February 3 - 7

Music for the People

Kids’ brainpower is heightened more by creating music than listening to it.

“Music takes us out of the actual and whispers to us dim secrets that startle our wonder as to who we are, and for what, whence, and whereto.”

—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Most of us know at this point that playing Mozart for our children isn’t going to make them smarter or more likely to become miniature musical prodigies. (Though I think I read something when I first got pregnant that led me to believe it would because I vaguely remember—I shouldn’t admit this—playing Bach for my firstborn when she was, um, in the womb.)

Here is something more believable: loads of research shows that musical training enhances kids’ brains. Music lessons have been shown to improve language skills, speech, memory, attention and even the understanding of vocal emotion.

Musical training heightens people’s ability to pick out specific sounds—harmony or melody, a voice in a crowd. This ability makes us more adept at learning languages.

Musical kids—and we aren’t assuming some are born musically talented, but rather, they become musical through training—tend to be more sensitive to changes in speech, which makes them better at phonologic spelling, vocabulary, and even at understanding the emotional meaning behind speech. This emotional intelligence piece is compelling to me, as social and emotional intelligence are foundations of happiness.

Let’s get the kids signed up for music lessons! I’m thinking. But it isn’t that easy, at least for us. We don’t have a piano, nor do we have much time or money for lessons. (And my daughter just reminded me that she wants to play the electric guitar, not the piano. I think that involves not just instruments and lessons, but also amplifiers and other equipment.)

How will I get my kids the musical training that will so enhance their brain development? Furthermore, how much training do they need? “Even kids who’ve had 20 minutes a day of music lessons — which isn’t a whole lot — will, after a year, demonstrate changes in how their nervous system responds to sound, be it music or speech,” says the author of a recent study on the subject, Nina Kraus, professor of neurobiology and physiology at Northwestern.

Um, I beg to differ: 20 minutes a day of instruction seems like an eternity to me, and do you know how much that would cost?

Enter my friend Marissa, who just turned me on to ToonsTunes, a new website where kids can create music. The creators of ToonsTunes are clearly trying to solve my problem. Here is their mission: “To spread the joy of music creation to millions regardless of skill, training or economic status.” They had me at joy.

My kids absolutely LOVE this website. I could definitely get them to mix music on ToonsTunes for 20 minutes or more a day – the question is really whether or not I’ll let them do it, which is only a function of whether or not we have time.

I’m hopeful that playing around on ToonsTunes will have the sort of effect on my kids’ brain development that formal music training would. Honestly, I think it might work even better. Their brains are being trained musically, but there is one big difference: the kids are driving the process. This makes it infinitely more fun than practicing scales with a teacher. Creating music on the computer seems to me to be a lot more like we learn other arts: by just doing it. I was a studio art major in college, and have always thought of myself as a painter. How did I learn to paint? By drawing and painting every day, mostly alone in my bedroom or outside. The art classes I took gave me additional skills and tools and techniques, but really, I became an artist by simply painting. Creating art on my own drove my desire for formal training, not the reverse.

And so I’m hoping that my kids will learn to make music (if not actually play the piano—I mean, the electric guitar) by actually making music.

Have you found innovative ways to give your children musical training? 

Key Reference:
Kraus, Nina and & Bharath Chandrasekaran, “Music training for the development of auditory skills,” Nature Reviews Neuroscience 11, 599-605 (August 2010).

Adapted from Christine Carter, Ph.D., Raising Happiness and other Greater Good Science Center 

A Look Ahead:

• Thurs 2/6 - Erin's Law Parent Meeting 6:30-8:00pm
• Fri 2/7 - PV PTO Bingo Night
• Sat 2/8 - Dist 66 Solo Festival at Lakeview
• Mon 2/10 - Beginning Band & Wind Ensemble Concert 7:00pm
• Tues 2/11 & Wed 2/12 - Parent/Teacher Conferences 3:00-6:00pm
• Thurs 2/13 - Valentine's Day Classroom Parties 1:30-2:15pm
• Fri 2/14 - No School (Parent/Teacher Conferences)
• Mon 2/17 - No School (Presidents' Day)
• Wed 2/19 - McTeacher Night Fundraiser 4:30-7:30pm
• Thurs 2/20 - Spring Picture Day

January 27 - 31

Teach Your Child Perseverance

To Build Confidence

Self-esteem grows from perseverance. And perseverance leads to self-esteem.

Helping children learn to stick with a tough challenge will give them the confidence they need to succeed.

Parents can help. Here are some ways to help your child develop perseverance:

Look for examples of people who are successful because they kept trying. Pilots must spend many hours in smaller planes before they can be in control of a 747. Make sure your child sees not only the finished performance but also the hard work and discipline that made it possible.

Help your child recognize courage in his own life. List times when he tackled a challenge. The day he walked into a new school . . . the time he stuck with a tough math project . . . the time he tried out for a play. Children who see themselves as courageous are more likely to be brave the next time they are faced with a challenge.

Make sure your child understands that nobody is good at everything. Michael Jordan struck out as a baseball player. Yet he was the greatest basketball player ever. Albert Einstein was not a great athlete, but he was a brilliant scientist.

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” 

-Thomas Edison: Inventor

A Look Ahead:

• Tues 1/28 - District Eat Out - Roundheads
• Wed 1/29 - Early dismissal 11:00am (SIP Day)
• Thurs 1/30 - Backpack Project Event 6:30-7:30pm
• Thurs 2/6 - Erin's Law Parent Meeting 6:30-8:00pm
• Fri 2/7 - PV PTO Bingo Night

January 20-24

Guide to Spelling: Hooked on Phonics

Quick and Dirty Tricks of the Trade

Whatever your level of skill, you can benefit from the following eight time-tested spelling tricks. They're easy—and they work. Try them all, or pick and choose the ones that suit your needs.

