Latest news with #reading
Sustainability Times
41 minutes ago
- General
- Sustainability Times
'These Kids Read in 6 Months': This Elementary Teacher's Shocking Method Defies 30 Years of Reading Education Norms
IN A NUTSHELL 📚 Revolutionary Method: David El Kassah's approach teaches children to read in six to ten months by blending syllabic methods, sensory aids, and play. David El Kassah's approach teaches children to read in six to ten months by blending syllabic methods, sensory aids, and play. 🔍 Structured Progression: The method uses a clear, step-by-step process involving tactile letters and phonemic gestures to move from letters to sentences. The method uses a clear, step-by-step process involving tactile letters and phonemic gestures to move from letters to sentences. 💬 Parental Involvement: Active family participation through home-based resources and daily practice is crucial to the method's success. Active family participation through home-based resources and daily practice is crucial to the method's success. 🌍 Debate and Impact: The approach sparks discussions on educational equity, challenging traditional views on early childhood reading instruction. In recent years, a revolutionary approach to early childhood education has emerged, captivating educators and parents alike with its promise to teach children as young as four years old to read fluently within just six to ten months. This groundbreaking method has been spearheaded by David El Kassah, a dedicated schoolteacher who has blended various proven techniques to create a structured and effective learning experience for young minds. As we delve into the intricacies of this method, we will explore the key components that make it successful and the impact it has had on both students and their families. Breaking the Mold: A Teacher's Innovative Method David El Kassah has challenged traditional educational paradigms with his innovative method that enables children to read in as little as six to ten months. His approach is a carefully curated blend of various educational strategies, including the syllabic method, sensory aids, and interactive storytelling. By synthesizing these elements, El Kassah has crafted a comprehensive and engaging learning experience that captivates young learners. 'I haven't invented anything new,' El Kassah insists. 'I've spent years observing what works, from the syllabic method to Montessori-inspired sensory materials. The key is to anchor these concepts in pleasure, fiction, and play.' His method has garnered attention and admiration from educators across the region, as it consistently yields impressive results within the first few months of implementation. 'Russia on High Alert': Lockheed's Groundbreaking Weapon Propels U.S. Military Power to Unprecedented Global Dominance Structured Progression: From Letters to Sentences The foundation of El Kassah's method is a meticulously structured progression that begins with simple sounds and gradually advances to reading full sentences. This approach employs a variety of multisensory tools, such as tactile letters and phonemic gestures. By incorporating fictional characters, like those from the Alphas method, the learning process becomes both engaging and memorable for children. Phase Estimated Duration Targeted Skills Months 1-2 2 months Vowel recognition, associated gestures, tactile letters Months 3-5 3 months Syllable fusion, sound games, first word reading Months 6-8 3 months Fluent reading of simple sentences, oral comprehension Months 9-10 2 months Diverse sound complexities, reading aloud The results speak for themselves. Data collected from pilot schools indicate that 87% of students can read simple words by the end of the sixth month. This impressive achievement highlights the efficacy of combining syllabic methods with visual aids and fictional narratives. 'World's Oldest Cat Drank Red Wine': This Bizarre Feline Habit Stuns Vets and Redefines Everything We Thought About Animal Longevity A Method That Divides Opinions While many educators applaud the return to structured syllabic methods, there are concerns about the potential social inequalities that may arise from teaching children to read before the age of five. The debate is particularly heated on educational forums, as the method demands resources and family involvement that may not be accessible to all. Parents of children who have thrived under El Kassah's tutelage are vocal about the method's positive impact. Many have collaborated to create home-based resources that complement the classroom experience. The active participation of families in reinforcing learning through play and daily practice is crucial to the method's success. 