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"Home School Business Opportunity" is the subject line
of the e-mail accompanying and sponsoring this newsletter.
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The Teaching Home
E-MAIL NEWSLETTER
Information, Inspiration, and Encouragement
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Volume II, Number 18
Nov. 5, 2002
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You are welcome to forward this newsletter in its entirety.
Table of Contents
New 15-Part Series on Basic Skills
Part 1: Listening
Principles of Listening
10 Listening Practice Activities
Veterans Day (U.S.A.)
Remembrance Day (Canada)
Sunny Side Up: Humorous Anecdote
Greetings!
Have You Voted?
This is a crucial and close election with much at stake
for the direction and future of our nation!
Your vote is an awesome responsibility. It will count
even more because of the lower turnout of voters.
Please Pray:
* That all Christians will vote!
* That Christians will vote prayerfully and wisely.
* That integrity will prevail in the voting process.
New 15-Part Series on Basic Skills
In this issue we are beginning a 15-part series to help
you evaluate and strengthen your children's basic skills in
academics. These articles will discuss the topics, give you
practical activities to do, and help you apply principles to
everyday life.
Not surprisingly, we, as home-school parents, can also
benefit from improving many of these skills ourselves! (See
article below.)
Sincerely,
Sue Welch
for Pat, Sue, Heather, Holly, and Brian Welch
The Teaching Home is a home-school family business
produced in our home since 1980.
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"The Teaching Home has been a part of my continuing
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issue and often go to back issues to find creative, helpful
hints or inspiration." Meredith C., Florida
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15-Part Series on Basic Skills
You can evaluate your children's skill levels and help
them improve in those areas where you see a need by using
these practical ideas for learning activities.
These 15 skill areas are similar to those that are
included on standardized tests.
This series is based on and expanded from an article by
Dr. Harold Wengert in the October/November 1989 Teaching
Home. Topics will include:
1. Listening
2. Word Analysis
3. Vocabulary
4. Reading Comprehension: Facts
5. Reading Comprehension: Inferences
6. Reading Comprehension: Generalizations
7. Spelling
8. Capitalization
9. Punctuation
10. Usage
11. Visual Materials
12. Reference Materials
13. Math: Concepts
14. Math: Computation
15. Math: Problem Solving
Part 1: Listening
Listening is a foundational skill for obtaining
knowledge and wisdom. After the purpose of the Book of
Proverbs is stated in 1:1-7, the next verse reads:
"Hear, my son, your father's instruction,
And do not forsake your mother's teaching."
Do not confuse listening with simply hearing sounds.
Listening is an important skill and habit that must be
purposefully developed by each of us and used in every area
of our lives and throughout our lives.
Academics & Work:
* Listening is a prime way to learn.
* Good listening helps you learn more efficiently.
* Good listening helps you make less mistakes on the job.
Interpersonal Relationships:
* Listening improves your interpersonal relationships.
* Good listening helps you understand others.
* Listening is a wonderful gift to give to those you love.
"Listening" continued below.
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enthralling true history of the Pilgrims. See more items at
http://www.MantleMinistries.com. 1-830-438-3777
___________________________________________________________
Principles of Listening
These principles can apply to anyone in any situation
and should be taught and modeled to our children.
Have a goal to establish good listening habits for each
family member.
1. Prepare yourself to listen.
* Pray that you can truly listen and understand.
* Find a time and place that is conducive to listening.
* Stop what you are doing and look at the person speaking.
2. Listen attentively.
* Eliminate or shut out distractions as much as possible.
* Sit or stand near the speaker.
* Listen quietly and don't interrupt.
* Pay attention and concentrate on what is being said.
* Listen reflectively; think about what you hear.
* Don't be thinking of your reply while the other person
is speaking.
* Recognize what nonverbal language (facial expressions,
gestures, and tone) is communicating.
* If your attention wanders during a sermon or speech,
change your position or breathe deeply.
* Take notes if appropriate.
3. Listen with an open mind.
* Eliminate your prejudices or critical spirit concerning
the speaker, his delivery style, or his subject matter.
* Don't form rebuttals and argue mentally.
4. Encourage the speaker.
* Acknowledge by responses that you are listening and
understand by maintaining good eye contact, smiling, nodding
your head, or short comments like, "I see," or "Yes."
* Ask questions if you do not understand.
* Ask open-ended questions that lead to further sharing.
(e.g., "Tell me more" or "Tell me about your day.")
* Empathize; let the speaker know you understand his feelings.
* Summarize and paraphrase back to the speaker what you
heard; check to see if it was what was meant. Use "You feel"
or "You mean."
5. Assimilate.
* Look for positive and helpful ideas or suggestions.
* Determine what the main point is.
* Recognize any underlying or outright plea for help.
