Enhance Your Knowledge By Reading Books

Author: Sarvesh Sharma

Every person, who wants to achieve success in life, should read high-quality books. These books give the right path to get his way. Today, there are many options for attaining knowledge such as Television, Internet and many more. All these things have changed our lifestyles. Now, Internet has become the part and parcel of our lives. With the help of Internet, we can get any information within a few clicks. So everyone wants to browse everything on the web in lieu of books. On the other hand, Television gives a little bit of knowledge to us. An individual wants to get entertain with Television and Internet. But they don't remember that Books have its own place and they can't ignore the importance of  reading books .  Books  give the proper guidance to us for getting attaining our target.    Books  that we read help in improving our mental aptitude. By reading  good quality books , one can get solution of one's problem. These books play a very significant role for enhancing our skills. But one should always select excellent quality books to achieve success. Now-a-days,  Book Clubs  have become the main attraction among the book lovers. These book clubs not only bring the large collection of books for everybody, but they also provide books at the very reasonable prices. Selection of books on these clubs is very easy. So a person can easily find his favorite books on them. Some book clubs also provide the introductory offer and exclusive gifts to its group members. They also organize a meeting with the other members to discuss about the books.     India Today Book Club   is also an ultimate book club that has numerous books of various sections for example, Art and Reference Books, Religion and Spirituality, Information Technology, Medicine, Fitness and Health, Fiction, Classics etc.   India Today Book Club   also provides a free monthly magazine to give information about the latest published books. It also brings the exclusive books at the very low price. If you want to gift a book to your loved ones, then you can do it through this club.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/education-articles/enhance-your-knowledge-by-reading-books-848513.html

About the Author:
This article is all about importance of Books and Reading. All of us know that "Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body". Books are not hard to find and read. Here, we are also giving some information about a reputed book club i.e. India Today Book Club where we can easily find books of our choice and to get these books you can visit:- http://www.indiatodaybookclub.com/

Homework Checklist for Parents

• Provide a quiet, well-lit space, away from distractions and with all the right study materials -- paper, pens and pencils, books, a dictionary, a desk, etc.
• Try to find a separate space for each of your children, or schedule quiet times for homework in designated spaces.
• Create a regular schedule, allowing for adequate study and free time.
• Limit TV time, and do not allow it during homework.
• When possible, be available to answer questions. Try doing a problem or two together, then watch as the child tries the next one.
• Avoid simply giving an answer. Instead, ask questions that let your child see the problem in smaller, sequential steps.
• Provide your kids with a notebook for writing down assignments. When they're finished, compare the homework and the notebook to make sure everything is done.
• See if the school has a homework hotline (that lists your child's assignments) and/or a homework helpline (assistance for your child).
• Review completed and graded assignments. Discuss errors to be sure your child understands the material.
• Share any concerns with your children's teachers about the amount or type of homework assigned. Be sure to let them know if your children are having difficulty or are unable to do most of it by themselves.

 Ten Ways to Help Your Child Tackle His Homework

by Peggy Gisler, Ed.S. and Marge Eberts, Ed.S.

1. Have him use an assignment notebook so he knows what homework is required each day.
2. Introduce a planning calendar and show her how to use it when she begins to have long-term assignments.
3. Each day he should preview the assignments that he has to do and get the tough tasks out of the way first. He should write down the order in which he will do assignments.
4. Teach her to review her work frequently.
5. Get him an organizer, and show him how to use it so that he has a system for organizing all his school papers.
6. Have her use a book bag to transport books and papers.
7. Encourage him to establish a regular time for doing homework.
8. She should keep old quizzes and tests to prepare for future tests.
9. Eliminate distractions such as phone calls and television during homework time.
10. Establish a regular place for doing homework.

Standardized Test Success

Parents: Do Your Homework
Standardized testing -- two simple words that often strike fear for children, teachers, and parents alike. Many states use proficiency testing as a way to assess children and evaluate teachers. In some states, a low score on a proficiency exam is grounds for holding your child back. Whatever the policies are in your state, your job is to prepare your young learner for the testing challenge.

