.” The Journal of Educational Research, 77, 6, 351-359. |
Myth #5Urban teachers like using math programs based on NCTM standards. |
“Mere mention of [TERC] was enough to bring a collective groan from more than 100 Boston Teacher Union representatives…” | Editorial, “Mathematical Unknowns,” The Boston Globe, November 8, 2004, A10. |
Myth #6“Calculator use has been shown to enhance cognitive gains in areas that include number sense, conceptual development, and visualization. Such gains can empower and motivate all teachers and students to engage in richer problem-solving activities.” (NCTM Position Statement) |
Children in almost all of the highest scoring countries in the Third International Mathematics and Science Survey (TIMMS) do not use calculators as part of mathematics instruction before grade 6.A study of calculator usage among calculus students at Johns Hopkins University found a strong correlation between calculator usage in earlier grades and poorer performance in calculus. | Calculating the cost of calculators, Lance Izumi, Capitol Ideas, Pacific Research Institute, Vol. 5, No. 51, December 21, 2000.W. Stephen Wilson, K-12 Calculator Usage and College Grades Educational Studies in Mathematics. |
Myth #7The reason other countries do better on international math tests like TIMSS and PISA is that those countries select test takers only from a group of the top performers. |
On NPR’s “Talk of the Nation” program on education in the U.S. (Feb. 15, 2005), Grover Whitehurst, Director of the Institute of Education Sciences at the Department of Education, stated that test takers are selected randomly in all countries and not selected from the top performers. | Grover Whitehurst, Director, Institute of Education Sciences; on NPR Talk of the Nation, February 15, 2005; |
Myth #8Math concepts are best understood and mastered when presented “in context”; in that way, the underlying math concept will follow automatically. |
Applications are important and story problems make good motivators, but understanding should come from building the math for universal application. When story problems take center stage, the math it leads to is often not practiced or applied widely enough for students to learn how to apply the concept to other problems.”[S]olutions of problems … need to be rounded off with a mathematical discus-sion of the underlying mathematics. If new tools are fashioned to solve a problem, then these tools have to be put in the proper mathematical perspec-tive. … Otherwise the curriculum lacks mathematical cohesion.” | The Mathematician and Mathematics Education Reform; Hung-Hsi Wu, University of California, Berkeley; in Notices of the American Mathematical Society, 43(1996), 1531-1537). |
Myth #9NCTM math reform reflects the programs and practices in higher performing nations. |
A recent study commissioned by the U.S.Department of Education, comparing Singapore’s math program and texts with U.S. math texts, found that Singapore’s approach is distinctly different from NCTM math “reforms.”Also, a paper that reviews videotaped math classes in Japan shows that there is teacher-guided instruction (including a wide variety of hints and helps from teachers while students are working on or presenting solutions). | What the United States Can Learn From Singapore’s World-Class Mathematics System (and what Singapore can learn from the United States); American Institutes for Research; for U.S. Department of Education; January 28, 2005; Washington, D.C.Siegel, Alan R. Telling Lessons from the TIMSS Videotape: remarkable teaching practices as recorded from eighth-grade mathematics classes in Japan, Germany and the US. Chapter 5 in “Testing Student Learning, Evaluating Teaching Effectiveness,” Williamson M. Evers and Herbert J. Walberg, Eds., Hoover Institution Press, May, 2004, pp. 161-194. |
Myth #10Research shows NCTM programs are effective. |
There is no conclusive evidence of the efficacy of any math instructional program.Increases in test scores may reflect increased tutoring, enrollment in learning centers, or teachers who supplement with texts and other materials of their own choosing. Also, much of the “research” touted by some of the NSF programs has been conducted by the same companies selling the programs. State exams are increasingly being revised to address state math standards that reflect NCTM guidelines rather than the content recommended by mathematicians. | On Evaluating Curricular Effectiveness; Judging the Quality of K-12 Mathematics Evaluations; National Research Council, the National Academies Press; September, 2004.The state tests in Maryland have a number of 3 point problems in which students are awarded 1 point for performing the math correctly and 2 points for explaining it. It is thus possible to do the math right but get half the credit that another student gets with the wrong answer. |
| This document was prepared by:Karen Budd Member, Board of Directors Parents for Better Schools in Fairfax County Elizabeth Carson Barry Garelick David Klein R James Milgram Ralph A. Raimi Martha Schwartz Sandra Stotsky Vern Williams W. Stephen Wilson * Affiliations or positions are provided for identification purposes only and do not imply institutional or organizational support. |
Additional web resources for mathematics education advocacyNational OrganizationsNew York City HOLD # Mathematically Correct NewsLocal ActivismIllinois Loop # Parents for Evidence Based Education (IA) # Teach Us Math, Parents Concerned With Penfield (NY)’s Math Programs # Plano (TX) Parental Rights Council # PBSfx: Parents for Better Schools (Fairfax, VA) # Save Our Children from Mediocre Math (Conejo Valley, CA) # Simsbury (CT) Math Wars # Teach Utah Kids # Kids Do Count (UT) Curriculum ReviewsMathematically Correct Program Reviews # NYC HOLD Curriculum Reviews # Illinois Loop Mathematics Reviews and More # Earlier MC Program Reviews for Grades 2, 5, and 7 Reviews of Mathematics StandardsThe State of State Math Standards 2005 # State Mathematics Standards 1998 # NCTM Principles and Standards for School Mathematics # NYC HOLD on Standards and Assessments Personal Pages and WeblogsBas Braams # Ralph Raimi # David Klein # Bill Quirk # Hung-Hsi Wu # Toby Earl’s Teach Math # Kitchen Table Math # Jeff Lindsay # Brian D. Rude # Bert Fristedt # Lawrence Gray |
New Calculation: Math in Preschool
New Calculation: Math in Preschool
NOVEMBER 29, 2011
From WSJ:
By STEPHANIE BANCHERO
CHICAGO—Scores of preschool and kindergarten teachers across the city are embedding math concepts into daily classroom activities, in a promising new program that gives students a foundation for more complex math and logical-thinking skills in later grades.