1. Classify errors. Why not specialize? Figure out what words pose the most trouble for you and concentrate on those errors. For example, if you have a problem with words that contain ie, study the “ie” rule and concentrate on the words that follow the rules and the major exceptions.

2. Break words down into smaller parts. For example, to spell bookkeeper, break the word down to its two parts: book and keeper. Then you won't forget there's a double k in the middle of the word.

3. Do word puzzles and games. There are many different kinds to choose from, including crosswords, acrostics, Scrabble, and Boggle. Each type of word puzzle or game gives you practice in spelling. As a bonus, doing puzzles also teaches you vocabulary. So what if it includes some useless words? You want, maybe, everything?

4. Use dictionaries. I know, I know, looking up a word is a pain. So is exercise, but they both work. Using a dictionary will help you remember a word's spelling and its exact meaning.

5. Try air writing. No, it's not a New Age crystal thing; it's what Miss Nelson taught you in the fourth grade. To check the spelling of a word or to learn the spelling of an unfamiliar word, try writing it in the air.

6. Guess and check. It's a free country; you're allowed to guess. To check the spelling of a word, make a guess. Write it down and see how it looks. If the planets are aligned, you'll be able to see if you're right or wrong. You'll probably also be able to see where you went wrong: omitted letter, double letter, wrong letter.

7. Use word cards. Those flashcards you used in elementary school still work quite nicely with spelling, thank you very much.

Try this three-step plan:

* As you read through this section, write each difficult-to-spell word on a 3×5 index card, one word per card.

* Study the cards every chance you get.

* Take them with you on the bus, train, and plane; hide them in your lap and sneak a peek during dull meetings.

8. Visualize. Think about how the word is spelled; get a clear mental picture of the word. This will help you remember the word and spell it correctly in the future.

One last little trick:

Mnemonics are memory tricks that help you remember everything from the order of the planets to your grocery list. For example, to remember how to spell principal, look at the last three letters: the principal is your pal. Principle, in contrast, ends in le, like rule (which is what principle means). Create your own mnemonics to conquer spelling demons.

Classroom Spelling Bees are in full swing this week . . . 

Have you been studying the list with your child? 

Bee a Good Speller

Can you spell? I dare you to prove it! Take this pretest to see how well you spell.

In each of the following groups of words, only one of the words is misspelled. For each group, select the misspelled word and spell it correctly. Write your answer in the space provided.


___________ 1. arguering knives shepherd thousandth

___________ 2. baggy unreleived canine vengeful

___________ 3. contagious obituary lonliness cadence

___________ 4. millinery sacrafice caramel burglarize

___________ 5. publicity promontory sieze patriarch

___________ 6. bridle loosely breakage symtom

___________ 7. civillian primeval apologetic truancy

___________ 8. uncanny statuesque ajournment aisle

___________ 9. trigonometry exhaust Artic visualize

___________ 10. bewitches satchel vegetable obstinite


Score Yourself

8 to 10 correct   You can proofread my work anytime.
5 to 7 correct     You'll be okay with a good spell checker.
3 to 6 correct     Treading on thin ice, kiddo.
0 to 2 correct     Are you Mr. Potatoe, Dan Quayle?

Answers

1. arguing 

2. unrelieved 

3. loneliness 

4. sacrifice 

5. seize 

6. symptom
7. civilian

8. adjournment

9. Arctic

10. obstinate

Excerpted from The Complete Idiot's Guide to Grammar and Style © 2003 

A Look Ahead:

• Tues 1/28 - District Eat Out - Roundheads
• Wed 1/29 - Early dismissal 11:00am (SIP Day)
• Thurs 1/30 - Backpack Project Event 6:30-7:30pm
• Thurs 2/6 - Erin's Law Parent Meeting 6:30-8:00pm
• Fri 2/7 - PV PTO Bingo Night

January 13 - 17

Dear Parents,

MAP's will be taken by your children during the week(s) of January 13-17.  
I felt that maybe some knowledge in the area of test-taking techniques could be helpful. Many restful evenings to you this week and next!

Mrs. K

TIPS FOR TAKING TESTS

Tests are important because they help:

* the teacher evaluate your child's needs and progress.

* the student gauge their own level of mastery.

* the parent monitor your child's progress.

You can assist your child prepare for testing by doing the following:

* Discuss the importance of testing, but not overly stress it.

* Make sure your child gets a good night's sleep before a test, and make sure your child eats properly the day of a test.

* Maintain a pleasant home environment and avoid unnecessary conflicts.

* Ensure that your child is present during testing (children perform better when taking tests in their groups rather than at a make-up time).

* If your child is disappointed after taking a test, reassure him or her that there will be plenty of opportunities to improve and succeed.

* Wish your child good luck before he or she leaves for school.

Tips to give your child about taking tests:

* Relax. Just do the best you can.

* Your first choice is usually correct. Don't change an answer unless you have a good reason to do so.

* Be aware of key words such as "all," "now," "always," "never," "only," "exactly."

* In multiple-choice questions the longest answer should be considered since test writers want to be sure the correct answer is accurate.

* When two answers are opposites, one of them is often correct.

* Watch for negative words like "not," "no," "never."

* Look for information in some of the questions. This information may help you answer other questions