School Bell: TV Teaching pt 4: Settings

[I missed last Monday's School Bell because of unexpected family stuff so here is the 4th part of Teaching with Television. Sorry for the delay!]

For middle school or high school students today's "book reports" are more than just about plot and main characters. My former students would often struggle with how to describe the setting of a story or a scene.  This is yet another area that becomes clearer when you use a television or movie story to parallel written/read literature.  Sit with your child and watch one of their favorite dramas or comedies. In the ads talk with your child about three aspects of setting:

Place: 
This is usually the easiest so a good place to start. Where does the story takes place?.... city, country, small town, suburb, United States or other country.

Time/Era:
Does the story take place in today's time, the future or the past?

Economic Setting:
Go beyond location to atmosphere. Is it a wealthy region, area of poverty, middle class, privileged or struggling?


The key step is to help your child learn to recognize and look for the clues.

Help your children notice:
Props:
 What are the "toys" included in the scene?  Computers, cell phones?.. You can often date an episode by the size of the computer or cell phone, not to mention whether kids are listening to ipods, boom boxes, television, radio, etc. Do the posters in a bedroom feature current pop stars/sports icons, or those from the past?  What do the household appliances and tools look like?
Behavior:
Are the kids rolling hoops and playing jacks, listening to an old radio or watching television, playing sports, riding bikes, or dueling video games?
Clothing:
 How are the grownups dressed? All suits and dresses or jeans and casual? What length are the skirts? Are the guys wearing ties? Are kids dressed the same as adults or differently?
Life Roles: 
Are all the moms stay at home?  What types of work do the women do? Do the men commute to work or walk? What kind of cars are seen? ARE cars around or is transportation something other than cars...older or future?

In two weeks: The final step... the "What if.."s

[This is the 4th installment of tips for using TV to teach.  If you missed the earlier posts, check out Feb 6th and 20th and March 8th.]

Image credits and thanks:  date-dabitur.com, impactlab.com

Parenting Tips: TV Teaching.... pt 3 social learning

Television can often be a good teaching tool about social interactions and character. You can help your children learn to recognize mistakes and strengths, risks and choices by watching with them and discussing what you are seeing during the ads. 


1. Start with younger kids by talking out loud to the tv or to the characters in the show so that your children can hear your reactions to what the characters are doing and being. ["That's not very nice!", "Being mean like that will hurt her feelings" etc. ]

2. As soon as your children can answer back, engage them in the conversation. ["Why is the Queen being so mean to the Princess?" or "Why do you think the Prince like's Cinderella better than her sisters?" etc. ]


3. During elementary school continue watching together, identifying and discussing the behavior and choices of the characters they watch.  


Note: Television is an especially useful took if you have a child or adolescent who struggles with social interactions.  Sometimes they can learn to recognize things on the screen before they can sense it in themselves or people to whom they are close. 

4. Entering middle school or junior high you can use the choices of characters in teen shows to bring up topics for discussion without seeming to pinpoint or corner your child.  Almost any given teen show episode will give you an opportunity to discuss your personal family values and how kids handle social behavior challenges and peer pressure.  Don't miss this golden opportunity! Research shows that teens who are clear about their own family's moral standards are better able to resist peer pressure. And... you can give valuable advice to your children by talking to the tv characters about other ways they might have handled the story's situation, other answers they might have given, etc.  New or old rerun shows work equally well. 

[This is the third installment of ways to use television as teachers.  Check out the posts on Feb 6 and 20th if you missed them and watch for part 4 on March 26th's School Bell.]


Image credit and thanks:  childstarlets.com, teenink.com, theremotegeneration.blogspot.com

School Bell: Television for Study Skills

We are entering the more intensive part of the school year now. While homework time and review work are still going to be the staples of your helping your kids, try changing it up a bit by using television to help them learn.  Today.... teaching them a basic learning technique crucial to studying:

Summarizing

Summarizing [rather than retelling every tiny detail] is a skill and it needs practice. It is basic to eventual notetaking, reports, etc.

