Creative Writing Worksheets from A Tasteful Cliché - for only $2.99 each

• Character and Setting Writing Prompts
  Creative writing prompts for your students (120 worksheets in all). These fun creative writing prompts involve a given character (from history, mythology, etc.) and a given setting. The student has to write a story about, or from the perspective of, the character in the given setting. An example: Write a story about a werewolf in a galaxy far, far away. Another example: Cinderella in a logging camp.

• Alien Observer Worksheets
  A fun creative writing exercise for your students. Creative writing prompts (100 in all) for your English students. They are tasked with describing an activity or object on Earth as if they were an alien scout sent to describe everything on Earth to their fellow aliens.

• Puppy Dog Tails Worksheets
  Give your students these fun writing exercises for a different kind of creative writing assignment. The students have to create a recipe for three occupations per worksheet (over 100 worksheets in all!), similar to the poem in which boys are made of "snips, snails, and puppy dog tails".

• Dull Product Advertisement Worksheets
  A creative writing and art assignment for your students. Students have to create an advertisement for an otherwise-dull household product like bow ties and door knobs. 100 prompts in all.

  Visit A Tasteful Cliche | Read the rest of the AVKO Blog | Visit the AVKO website

You Can't Teach what You Know if You Don't Know You Know It

You Can't Teach
what You Know if You Don't Know You Know It Video

View the video on YouTube

Read the rest of the AVKO Blog | Contact AVKO

Printable Writing Worksheets from GoPromo

Check out these fabulous printable worksheets that you can use to help teach your students to write from GoPromo.com

Read the Rest of the AVKO Blog | Visit the AVKO Website

Meet and Greet Times with Don McCabe Available!

Don McCabe will be available for meetings in various international locations. Please e-mail Don to set up a time to meet.

• Johannesburg, South Africa, August 10-12
• Cape Town, South Africa, August 13 -17
• Sydney, Australia (available in the evenings Thursday & Friday, October 21 and 22.
• Available from 10am to 4 pm Fjordland, New Zealand Tuesday October 26.
• Available from 10 am to 4pm Fort Chalmers, New Zealand Wednesday, October 27.
• Available 10 am to 4pm Akarroa, New Zealand October 28. Available 10-4, Wellington New Zealand 10/29.
• Available 10-4 Auckland, NZ, 10/31.
• Availale11-3, Suva Fiji 11/3. 10-2, Pago Pago 11/4.
• 11-2, Moorea, French Polynesia 11/7.
• 11-2, Papeete, Taihiti, French Polynesia, 11/8
• 11-2, Bora Bora, French Polynesia, 11/9
• 10-5 Honolulu, Hawaii. 11/14
• 11-2 Maui (Lahaina), USA 11/15

Read the Rest of the AVKO Blog | Visit the AVKO Website

How to Get the Most Out of AVKO Spelling Program in 3 Easy Lessons:

Lesson 2 - How to use the Membership Books

to their Greatest Potential

Membership? What’s that? Why should I bother with it?

As a non-profit organization, AVKO exists to HELP adults and kids learn how to read and spell. AVKO has an annual membership which provides the REFERENCE MATERIALS every child’s classroom (even at home) should have available. Membership also gives you a 25% DISCOUNT on all AVKO books and DVD’s. For only $25, you can receive the E-book version of 6 books. We suggest you download the e-books to a CD, so no matter what happens you will have a copy of the six books.

The AVKO Philosophy: The Why

The Teaching of Reading and Spelling: A Continuum from Kindergarten to College

It contains the whys and wherefores of the AVKO philosophy and method of teaching spelling, reading, handwriting, and keyboarding. A book for the parent/teacher, it not only gives the background on WHY but lets you begin to see that the flexibility of AVKO is why this method works so well for all ages and people with spelling and reading difficulties. It is a common sense, down-to-earth book on teaching all the parts of learning to communicate through the English language. As a supplementary textbook for Education Majors/parents/tutors/teachers, the learning to read process is defined, phonics in teaching reading and writing is discussed, an explanation of what part learning-to-write-letters-and-words has in the reading process, plus the spelling and reading connection information is given along with practical diagnostic and prescriptive tests. The second part – the “how” of this book is Starting at Square One.