Clayton Hauck for The Wall Street JournalTeacher Jennifer Flynn incorporates math concepts in her preschool class at Lovett Elementary School in Chicago.
The Early Mathematics Education Project at Erikson Institute, a nonprofit graduate school in child development, has already trained about 300 Chicago preschool and kindergarten teachers at 150 schools, funded by grants from local foundations and Chicago Public Schools.
Chicago-based Erikson recently got a $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to offer the training to 111 teachers from preschool to third grade at eight more Chicago schools and to study the program’s effectiveness.
At Lovett Elementary School, where the preschool teacher adopted the new methods, math instruction is omnipresent, if not always apparent. It’s there where 4-year-old Jasmine Wilson arranges four Popsicle sticks into a zigzag pattern under the number “4.” It shows up when Cedric Carter mimics the teacher’s syncopated clapping pattern. And it appears when students join a growing line of characters from “The Gingerbread Man” to chase Anasia Simmons around the room.
Earlier
The children don’t realize it, but they are learning fundamental math concepts such as connecting numerals to quantity, building patterns, and the idea that adding something, or someone, creates a larger number.
Evidence is mounting about the importance of teaching math in preschool and kindergarten. Research has shown that if children don’t have good instruction and effective teachers in early grades, they are more likely to struggle later when they face more complicated concepts. This is especially true for low-income children, who often arrive at school behind academically.
U.S. elementary-school children have shown slow but steady progress on national math exams. However U.S. 15-year-olds were 25th among 34 developed countries on a 2009 international math exam, a ranking that has remained stagnant since 2000, when the exam was first given.
At Chicago’s Lovett Elementary, where 93% of students come from low-income families, preschool teacher Jennifer Flynn said that when she began teaching eight years ago, she taught math on a very “surface level,” making sure students knew such things as counting to 100 and creating patterns.
“Now I work to make them mathematical thinkers and I want them to be able to tell me ‘why’ and ‘how’ they know things,” said Ms. Flynn, who completed the Erikson math program two years ago. “My students are far more engaged and are more successful in kindergarten.”
![[MATH]](http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/NA-BO315_MATH_NS_20111128183907.jpg)
A study Erikson conducted found that students of teachers enrolled in its math program showed, on average, three to five months additional progress in math, compared with students whose teachers were on the waiting list to get into the program. Children who started the school year far behind in math made the most progress.
Jie-Qi Chen, an Erikson professor who helped develop the project, said proper math instruction helps students develop reasoning and logical thinking skills—cognitive building blocks that prepare them to learn any subject. But she said early math gains in preschool can “wash out” if teachers in elementary grades don’t know how to teach it. And unlike reading, she said, which requires little explicit instruction after a certain level, “math cannot be fully grasped without assistance from a well-trained teacher.”
A 2007 study by Erikson Institute showed that 21% of Chicago preschool and kindergarten teachers taught math on any given day, while 96% taught language arts.
Early-education teachers rarely receive more than one semester in math instruction in college. “A lot of them are math phobic,” said Jeanine Brownell, assistant director of programming for Early Mathematics.
With the $5 million, five-year grant, Erikson’s new math project will put teachers in the eight schools through a weeklong summer training program. The teachers will also get six training sessions during the year and meet with coaches who will observe them in the classroom and provide feedback. Erikson officials will work with the schools to help build a culture of strong math instruction.
Jennifer McCray, project director of Early Mathematics, said the program focuses on how to teach mathematical thinking, rather than basic math procedures. Instead of learning, for example, to recognize the numeral 4 and that it comes between 3 and 5, Erikson wants students to understand that “4″ represents a quantity and has meaning. After Jasmine put the four Popsicle sticks into a Z pattern, Ms. Flynn prompted her to rearrange them into another shape, proving that no matter how the stick were arranged, they still represent the quantity “4.”
Stephen Brown, a kindergarten teacher at Gale Math and Science Academy on Chicago’s Far North Side who is currently enrolled in the Erikson math program, said he has learned to infuse math in virtually every lesson. “They’ve helped me understand how a 5-year-old brain thinks and helped me connect my teaching to what numbers mean in their world,” he said.
In Ms. Flynn’s class at Lovett, math lessons are part of storytime, puzzle time, just about any time of the day. Four-year-old Anaisa wasn’t sure what “The Gingerbread Man” lesson was aimed to teach, but when asked if it was math, she scrunched her eyebrows together and said, “No, it was fun.”
