Think Learn Smile

Stone Fox less than 2 days!!

2012-01-01T09:52:00.000-08:00

Judy Blume books late Fall

2011-12-17T10:54:00.000-08:00

Read through all the Fudge books -- some out loud and some independently
Rest of the time, usually Peanuts and/or non-fiction out loud such as DK books on World War I. WW II, Money, etc

Saxon 65

2011-11-06T11:57:00.000-08:00

Peanuts Collections!!

2011-10-28T14:21:00.000-07:00

September Reading

2011-10-03T04:13:00.000-07:00

Started Rabbit Hill...read for school reading logs
and also Peanuts anthologies

Summer Book Reading Report

2011-09-07T04:13:00.000-07:00

George's Marvelous Medicine

2011-09-06T16:53:00.000-07:00

This only took 2 days -- great illustrations and funny!!!

The Fighting Ground by Avi

2011-09-04T16:54:00.000-07:00

Saving Shiloh

2011-08-26T13:26:00.000-07:00

Shiloh Season

2011-08-13T15:43:00.001-07:00

Shiloh was a very touching and heartwarming book about a boy named Marty in West Virginia.

I would recommend this book to people who like dogs and also to hunters.

This book also focused on drinking too much and how it affects people's minds and behaviors.

By the end of the book, Shiloh begins to like Judd Travers.

Whittington

2011-08-04T03:39:00.000-07:00

This book was sad because the cat died. The boy in the story was dyslexic.

2011-07-29T04:18:00.000-07:00

Boating Certificate!!

2011-07-24T04:23:00.000-07:00

Fantastic Mr Fox

2011-07-21T21:29:00.000-07:00

Hoot was great!

2011-07-18T02:21:00.000-07:00

SUNY Maritime

2011-07-14T20:28:00.000-07:00

http://www.facebook.com/pages/SUNY-Maritime-College-Maritime-Adventure-Boat-Camp/135998286432201

The Cookcamp

2011-07-05T12:44:00.000-07:00

This book was about a boy during WWII. His mother works in a factory and his Dad is in the war. His mom sends him to live with his Grandma in Canada. His Grandma is a cook for men who are building a road.

Don't You Know There's A War On by Avi

2011-06-29T15:32:00.000-07:00

This book was about World War II and took place in Brooklyn.

Loser by Jerry Spinelli

2011-06-20T04:01:00.000-07:00

This book was about a kid that got nothing right.
This book was sort of funny because Zinkoff the main character did not even mind when people laughed, kicked or teased him. At the end of the story, he turns out to be a tough kid he stayed out in the snow for seven hours looking for a little girl named Claudia who was missing.

Steven Wins Presidential Award for Honor Roll!!

2011-06-15T09:46:00.000-07:00

Newer Homeschooling Routine

2011-06-09T15:32:00.000-07:00

30 minutes reading
1 page Dad's worksheet on division
Hebrew

Flush

2011-06-08T15:39:00.000-07:00

It was sort of disgusting and sort of funny and sort of sad and sort of depressing.

It was about this guy named Dusty who was dumping crap into Florida's clean water and so this boy named Noah had to break the case because his Dad sunk the Coral Queen because there as illegal dumping.

I liked this book a lot!

Sounder

2011-05-23T14:07:00.001-07:00

This book was a little sad because the dog is hsot and loses an ear and eye and a leg. It tells about the hard life of a boy who could not read. His Dad went to jail because he stole some meat so his family could eat. The Dad was put on a chain gang and after he was released from jail he came home but then a few days later he died. The boy was the oldest in his family and had to take care of his younger siblings.

Subtraction on FASTTMATH Completed!

2011-05-19T17:18:00.001-07:00

Thanks Jake!!!

New Homeschooling Routine

2011-05-17T15:47:00.001-07:00

Dropped test prep and picked up Hebrew

so now it is
30 mins reading out loud
fasttmath (with Jake)
Hebrew (listening to the Torah blessings MP3)
Great Leaps
State the State

Jonathan Livingston Seagull

2011-05-16T15:45:00.000-07:00

Arabel's Raven

2011-05-09T10:47:00.000-07:00

Mortimer and Arabel!
Nevermore!

The Great Brain is Back

2011-04-26T18:54:00.001-07:00

This book took less than 10 days to read!!

The Borrowers Avenged

2011-04-14T18:53:00.000-07:00

This is the last Borrowers -- it was creepy how it ended because they said "Are we safe? Are we?" from people. The borrowers were little people. I loved their adventures. They were all my favorite especially Arietty and Greenpea and Spiller. I liked Spiller because he was adventurous.