Know as much about the test as possible. Most tests are organized around curriculum areas. In the lower grades, these areas are math, language arts, and reading; in the upper grades, they are science, math, language arts, reading, and, occasionally, social studies, or American and/or state history. To find out the content of the tests, contact your child's teacher, your district office, or your state department of education.

Ask your school for resources. Find out if "practice tests" or other exercises are available either through your school or your state department of education. There are many books available that can help, but make sure that they cover what your child will be tested on. The best books are also "hands-on." They contain actual practice tests that simulate the test itself (even going so far as filling in circles or boxes with #2 lead pencils!).

Know what the test means. Find out how the test is scored and what will happen if your child does not receive an appropriate score in one or more areas. Will your child qualify for special tutoring? Will your child be retained? If your child does particularly well, will she be provided with gifted services?

Find out if your child qualifies for special test-taking accommodations. If your child has been identified for special services or has a learning disability, he may be exempt from the test or may need to take it under special conditions. Children who are identified with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), for instance, are often allowed to take the test in a special room, away from distractions. Your child's teacher, your school psychologist, or special services coordinator is your best resource.

Incorporate "test taking" behavior into homework activities. Most standardized tests are timed. They also encourage children to skip items they don't know and come back to them later. When you oversee your child's homework, encourage him to do the same thing--to skip items he doesn't know and come back to them. When appropriate, time certain activities (math worksheets, for example). Standardized tests require students to follow directions. Encourage your child to read the directions on the homework and repeat them to you to make sure he or she understands them.

Practice Skills at Home
There are a number of skills that you can easily incorporate into your home routine.

Reading
When reading a book or watching a television show or a movie, ask your child to repeat the plot, the story's characters (including the main character), and the setting. Ask him to retell what happens in the beginning, middle, and end. After you read a book together, ask him questions about what happened.

Language Arts
Work on increasing your child's vocabulary by using and defining more difficult words in everyday speech. Use a dictionary to check meaning. Practice using antonyms and synonyms. Have your child become proficient at alphabetical order by organizing materials that way--books, kitchen supplies, videos, etc.

Writing
The writing portion of standardized tests usually asks children to respond to a writing "prompt." This prompt is meant to structure their ideas. (For suggestions about incorporating writing prompts into family writing activities, see this issue's "Live and Learn" section.) You may also want to review basic punctuation and capitalization.

Math
Rather than concentrating solely on computation, standardized math tests usually involve spatial skills, patterns, and sequencing. Encourage your child to learn to count by twos, threes, and fives. Create graphs based on family activities and practice reading graphs together. Practice time and money concepts.

Put the Test in Context
Remind your young learner that these kinds of tests are part of the educational routine. You took them when you were in school and your child, no doubt, will face them a number of times throughout his or her school--and post-school career. Filling in those little boxes or circles with #2 lead pencils is something they'll have to do for years to come!

Make sure your child is ready. Your child needs to be well-rested and well-fed when test time arrives. She also needs to be mentally prepared. Be sensitive to your child's anxiety. Talking about the test may cause her stress which will negatively affect her results. Instead, think of ways to diffuse the anxiety. Take a brisk walk, plan a game of tag football, draw her a long, hot bath. And, because standardized testing can sometimes go on for as long as a week, build in physical activity and downtime throughout the test-taking period.

Between You and the Teacher
It's almost second semester and everything that seemed new and exciting about school--including homework--may have turned into a kind of drudgery. Here are some tips to tame the homework monster.