The Rising Value of Science Degree & So many U.S. manufacturing jobs, so few skilled workers
From NYTimes:
October 20, 2011, 7:00 am
The Rising Value of a Science Degree
By MOTOKO RICHIf you’re trying to figure out what to study in college, a new report suggests you would do well choosing a major in science, technology, engineering or math.
The report, based on Census and National Science Foundation data analyzed by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, shows that professions that depend heavily on skills learned in these fields are the second-fastest growing occupational group in the United States, after health care.
While traditional fields like computer engineering and laboratory research make up about 5 percent of the work force, demand for science, technology, engineering and math skills is spreading far beyond, to occupations in manufacturing, utilities, transportation and mining, as well as to sales and management. As a result, the study, by Anthony P. Carnevale, Nicole Smith and Michelle Melton, argues that there is a shortage of so-called STEM workers.
The scientific and technological disciplines have “become the common currency in the labor market,” Mr. Carnevale said. With more companies concentrating on technology, “if you’re going to sell in a technical world you’ve got to be credible,” even to be in sales, he said. “You can’t sell to an engineer unless an engineer thinks you’re also an engineer.”
With a shortage of people trained in such fields, many technology and scientific companies in the United States are forced to recruit from abroad, the study’s authors say.
According to the study, people with talent in science, technology, engineering or math don’t often major in such disciplines during college in the first place. And even if they start out doing so, many switch majors. Of those graduating with such degrees, only 10 percent go into related fields such as engineering, physical science or architecture.
Compared with many other fields outside of these disciplines, STEM workers can earn higher wages. On average, 65 percent of those who hold a bachelor’s degree in such fields will earn more than those who hold master’s degrees in other subjects. Among those with associate’s degrees in the science and technical fields, 63 percent earn more than those who hold bachelor’s degrees in other subjects.
But there are bigger lures. While engineers, technicians and lab researchers may start out earning more than their peers in other fields, they can top out by the middle of their careers. So by age 35, a STEM worker with a graduate degree will make about $50,000 less a year than a doctor or other health care professional with a graduate degree, leading many of those with engineering, science or math degrees to choose medicine as a career. Not surprisingly, managers also make more than technicians, so talented engineers often move into the C-suite to increase their salaries.
“What’s striking to me is that I’m used to thinking of liberal arts as the foundational degree that gives you lots of options in a career,” Mr. Carnevale said. Increasingly, he said, science, technology, engineering and math are crucial to a wide-ranging career. “You get a bigger bump going in, and almost at every stage you have other options,” he said.
But don’t count philosophy or literature out, either. Mr. Carnevale said that in surveys of employers, one of the biggest complaints about technical workers is that they “can’t talk and can’t write a memo and have horrible interpersonal skills.” So maybe the best course of study is a double major. Physics and poetry, anyone?
In related news….
From Huffington Post:
So many U.S. manufacturing jobs, so few skilled workers
Reuters Lucia Mutikani First Posted: 10/12/11 06:11 PM ET Updated: 10/13/11 03:32 PM ET
By Lucia Mutikani
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. manufacturers are failing to fill thousands of vacant jobs, surprising when 14 million people are searching for work.
Technology giant Siemens Corp., the U.S. arm of Germany’s Siemens AG <SI.N>, has over 3,000 jobs open all over the country. More than half require science, technology, engineering and math-related skills.
Other companies report job vacancies that range from six to 200, with some positions open for at least nine months.
Manufacturing is hurt by a dearth of skilled workers.
“What we have been saying for quite a while is that even though there is a high unemployment rate, it’s very difficult to find skilled people,” said Jeff Owens, president of ATS, a manufacturing consulting services company.
A survey by ManpowerGroup found that a record 52 percent of U.S. employers have difficulty filling critical positions within their organizations — up from 14 percent in 2010.
Owens said his company, which counts manufacturing behemoths Caterpillar <CAT.N> and Motorola among its clients, has at any given time about 200 open positions .
“We are pro-actively working to fill them. It can take 90 to a hundred days, probably, to fill them,” he told Reuters. “We are creating jobs. We just don’t necessarily have the right people to fill them.”
On average, companies usually take seven weeks to fill job openings.
MISMATCH OF SKILLS AND JOBS
Most of the jobs hard to fill are for skilled trades, Internet technology, engineers, sales representatives and machine operators.
Yet American colleges are producing fewer math and science graduates as students favor social sciences, whose workload is perceived to be manageable, leading to a skills mismatch.
Math, engineering, technology and computer science students accounted for about 11.1 percent of college graduates in 1980, according to government data. That share dropped to about 8.9 percent in 2009.
An aging population of skilled workers is adding to the problem. As the baby boomers retire, there are fewer skilled workers available to replace them.
“Many of the younger kids that are coming out of college have been discouraged to go into manufacturing,” said Dennis Bray, president and CEO of Contour Precision Group.
“A lot of the college graduates have chosen a curriculum and degree that does not give them the necessary science and math skills to be of immediate benefit to companies such as ours.”
Contour Precision, based in Clover, South Carolina, does contract work for the energy and aerospace industries. It is currently looking for six technicians. It has had positions open since last year.
Unemployment in manufacturing is at 8.4 percent, below the overall rate of 9.1 percent. According to the Labor Department’s latest Job Openings and Labor Turnover survey, there were 240,000 open jobs in manufacturing in August up 38.7 percent from a year ago.
The problem is sufficiently serious that businesses are pushing Congress to address the issue of visas and help them hire more high-skilled foreigners.