Honor Roll Again!!!

2011-04-01T19:08:00.000-07:00

The Borrowers Aloft

2011-03-12T14:43:00.000-08:00

I recommend this book because it is adventurous.

Heat by Mike Lupica

2011-02-18T06:03:00.000-08:00

This book was about baseball and takes place in the Bronx.

Steven is on the Honor Roll for 2Q 5th grade!!

2011-02-15T13:14:00.000-08:00

Blubber

2011-01-27T07:22:00.000-08:00

I liked this book and wanted to keep reading every day past the 30 minutes.

Arabel and Mortimer

2011-01-16T17:21:00.000-08:00

The illustrator for this book was the same as for Matilda. It was a funny book. It was about a funny bird, Mortimer, who did almost everything wrong. He ate some pills for seasickness that caused drowsiness -- this made him sleepwalk. He ripped out the parts and demolished a sewing machine. He also destroyed a LawnSabre (lawnmower). He gets in trouble most of the time. Arabel is a small girl who is his owner. She loves him anyway.

Matilda

2011-01-03T04:12:00.000-08:00

I liked this book because I saw the movie.

The Borrowers Afloat

2010-12-21T04:03:00.000-08:00

FASTTMATH Addition done!!!!

2010-12-11T13:58:00.000-08:00

The Family Under the Bridge

2010-12-03T18:20:00.000-08:00

This book was about a hobo who would not pay rent so he lived under a bridge. He met a family of kids with red hair -- they were hiding from the cops because they also could not pay their rent.

This book takes place in Paris. I liked it because it had a dog Jojo.

The kids were so used to a dirty dog but then Armand the hobo accidentally spilled water on him so that he was a white puffball. Before that he was a brown and dirty dog!

The Trumpet of the Swan

2010-11-27T18:54:00.000-08:00

I liked when Louis got his love by playing the trumpet.

Tom Sawyer

2010-11-08T18:50:00.000-08:00

Read about half plus NY Times articles and excerpts from fishing and boat books

9 + 7 and 7 + 9

2010-10-19T13:56:00.000-07:00

The Borrowers Afield

2010-10-09T17:36:00.000-07:00

The Borrowers have never been outside of the house. They escaped the house because the humans were trying to kill them. So the boy that was in the house got them out of the floor. Then they were trying to find the badger's set with Uncle Hundreary and Eggletina. When they were living out side they were living in a gentleman's boot. Spiller is another borrower who saved their lives by giving them meat, advice, etc. etc.

I recommend this book to all ages.

All of a Kind Family Uptown

2010-09-16T05:54:00.000-07:00

The book is about a New York family during World War I. Jules (Ella's boyfriend) goes into the Army and does ok but his friend is missing and is in a German prison. At the end of the War, the two young men return home and they all have a celebration .

The Borrowers

2010-09-04T06:25:00.000-07:00

The Borrowers by Mary Norton STEVEN MAX LEVINE

The book was about small people called Borrowers who took things from regular people. The main characters were Homily, Pod and Arietty. I recommend this book

The Old Man and the Sea

2010-08-13T17:24:00.000-07:00

This book was really good. It made me hungry.

It was about an old man who had no luck at fishing.

He goes deep sea fishing and catches a marlin. The fish was as big as our living room (19 feet).

The sword was really big.

The Summer Homeschooling Regimen

2010-08-05T14:58:00.000-07:00

One page of Singapore Math
One page of NY State 5th grade Social Studies exam page
Three one-minute increments of Great Leaps http://www.greatleaps.com/
30 minutes of Steven reading out loud
One page of Cub Scout webelo reading
20 Math problems on http://www.ixl.com/

Around the World in 80 Days

2010-08-01T14:59:00.001-07:00

The story is about a guy who is a neat freak, he hates being late and one day, he makes abet for 20,000 pounds to go around the world in 80 days. Back then, there were no airplanes so he had to take steamboats, trains, elephants, horses, and a rickshaw.

It took 79 days to go around the world.

I liked this book because it had different cultures, transportation and money.

Fudge A Mania

2010-07-29T04:16:00.000-07:00

This book is about a boy named Peter who is 11 or 12 and his little brother Fudge (his real name is Farley Drexel). Their family goes to Maine for 3 weeks and so does their neighbor Sheila!! They end up sharing a house. Fudge (age 5) plans to marry Sheila (age 11) but instead their widowed/widowered grandparents marry each other.

I liked this book because it was funny -- Mrs. A thought Uncle Feather was a bird.