The AVKO Philosophy: The How

Starting at Square One – for Kindergarten and 1st Graders

The only curriculum ever devised to teach reading, spelling, handwriting and keyboarding AS the students are learning the alphabet NOT after!

This 313 page book is filled with lesson plans for teaching a Kindergartener/1st graders the letters, the sounds they make, how to print the letter(s) that represents the sound(s), beginning keyboard lessons, and reading using only DECODABLE words.

The alphabet is not introduced going from A to Z. McCabe introduces the letters intelligently according to common sense by the first few a child might know by rote and then the next few are the most common letters used. So it goes A, B, C, D, then R, S, T. With just these first seven letters student can begin to learn words and sentence parts, like /a cab/, or /a dad/ or /a car/, /a card/, /a bad cab/, /a bad car/ as well as names like Barb, Barbara, Cara, Brad, Bart and words like add, brat, arc, crab, radar, cars, sad, bass, scads, crass and lots more. This text can also be used for an older student who has some gaps in letter-sound recognition, such as the sound made by x , qu, digraphs or certain consonant blends. AVKO suggests you make yourself familiar with the entire book before starting to teach.

When done with this book, they should be reading at a beginning second grade level, the student is now ready for Sequential Spelling 1.

For Readers at 2nd & Up Using ANY AVKO Spelling Program

The Patterns of English Spelling and

New Word Families in Sentence Context - 10 Volumes

Recently combined, these two books are now over 1600 pages. McCabe was not content with just the word families that fit cleanly into rimes, he also explains spelling oddities of w- and r- controlled clans, basic suffixes, -y families and their relatives, advanced suffixes, advanced patterns of /k/ spelled –qu, -ch, and /sh/ spelled –ch and other miscellaneous relatives, and even Greek and Latin prefixes, roots and suffixes. It contains EVERY word family in the English language and is a universal resource for the entire list of spelling and reading books AVKO produces

How to Use: (alphabetic index pgs 23-93)

Pages are numbered 101A, 101B, etc. A pages: Word Family& Power Words. B pages: Sentences

1. Find and review the ENTIRE word family you are studying. Sequential Spelling has a selected grouping of the word family, NOT every word; therefore this book allows you and students to review all word family words, not as spelling words, as vocabulary.

2. Power Words - listed on the same page, these can be used for developing multisyllabic pronunciation and comprehension.

Great Vocabulary Game: Go over the words and their meaning in the dictionary. Students write the word on one side of paper, on the other they draw the meaning of the word. Be sure the drawing expresses some feeling of the word meaning. Hang up drawings around schooling area. When you have five or more pix start a weekly game where you either show them the word and they have to tell the meaning of the word by describing the picture OR they look at the picture and tell what word it represents.

3. On the opposite (B) page, you will find sentences using the word family words in context. Divide into four sections. Use the sentences for dictation, typing, handwriting and reading comprehension practice. Each of these functions is an important learning tool and beneficial for mastery of higher education. (For additional practice go to Spelling city.com (free website) enter words and play games or use new sentence writing selection.

Use with 4th Grade and above - Check What They Know and What They Don’t

The Reading Teacher’s List of over 5,500 Basic Spelling Words

Parent/Teachers can create their own Sequential Spelling Tests based upon their own students' needs and difficulty levels. This book helps parent and teacher find students true reading level and can therefore be a wonderful tool for checking decoding and comprehension skills. It also contains the most recent National Spelling Survey results.

Autobiography

To Teach A Dyslexic

Don McCabe, the author of almost every book the AVKO Foundation sells, wrote his autobiography to help parents and teachers who are NOT dyslexic, better understand what their children who ARE dyslexic or learning disabled, may go through during their lives. He emphasizes the need for excellence in teacher training, and how he developed his own teaching strategies based on spelling patterns. Don is himself, dyslexic. He found ways of coping when learning and not only survived his own school days, but thrived as a teacher and Director of AVKO.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Great Post about a Homeschooler's Experience with Spelling

Read this thoughtful blog post from a homeschooling mother who shares her experience with teaching spelling.

Share your thoughts.