STRUCTURAL UNEMPLOYMENT?
These companies’ inability to fill open jobs suggests that part of the unemployment problem confronting the nation could be more of a structural nature rather than a downturn in the business cycle.
Two years after the end of the worst recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s, about 14 million Americans are still unemployed.
In September, nearly 45 percent of them had been out of work for six months or more. The longer people are out of the workforce, the more dated their skills become, making it even harder to reintegrate them into the labor market.
The types of jobs available are also changing.
Medium-skilled repetitive tasks that can be computerized continue to disappear. First, it was from the factory floor, but it also affects the back office, where processing and support jobs are declining.
The strongest job growth is concentrated in healthcare and the scientific, technical and computer fields, which usually require at least a post-secondary education.
“The old jobs are not coming back. We need to invest in education and training to get people prepared to fill these high-skilled, high-wage jobs of the future,” said Eric Spiegel, president and CEO of Siemens Corp.
Siemens is recruiting in states where unemployment is high. Pennsylvania, Florida, Texas, North Carolina, New Jersey, California, Illinois, Georgia and New York have jobless rates that range from 8 percent to 12.1 percent.
According to the Conference Board, workers with computer and math or science skills have a far better chance of getting a job, with one worker applying for every three of these types of jobs advertised. In contrast, there are roughly three people for every advertised job in sales.
PLENTY OF WELL-PAYING JOBS
Few of the thousands of jobs open in the manufacturing sector are low-wage positions.
Workers at the very low levels can earn as much as $30 an hour, with annual salaries for engineers ranging from $75,000 to $100,000. At Siemens, the average potential salary offered for its open positions is $89,000 a year.
Manufacturing lost its appeal during the 1990s when companies started moving production to Asian countries like China, in search of cheap labor. But rising wages in China are forcing some companies to bring production back home.
Although manufacturing accounts for about 12 percent of U.S. gross domestic product and about 10 percent of total non-farm employment, it has been the main pillar of support for the economy and one of the highest-paying sectors.
The shortage of skilled workers is also compounded by the depressed housing market, which is making it tough for Americans to relocate to where the jobs are.
The housing market crash has left many people with home loans owing financial institutions more than what their houses are worth, making it difficult for them to sell.
BRING IN THE ARMY
In hopes of addressing the skills gap, companies such as Siemens and ATS are turning to the military, targeting veterans. Siemens is embarking on apprenticeship programs, while ATS is running training programs for young people.
“We have found that veterans have extensive technical training and experience that they gain through military service, and these skills are extremely valuable to us and match up well with many of our over 3,000 open positions,” Spiegel said.
Siemens has hired 450 military veterans so far this year.
Others are teaming up with professional bodies like the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), which has developed online courses to support its members.
“We are not filling the pipeline with enough candidates for these positions. This problem has been ongoing for the last three or four years,” said Mark Tomlinson, CEO of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers.
But the long-term solution lies in revamping the nation’s education system to meet the current challenges and invest more in vocational training, industry leaders say.
“Often people say we do have vocational training, but it’s geared toward yesterday’s technology and yesterday’s job opportunities,” said ATS’s Owens. “I am not sure the educators are on the mark with what exactly needs to be taught for today’s environment.”
(Reporting by Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Jan Paschal)
The Case for Saturday School
The Case for Saturday School
Kids in China already attend school 41 days a year more than students in the U.S. Now, schools across the country are cutting back to four-day weeks. Chester E. Finn Jr. on how to build a smarter education system.
By CHESTER E. FINN JR.
![[CovJump2]](http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/PT-AO134_CovJum_F_20100319165644.jpg)
ChinaFotoPress/Getty ImagesStudents in China, where schools give 30% more hours of instruction than in the U.S., take a college entrance exam.
“He who labors diligently need never despair, for all things are accomplished by diligence and labor.” —Menander
How many days a year did the future Alexander the Great study with Aristotle? Did Socrates teach Plato on Saturdays as well as weekdays? During summer’s heat and winter’s chill?
Though such details remain shrouded in mystery, historians have unearthed some information about education in ancient times. Spartans famously put their children through a rigorous public education system, although the focus was on military training rather than reading and writing. Students in Mesopotamia attended their schools from sunrise to sunset.
In the face of budget shortfalls, school districts in many parts of the United States today are moving toward four-day weeks. This is despite evidence that longer school weeks and years can improve academic performance. Schoolchildren in China attend school 41 days a year more than most young Americans—and receive 30% more hours of instruction. Schools in Singapore operate 40 weeks a year. Saturday classes are the norm in Korea and other Asian countries—and Japanese authorities are having second thoughts about their 1998 decision to cease Saturday-morning instruction. This additional time spent learning is one big reason that youngsters from many Asian nations routinely out-score their American counterparts on international tests of science and math.
Some U.S. schools have figured this out. Those that boast extraordinary success with poor and minority youngsters typically surround them, like Mesopotamians, with learning from dawn to dusk. The celebrated Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP), a network of over 80 charter schools around the country, subjects its middle-schoolers to 60% more instructional time than the typical public school—including eight- to 10-hour days, Saturday morning classes and abbreviated summer breaks.
“Summer learning loss” is no joke. When they return to school in late August or early September, many children, especially the least advantaged among them, have shed a sizable portion of what they had learned by May—a full month’s worth, by most estimates, adding up to 1.3 school years by the end of high school.
