MSA: Changing the Way You THINK, STUDY, & LEARN!

Click above link to learn more!

Math & Science Academy, Inc. 

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The following is an exerpt from a newsletter I prepared for JMIA as a result of a school assignment.

Online

Tutoring Program!

            Passport Learning has a tutoring program proven to accelerate your child 2.5 grades in reading and/or mathematics.  The following information was obtained from the Passport Learning website.

The Academy of Reading program is designed to set students up for success. This is accomplished using an assessment to target specific subskills that may be holding a particular student back. The results place each student in one of three groups:

·         S—scanning/sequencing
Students experience difficulty in scanning words on a page.

·         A—auditory/visual
Students have trouble connecting specific sounds with what they see.

·         O—oral expression

Students struggle with pronunciation and may have a slow speech pattern.

The Academy of Math’s lively interactive software program is based on four fundamental learning principles designed for improving math comprehension through targeted instruction:

·         Accurate Placement: The program begins by determining the most appropriate starting point for every student, suggesting an effective intervention strategy in each case.

·         Individualized Learning: Students work at their own pace, according to their own abilities—receiving constant feedback to motivate and encourage their progress.

·         Skills Progression: Proceeding skill by skill, students advance to the next stage of learning only when they have achieved mathematical proficiency at the preceding level.

·         Comprehensive Curriculum: From absolute beginner to basic high-school math, the program allows students to backtrack as far as they need to in order to fill in “skills gaps” and to accelerate ahead as their proficiency improves. The result goes beyond simple homework assistance to truly improving math comprehension in terms of real, grade-level advancement.

In each program the students work at a pace comfortable for them.  The math program has eight levels.  The students gradually learn how to solve more complex problems.  The reading program increases the students’ comprehension by guiding the students through the exercises.  It is like having your on personal tutor for your child.  The students are guide through the lessons via auditory commands.  The Passport Learning tutoring program is packaged on CDs and ordered through the Bob Jones University Press website. 

You Can Use

The CDs

On Your Lap Top

As You Travel

Throughout the Day!

Educational Software and its Benefits!

We are now in the age when most homes have computers and/or lap tops.  There is a plethora of educational software to assist your child.  One tool I would like to share is a website www.starfall.com.  This site is an excellent resource for students.  There is no need to download anything to your home computer.  There are four options available to your child:  (1) ABCs – Let’s get ready to read; (2) Learn to Read; (3) It’s Fun to Read; and (4) I’m Reading.  You can click on the first one.  The alphabets appear.  If the child clicks on an alphabet, animation shows the capital letter and the small letter.  The child also hears the pronunciation of the letter.  This can continue for each letter.  There is rectangle with ABC written in it.  If the student clicks on the rectangle a man pronounces each letter and shows the sign language for a word that begins with that letter.  If the child clicks on the hands on the bottom of the page a girls with letters appear.  The child can click on the letter.  The girl pronounces the letter.  Then she demonstrates the sign language for the letter while pronouncing the sound the letter makes.  The vowels are located at the bottom of the page also.  The child can click on the vowel.  A lady appears.  The child clicks on the vowel again and the lady sings a song with the sound the vowel makes.  She then encourages the child to sing the song with her.  The other levels work in a similar manner.

            The Starfall website is for students in grades pre-K through second grade.  Since the use of www.starfall.com is FREE, it is an excellent tool to prepare your child for school.

Microsoft Office Suite

            The Microsoft Office Suite is an excellent tool used by our students in grades three through eight.  The suite contains Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.  The school can purchase the student version for you.  The Word software allows your students to write and format papers and other assignment.  An added benefit is the spell checker that helps the students correct spell words.  The students can bold test, make it larger, change the color and make the text italics.  These are just the few of the font formatting capabilities.  Pictures or items may be inserted into an assignment, also.  The Excel program allows the students to format spreadsheets or tables of data and information.  The students can the change font in addition to the width of the columns and height of the rows.  This software is exceptionally useful for science assignments and projects.  The Excel program also allows the students to complete mathematical computations.  The students are taught to write equations in Excel also.  Excel is used also to prepare graphs and charts.  The PowerPoint is used for presentations.  The students are required to present projects not only to show they can do the work but to enhance their communication skills.  The Microsoft Office Suite is an excellent software package to have on your home computer or laptop.  There are other similar packages that you can investigate also:  Microsoft Works; etc.

If it takes a village to raise a child, please do not mention that the problem is the parents.  We are the parents.  If we are truly a member of the village, isn’t incumbent upon us to help those parents who do not know how to assist their children?  If they are flat out not willing to get invovled, do we not have a responsibility to the child to help them succeed?

Just my thoughts, let me hear yours!

JMI

The Isbell Academy serves studetns in grade 6-8.  We made the change for the upcoming school year.  This blog will be used to identify tools on the internet that can be used to remediate students struggling in a traditional class.

More in my next post.

JMI