• Establish a homework routine that matches your child's learning style. Some are able to come right home and start on homework. Others need time to relax right after school and are better after a snack or dinner. Still others need to do homework in small amounts, with lots of time in between for physical activity. Learn your child's learning rhythm and develop a homework routine that reflects that rhythm.
• Know what the teacher expects. Be sure you know how much there is, when it's due, how it's counted on a final grade. Check to see if homework should be handwritten (in printing or in cursive) or typewritten on a computer. Develop a way to communicate with your child's teacher if homework instructions are unclear. (Some schools have a homework hotline that clarifies assignments.)
• Set up an inviting work space for homework. Whether the space is a desk in the child's room or a clear space at the kitchen table, make sure that it is as free of distractions as possible. Make sure your child has good lighting and the proper tools to work with (including lots of pencils and erasers!).
• Be accessible and helpful. Stress to your child that you are available for assistance, but that you will not do the work for him. Be clear about those boundaries. Suggest how you can help--by working through a sample problem, clarifying instructions, checking over homework to make sure it has been completed thoroughly, or drilling your child on math or spelling.
• Do your own homework! If you have a desk task to do (paying bills, writing letters, etc.), save that task for your child's homework time. Sit beside him and complete your homework as he completes his.
• Watch for consistent problems. If your child is consistently not completing homework or having the same problem with a skill over and over, communicate with her teacher about it. Occasionally, teachers do give too much homework without realizing it. Children who struggle over and over again with the same skill may need to be introduced to new strategies to learn that skill. They may also be displaying signs of a learning disability.
• Read, read, read! Reading aloud to and with your child is the most important homework habit you can develop. It increases cognitive abilities, as well as reading skills. Set aside time to read every day--and be creative about what you read. Books are obvious choices, but don't forget to read magazines, newspapers, and poems, too.

Write, Live, and Learn!
You may have heard the term "writing prompt" in conjunction with testing. A writing prompt is simply a suggestion for an idea, a form, or a story to structure a writing activity. It can be lots of fun to develop writing prompts into home writing activities--and you'll be helping children develop skills that they can use in testing situations. Consider these possibilities:

• Write a letter to the editor of your local paper about an issue of concern to your community.
• Write a letter of complaint about a toy or game that didn't live up to your expectations.
• Write an email message requesting information about a certain product.
• Write a movie review and send it to your local newspaper or entertainment weekly.
• Think about a time that you were really scared, really sad, or really happy. As a parent, write a paragraph about that time. Ask your child to do the same. Then compare and contrast the events and the emotions surrounding them.

Remember that writing is not only an important academic skill, it's a great way to celebrate family life!

Help Your Child Ace His Next Spelling Test

by Peggy Gisler, Ed.S. and Marge Eberts, Ed.S.

Is your child quizzed on weekly spelling words? Help him prepare with these tips.

Give your child a pre-test. When your child brings home his list of spelling words, sit him down with a pencil and paper for a practice quiz. Don't have him copy the words or sentences. Children learn how to spell words by visualizing them in their minds, not by copying them. Simply, say each word in a sentence out loud for your child to write down. Try to give the pre-test in exactly the same way the teacher would give the actual test. Have your son correct the pre-test. He should study only the words he has misspelled.

How your child will learn to spell the words he's spelled incorrectly on his pre-test:

1) Have him say the word while looking at it.

2) Tell him to close his eyes, try to see the word, and then spell the word out loud.

3) Have him look at the written word to see if he's spelled it out loud correctly.

4) Ask him to look at the word, then cover the word and have him write it.

5) Finally, your child should check to see if he's written the word correctly. If the word is misspelled, all four steps should be repeated before moving on to the next word.

Once your child has learned to use this technique, he will be able to study his spelling words independently. On the night before the test, give him a final test of all the words.

Top 10 Ways to Help Your Kids Get A's

by Peggy Gisler, Ed.S. and Marge Eberts, Ed.S.

Parental Involvement Is the Answer
Study after study has shown that parental involvement is the number-one determinant of how well all children -- regardless of their background -- do in school. Here are ten ways you can help your kids succeed in the classroom -- and beyond.

1. Create an environment in your home that encourages learning.
This will be a major influence on how well your children do in school. Provide them with many different opportunities to become excited about learning. Make sure that appropriate materials from puzzles to paints to computers are available to stimulate their curiosity.

2. Provide your children with a well-balanced life.
A stable home, filled with love, serves as a solid foundation for getting straight A's. Establish routines so your children get enough sleep, eat regular nourishing meals, and receive sufficient exercise. Limit excessive TV-viewing and the playing of video and computer games.

3. Read to your children every day.
Most of the learning your children do in school involves reading. Read to your kids to teach them about reading, expand and enrich their vocabularies, and broaden their experiences. Reading aloud exposes them to materials that would be difficult for them to read on their own.