The typical young American, upon turning 18, will have spent just 9% of his or her hours on this planet under the school roof (and that assumes full-day kindergarten and perfect attendance) versus 91% spent elsewhere. As for the rest of that time, the Kaiser Family Foundation recently reported that American youngsters now devote an astounding 7.5 hours per day to “using entertainment media” (including TV, Internet, cellphones and videogames). That translates to about 53 hours a week—versus 30 hours in school.
It’s scarcely news that young Americans devote less time to formal learning than their international counterparts. A federal commission on time and learning reported 16 years ago that “students in other postindustrial countries receive twice as much instruction in core academic areas during high school.” Required courses in those four years consumed 3,280 hours in French schools versus 1,460 in the U.S. Young Germans routinely devoted two hours a night to homework. Half of Japan’s ninth graders moved every afternoon from school to private “juku” for additional instruction in core subjects.
School by the Numbers
A sampling of statistics on U.S. education:
49.8 million
Public elementary- and secondary-school students in fall 2009.
5.8 million
Private elementary- and secondary-school students in fall 2009.
15:1
Public-school pupil/teacher ratio.
14%
Twelfth-grade students who explained a reason for involvement in the KoreanWar in 2006.
67%
Twelfth-grade students who identified an important Great Society idea in 2006.
68.6%
High-school graduates who enrolled in college the following fall in 2008.
55%
Eighth-grade students whose principals reported classroom disturbances at least weekly in the U.S.
8%
Eighth-grade students whose principals reported classroom disturbances at least weekly in Japan.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics
Nor is it news that “time on task” has a powerful influence on educational attainment. In 1994, for example, economist Robert Margo reported that historical differences in school-year length for black and white youngsters attending segregated schools accounted for much of the gap in their adult earnings.
A fascinating new study by University of Maryland analyst Dave Marcotte shows that even the loss of a few instructional days can erode academic performance. Examining the days forfeited to snow and other “unscheduled closings” in Maryland in 2002-2003, he concluded that two-thirds of the elementary schools that failed to make “adequate yearly progress” (the federal benchmark under “No Child Left Behind”) in math that year would have done so “if they had been open during all scheduled school days.”
Where things start to get complicated is that time spent in school does not equal time fruitfully applied to learning basic skills and core content—a mismatch that looms larger in the U.S. than in most other places. Measured by simple clock hours or days per year in school, we look good alongside Europe and decent in comparison with most of Asia. Not good enough, especially for disadvantaged kids whose nonschool hours often undermine what they’re taught in class, but pretty good.
Our deeper problem is the enormous amount of time that typical American schools spend on gym, recess, lunch, assembly, changing classes, homeroom, lining up to go to the art room, looking at movies, writing down homework assignments, quieting the classroom, celebrating this or that holiday, and other pursuits. It’s not all wasted time but neither are these minutes spent in ways that boost test scores, enhance college-readiness or deepen pupils’ understanding of literature, geography or algebra.
Visit a KIPP school or another high-performance institution and you find that a big reason for the longer day is that it accommodates these nonacademic pursuits without sacrificing the instructional core. They tolerate remarkably little wasted time, particularly in the classroom setting. Their teachers squander minimal class time on discipline challenges or distributing and collecting materials. They systematically deliver lessons that are carefully planned and structured—and youngsters who need additional help to understand something get it later, sometimes in the evening via the teacher’s cellphone, so that the entire class doesn’t need to pause for an explanation.
Longer school days and years also aid working parents; for many of them, 2:30 dismissal times and three-month summer breaks are more burden than benefit. And the more time kids spend in safe schools, the less time they have to go astray at home or in the neighborhood.
Critics of extending the day and year occasionally note, with some justification, that U.S. schools don’t need more total time so much as they need to make better use of the time they’ve got. Indeed, the 1994 “time and learning” commission underscored that point in its recommendations, which urged schools to set aside a full 5.5 hours every day for “core subjects”—nearly doubling the time devoted to them.
Yet American public education is so hard to change in fundamental ways—so much like turning an aircraft carrier or, as Admiral Hyman Rickover once remarked, moving a cemetery—that reform typically comes by adding something on top of what we already have. It’s actually easier to add an hour to the school day or a few weeks to the year than to alter the established routines of schools and school systems. (A worthy nonprofit outfit called the National Center on Time and Learning is working at such additions—and can point to some success in its pilot schools in Massachusetts.)
As with everything else in public education, however, the threat of change brings interest groups out of the woodwork. Although many parents—particularly poor and working-class parents—welcome the prospect of schools tending to a larger portion of their kids’ lives, others are so enamored of their summer cottages, travel plans, grandparent visits, after-school piano lessons and soccer leagues that they balk at any big shifts in calendar or schedule.
Communities that have experimented with “year-round” schooling have often had to backtrack under pressure from the summer-vacation industry, including camps needing counselors, resorts needing waiters, pools needing lifeguards—and all of them needing clients with “traditional” vacation schedules. After 13 years, Jefferson County, Colo., abandoned its year-round school calendar in 1989. The longer school year lasted nine years in Prince William County, Va.