New Handwriting iPhone App from Kate Gladstone

Yes -- the iPhone/iPodTouch application Kate Gladstone has been developing is finally out!
See the informational page (includes download link for
iPhone/iPodTouch users) at
http://www.deeppocketseries.com/Better_Letters.php .

If you know anyone who has (or whose children have)

/a/ an iPhone or an iPodTouch,
/b/ US$2.99,
and
/c/ handwriting that could use some help

how about mentioning the app to him or her?

Yours for better letters, Kate Gladstone
http://www.HandwritingThatWorks.com
Handwriting Repair/Handwriting That Works
and the World Handwriting Contest
6-B Weis Road, Albany, NY 12208-1942
518/482-6763 - handwritingrepair@gmail.com
Twitter -- http://www.twitter.com/KateGladstone
SONGS OF PENDOM -- http://stores.lulu.com/handwriting
POLITICIAN LEGIBILITY ACT Petition --
http://www.iPetitions.com/petition/PoliticianLegibility

Book of the Month:

Readings for Fluency

by Gloria Goldsmith

This book is for any student who does not read fluently or with little or no expression, even if the student reads at grade level.
It targets the little words (such as how and who) that tend to be confused. For a student to read fluently, these words must become automatic. This book purposefully uses many types of fonts including a handwriting font and all capitals in order to improve the decoding skills of many students who have difficult identifying letters when the letter looks slightly altered in size or shape from the font they are used to seeing.

To make the learning easier, the readings are in paired sentences. The tutor reads a sentence (often a question) and then the student reads the next.
Set the kitchen timer for 15 minutes. Don't feel obligated to read the entire page. If you can, fine. If you read it twice in fifteen minutes, that's great. You can switch to having the student read the question and you read the answer. Model what you want the student to do: read with enthusiasm and punctuation. The voice drops down on periods and up on questions.
Don't waste learning times by having your student sit and try to sound out a word. Count to two, if necessary, and then give them the word. Be sure to encourage and praise your student when they have accomplished today what they couldn't do yesterday. Give as much help as needed each time. They will learn. Available at avko.org at 33% Off.

Don McCabe on Real Talk Radio 1160

Saturday, October 17, 2009 at 10:45, Don McCabe, AVKO’s Research Director, will be on

Kathryn Raaker’s radio show.

You can stream it live on your computer at www.realtalk1160.com and at www.kathrynraaker.com

The topic: Is Dyslexia a Myth? Call-in line: 513.522.2261

Call with your comments or questions!

Some of these stations below may be in your local radio listening area.

Partner Stations

CBSL Corporate

WSNL - Victory 660 AM

Flint/Saginaw, MI

WLCM - Victory 1390 AM

Lansing, MI

WCVX - Victory 1050

Cincinnati, OH

WJMM - 99.1 Life Changing Radio

Lexington, KY

WCGW - 770 Southern Gospel

Lexington, KY

WLRT - Real Talk 1250

Lexington, KY

WJIV - Victory 99.1 & 101.9

Albany/Utica, NY

CBSL Satellite

Sidewalk and Table Top Hopscotch

Sidewalk and Table Top Hopscotch
By Gloria Goldsmith, Gloria@AVKO.org

Sidewalk Hopscotch is played outdoors and is so much fun, it doesn’t seem like your REALLY working on spelling! Get some chalk and use the driveway or the sidewalk area. (If you live in the country without paving or sidewalk, see Table Top Hopscotch.) Give your student(s) each a piece of chalk and have then draw LARGE boxes in any order they like but they must have both single, double boxes mixed in any order on top of one another. Make it 12 to 16 boxes single and double boxes long. Then give each child a word they will write out correctly (with your help, if needed) filling in all the boxes with different words. When done writing, then take a small rough stone with lots of edges and let them roll it along toward whatever word they want as their target. The word it lands nearest is their word.. They have to hop to the word, pick up the stone, look up at the sky and spell the word aloud. If they spell it correctly they go forward from that word. If they spelled it incorrectly, they have to come back to their last position. The goal is to go to the end and come back first. The winner should get some sort of prize. Maybe a pencil, tootsie roll, but I like a home-made Crown as King or Queen of the Hopscotch! Or course the King or Queen can do a victory dance, making it all the more fun! A nice glass of ice tea or lemonade under a shade tree is a great way for everyone to celebrate and plan their victory dance for the next contest.