The Great Brain Reforms

2010-07-15T17:55:00.000-07:00

Tom reforms at the end after taking a King air rifle and also trying to drown kids on a raft (not on purpose of course, but that's what happened). I liked this book because Tom was trying to swindle and that was funny. He also swindled Jimmy, Howard and Parley of the air rifle. There was a trial to determine if Tom should be punished for his misdeeds -- stealing, cheating and blackmialing.

The Alchemist

2010-06-27T18:39:00.001-07:00

This one took less than two weeks for Steven to read aloud to us.

It's about a boy searching for a treasure.

Steven makes the Honor Roll again!!!

2010-06-24T12:44:00.001-07:00

The Great Brain at the Academy

2010-06-14T19:51:00.000-07:00

It's about a boy that gets in trouble at the first day by riding on a locolmotive and got dirty and started with five demerits. He wanted fun at the academy so he had a secret candy store but he tricked the superintendent to get sports into the academy and then it became fun and Tom did not get expelled and he did not get any demerits for the rest of the year.

This one took about two weeks -- what fun to read about Tom and all of his schemes!!

Steven visits GB as an alumnus

2010-06-04T17:38:00.000-07:00

Steven was on the Alumni Panel at Gillen Brewer 6/10

2010-06-03T14:11:00.000-07:00

Island of the Blue Dolphins -- 2 weeks

2010-05-30T17:29:00.000-07:00

It was very sad at the end and I was crying. It was realistic fiction based on a true story.

It is about a girl on an island -- she leaves a ship to save her brother but he dies being attacked by the wild dogs. She was stuck on the island for 18 years. She almost killed the leader of the wild dogs but then she changes her mind and decides not to kill him so she keeps him as a pet -- his name was Rontu.

Then Rontu dies and his son replaces Rontu.

At the end, a ship comes to pick her up and she is taken to Santa Barbara, California.

James and the Giant Peach

2010-05-17T20:11:00.000-07:00

A great and imaginative story that ends in New York City on top of the Empire State Building.

Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator

2010-05-08T18:16:00.001-07:00

This book took about 2 weeks to read ;)

Me and My Little Brain

2010-04-25T15:47:00.000-07:00

This boy thinks that he is dumb but he isn't. J.D. is the younger brother of the Great Brain (Tom) but J.D. is actually quite smart. He tries to catch one of the worst criminals in Utah and he succeeds. J.D. also becomes a big brother when there's a rockslide and the Pennyworth family was killed except for a little boy named Frankie. At first, Frankie acted crazy but then J.D. smacked Frankie on his behind and Frankie acted better.

FASTTMATH!! It's worth it!!

2010-04-24T15:49:00.001-07:00

I have to do it -- it works!
FASTTMATH
but it works ;)

Believe in Yourself

2010-04-24T15:49:00.000-07:00

It will make an investment in your future. (credit to Jim Rohn)

Steven Levine 4/24/10

GREAT Book!!

2010-04-14T09:33:00.000-07:00

This one only took 10 days!!

Onto the next Great Brain book!

More Adventures of the Great Brain

2010-04-04T10:12:00.000-07:00

Another great book about the Great Brain. The part about the ghost was a little scary. Looking forward to reading the next book in the series!!

2010-03-25T10:12:00.000-07:00

Sreven read about 2/3 of the way through this book -- the funniest part was when the big borther has to dance in the recital. Then the Great Brain came in to the library and we got busy with that ;)

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing

2010-03-10T13:58:00.000-08:00

It was funny and hilarious!!

Bobbsey Twins Own Little Ferryboat

2010-03-02T20:20:00.001-08:00

LD in the NYT

2010-02-20T19:04:00.000-08:00

LD can be of varying degrees — most school districts take a long time to do an eval and it requires much followup and persistence on the part of the parent or guardian. A diagnosis can be tricky.

Meanwhile, a savvy teacher can often tell if a child is far behind his/her peers. For mild LD kids, a little boost will catch them up. Students with more intense LD may require a special ed school which is an even longer process than the eval but well worth it.

I look forward to next week’s article about educational plans to fulfill potential. With or without an LD, many parents supplement their child’s education with workbooks, outside tutoring or just helping with homework.