This issue brings out the teacher unions, too, demanding more pay for extra hours, hence fatter school-system budgets in a lean fiscal time. Little wonder that taxpayers are legitimately wary. It’s no secret that public education’s institutional imperatives point toward more of everything, especially money. School systems are keen to mount programs for 4-year-olds, for instance, and (so long as they get the cash from local, state, federal or philanthropic sources) to run summer schools and extended-day programs, up to and including three meals a day for participants. Some of this is absolutely legitimate—an earnest effort to respond to the needs of children and families in their communities and to the academic-results-based accountability regimens of state and national governments. But some of it reflects the inexorable expansionism and unquenchable appetites of the public sector and its employees.
Over the long run, technology holds much potential to boost student learning time in flexible ways and at modest cost. We can stipulate that kids are addicted to it; that “virtual” instruction can happen at very nearly any time or place; and that well-designed distance-learning programs (and suitable hardware) enable greater individualization of learning, with each child moving at his/her own pace, diving deeper when warranted, and going back over things they didn’t quite understand the first time. This already happens in the best online schools, of which the U.S. already has several dozen, often operating statewide, such as the Florida Virtual School and Ohio Virtual Academy.
It also happens in “hybrids” that make astute and economical use of computer-delivered instruction, testing and such within brick-and-mortar schools that also have flesh-and-blood teachers. Rocketship Education, a small but growing network of elementary charter schools in San Jose, Calif., is such a creation, skillfully blending online lessons, practice and testing with a small but terrific team of instructors.
With continuing advances in hardware and software, the boundaries among “learning in school,” “learning in other settings” and “learning on your own” will gradually disappear, with potent implications for time spent learning, which need no longer be confined to the classroom hours stipulated in the teachers’ union (or custodians’ union) contract or the 180-day year prescribed in state law (and, in some jurisdictions, not allowed to start before Labor Day).
Eliza Wiley/Helena Independent RecordFifth graders at Lincoln School in Lincoln, Mont. walk past a schedule for their new four-day school week.
But we must not be naive. The education establishment will vigorously defend those traditional boundaries and “gradually” may be a long time in coming. Just as important, although most youngsters are self-motivated when it comes to what Kaiser terms “entertainment media,” far fewer will take the initiative to learn more geometry or rules of grammar on their own. While glitzy technology will make such things more tempting for more kids, and well-organized (and prosperous) parents can help make that happen, millions of girls and boys are likely to continue doing most of their academic learning in places called school, during “school hours” and under a teacher’s supervision.
Which brings us back to high-performance schools, institutions that commandeer far more than 9% of their students’ lives and use the extra time to accomplish three things: more hours to imbibe important skills and knowledge; fewer hours outside school to waste or get into trouble; and a de facto culture transplant, wrought by dynamic teachers who instill in their young charges the college aspirations, appreciation of learning, good behavior and orderly habits that are too often missing from homes and neighborhoods.
Disadvantaged youngsters really need—for their own good—the benefits of longer days, summer classes and Saturday mornings in school. But nearly every young American needs to learn more than most are learning today, both for the sake of their own prospects and on behalf of the nation’s competitiveness in a shrinking, dog-eat-dog world. Yes, it will disrupt everything from school-bus schedules to family vacations. Yes, it will carry some costs, at least until we eke offsetting savings from the technology-in-education revolution. But even Aristotle might conclude that this is a price worth paying.
—Chester E. Finn Jr. is president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. He is a former assistant secretary at the Department of Education.
How to get your kid to be a fanatic reader
How to get your kid to be a fanatic reader
By James Patterson, Special to CNN
updated 1:38 PM EST, Wed September 28, 2011
- James Patterson says: Parents, it’s up to you, not schools, to find books to get your kids reading
- He says get them motivated with books they like; rereading books and reading on tablets is fine
- He says there are numerous programs to guide parents; they also need to model reading habit
- Patterson: Boys especially need encouragement; movies, video games should push reading
Editor’s note: James Patterson’s most recent book, “Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life” is a No. 1 New York Times and No. 1 Indiebound best-seller. He is also the author of the award-winning “Maximum Ride,” “Daniel X,” and “Witch & Wizard” young adult series, and is the 2010 Children’s Choice Book Awards author of the year. In 2008, Patterson created www.ReadKiddoRead.com, a site dedicated to helping parents find books that will get their kids reading.
(CNN) — You’re reading CNN.com, so maybe this isn’t a stress-inducing worry in your house, but for too many kids in this country, reading is a dirty word. Fortunately, we know exactly whom we have to talk to in order to start a much-needed intervention.
Sorry, moms and dads, but it’s your job — not the schools’ — to find books to get your kids reading and to make sure they read them.
Here’s some good news: This can often be as easy as teaching children to ride a two-wheeler or to throw a baseball. Case in point: When our son, Jack, was 8, he wasn’t a gung-ho reader. Now, I’m sure my wife, Sue, and I have made a half-million mistakes raising Jack, but during that eighth summer of our stewardship, we did something right: We told him he didn’t have to mow the lawn (hooray!), but he was going to read every day (boo).
We then told Jack we were going to help him find books we promised he would like: the Mom-and-Dad “Reading Can Be a Joy” Guarantee. We picked out “The Lightning Thief,” a book in the “Warriors” series, “A Wrinkle in Time,” “Al Capone Does My Shirts,” a novel from my own “Maximum Ride” series, and a few others. By the end of the summer, Jack had read half a dozen books that he loved, and his reading skills had improved dramatically.
