The Trumpet of the Swan

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

Tom Sawyer

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

9 + 7 and 7 + 9

The Borrowers Afield

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!!!

The Great Brain at the Academy

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

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

Island of the Blue Dolphins -- 2 weeks

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

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

Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator

This book took about 2 weeks to read ;)

Me and My Little Brain

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!!

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

Believe in Yourself

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

Steven Levine 4/24/10

GREAT Book!!

This one only took 10 days!!

Onto the next Great Brain book!

More Adventures of the Great Brain

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!! 

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

It was funny and hilarious!!

Bobbsey Twins Own Little Ferryboat

LD in the NYT

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

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

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We're on Big Al's Resources Page

http://dickerreading.com/DRM_suggested.asp

2nd picture down - there's Steven and Julie

The Great Brain

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

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

The Phantom Tollbooth

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

Working Memory

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 ;)

Really fun and clever book!!

The First Four Years

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

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

Dyslexia Conference in NYC March 8th and 9th

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

Laura marries Almanzo!!

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

Do Not Give Up -- Chance to Change

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

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

Farmer Boy is done ;)

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

Little Town on the Prairie

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"

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

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

Target Spelling 360

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

Onto The Little Town on the Prairie ;)

Testimonial to Big Al (Dicker Reading Method)

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

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

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

FASTTMATH gets unlocked!! ;)

A Basket Of Learning

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

Carp vs Crap

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

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

Spreading in pebbles, puppies, puddles ;)

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

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

90% on FASTTMATH these days!!!

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

Keep it up :)

Mind's Eye Math

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

Moving on From GB ;) ;(

Steven's Medal at Graduation

Welcome to Steven and Robin's (and Larry and Jake) think learn smile blog

This space is a blog for content for a future book that we will write about thinking and learning and smiling with a dyslexic kid.