In our son’s case, he was 8 and not yet reading. His school had a really good phonics program that was not working for him. We had the good fortune to find a wonderful reading program http://www.dickereading.com/ that required 30 minutes of reading aloud per day at home. We reached our 2 year mark yesterday — Rome wasn’t built in a day!

http://thinklearnsmile.blogspot.com/2010/02/i-dont-know-what-else-i-can-do-to-help.html
http://www.thinklearnsmile.blogspot.com/
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/19/testing-a-child-for-learning-disabilities/

Response to the article:

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/19/testing-a-child-for-learning-disabilities/?apage=2#comment-482917

Reading every day for 30 minutes

2010-02-17T06:33:00.001-08:00

Hi Nina:
Two years ago in early 2008 our son was 8 and couldn't read. When his sp ed school told us we would have to shop for another school for the Fall of 2009, we needed to make sure that he would look educable to the potential schools.For our son, phonics did not work at all which is why his school's methodology was not getting him to read.

My niece had been to the Al Dicker Reading program in Westchester, NY www.dickerreading.com and we went three days a week for 1.5 hours. The key to the program was parental involvement (in addition to the lessons with a tutor) -- we worked with flipping flashcards and his reading aloud to us 30 minutes per day EVERY DAY! Repetition is the mother of skill! He started his/our first choice school in September 2009.

He still reads aloud to us 30 minutes per day -- he has read all the Little House on the Prairie books, The Phantom Tollbooth, The Great Brain and many others.Sometimes, I say to my husband "Imagine if we hadn't put Steven into the Dicker reading method -- where would he be?"

Best to you and your son,Robin Schwartz
www.thinklearnsmile.blogspot.com

This was in response to this discussion:
i dont know what else i can do to help him GreatSchools

Posted using ShareThis

We're on Big Al's Resources Page

2010-02-17T06:21:00.000-08:00

http://dickerreading.com/DRM_suggested.asp

2nd picture down - there's Steven and Julie

The Great Brain

2010-02-15T16:12:00.000-08:00

The Great Brain is a great book. It was funny and sad. It can make you cry and laugh too.

Kids Need Work To Do At Home

2010-02-09T09:48:00.000-08:00

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/homework/give-kids-homework-while-schoo.html?referrer=emaillinkpg
The author, Valerie Strauss of the Washington Post, worries about her popularity but students do need practice to learn.

13 x 5 -- great place to learn the carry

2010-01-26T10:55:00.001-08:00

The Phantom Tollbooth

2010-01-26T10:48:00.000-08:00

Milo and Tock travel to many places including the Sea of Knowledge, the doldrums and Digitopollis. A really clever and fun book!

Working Memory

2010-01-23T19:28:00.001-08:00

http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2010/01/10/working-memory-a-better-predictor-of-academic-success-than-iq/#more-2750

Mr Popper's Penguins...one week ;)

2010-01-01T14:17:00.000-08:00

Really fun and clever book!!

The First Four Years

2009-12-25T17:33:00.000-08:00

We finished all the Laura books. They were sometimes funny and also kind of sad. It tells about the prairie.

Reading Practice Can Strengthen Brain Highways

2009-12-25T09:04:00.000-08:00

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121253104#commentBlock

Dyslexia Conference in NYC March 8th and 9th

2009-12-21T17:56:00.000-08:00

http://www.nybida.org/annualconf.html

Laura marries Almanzo!!

2009-12-11T20:00:00.000-08:00

Started The First Four Years tonight...last book in the series ;) ;(

Do Not Give Up -- Chance to Change

2009-11-25T11:31:00.000-08:00

This inspiring article about a 31 year old actor turned damcer with cerebral palsy whose remarkable progress over the last eight months is delightfully uplifting and full of hope.
The same holds true for cognitive skills -- through hard work, determination and strategy we can help people move the needle physically, mentally and emotionally. This can be easily applied to dyslexic learners to give them the knowledge, skills and attitude for success.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/25/arts/dance/25palsy.html?_r=1&em=&pagewanted=all

The last paragraph of the article:
Whether the methods they have used can translate to others remains to be seen. But Dr. Paget said their progress held a message for anyone with a neurological impairment.
“It’s not over,” he said. “There’s always a chance to change. You should not — you dare not — give up.”

Singapore Math

2009-11-22T11:40:00.000-08:00

The layout of this workbook and its multitude of topics makes this a great supplement for this school year. While it is labelled 3A, implying third grade first half, Singapore always seems to be a bit ahead of US -- so this is a fine complement to school work and FASTTMATH.