Here’s a simple but powerful truth that many parents and schools don’t act on: The more kids read, the better readers they become.
The best way to get kids reading more is to give them books that they’ll gobble up — and that will make them ask for another. Yes, it’s that simple. 1 + 1 = 2. Kids say the No. 1 reason they don’t read more is that they can’t find books they like. Freedom of choice is a key to getting them motivated and excited. Vampire sagas, comics, manga, books of sports statistics — terrific! — as long as kids are reading. Should they read on e-tablets? Sure, why not? How about rereading a book? Definitely. And don’t tell them a book is too hard or too easy. “Great Expectations”? Absolutely. “Finnegans Wake”? Well, maybe not. And remember, books can be borrowed free at libraries.
Some schools and school systems are on top of the reading problem. Is yours?
Many schools around the country are successful at getting kids reading. That raises the obvious question: How come so many schools aren’t?
There are terrific models for success with reluctant readers, but many school systems and state governments need to set aside their “not invented here” and “we have more important problems than education” attitudes.
The Drop Everything and Read program is a brilliant learning tool used by more than a thousand schools. Drop Everything and Read schools devote one period a day to kids — and their teachers — doing nothing but reading, and mostly reading what they want to. The results can be dramatic.
The Knowledge Is Power Program schools in Washington require students to read at least 20 books a year and to carry a book with them at all times. Hooray! The Sun Prairie public schools in Wisconsin stopped buying textbooks and used the money to buy children’s trade books. Reading scores improved, because the kids wanted to read. P.S. 8 in the Bronx, New York, has a rotating library of student-published and student-illustrated books. Kids love books written by their peers. One Texas school librarian has a club for fourth- and fifth-grade boys called the BUBBAs. The kids read books such as “It’s Disgusting– and We Ate It!,” “Holes,” the “Time Warp Trio” series, and the “Joey Pigza” books. Silly, funny, and it works.
Speaking of boys, here’s how to get reluctant readers — er, boys — reading and loving it.
First, try to understand that boys can be a little squirrelly when it comes to reading, and what’s squirrelly about them needs to be praised and encouraged.
Boys should be made to feel all squishy inside about reading graphic novels, comics, pop-ups, joke books, and general-information tomes — especially the last. GuysRead.com has categories such as “Robots,” “How to Build Stuff,” “Outer Space, but with Aliens,” and “At Least One Explosion.” It’s a wonderful site for finding books that will turn boys on to reading.
Teachers and school administrators might want to consider this: in many schools, there’s a tendency not to reward boys for reading books like “Guinness World Records” or “Sports Illustrated Almanac” or “The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock and Roll.” Too often, boy-appealing books are disproportionately overlooked on recommended reading lists.
Big mistake. Tragic mistake. Avoidable mistake. It’s all about attitude. If your kids’ school library isn’t a boy magnet, the school probably needs to check its attitude.
Where to find books your kids will gobble up.
ReadKiddoRead.com, GuysRead.com, and Oprah.com’s Kids Reading List are excellent resources, and they’re simpler to use than an iPhone. The American Library Association and the Young Adult Library Services Association have recommendations for terrific books, easily found by searching “ALA reading lists.” DropEverythingandRead.com has a “Favorite D.E.A.R. Books” tab on its home page.
Most libraries and bookstores are extremely generous with their time and help. Kids and parents should visit Scholastic and other book fairs. Free or low-cost books for schools are available (while supplies last) at ReadKiddoRead.com, FirstBook.org, and ReadertoReader.org.
Reading role models, please apply here.
Let’s face it: Most of us don’t realize it, but we are failing our kids as reading role models. The best role models are in the home: brothers, fathers, grandfathers; mothers, sisters, grandmothers. Moms and dads, it’s important that your kids see you reading. Not just books — reading the newspaper is good too.
The president and the first lady can be powerful role models if they are willing to pitch in and press the issue from their bully pulpit. In England, the entire country celebrates World Book Day. Every young lass and bloke gets a pound to buy a book of their choice, and most bookstores lower prices for the day. Cheers for former Prime Minister Tony Blair, who was an active role model for getting kids reading.
By showing more respect for books, kid-influential organizations such as ESPN, the NBA, and the NFL could help thousands of kids become better readers. I cringe when I hear college-educated sports announcers scoff at books during broadcasts because they’re afraid to man up to being readers themselves.
Hollywood studios and stars could inspire kids to read, but often don’t. Apparently, some film directors think it’s their civic duty to teach kids how to smoke. Magazines and newspapers could call attention to the reluctant reader and literacy problems on a daily or weekly basis. Fast-food chains could put stories in their kids’ meal boxes — most publishers will work with them. Video-game makers could incorporate written stories in their games; maybe it ought to be the price of admission for selling to kids. Many publishers could do a much better job of supplying free or low-cost books to schools in need.
Now, this entire article probably took you only a few minutes to read. Please don’t let your effort end here. While you’re thinking about it, send your thoughts, or even this piece, to your school principal or librarian. Heck, send it to the White House. If you have the means, offer to buy your local school a few good books. But most important, take your kids or grandkids or students to a library or a bookstore or go online to search for some books right now. If you have better ideas than the ones suggested here, terrific — please share them with your school, or in the comments section below, or at ReadKiddoRead.com.
