Letter from Betty for July 2016: Happy 15 Years

Hello Friends,

This month marks our 15th year of offering educational testing, tutoring, and SAT/ACT test prep services at Foundation for Learning. It has been our privilege to have served you. Thank you so very much for helping us fulfill our mission to spread the light of learning. We have had the opportunity to work with so many wonderfully academically talented students, but also actors and actresses, athletes, musicians and martial arts experts. We have seen our students graduate from college, graduate school, get married and have children. It is truly a joy to come to work everyday to work with your children and students!

Break out the rhythms and rhymes and see our recommendations for must-have poetry books in our feature article: "Four Powerful Reasons to Add Poetry to Your Children's Story Time".

On a related note, enjoy our "Did You Know?" bonus feature: "Interesting and Fun Facts about Poetry." Plus, in our "Fun Stuff to Do" you can learn to make your own blank book to fill with your rhyming verses.

As always, please remember that whatever your educational needs, Foundation for Learning is ready to assist you with caring, one-on-one, individualized tutoring, SAT/ACT test prep, and educational evaluations. Please don't hesitate to give us a call at 973-425-1774 for a free consultation.


Best regards,

Betty

Betty Bodenweiser
Director
Foundation for Learning

Sign up for Chess and Math Clubs

We have established dual-focus, Chess and Math Scholastic Clubs at Foundation for Learning!
                           
Chess Club: Sundays 11:00-12:00. Learn theory lessons, work over problems, and play chess!

Math Club: Sundays 12:00-1:00. Discuss and solve fun, interesting and challenging math problems!

2nd Session July 24, 2016 – August 14, 2016

Cost: $90/per club, or $160 if signed up for both clubs

Students entering 3rd - 8th grade are welcome to attend. Please contact Betty at (973) 425-1774 or Betty@foundationforlearning.com to learn more about the clubs and to sign up!

July 2016 Test Schedule

Mark your calendar! Here are the latest test dates.

Four Powerful Reasons To Add Poetry To Your Children's Story Time

1. Fun rhymes
Rhyming language can help struggling children read more smoothly. Rhymes also illustrate that words are made up of syllables, which help early readers recognize the same sound in different words. It can also improve spelling. Think Dr Seuss!  It’s not so far from “cat” to “hat,” once you have the “at.”

2. Vocabulary development
Poetry often includes words that children don’t usually come across. The poem's short form and friendly nature makes it easy for readers to determine the meaning from the surrounding text.

3. A fun introduction to literary concepts
Even silly nursery rhymes use similes, alliteration, and metaphors. Early introduction to these concepts, in such a fun way, can help kids develop their language knowledge and become better writers.

4. Poetry is fun to memorize
Memorization helps children soak up patterns of sophisticated language. When they recite their poems, they practice how to enunciate unfamiliar words clearly. This leads not only to more flexibility with reading but also better communication skills.

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Below find must-have poetry volumes, recommended by Scholastic Books.



His Shoes Were Far Too Tight, by Edward Lear
Great for kids who love silly nonsense . . . think Lewis Carroll.

If: A Treasury of Poems for Almost Every Possibility, edited by Allie Esiri & Rachel Kelly
Animals? Friendship? Bedtime? A poem for each moment.

Every Thing On It, by Shel Silverstein
New verses from the beloved poet.

Enormous Smallness: The Story of E.E. Cummings, by Matthew Burgess
This illustrated biography features the poet’s verse.

A Children’s Treasury of Poems, by Linda Bleck
Introduce rhythm and rhyme with a collection of classics.

Beastly Verse, by JooHee Yoon
Sixteen wild poems come alive in this romp through the vibrant animal world. 

Did You Know? Interesting and Fun Facts about Poetry

What is poetry? Poetry is a form of writing that uses sounds and images to express ideas and feelings. Originally spoken aloud to an audience, its rhythms and sounds affect the meaning of the words.

• Poetry is a great way to vent your emotions. Expressing yourself on a piece of paper can make you feel better about yourself, confident, and calmer.
• Among the earliest types of poetry is the epic, a long story that narrates heroic adventures.
• One of the oldest written poems (around 4000 years old, originating from Babylon) is the Epic of Gilgamesh, a story told about King Gilgamesh who was described as half-god, half-man.
• “Mahabharata” is the longest poem ever written. It’s an ancient Indian epic poem, which contains 1.8 million words. 
• Haiku is one of the most popular forms of writing short poems. Originating from Japan, this form of writing has only seventeen syllables and three lines, containing 5, 7 and 5 syllables respectively.
• Poems don’t have to rhyme. Sometimes rhyme doesn’t suit the theme or the feeling of the poem, so many poets write in blank verse , poetry that doesn’t rhyme, but has a particular meter (rhythm).
• George MacDonald (1824-1905) wrote a two-word poem called ‘The Shortest and Sweetest of Songs’. It simply reads: ‘Come Home.’
• ‘Metrophobia’ is the fear of poetry.
• E. E. Cummings dedicated his self-published volume of poetry, entitled 'No Thanks' to the fourteen publishers who had turned it down.

Fun Stuff to Do: Make Your Own Book!

The materials that you’ll need for this project:

• blank paper (30-100 sheets, depending how thick you want your book) 
• card-board - 2 sheets, for front and back covers 
• pretty paper - 2 patterns, for inside and outside of covers. Scrapbooking paper works best but a pretty wrapping paper works well too. 
• ribbon - a few feet long, 6 mm (¼“) wide 
• hole-punch (or power drill: optional and with parental assistance, of course!) 
• glue stick 
• scissors 
• ruler 
• bull clips 

Get detailed instructions here including photos to guide you along on your project. Once your book is completed, fill it with your own illustrated poetry! This is a great summer project for parents and their children and will be a family keepsake that you’ll treasure.