Television is especially useful because the story plots are broken up into clear segments by the commercial breaks.  

Younger kids: 
Start with a half hour show. Even cartoons can work because they have pretty simple, straight line plots. During the first commercial break ask your child what has happened so far in the show.  Help them put it into a sentence. You could even write it down if that helps.  Do it at each break. At the end of the show ask them to pick which sentence tells the main idea of that episode. 

Older kids:

Point out that if they put together the "main idea" sentence for each segment, they have a great summary of the entire story and that this is similar to the "plot outline" that authors use and teachers often ask kids to identify.  Keep a TV notebook of the shows they watch where they/you write in the summary sentence for each segment and star the main idea when they are through. 

Later on you can compare the summaries and begin to identify the concept of "genres' and eventually the characteristics of each genre etc.

[Note:  Often the genre they prefer in television will give you a hint in picking out books they are more likely to enjoy... comedies/humor, crime shows/mysteries, etc. ]

Next month I will show more ways of teaching literature through television.

Image credits: parentsavvy.com,,davisd0714.blog.com

Quick Takes: Pre-Super Bowl Fun

There has been a lot of chatter this week about the Super Bowl and as a New Englander I do not even dare to talk about teams... but everyone can agree [I think] that we will see some fun, clever commercials.  So for a quick take today here are three short international commercials for bus travel touting the advantages of traveling in groups.

For a quick laugh click and check these out!

            penguins        Or  maybe you prefer        ants   vs.   anteaters


My favorite?   .... the crabs:

Enjoy!

Parenting Tips: Movie School?

On Monday I promised another idea today that would help kids maintain their comfort with routines, accountability, and the school skills of observing, thinking, and recording.  Tonight I suggest making a routine of one night each week being Movie/Television Night with the family gathered around some very specially chosen DVDs or movies.

Parents.. your job is to enjoy the time with the kids but also posing questions that will challenge your kids to think, making comments that support their observations, and celebrating the excitement of their discoveries. Help them see the wonder, experience amazement, and feed their curiosity. Plus... it is great family time once a week. [Maybe even break out the popcorn or ice cream!]

For less than the price of going to a family cartoon movie, or the latest sequel.... you can purchase these DVDs to own.  But, check out your local library or video lending store. Find some non-story based, fact filled, visually stunning DVDs or videos.  Often you can check out a few episodes online to see what DVD works best for your family. Many can be downloaded for under $2 per episode. Here are a few examples that my kiddos have loved and learned while loving them.

from the Eyewitness series: Based on the amazing DK Eyewitness books, this series will fascinate the whole family... my kids started with the "Pond and River" DVD [under $10].

from television:  Try Discovery Channel's Time Warp Season 1- two DVDs [10 episodes on each]..$13. Each episode the hosts film common and uncommon actions in super slow motion and give us a peek at what happens too fast for the human eye to see.  Whether it is an arrow piercing and breaking a row of 3 water balloons, a simple drop of water, a pool shot, or any of the other ideas... this series is going to surprise everyone. If that doesn't sound like something your kids will like browse around...The Discovery Channel will have something else to entice even the most stubborn... "Mythbusters," "How Its Made" or "How Do They Do It?" are my kids' long-time favorites!

Try a travel series:  We got "South Africa" from Questar's Best of Travel series, but there are all kinds of travel DVDs so I suggest renting these before buying to be sure the narration style and degree of detail fits the age and interest of your children. [My kids loved replaying over and over the "Safari" section but would fast forward through some of the description of Cape Town]

Note: I got each of these for about $10 used, but even new they are between $15-$20.

Anything Can Happen: Commercial Ideas

Hey there! Remember my post on finger tapping table dancing?  [Dec 7, 2010]

Well, I just saw the same folks on a new McDonald's commercial.  It made me think. --

Who came up with a way to connect McDonald's and finger/table dancing?