Your taking action will speak louder than words to kids about the power and glory of reading: First you read, then you get up off your seat and do something to fix the problem.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of James Patterson.
Humorous Grammar Rules
From Creative Teaching Site:
Here is a collection of humorous grammar rules that will make you giggle.
- Verbs HAS to agree with their subjects.
- Never use a preposition to end a sentence with. Winston Churchill, corrected on this error once, responded to the young man who corrected him by saying “Young man, that is the kind of impudence up with which I will not put!
- And don’t start a sentence with a conjunction.
- It is wrong to ever split an infinitive.
- Avoid cliches like the plague. (They’re old hat.)
- Also, always avoid annoying alliteration.
- Be more or less specific.
- Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are (usually) unnecessary.
- Also too, never, ever use repetitive redundancies endlessly over and over again.
- No sentence fragments.
- Contractions aren’t always necessary and shouldn’t be used to excess so don’t.
- Foreign words and phrases are not always apropos.
- Do not be redundant; do not use more words than necessary; it’s highly superfluous and can be excessive.
- All generalizations are bad.
- Comparisons are as bad as cliches.
- Don’t use no double negatives.
- Avoid excessive use of ampersands & abbrevs., etc.
- One-word sentences? Eliminate.
- Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake (Unless they are as good as gold).
- The passive voice is to be ignored.
- Eliminate commas, that are, not necessary. Parenthetical words, however, should be enclosed in commas.
- Never use a big word when substituting a diminutive one would suffice.
- Don’t overuse exclamation points!!!
- Use words correctly, irregardless of how others use them.
- Understatement is always the absolute best way to put forth earth-shaking ideas.
- Use the apostrophe in it’s proper place and omit it when its not needed and use it correctly with words’ that show possession.
- Don’t use too many quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “I hate quotations.. Tell me what you know.”
- If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a billion times: Resist hyperbole; not one writer in a million can use it correctly. Besides, hyperbole is always overdone, anyway.
- Puns are for children, not groan readers.
- Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms.
- Even IF a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.
- Who needs rhetorical questions? However, what if there were no rhetorical questions?
- Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.
- Avoid “buzz-words”; such integrated transitional scenarios complicate simplistic matters.
- People don’t spell “a lot” correctly alot of the time.
- Each person should use their possessive pronouns correctly.
- All grammar and spelling rules have exceptions (with a few exceptions)….Morgan’s Law.
- Proofread carefully to see if you any words out.
- The dash – a sometimes useful punctuation mark – can often be overused – even though it’s a helpful tool some of the time.
- Proofread carefully to make sure you don’t repeat repeat any words.
- In writing, it’s important to remember that dangling sentences.
Reading, Writing Still Key to Strong Education
June 3rd, 2011
By Cindy Fairfield | Muskegon Chronicle
Technology is great. Much of the time. It allows us to do many things at a much quicker pace. Mainly because we have apparatuses that do the work for us.
Smartphones allow us to type in a couple characters and choose from a variety of words that come up on the screen. Don’t know how to spell “beautiful?” No problem. Type in a few characters, even if they’re not in the right order, and the phone can figure it out for you.
This, of course, increases the speed of conveying our message, which makes us all more efficient, saving both in time and money — a key consideration in today’s sluggish economy.
Computers are so sophisticated these days that they tell us when a sentence is not grammatical. In fact, Microsoft Word “flagged” a few sentences of this column because they are clauses and not full sentences, framed separately on purpose for emphasis only.
Calculators are even more efficient, adding up scores of numbers in a matter of seconds.
But stray away from these computers, even if only for a short time, and we learn quickly how paralyzed many of us are.
A friend of mine who is taking a college course was practicing her speech the other day. Part of the exercise required her classmates to write a few sentences on a small piece of paper on whether they agreed or disagreed with her premise.
That’s where it got scary. As I sat at the table listening to her speech, I started sorting through the handwritten notes. Each of the 12 I read had a blatant misspelling. Not of difficult words, mind you. But of simple words most of us learned to spell by the seventh grade.
Which brings us to the topic of our Sunday story. It focuses on the 12th-graders of Michigan who are the first class graduating under the revamped state requirements. The requirements increase credit requirements in math, science and foreign language in an effort to prepare our students for the “new” economy — the one which experts tell us will require educated labor to fill the challenging fields in healthcare, advanced manufacturing and the like.
Graduating seniors will now need four credits of math and English; three of science and social studies; two of a foreign language and one each of physical education and visual or performing arts.
I have no problem with increasing the “technical” knowledge of our masses. What I do think is a major oversight is that language skills aren’t emphasized more.
The illiteracy rate in this state and our county is alarming. In Muskegon County alone, studies show that more than 20 percent of adults or between 22,000 and 36,000 are functionally illiterate — meaning they can’t read well enough to follow the directions on a prescription bottle or a box of pasta.
In the city of Muskegon and Muskegon Heights, those numbers rise to around 27 and 40 percent, respectively.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that we can’t advance the learning processes in the other disciplines if our general population can’t read.
While many of our schools focus on reading in junior high, those courses too often fall by the wayside in high school. And we know that many students get “passed along” — hence the troubling numbers locally for adult illiteracy.
Technology can do a lot of things for us. But in the end, it’s our personal communication skills — our ability to speak and write clearly — that will determine our future.