Table Top Hopscotch is played in doors for winter games or if you have no sidewalks or paved driveways. It is played the same way except the student draws out the rectangles on a large piece of paper. (Tape two pieces or more together.) Use a small piece of paper wadded into a ball as your stone. And instead of hopping by foot they hop their fingers over the course, slapping their hand over the target word they are to spell. Without peeking they spell the word to you or another player and if they get it right, put a bingo chip or paperclip there to mark it while the next player has his turn. Be sure the winner gets to put on the crown and do a victory dance and everyone gets some sort or celebration.

Read the Rest of the AVKO Blog | Visit the AVKO Website

Review of Don McCabe's, Get Outta Mah Face! Get Offa Mah Case!, by Dr. J. Oatman, Ph.D.

Don McCabe’s, Get Otta Mah Face! Get Offa Mah Case!, provides clear understanding of the importance of language, verbal and body in relationships with others.

Illustrations of positive and negative effects of language and suggestions for assisting family, staff and students to adapt behavior are included. Ideas such as, family and staff training sessions, student role playing and classroom games are detailed.

Emphasis also is given to students’ beliefs about themselves and others which affect personal interactions and practical tools for implementing change are described. Suggestions are given for use in Schools, Business, Family and Correctional Settings.

J. Oatman, Ph.D.,

08/30/2009

Homeschool.com's "101 Things to Do This Summer"

Posted by Brian McCabe, Brian@AVKO.org

[From Homeschool.com]

