Book Review: a smart girls's guide to starting middle school

     I recently came across this book while looking for a gift for my niece.  I think it would be a great gift for any 4th or 5th grader moving on to middle school.  There is so much practical information, hypothetical situations (with good solutions) and suggestions on all kinds of kid relevant middle school topics.  I couldn't think of a topic that wasn't covered.
     The book itself is written in a style that makes it easy to read.  Information is provided in short bursts making it a quick and easy to understand read.  It's published by American Girl.  I know American Girl dolls, accessories magazine and crafts are still very hot with the younger girls.  I also assume older girls still love their dolls/memorabilia as memories and collectibles.  Knowing that this book is part of that tradition might provided a nice bridge for them.
     Every little girl in my life will get a copy of this book before they make the big and sometimes scary transition to middle school.  I would also suggest that parents take a glance at the book.  I believe that would help to foster some good conversation about what to expect in middle school, help alleviate worries and let your daughter know she can always talk to you about Middle School concerns.


Now what do we do about the boys out there.  Has anyone seen a similar book written for them?  I'll have to research a little more. 

Improve that Vocabulary!

     A friend of mine showed me a couple of books she thought I might be interested it.  The 100 Most Beautiful Words in English and The 100 Funniest Words in English.  Both book are written by Robert Beard.  After glancing through the words I think this would make the perfect gift for any student in middle school, high school and college.  I find vocabulary development lacking in even some of the brightest students, especially with the higher level descriptive vocabulary words.
     I'll guarantee you'll learn some new vocabulary too.  I knew about 1/2 the words on the most beautiful word list and about 3/4 on the funniest word list.  I really liked the funniest word list because not only were the words silly but a lot of them were well accepted slang words.  Any student could use these books to spice up their writing and oral language.  (At the very least, get the books and throw them in the bathroom.)  
     Check out alphadictionary for a complete review of both books.
http://www.alphadictionary.com/articles/100_funniest_words.html
http://www.alphadictionary.com/articles/100_most_beautiful_words.html

Social Skill Development Programs in Teens

     I don't usually get inspiration for this blog while at the hairdresser or from people magazine.  However, a few weeks ago People Magazine highlighted a unique program developed at UCLA to help teens gain awareness, understanding and improved use of social pragmatic skills.  Given my extensive work with middle school and high school students, I know exactly they type of student the program is designed for.  The People article

http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20441654,00.html

talks about a 17 year old boy and his lack of understanding on how to act and interact with peers.  It briefly describes the program he went through.  

     The program is called PEERS, Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relationship Skills. PEERS is a manualized, social skills training intervention for adolescents and young adults. 

http://www.semel.ucla.edu/peers

     This is a program that addresses a critical skill that is rarely addressed within the public school setting.  It's difficult to understand that social skills do not develop in some people because social skills are usually acquired in such a natural fashion.  I've never seen a developmental chart guideline for the development of social skills.  Social skills are not concrete skills like acquiring good grammatical skills.  We can measure and assess grammatical usage with ease.  With social skills, professionals can tell something is wrong and we can describe it.  Very few pragmatic language tests are out there and I've never reviewed one that was able to really identify a pragmatic issue without detailed observation and analysis from a professional.  As a matter of fact most older students will test within the average range on formal pragmatic assessments.  This leaves kids similar to Joey basically in limbo.  

     I was excited to read about this program.  I'm glad someone has identified this as a significant need.  The recent law suit in Massachusetts, (see previous post) highlights that more needs to be done in the area of social skill development for adolescents and young adults.  Frankly in my opinion it should start a lot earlier.

     

Social Skills for Teenagers with Developmental and Autism Spectrum Disorders: The PEERS Treatment Manual

Visualizing and Verbalizing in the Classroom

I'm presenting an overview of the visualizing and verbalizing program to my special education staff tomorrow. I love this program and think the concept behind it is key to success for all kids.  I'd love to know how this works in other schools as part of the curriculum.  Anyone out there using it in the classroom on a regular basis?

Did You Know October is "Month of the Young Adolescent?"

New England League of Middle Schoolers sent this to me.  I found it interesting with good ideas and information on Middle School life.  The National Middle School Association puts this together.  Principals and teachers might find this particularly interesting.


http://www.nmsa.org/moya/

1 in 5 teens suffering significant hearing loss - White Coat Notes - Boston.com

Something to think about and to be aware of. If this is true it and your child is the 1 in 5, school performance may be effected, especially if your child has weak auditory perceptual skills. It would be interesting to note if the 1 teen in 5 also had a history of significant hearing loss early on due perhaps to ear infections or fluid.

1 in 5 teens suffering significant hearing loss - White Coat Notes - Boston.com