How about doing the same for some of my other favorites?  Where's the commercial for a chalk artist? Like the sidewalk art at left  [and Nov 12, 2010]

Maybe an Advil executive could see commercial potential for the hair lady [Jan 7, 2011]




And can we work the upside down houses [Oct 1, 2010] into one of those insurance ads,

or better yet, in a Barbara Corcoran segment on the TODAY show?


Hmmmmm.



Image credits: tracyleestum.com, vanillajoy.com, all4humor.com

Focus on Fostering: Christina Greene and Anxious Kids

This past weekend a young girl died because she was in the right place at the wrong time.  Christina Greene was born on September 11, 2001, in fact selected as a "Face of Hope" celebrating babies born that day.  Her father, in his statement to the press, pointed out that Christina's life was bookended by two tragedies. as her father pointed out in his statement to the press. Her story and that of the other victims, the target, and assailant were all over the news and almost impossible to avoid with the periodic news breaks that happen throughout the day.

Those of us who are raising children with anxiety disorders find the nightly news a challenge.  Children who have experienced violence in their own lives are often particularly vulnerable to anxiety about becoming a victim to violence.  Helping them deal with the fears is always tough, but when a child is killed the fear is more real, making the task of calming your children even tougher. At least with television shows you can be vigilant and be prepared for challenging story lines.  But the news can spring on you with a news flash breaking into whatever your child is watching.

When a news story like this is prominent, be especially supportive, aware of mood changes or behaviors, do your best to keep the routine as normal as possible, and use your best judgement and knowledge of your child to decide if and how to address it.  If the child is school age, avoiding hearing about things like this is not realistic, so be prepared. Be alert. As with almost all the other issues common to children in foster care, the greatest gift you can give them is a sense of safety and love. There is no safety bubble we or any parents can put around our children. Hang in there.. and those of you who are comfortable, say a prayer for the families for whom this is not a distant news story, but a local story, for those for whom this is a tragedy that happened not to someone else, but to people they knew, or to them.

Image credits:  imageenvision.com and KTLA news [from the family]

Parenting Tips: Breaking TV's hypnotic hold

Sometimes it seems that children are totally hypnotized by TV. Their eyes glaze over as they star wide-eyed into the magic box. If this sounds like one of yours, sooner or later this will become an issue. How can a family game time, card game or coloring time compete?  
One of the best solutions I found was to make it all a contest. 


With one of mine we started by having the degree of TV connection be by chance. we made a grand announcement of "TV-Game Time." During that hour we played games, did puzzles, colored etc. together on the floor in the same room as the TV. We made a spinner and labeled it... TV on, TV off, TV sound only, TV picture only. We started by spinning every 5 minutes and adjusted the TV accordingly. No matter what the spin, we continued the activity. [Believe me 5 minutes was plenty long when it was a spin the child was unhappy with!]. Over the course of time we lengthened the amount of time between spins, we moved our on the floor activity center farther and farther away from the TV. Eventually we made a new spinner that had more sections with TV limited and only one "TV on" choice. 


The de-programming process was slow, but it worked. Slowly the child became less dependent on TV and more able to ignore its lure.  Even better, the other activities gave us the chance to teach the child other, more interactive, social, and positive activities to enjoy. Any other ideas to share??


Image credit: sierratradingpost.com

Television Teachers.... part three

Using tv to teach reinforce literature and writing skills offers a benefit I have mentioned previously. Guided television allows kids with learning disabilities to work with literature concepts without being slowed by the process of reading or of writing.  This may seem nonsensical, but it can help them understand and get comfortable with concepts without the stress and frustration of their disability.  

Television Hint Three-- Predictions [especially good with mysteries or dramas]

During the early commercial breaks talk about what has happened so far, what is the problem, what are the clues etc. [This builds on the skills learned in Television Hint One... main idea and summarizing.] Once they have a good idea of the problem and can find some clues, ask them to predict one of the things that might happen next. This helps build their ability to analyze, to use information to form conclusions, and to build creative thinking. 

Sit-Com Variation...You can also ask what situations might come up in future episodes of the series, why, and what might happen. [Note: If it is a school-based show, you may even get some insights into your child's view of what goes on in schools by what they thing could come up.]