1	Make a scrapbook of everything you do this summer The Basics of Scrapbooking http://www.scrapbookscrapbook.com/beginners.html
2	Have a picnic Planning a Picnic http://www.the-picnic-site.com/
3	Learn how to play soccer How to Play Soccer http://www.ehow.com/PrintArticle.html?id=2044097
4	Visit another country Lonely Planet Destination Guides www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/
5	Go to a ballgame Major League Baseball Team Schedules mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/schedule/index.jsp
6	Get a job (parent permission) Teens 4 Hire www.teens4hire.org/
7	Become a photographer BetterPhoto for Kids and Teens www.betterphoto.com/photography-for-kids.asp
8	Make dinner for your family Do-It-Yourself Dinner Party Project (PDF) www.reynoldskitchens.com
9	Compare a book to a movie Compare and Contrast Essay (PDF) www.csudh.edu
10	Write a poem 30 Days of Poetry www.msrogers.com/English2/poetry/30_days_of_poetry.htm
11	Learn about fireworks How Stuff Works: Fireworks people.howstuffworks.com/fireworks.htm
12	Bake some cookies Science of Cookies www.bakingandbakingscience.com/cookies.htm
13	Take a boat ride Boat Safe Kids! www.boatsafe.com/kids/index.htm
14	Sketch a picture of your house from the outside Perspective Drawing www.artyfactory.com/perspective_drawing/perspective_1.htm
15	Go to camp Smart Start to Business http://www.youthpreneur.net/camps
16	Visit a farm 4-H Virtual Farms www.ext.vt.edu/resources/4h/virtualfarm/main.html
17	Take a walk and record the sounds Listening to Nature www.museumca.org/naturalsounds/
18	Embrace Other Cultures Culture Quest http://www.ipl.org/div/kidspace/cquest/
19	Keep a journal of what you do during the Summer Keepsake Diary http://kids-indoor-activities.suite101.com/article.cfm/keep_a_summer_journal
20	Cut up an old greeting card picture and make a puzzle (parent help) How to make your own jigsaw puzzle tn.essortment.com/howtomakeyour_rgzx.htm
21	Start a band Make Music! Start a Band www.mustcreate.org/kid_home/kids3_1.shtml
22	Learn how to make a movie Digital Movie Making for Kids http://www.adobe.com/education/digkids/intro_video/making_of_movie.html
23	Blow up balloons, put notes inside and hand them out to friends Message in a Balloon www.nmhct.nhs.uk/pharmacy/nmha-activities.html
24	Go backpacking The Beginning Backpacker www.backpacking.net/beginner.html
25	Learn how to oil paint Free Art Lessons http://www.interactiveartschool.com/free-art-lessons.html
26	Create a web site Lissa Explains HTML for Kids www.lissaexplains.com/
27	Go camping Go Camping America Kids Pages www.gocampingamerica.com/kidspages/
28	Learn how to use Microsoft Office Free Tutorials for Microsoft Office http://www.baycongroup.com/tutorials.htm
29	Help an elderly person with house or yard work (parent permission) 20 Great Reasons to Volunteer www.volunteermatch.org/volunteers/resources/tipstricks.jsp
30	Visit the zoo National Zoo Animal Web cams nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/default.cfm
31	Learn a foreign language Free Online Language Courses www.word2word.com/coursead.html
32	Make an obstacle course in your back yard How To Set Up An Obstacle Course www.ehow.com/how_3113_set-obstacle-course.html
33	Make a treasure hunt The Ultimate Treasure Hunt www.allthatstuff.net/treasurehunt.htm
34	View and learn about Modern Art Destination Modern Art http://www.moma.org/destination/
35	Learn about the Animals that live on our planet A Library of the World’s Animals http://www.learnanimals.com/
36	Recycle bottles and donate the money to a local charity The Internet Consumer Recycling Guide www.obviously.com/recycle/
37	Explore the Universe A Learning Center for Young Astronomers http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/StarChild.html
38	Build a tree house The Tree House Guide www.thetreehouseguide.com/
39	Create a new world World Building teenwriting.about.com/library/weekly/aa071602a.htm
40	Set up a lemonade stand Lemonade Stand Game www.coolmath-games.com/lemonade/
41	Learn how to make ethnic food Ethnic Recipes http://www.bhg.com/recipes/food-slide-shows/ethnic-food/
42	Attend a concert Buy tickets http://www.ticketmaster.com/section/concerts
43	Have family game nights What Game Should We Play? http://www.hasbro.com/familygamenight/en_US/
44	Learn about science Latest Science News http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/
45	Make a collage from magazine words and pictures Collage pbskids.org/zoom/activities/do/collage.html
46	Create a terrarium How to Make a Terrarium www.ehow.com/how_9374_make-terrarium.html
47	Learn how to help the environment Environmental Kids Club http://www.epa.gov/kids/index.htm
48	Discover new games to play Nature Games http://www.ultimatecampresource.com/site/camp-activities/nature-games.page-1.html
49	Go to a museum Find a museum in your area http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_museums_in_the_United_States
50	Make a fire plan Home Fire Safety www.usfa.fema.gov/kids/flash.shtm
51	Make up bubble solution and have a contest Casey Carle's "Secret" Bubble Solutions www.bubblemania.com/faq/solution.html
52	Find a pen-pal (parent permission) Pen Pal Directories www.stonesoup.com/main2/penpal.html
53	Plant something Gardens for Beginners www.geocities.com/mastergardener2k/