* Reply only after the speaker has finished his thoughts and
you have verified that you understand them.
* Evaluate facts, evidence, and logic.
* Evaluate the message from a biblical worldview in the
light of God's written word.
* If appropriate, apply the message to yourself and/or plan
to take any necessary action.
Applications
Discuss these principles of good listening with your family
and see how you can apply them as you:
* Listen to God
* Listen to your spouse
* Listen to your children or parents
* Listen to sermons and speeches
* Listen to friends, relatives, and neighbors
Listening to others builds relationships and leads to
increased opportunities to influence others for good.
"Listening" continued below.
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of history. Clear presentations without technical terms
developing every important skill. 1-888-742-6653
http://www.PianoForLife.com
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10 Listening Practice Activities
Use everyday activities to improve listening skills,
and practice until good listening become a habit.
Many of these activities can also be done by an older
child with a younger child. This builds skills in both
children.
A Note about Learning Styles. You may have observed
that your child prefers to learn, and learns most easily,
through his sense of hearing, sight, or touch. If one of
your children is weak in the auditory (hearing) avenue of
learning or if he is a young child just developing learning
skills, you can use the following activities to teach and/or
strengthen his listening skills.
1. When stories are read aloud, ask lots of questions
about the story. (Note: Parts 4-6 of this 15-part series
will address reading comprehension and provide useful
questions to ask.)
2. Give your child a reason for listening. Before
reading a story, ask questions that are to be answered when
you finish reading.
3. Give oral instructions in your daily activities
only once. Be sure to get your child's attention first and
speak clearly and distinctly. This will encourage your
child to listen.
4. Ask your child to draw a picture or a map route
using oral directions.
5. Have your child do a series of physical actions
based on a sequence of oral directions (e.g., hop two times,
turn around, touch the ground, stand up, and reach for the
sky). Start simply and add to the number of steps and the
complexity of the directions.
6. Have your child interview other family members and
repeat the details back to you.
7. Have your child read his own lessons aloud into a
tape recorder and then replay the lessons. Both reading and
hearing the lesson helps build listening skills.
8. Have an older child listen to a short radio message
or news broadcast and then write a summary of all or part of
it afterwards.
9. Practice listening to each other. For example, at
the dinner table when one person is talking, have everyone
pay close attention and then check up by asking questions.
10. Have your child listen to a clapping rhythm and
repeat it back to you.
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Veterans Day: November 11th
Veterans Day honors all the men and women who have
served in the United States armed services. (Memorial Day
honors members of the American military who died in service
for their country.)
November 11 is the anniversary of the armistice that
ended World War I in 1918. In the United States, Armistice
Day was changed to Veterans Day. The United Kingdom
celebrates November 11 as Armistice Day, and Canada
celebrates November 11 as Remembrance Day.
Besides teaching your children the history and
significance of this holiday, you could do one of the
following.
1. Thank someone in your own extended family who has
served in the military. Send a card.
2. Visit a veteran's hospital or a veteran at a
nursing home or invite a veteran from your church to
dinner. Listen to their story, ask them questions, and
thank them for serving.
3. If you know a veteran without a family nearby or a
young person currently serving in the armed forces, "adopt"
them and pray for them.
Links for More Information & Activities
Annie's Veterans Day Page. Links to Army, Navy, Air
Force, Marines, and Coast Guard. Study of the word
"honor," many crafts, and Armor of God.
http://www.annieshomepage.com/veterans.html
Annie's Remembrance Day Page (Canada)
http://www.annieshomepage.com/remembranceday.html
Department of Veterans Affairs Official Veterans Day Website
http://www.va.gov/vetsday
Help hospitalized Veterans
http://www.hhv.org
http://www.hhv.org/where_your_money_goes.htm
Internet Access to Names of Servicepersonnel. Along with
the names of the 2,711,284 Vietnam War servicepersonnel and
the 1,104,770 Gulf War servicepersonnel are more than 18
million listings on servicepersonnel ranging from
pre-Revolutionary War Service to the present. (You must
download special software from their web page.)
http://members.aol.com/veterans/names.htm
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Sunny Side Up: Literal Math
My husband told our 6-year-old son, "Chris, split these candies
with your brother 50/50."
Our oldest turned to his dad and asked excitedly, "There are
100 in here?"
by Marilyn P., Oklahoma
You are also invited to submit your humorous anecdote.
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God Loves You.
Because we were separated from God by sin, Jesus Christ
died in our place, then rose to life again. If we trust Jesus
Christ as our Savior and Lord, He will give us eternal life.
"For by grace you have been saved through faith;
and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a
result of works, that no one should boast" (Eph. 2:8, 9).
http://www.TeachingHome.com/about/salvation.cfm
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