Visiting with Bob Gyles and his class at Hunter

2009-11-15T18:46:00.000-08:00

Farmer Boy is done ;)

2009-11-11T18:40:00.000-08:00

Steven finished this book on the way home from Hunter College where he demo-ed Fasttmath for grad education students and earned his first honorarium!
On to These Happy Golden Years ;)

Steven's 4th grade goals

2009-10-31T16:29:00.000-07:00

Little Town on the Prairie

2009-10-15T19:43:00.000-07:00

The Ingalls family gets a cat when Pa's hair is shorn off by a mouse in the middle of the night. Blind big sister Mary goes to college in Iowa and everyone misses her terribly.

Laura is walked home and courted by Almanzo Wilder. She secures a teaching job 12 miles away from home at age 15.

We will continue the series with Farmer Boy about Almanzo's boyhood after which we will read These Happy Golden Years about Laura and Almanzo's life together.

"bAd" Movie about Dyslexia -- it's called "bAd"

2009-10-07T10:05:00.000-07:00

http://www.independent.com/news/2009/mar/24/embadem-makes-good-dyslexia/

This movie will be shown at the JCC in Manhattan 10/15.

Dyslexia Simulation

2009-10-02T02:05:00.000-07:00

This is an interesting perspective for non-dyslexics to see and experience.

Target Spelling 360

2009-09-30T07:02:00.000-07:00

http://steckvaughn.hmhco.com/en/resources/Target_Spelling.htm

http://www.learningthings.com/items.asp?Cc=HSVTAR22

Interesting spelling workbook that emphasizes letter height and number of letters for memory while also focusing on reading comp.

The Long Winter is finished

2009-09-14T08:23:00.000-07:00

Onto The Little Town on the Prairie ;)

Testimonial to Big Al (Dicker Reading Method)

2009-09-12T06:13:00.000-07:00

Many thanks and kudos to Big Al and his tutors, especially Julie, for helping Steven with reading and ultimately, confidence and life!

Check out the Dicker Reading Method website: http://www.readingbreakthrough.com/

I first brought Steven, who as you know was labeled dyslexic, to the Dicker Reading Method, when we saw that he was having difficulty learning to read. My niece Hannah had been in the program years before and had made tremendous progress. After just one session, Steven left the Dicker Reading Method reading his first book fluently. We not only noticed an immediate improvement in his ability to read fluently, but also in Steven’s confidence and self-esteem. Now Steven is reading on a sixth grade level. The progress Steven has made with the Dicker Reading Method has been truly remarkable. I highly recommend the Dicker Reading Method to any parent whose child is struggling with reading.

Click here for another posting with Steven and Julie and their huge basket of index cards ;)http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=8644204378763304055&postID=3659276293817966841

The Reading Program that Enabled and Empowered Steven

2009-08-18T13:13:00.000-07:00

Many thanks and kudos to Big Al and his tutors especially Julie for helping Steven with reading and ultimately confidence and life! Check out their web site http://www.dickerreading.com/.

Click here for another posting with Steven and Julie and their huge basket of index cards ;)
http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=8644204378763304055&postID=3659276293817966841

Remembering Forgot

2009-08-10T11:45:00.000-07:00

Steven was cruising through the opposites until he got to Line 7..."It always rains, so remember that..."

so he wrote never for always

when asked what's the opposite of remember he said "I forgot"

After a few moments, he realized it was forget ;)

Unlocking FASTTMATH

2009-08-04T16:55:00.000-07:00

FASTTMATH gets unlocked!! ;)

A Basket Of Learning

2009-07-28T01:49:00.000-07:00

Steven and Julie with the Big Al index cards since February 2008!!

Carp vs Crap

2009-07-12T06:35:00.000-07:00

Hey Mom there's a fish called CRAP

Tell Dad...to find out your typo

Dad there's a fish called CRAP

Dad from inside bathroom, it's CARP

Get Your LD Child Ready for Work

2009-07-11T18:25:00.000-07:00

http://afterschoolers.com/Articles/GetYourChildReadyForWork.html

Spreading in pebbles, puppies, puddles ;)

2009-07-07T05:43:00.000-07:00

On the Banks of Plum Creek page 290

Melted snow was leaking out of it and spreading in pebbles.
Melted snow was leaking out of it and spreading in puppies.
Melted snow was leaking out of it and spreading in puddles.

First FASTTMATH demo today

2009-07-07T05:42:00.000-07:00

Steven will demo FASTTMATH for Hector (who has a 7 year old son)

90% on FASTTMATH these days!!!

2009-06-28T15:23:00.001-07:00

Steven you are awesome
All your hard work pays off!!

Keep it up :)

Mind's Eye Math

2009-06-23T06:50:00.000-07:00

Awesome ;)
Steven did his 16 problems on his own this morning and got them all right!!