4. Encourage them to read extensively.
As your children progress through school, as much as 75 percent of what they learn will come from the printed page. The more children read, the better their reading skills become. Make sure there is a wide variety of interesting reading materials in your home to encourage the reading habit.

5. Show your children how to be organized.
Children who are organized find it much easier to succeed in school. One of the best ways to teach organizational skills is through example. Show your children how to use such organizational tools as assignment pads, calendars, notebooks, binders, and backpacks.

6. Teach them effective study skills.
Good study skills are absolutely essential to get A's. Make sure your children know how to read their textbooks, prepare for tests, memorize facts, and use their time efficiently. Encourage them to have a regular time for studying, and provide a study place that is free of distractions.

7. Urge your children to listen and participate in class.
Listening in class is the easy way for children to learn. Advise your older children to take notes, which will help them concentrate on what is being said. Encourage your children to participate in class -- it will greatly increase their interest in what they're learning.

8. Help your children learn how to tackle homework.
Doing homework reinforces what your children learn in school. Show them how to do it so that homework quickly becomes their responsibility. Help them learn what assignments to do first and how to plan their time. Encourage them not to rush through their homework but to consider every assignment a learning experience.

9. Talk to your children about school.
Your children spend hours in school every day. A lot can happen during that time. Show that you are genuinely interested in their day by asking questions about what they did and talking with them about the papers they bring home. When problems occur, work with your kids to find solutions.

10. Develop a good relationship with your children's teachers.
Good communication between home and school helps children do well in school and makes it easier to address problems. Be sure to attend parent-teacher conferences, visit your kids' classrooms, and volunteer to help their teachers. And don't forget to express your appreciation to teachers for all that they do for your children.

Top 10 Ways to Improve Reading Skills

by Peggy Gisler, Ed.S. and Marge Eberts, Ed.S.

Nothing is more important to academic achievement than being a good reader. Parents know their children best and can provide the one-on-one time and attention that will lead them to success in reading. Here is a list of ways to help your children become more effective readers.

1. Set aside a regular time to read to your children every day.
Studies show that regularly reading out loud to children will produce significant gains in reading comprehension, vocabulary, and the decoding of words. Whether your children are preschoolers or preteens, it will increase their desire to read independently.

2. Surround your children with reading material.
Children with a large array of reading materials in their homes score higher on standardized tests. Tempt your kids to read by having a large supply of appealing books and magazines at their reading level. Put the reading materials in cars, bathrooms, bedrooms, family rooms, and even by the TV.

3. Have a family reading time.
Establish a daily 15 to 30 minute time when everyone in the family reads together silently. Seeing you read will inspire your children to read. Just 15 minutes of daily practice is sufficient to increase their reading fluency.

4. Encourage a wide variety of reading activities.
Make reading an integral part of your children's lives. Have them read menus, roadside signs, game directions, weather reports, movie time listings, and other practical everyday information. Also, make sure they always have something to read in their spare time when they could be waiting for appointments or riding in a car.

5. Develop the library habit.
Entice your children to read more by taking them to the library every few weeks to get new reading materials. The library also offers reading programs for children of all ages that may appeal to your children and further increase their interest in reading.

6. Be knowledgeable about your children's progress.
Find out what reading skills they are expected to have at each grade level. The school's curriculum will give you this information. Track their progress in acquiring basic reading skills on report cards and standardized tests.

7. Look for reading problems.
Teachers do not always detect children's reading problems until they've become serious. Find out if your children can sound out words, know sight words, use context to identify unknown words, and clearly understand what they read.

8. Get help promptly for reading problems.
Reading problems do not magically disappear with time. The earlier children receive help, the more likely they will become good readers. Make sure your children receive necessary help from teachers, tutors, or learning centers as soon as you discover a problem.

9. Use a variety of aids to help your children.
To help your children improve their reading, use textbooks, computer programs, books-on-tape, and other materials available in stores. Games are especially good choices because they let children have fun as they work on their skills.

10. Show enthusiasm for your children's reading.
Your reaction has a great influence on how hard they will try to become good readers. Be sure to give them genuine praise for their efforts.