Older Kids--

Ask them to predict two possible ideas of what happens next, why each idea is possible, and what the results of each idea might be. 

For Foster Care...

A word of caution about using mysteries or dramas.  If your child has a history of trauma or exposure to violence, focus on comedies instead to avoid triggering painful memories or anxieties.  

[For parts one and two see the April 25 and May 1 blog entries.]

Television Teachers...part two

Picking up on the television as visual literature here is another way to use that time watching tv with your child to boost reading skills.  It is also wonderful if you have a child with learning disabilities that make reading a struggle.  This lets them work with literature concepts beyond their reading level abilities. 

TV Hint Two:  Characters and Description

Talk during commercial breaks about which characters are the "main" characters.  Who is the hero [for older kids... the protagonist]? the villain [antagonist]? What actors were just minor characters to fill out the story scene [ex: students in a school scene, diners in a restaurant, etc.] Ask them to pick a character and describe that character as many ways as possible... first physically, then by their behavior, their moods, their actions, etc. 

Older Kids:

Try to ask questions that might help them put the characters in a new situation. [Ex: a teen show... how would character X fit into your school?  If X were a new student at your school what kind of reaction would s/he get?  Would s/he be likely to fit in best with the sports kids, the drama club? where? ] Extend your child's thinking by exploring the what ifs.  If X had done Y instead of what s/he did in the show, how would the story have changed?

For Foster Care....

Foster children often struggle with reading and find themselves reading at a grade level below their peers.  But their interests and their thinking are often right with their peers. Using television as literature gives these kids a chance to explore and discuss concepts like plot and character at their grade level and thinking level instead of their lower reading level. Try it!

Television Teachers...part one

During school vacations I tend to let the children watch more television than during school weeks. But after years of teacher middle-school kids I came up with some hints for parents on using television shows to build skills. Television comedies and dramas are a form of visual literature.  They share many of the same ingredients, and like literature, some stories are better than others.  Try to sit and watch with your child and use the commercial breaks to build their skills. I will share these with you once in a while to try with your kids at home.

Television Hint One:  Summarizing / Finding the main idea

Summarizing [rather than retelling every tiny detail] is a skill and it needs practice.  During the first commercial break ask your child what has happened so far in the show.  Help them put it into a sentence.  You could even write it down if that helps.  Do it at each break.  At the end of the show ask them to pick which sentence tells the main idea of that episode.  

Older kids:

Point out that if they put together the "main idea" sentence for each segment, they have a great summary of the entire story and that this is similar to the "plot outline" that authors use and teachers often ask kids to identify.  

For writing: [probably too much for regular use, but great to keep skills up during summer vacation]

      Help your child use the information from their segment sentences to write a paragraph about the show, using topic sentence [ex: the main idea of the show] , supporting details [ex: from the other sentences], and a closing sentence [ex: giving their opinion about how well the show achieved the main idea].  

Detective Challenge

Quick Strategy--

Sometimes sitting together sharing a tv show is the closest to pleasant together time with an adolescent. But getting your adolescent or teen to do more than just sit with you can often be a challenge. This is one idea for making the television time more interactive. First think of something they want [like a specific privilege] or something they don't want [like a regular chore of theirs]. Then turn the next mystery show you watch with your teens into a game. Make it a challenge ...Who can guess the ending first and right?  Each viewer writes down their guess [and the time] as soon as they think they know the answer. As the show progresses they can change the answer as more info is given, but they must change the time too. Make it fun with a silly or fun prize for the winner. [Ex: getting to sleep in the next Saturday morning, the loser makes the winner's bed for a week, the winner gets to skip a regular chore that week, gets to stay up an extra hour one night, etc.]

Benefits:

1-Turns sedentary tv into an interactive family activity.

2-Teaches observation, listening, and attention to detail.

3- Gives the kids a chance to beat the parents [they love that!].

4- Builds deductive reasoning skills.