On the Beach

On the Beach

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Spelling from Greek and Latin Roots

Just a thought for parents looking for a spelling program for their advanced speller.  Perhaps you want to look at a program that teaches spelling from Greek and Latin Roots?  It ties the spelling words into in interesting and logical framework and may spark an interest in your student learning those languages as well!

Google away and see what you find!

Here are a few of my finds:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Greek-and-Latin-Word-Root-Spelling-and-Vocabulary-Program-805577

https://www.spellingcity.com/latin-greek-root-words.html

http://www.readingrockets.org/article/root-words-roots-and-affixes

Monday, April 20, 2015

reading The Spark: A mother's story of nurturing genius

I just finished reading this book, The Spark, by Kristine Barnett, (about her son, Jacob (Jake) Barnett), and loved it.  I gobbled it up in one sitting and thought I would just mention it here in case you haven't had a chance to read it yet yourself. The book brought out what I have seen, time and again -  that connection between the sensitivities/excitabilities/the deep diving that we see in the gifted -  and then those same qualities are somehow seen through a different and intensified lens with those on the ASD spectrum.

Now, I have to say, that was not the point of the book.  The Spark tells the story of Jacob, his diagnosis of autism and how his mom didn't give up on him, but managed to reach him - and many others - by tapping into and connecting around areas of strength, interest, passion.   I was gratified to see the mantra that I've been saying a lot this year - if they are struggling, make it more difficult - played out in the extreme with Jacob (as he moves happily from his grade 3 class into college level astronomy and math courses).  It is a fascinating fact that for gifted kids, and adults, a challenge is as good as a rest and stimulation is vital to happiness.  How many of our kids today are struggling with "school work", with behaviour, because they are bored?  This point was driven home last year when I took my wiggly nephew for a walk to the park (after he couldn't sit still in the house) and he turned from distracted  5 year old into a kid with laser beam focus when he were offered a ride on a mini dirt bike and then allowed to drive it with shaky balance around the park.

It reminds me too of this quote I read a few months ago:

"A noted scientist observing that "early voyagers fancied that the coral-building animals    instinctively built up the great circles of the Atoll islands to afford themselves protection in the inner parts," has disproved this fancy by showing that the insect builders can only live and thrive fronting the open ocean, and in the highly aerated foam of its' restless billows.  So it has been commonly thought that protected ease is the most favourable condition of life, whereas all the noblest and strongest lives prove on the contrary that the endurance of hardship is the making of men, and the factor that distinguishes between existence and vigorous vitality."  - Cowman (Streams in the Desert)

So there we have it: work hard. The other side is play hard.

Kristine did exactly that.  She encourage play and a childhood rather than endless therapies (or endless classes or endless programming or endless drilling). The mix of challenge and play that Kristine talks about is exactly what I see gifted kids wanting and thus recommend - hard work and then time to integrate that work/learning with play, rest, sandbox silliness.

All in all, an accessible, inspiring read about real lives, about raising twice exceptional kids, living with courage, faith, and a spirit of abundance.

Enjoy!

Carmen