'China Unleashes Flying Bike': Futuristic Hoverbike Hits 44.7 MPH and Flies 31 Miles in Shocking Public Debut Essential Ingredients for Success Clear Structuring: Progression from letters to sounds, then to words and sentences. Progression from letters to sounds, then to words and sentences. Multisensory Supports: Tactile letters, gestures, and illustrated stories. Tactile letters, gestures, and illustrated stories. Short, Regular Sessions: Just 10 to 15 minutes daily, according to the teacher. Just 10 to 15 minutes daily, according to the teacher. Family Involvement: Through games, read-aloud sessions, and constant encouragement. Through games, read-aloud sessions, and constant encouragement. Appropriate Tools: Such as the Alphas characters or Apili challenges. Inspired by well-established principles—tactile letters from Montessori, scientifically tested syllabic methods—this pedagogical fusion seems to trigger a shift. Not in the complexity of skills acquired, but in the speed at which reading autonomy is achieved. As educational methods continue to evolve, the debate surrounding early childhood reading instruction intensifies. El Kassah's method, with its blend of traditional and innovative techniques, challenges us to reconsider what is possible in early education. As more families and educators embrace this method, the question remains: how can we ensure that all children, regardless of background, have access to these transformative learning opportunities? Our author used artificial intelligence to enhance this article. Did you like it? 4.5/5 (21)
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Richard Flanagan: ‘When I reread Evelyn Waugh's Scoop it had corked badly'
My earliest reading memoryMy mother reading Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows to me – and reading it again and again, because I loved it and her. I was perhaps three. We lived in a little mining town in the middle of the rainforest. It was always raining and the rain drummed on the tin roof. To this day that's the sound I long to hear when I relax into a book – a voice in the stormy dark reminding me that I am not alone. My favourite book growing upBooks were an odyssey in which I lost and found myself, with new favourites being constantly supplanted by fresh astonishments. Rather than a favourite book I had a favourite place: the local public library. I enjoyed an inestimable amount of trash, beginning with comics and slowly venturing out into penny dreadful westerns and bad science fiction and on to the wonderfully lurid pulp of Harold Robbins, Henri Charrière, Alistair MacLean and Jackie Collins, erratically veering towards the beckoning mysteries of the adult world. The book that changed me as a teenagerAlbert Camus's The Outsider. It didn't offer a Damascene revelation, though. I was 11. I absorbed it like you might absorb an unexploded cluster bomb. The writer who changed my mindWhen I was 27, working as a doorman for the local council, counting exhibition attenders, I read in ever more fevered snatches Kafka's Metamorphosis, which I had to keep hidden beneath the table where I sat, balanced on my knees. A close family forsaking their son because he has turned into a giant cockroach, after the death of which they marvel at their daughter's vitality and looks? It dawned on me that writing could do anything and if it didn't try it was worth nothing. Beneath that paperback was a notebook with the beginnings of my first novel. I crossed it out and began again. The book that made me want to be a writerNo book, but one writer suggested it might be possible for me – so far from anywhere – that I perhaps too could be a writer. And that was William Faulkner. He seemed, well, Tasmanian. I later discovered that in Latin America he seemed Latin American and in Africa, African. He is also French. Yet he never left nor forsook his benighted home of Oxford, Mississippi, but instead made it his subject. Some years ago I was made an honorary citizen of Faulkner's home town. I felt I had come home. The book or author I came back toWhen I was young, Thomas Bernhard seemed an astringent, even unpleasant taste. But perhaps his throatless laughter, his instinctive revulsion when confronted with power and his incantatory rage speak to our times. The book I rereadMost years, Bohumil Hrabal's Too Loud A Solitude, humane and deeply funny; and Anna Karenina, every decade or so, over the passage of which time I discover mad count Lev has again written an entirely different and even more astounding novel than the one I read last time. The book I could never read againOn being asked to talk in Italy on my favourite comic novel I reread Evelyn Waugh's Scoop. It had corked badly. My fundamental disappointment was with myself, as if I had just lost an arm or a leg, and if I simply looked around it would turn back up. It didn't. The book I discovered later in lifeGreat stylists rarely write great novels. Marguerite Duras, for me a recent revelation, was an exception. For her, style and story were indivisible. Her best books are fierce, sensual, direct – and yet finally mysterious. I have also just read all of Carys Davies's marvellous novels, which deserve a much larger readership. The book I am currently readingKonstantin Paustovsky's memoir The Story of a Life, in which the author meets a poor but happy man in the starving Moscow of 1918 who has a small garden. 'There are all sorts of ways to live. You can fight for freedom, you can try to remake humanity or you can grow tomatoes.' God gets Genesis. History gets Lenin. Literature gets the tomato-growers. Sign up to Inside Saturday The only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine. Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns, delivered to your inbox every weekend. after newsletter promotion My comfort readOf late, in our age of dire portents, I have been returning to the mischievous joy of James Boswell's Life of Samuel Johnson: 'There is nothing worth the wear of winning, but the laughter and love of friends.' Question 7 by Richard Flanagan is published in paperback by Vintage. To support the Guardian, order your copy at Delivery charges may apply.
