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I Can’t Wait to Check out These Resources

admin — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:32:48 +0000

PBS has done it again! A new site, called PBS Teachers, has activities, resources, webinars, discussions, etc. etc. etc. for teachers (and parents who teach!) of kids from pre-K to grade 12! Check it out and enjoy!

- Heather

Awesome Kid Experience – FREE – in Richmond Tomorrow (Saturday)

admin — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:33:00 +0000

FREE for 7 – 13 year olds – Peak Experiences is putting up the 350′ zipline over the quarry at the West End of Belle Isle tomorrow (Sat.) between 9 and 2 – kids must be with a parent or guardian! (The xterra race series is this weekend; this is part of the expo.)

Get out and Enjoy!

- Heather

It Takes a Village (and some Collaboration)

admin — Fri, 29 May 2009 01:55:42 +0000

I love this. It has all the elements of a great learning experience:

“Advanced science students at Zionsville High School extracted and analyzed dolphin DNA this month in an ongoing collaboration with the Indianapolis Zoo, the University of Indianapolis and other research facilities.” IndyStar.com

Purpose – check. Relevance – check. Inquiry – check. Intrinsically motivating – check. I only hope that I can foster these types of experiences for my own kids and as a partner with the museums I consult with about education.

New PBS Site

admin — Fri, 15 May 2009 16:23:20 +0000

PBS has launched PBS Read – a site where kids, parents, caregivers can work together on reading! PBS already has some great reading and writing resources available for kids and adults, and it was great to see that they merged the two audiences with this website. In my mind it encourages families to take a more active role in education – which is what we’re all about at Roots of Learning, too!

Check out the new PBS Read site.

- Heather

Exploring Word Origins

admin — Mon, 04 May 2009 03:01:56 +0000

When I took Latin in high school, I just loved it (ok, I’m a Latin geek) because it was like a wonderful puzzle that allowed me to chip away at the English language. With each new piece of vocabulary, I was gaining a key to the kingdom, so to speak, for my own language. Each Latin root word provided me with exponentially more English vocabulary. In a nutshell, that experience served me well. As a teacher, I have tried to pass it along to my students and to my own kids.

I created this graphic organizer for folks to use with their kids. I’ll be using it with my 9 year old this summer (or sooner). It will be available as part of my free summer e-course, coming soon!

- Heather

PS – I just edited this blog entry to include a link to the .pdf version of the Word Genealogy Tree graphic organizer – hope it helps!

Museums as Educational Partners

admin — Fri, 01 May 2009 17:51:45 +0000

Whether you send your child to public school, private school, or whether you home school, your community no doubt has some treasures – museums, historical societies, science centers, or parks. Here in Virginia, the communities are rich with such treasures, but very few take advantage of these opportunities to learn.

When I conduct presentations for museum educators (link takes you to the most recent), they are usually centered around how they can engage the school audience and meet the needs of teachers and schools. I also make it a point to emphasize the importance of engaging alternative audiences such as independent schools, home schoolers, and scouting groups and clubs. If you are involved in such groups, you know that they have more flexibility and autonomy to engage in the community than do public schools.

My question to parents is, how do you view museums and other community ‘assets’? Do they meet your needs or do they leave something to be desired? Do you see them as a vehicle for learning for your children? Have you seen great partnerships between schools or homeschool groups and museums and cultural centers?

I’d love to read your input!

- Heather

Teaching the Brain to Read

admin — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 03:17:57 +0000

I just finished reading a book by Judy Willis entitled Teaching the Brain to Read: Strategies for Improving Fluency, Vocabulary, and Comprehension.

I highly recommend it for teachers and parents interested in how reading is learned and how we build meaning and gain comprehension.

Find out more at ASCD.org.

Welcome to the RootsofLearning Blog

admin — Tue, 06 May 2008 21:17:18 +0000

In a competetive world economy, where the ever-quickening pace of change in technology and job requirements blur traditional standards, it is hard for educators and parents to know just how to prepare children for their future. But one thing is certain, no matter what the world comes up with, students with excellent critical thinking skills, analytical skills, and good writing and communication skills will have an edge over their similarly trained counterparts in any field.

Writing that is clear and organized is indicative of a writer with good analytical and organized thinking skills. Today more than ever, it is important for people to be able to come up with - and adapt to - new ideas and ways of doing things, and to be able to communicate their ideas clearly and concisely in writing.

As everything from state educational standards to cultural enrichment to Physical Education competes for time during school, it becomes a challenge for teachers to devote substantial time to teaching writing – and good writing requires time. It is our goal to empower parents for the benefit of their children. Keep watch on this website as we offer innovative ways for parents to help their children become effective writers, thinkers, readers, and learners.

Similarly, it is our hope that this blog can act as fertile ground upon which to reap and sow new ideas from each other. Success never comes in a vacuum. It is nearly always a collaborative effort. So please share your ideas, strategies, insights, and wisdom.

Heather