54	Learn about Plants and our Environment ThinkQuest http://library.thinkquest.org/3715/
55	Host a yard sale How to Plan a Yard Sale www.ehow.com/how_137461_yard-garage-sale.html
56	Build a sandcastle Sandcastle Tools www.sandcastlecentral.com/toolpages/
57	Donate some of the toys and clothes you no longer use How To Donate Toys www.ehow.com/how_10124_donate-toys-children.html
58	Research your family tree Free Genealogy Information http://genealogy.about.com/cs/free_genealogy/a/free_sites.htm
59	Fly a kite Professor Kite and the Secret of Kites www.gombergkites.com/howgen.html
60	Invent your own board game Design Your Own Board Game la.essortment.com/boardgamedesig_rxcu.htm
61	Make your own comic book Comic Creator http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/comic/
62	Create a book cover for your writing projects Book Cover Creator http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/bookcover/
63	Act in a play So You Want to Put On a Play? www.writewords.org.uk/articles/theatre1.asp
64	Learn to Cook Introductory Cooking Lessons http://www.kids-cooking-activities.com/kids-cooking-lessons-cit-intro.html
65	Make a bird feeder Easy birdfeeders for young children http://www.care2.com/greenliving/make-easy-bird-feeders.html
66	Organize a bike safety clinic Bicycle Safety Command Center www.state.il.us/kids/isp/bikes/
67	Spend time with your grandparents 10 Great Activities www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson136.shtml
68	Learn how the Internet works Learn the Net http://www.learnthenet.com/english/section/intbas.html
69	Dig for fossils Dinosaur Dig www.sdnhm.org/kids/fossils/
70	Write a song Notes on Songwriting www.robinfrederick.com/write.html
71	Tie-dye some t-shirts How to Tie-Dye iaia.essortment.com/tiedyedyefa_rmel.htm
72	Make your own banana split Yum! http://parentingteens.about.com/cs/recipesforkids/ht/bananasplit.htm
73	Create a themed dinner Theme Dinner Ideas http://www.kids-cooking-activities.com/theme-dinner-ideas.html
74	Tour the World Google Earth Style http://earth.google.com/tour.html
75	Throw a pajama party Make it a success http://www.ehow.com/how_2047629_plan-pajama-party.html
76	Learn some new outdoor games Games Kids Play www.gameskidsplay.net/
77	Make something from recyclables Crafts from Recycled Products www.makingfriends.com/recycle.htm
78	See a movie with a friend In the theatre or on DVD http://www.movies.com/
79	Make homemade ice cream Kitchen Theater Science in a Scoop www.carnegiemuseums.org/cmag/bk_issue/1996/julaug/dept4.htm
80	Build a time capsule For the entire family http://www.ehow.com/how_6637_make-family-time.html
81	Get a magazine subscription (parent permission) Magazine Listing www.magsonthenet.com/chilmag.html
82	Organize a scavenger hunt Outdoor Scavenger Hunts www.lovetheoutdoors.com/camping/kids/scavengerhunt.htm
83	Go swimming Video Clips of the Swimming Strokes wellness.lattc.cc.ca.us/real/strokes.html
84	Paint a portrait of your best friend Draw Your Friend www.arts.ufl.edu/art/rt_room/sparkers/friend_portrait/ portrait_friend.html
85	Start a collection How to Start a Collection www.ehow.com/how_10563_start-collection.html
86	Write a fairy tale Fractured Fairy Tales http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/fairytales/
87	Travel in time Odyssey Online carlos.emory.edu/ODYSSEY/MidElem_Home.html
88	Stargaze and track the moon phases Moon information http://www.moonconnection.com/
89	Learn how to sew Learn to Sew http://cyberseams.com/
90	Visit a National Park National Park Service Guide www.nps.gov/parks.html
91	Rent a video of a ballet Easy to Read Profiles of the Histories of Ballets classicalmusic.about.com/od/historyofballet/
92	Roast marshmallows How to Roast a Marshmallow www.ehow.com/how_1164_roast-marshmallow.html
93	Watch the birds Tips on Getting Started with Bird Watching www.birdwatching.com/tips/kids_birding.html
94	Arrange a bouquet of flowers Learn how to make a beautiful display http://interiordec.about.com/library/weekly/aa021403b2.htm
95	Learn to blog (parents’ permission) How-to http://learn2blog.pitas.com/
96	Re-decorate your room Decorating Gallery http://www.hgtv.com/topics/bedrooms/index.html
97	Learn to play chess Chess is Fun http://www.soyouwanna.com/site/syws/chess/chess.html
98	Adopt a pet (parent permission) http://www.petfinder.com/
99	Keep your brain going Brain Teasers www.brainconnection.com/teasers/
100	Teach someone to use email How eMail Works www.learnthenet.com/english/html/20how.htm
101	Create your own holiday A Month With No Holidays? Make Up Your Own! .educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson018.shtml

Read the Rest of the AVKO Blog | Visit the AVKO Website

Bind Your Own Books at Home

Posted by Brian McCabe, Brian@AVKO.org

Whether you are scrapbooking, self-publishing your child's best-selling work of fiction, doing arts and crafts, or creating a portfolio of writings, there are many reasons why you may want to bind your own book at home. AVKO recommends daily writing; creating a book that contains all of these writings, in chronological order, can easily show the progress that your student has made in writing over the course of a lifetime.

BindingBooksBeautifully.com has ready-to-go packages for you to use to make your own books at home.

Read the Rest of the AVKO Blog | Visit the AVKO Website