CNET
a day ago
- Health
- CNET
These 6 Simple Steps Could Improve Your Sleep Routine
Getting a good night's rest is important for all kinds of reasons, not least because it sets you up for the day ahead. But there are a lot of reasons that restful sleep can be difficult to achieve, including racing thoughts, anxiety, late-night scrolling on social media and more. Here's the thing, sleep isn't a luxury -- it's essential. Getting seven to eight hours of sleep every night is essential to regulating our mental and physical health. It can improve your mood, sharpen your focus and even strengthen your immune system. If waking up groggy has become your normal, it might be time to work on your sleep routine. These six easy habits can make falling -- and, importantly, staying -- asleep a lot easier. Best habits for better sleep A full night's rest doesn't have to come few and far between. Improving sleep hygiene can help you overcome the different factors that disrupt your quality of sleep. 1. Have a bedtime routine Humans are creatures of habit, and practicing a calm bedtime routine each night before bed can help prepare your mind and body for bed. Before long, your body begins to recognize that it's bedtime when you start your routine and will boost melatonin production. Here are a few things you can do to help promote relaxation and ease stress before bed. Read a book: Reading just six minutes a day has been shown to reduce stress by up to 68%, and CNET's mental health writer credits credits reading before bed as the key to her improved sleep quality. Reading just six minutes a day has been shown to reduce stress by up to 68%, and CNET's mental health writer credits credits reading before bed as the key to her improved sleep quality. Meditate: Research shows that meditation before bed can reduce cortisol levels, a hormone responsible for stress, and increase melatonin production, a hormone that plays a role in your sleep-wake cycle. It can also teach you mindfulness to help you cope with anxious thoughts before bed, not allowing them to prevent you from falling asleep. Research shows that meditation before bed can reduce cortisol levels, a hormone responsible for stress, and increase melatonin production, a hormone that plays a role in your sleep-wake cycle. It can also teach you mindfulness to help you cope with anxious thoughts before bed, not allowing them to prevent you from falling asleep. Take a bath: Taking a bath before bed not only promotes relaxation, but it helps lower your body temperature to a level that's ideal for sleep. While it seems it would have the opposite effect, warm water sets off your body's temperature-regulating mechanism and increases blood flow from your core to your extremities, resulting in a drop in temperature. Taking a bath before bed not only promotes relaxation, but it helps lower your body temperature to a level that's ideal for sleep. While it seems it would have the opposite effect, warm water sets off your body's temperature-regulating mechanism and increases blood flow from your core to your extremities, resulting in a drop in temperature. Drink tea: Certain caffeine-free teas help reduce stress and ease anxiety. This includes camomile, valerian root and passionflower. 2. Stay off electronics before bed I know this isn't what you want to hear. Many people like scrolling on their phones or binge-watching TV shows before bed, but it can severely impact your quality of sleep and sleep latency, which is the amount of time it takes to fall asleep. Blue light from electronic devices disrupts your body's natural internal clock, aka circadian rhythm, and prevents the production of melatonin. The notifications that constantly make your phone buzz also keep your mind stimulated and alert when you should be winding down for bed. The best rule of thumb is to keep off electronics at least 30 minutes before bed. Read more: Best Blue Light Blocking Glasses 3. Get exercise in during the day Exercising during the day can help you sleep better at night. Getty Images/Mike Harrington Physical activity during the day that increases your heart rate can help improve sleep can take the place of sleep medications for some. Around 76% to 83% of volunteers in a 2013 Sleep in America poll who did light to vigorous exercise reported having good sleep. However, avoid high-intensity workouts too close to bedtime to keep your heart rate from spiking and minimize stimulation. 4. Avoid late afternoon cups of coffee Like working out too close to bedtime, you shouldn't have too much caffeine too close to bed. As much as you might crave that 3 p.m. cup of coffee to get you through the rest of your day, it could keep you from falling asleep at a reasonable time. Coffee has a half-life of four to six hours, meaning that's how long it takes for just half of the caffeine to break down in your system. In other words, your body stays alert for an extended period of time, which is counterproductive to falling asleep. Limit your last cup of joe to six hours before bed (or longer). 5. Write down your thoughts in a journal Journaling before bed can help release, cope or organize your stressful thoughts so they aren't trapped in your mind, keeping you from falling asleep. There's something therapeutic about unloading your thoughts physically onto paper. It can also help you prepare for a busy week ahead as you work through the responsibilities you need to tackle. Read more: 5 Reasons You Should Start Journaling and How to Start 6. Consider trying out natural sleep aids Natural sleep aids are a good alternative to sleep medications and can be incorporated into a nighttime routine to help promote better sleep. Home remedies and aids that are easy to get your hands on at a local store include lavender oil, tart cherry juice, valerian root and CBD.
The Guardian
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Richard Flanagan: ‘When I reread Evelyn Waugh's Scoop it had corked badly'
My earliest reading memoryMy mother reading Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows to me – and reading it again and again, because I loved it and her. I was perhaps three. We lived in a little mining town in the middle of the rainforest. It was always raining and the rain drummed on the tin roof. To this day that's the sound I long to hear when I relax into a book – a voice in the stormy dark reminding me that I am not alone. My favourite book growing upBooks were an odyssey in which I lost and found myself, with new favourites being constantly supplanted by fresh astonishments. Rather than a favourite book I had a favourite place: the local public library. I enjoyed an inestimable amount of trash, beginning with comics and slowly venturing out into penny dreadful westerns and bad science fiction and on to the wonderfully lurid pulp of Harold Robbins, Henri Charrière, Alistair MacLean and Jackie Collins, erratically veering towards the beckoning mysteries of the adult world. The book that changed me as a teenagerAlbert Camus's The Outsider. It didn't offer a Damascene revelation, though. I was 11. I absorbed it like you might absorb an unexploded cluster bomb. The writer who changed my mindWhen I was 27, working as a doorman for the local council, counting exhibition attenders, I read in ever more fevered snatches Kafka's Metamorphosis, which I had to keep hidden beneath the table where I sat, balanced on my knees. A close family forsaking their son because he has turned into a giant cockroach, after the death of which they marvel at their daughter's vitality and looks? It dawned on me that writing could do anything and if it didn't try it was worth nothing. Beneath that paperback was a notebook with the beginnings of my first novel. I crossed it out and began again. The book that made me want to be a writerNo book, but one writer suggested it might be possible for me – so far from anywhere – that I perhaps too could be a writer. And that was William Faulkner. He seemed, well, Tasmanian. I later discovered that in Latin America he seemed Latin American and in Africa, African. He is also French. Yet he never left nor forsook his benighted home of Oxford, Mississippi, but instead made it his subject. Some years ago I was made an honorary citizen of Faulkner's home town. I felt I had come home. The book or author I came back toWhen I was young, Thomas Bernhard seemed an astringent, even unpleasant taste. But perhaps his throatless laughter, his instinctive revulsion when confronted with power and his incantatory rage speak to our times. The book I rereadMost years, Bohumil Hrabal's Too Loud A Solitude, humane and deeply funny; and Anna Karenina, every decade or so, over the passage of which time I discover mad count Lev has again written an entirely different and even more astounding novel than the one I read last time. The book I could never read againOn being asked to talk in Italy on my favourite comic novel I reread Evelyn Waugh's Scoop. It had corked badly. My fundamental disappointment was with myself, as if I had just lost an arm or a leg, and if I simply looked around it would turn back up. It didn't. The book I discovered later in lifeGreat stylists rarely write great novels. Marguerite Duras, for me a recent revelation, was an exception. For her, style and story were indivisible. Her best books are fierce, sensual, direct – and yet finally mysterious. I have also just read all of Carys Davies's marvellous novels, which deserve a much larger readership. The book I am currently readingKonstantin Paustovsky's memoir The Story of a Life, in which the author meets a poor but happy man in the starving Moscow of 1918 who has a small garden. 'There are all sorts of ways to live. You can fight for freedom, you can try to remake humanity or you can grow tomatoes.' God gets Genesis. History gets Lenin. Literature gets the tomato-growers. Sign up to Inside Saturday The only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine. Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns, delivered to your inbox every weekend. after newsletter promotion My comfort readOf late, in our age of dire portents, I have been returning to the mischievous joy of James Boswell's Life of Samuel Johnson: 'There is nothing worth the wear of winning, but the laughter and love of friends.' Question 7 by Richard Flanagan is published in paperback by Vintage. To support the Guardian, order your copy at Delivery charges may apply.
The Independent
2 days ago
- General
- The Independent
15 best baby books for budding bookworms
Author Emilie Buchwald once said: 'Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.' But you don't have to wait until little ones can understand the words on the page to start bonding with them over books. In fact, publisher Penguin says the best age to start reading to your baby is from three to six months, or once they are able to focus on items such as a toy. Beyond fostering an early love of reading, the developmental benefits are well documented, from enhancing language to developing fine motor skills as they turn the pages independently. The tactile experience of holding and turning pages, the visual appeal of pictures, and the stimulation of hearing a voice reading contribute to sensory development. However, finding a book that keeps both your attention and theirs can be tough. Young babies often love board books with clear images and anything that's noisy, whereas toddlers squeal with delight at pop-up designs or lift-the-flap tales. To help you find some great options for baby's first bookshelf, we've rounded up our pick of the best baby books. How we tested With the help of our 17-month-old tester, we've reviewed a variety of baby books, reading the words on the pages, lifting the flaps, pressing the buttons, and watching the pop-up elements come to life. We were looking to see which books captivated our little bookworm the most, and which titles saw our mini tester returning for more, time and time again. Why you can trust IndyBest reviews Rebecca Moore is a writer who specialises in the parenting sector. She has since written about the best parenting products on the market, such as pram mittens, musical toys, baby carriers and more. In each of her reviews, Rebecca will only recommend the products and titles she believes are worth your time and money. The best baby books for 2025 are:
