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

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

New AVKO Resource for Testing Spelling and Reading Levels

Posted by Brian McCabe, Brian@avko.org

AVKO has introduced a new e-book resource: a collection of diagnostic, prescriptive, and pre-tests for spelling and reading. This collection of 17 tests written by Don McCabe will allow you to quickly determine which spelling patterns your students need to learn, where they should be placed in Sequential Spelling (or another spelling program), and how to best remediate their spelling. This collection will also give you all of the information you need to quickly create your own spelling program. These tests can also be used for ESL instruction, special education, creating an IEP, and many other things!

This is available for purchase from AVKO for only $5.00 from the Scribd website. You can see all of AVKO's documents on Scribd here.

Spelling Remediation Test Kit

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AVKO's Book of the Month for May

Each month, AVKO selects one of its materials to feature and discounts it by at least10%. Members receive even more discounts. This month, the special is on the Advanced Student Speller Pack, Sequential Spelling volumes 5-7.

Another month, another new special. This month, we are highlighting the advanced levels of Sequential Spelling, Volumes 5, 6, and 7. If you have an advanced speller or if you just want to stockpile your Sequential Spelling books until you are ready for them, take advantage of this offer from AVKO!

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

Workshop Recorings Now Available on CD!

These recordings of popular topics on which Don McCabe speaks are available for FREE with AVKO Membership or you may order them on audio CDs for $2.50 each. Free Shipping on Audio CDs!


Available Topics:

• I Think My Child Might Be Dyslexic -- Does it Matter?
• Spelling -- Accentuate the Positive; Eliminate the Negative
• The Mechanics of English Spelling
• Phonics -- The Most Misunderstood Approach to Teaching Reading
• Create Your Own Spelling Program That Really Works
• You Don't Need a Master's Degree to Teach Your Kids -- Just a Degree of Caring

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

Last Chance for the Book of the Month Special

Today is the last day to get your copy of Starting at Square One at a drastically reduced price. The special ends at midnight tonight (the special has been extended to end at midnight of May 1st!). If you need a language arts curriculum for your kindergartner or first grader (K-1), ESL, or older student who needs help with phonemic awareness and/or word attack skills, this is the book for you. As the alphabet is taught, your student will learn reading, spelling, handwriting, and keyboarding. The book uses completely decodable words as the letters of the alphabet are taught.

Learn more about the Book of the Month special and Starting at Square One

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

Even More Spelling Resources For AVKO Members

AVKO is known for spelling and for the teaching of spelling and reading to those "hopeless cases" of dyslexia and learning disabilities. Well, AVKO is proud to announce that we have forged an exciting partnership with SpellingCity.com to provide even more free resources to our members and to the community at large. For the parents and teachers out there who want to be able to customize their own spelling program specifically to the needs of their children -- and aren't afraid of doing a little preparation work -- this is the program for you!

Take advantage of the research- and multi-sensory-based methods of AVKO with the multimedia and fun resources of SpellingCity.com

• Learn all about Individualized Spelling with SpellingCity.com
• Become an AVKO Member to get the greatest value of this partnership and to create your own completely customized program
• Other Free curriculum resources available from AVKO
  

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

AVKO's E-books Now on Amazon Kindle

AVKO's most popular books are now available as e-books on your Amazon Kindle or iPhone.


Buy your AVKO materials, including Sequential Spelling, Individualized Spelling, The I Before E Set, The Tricky Words, and more for your Kindle or iPhone!

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

Earn Money from Home Referring AVKO Memberships!

Help get the word out about AVKO's resources and membership -- and earn money at the same time! All you need is a PayPal account and to share the link to AVKO membership with friends, family, and cyberspace. Simply put the link to AVKO membership on your personal blog, in your e-mail signature, in an e-mail to your friends, on Facebook, or on cards you pass out to people with the e-mail address that is linked to your PayPal account.

A commission of 10% will be awarded for all referred memberships and retail materials when the customer puts your PayPal e-mail address in the "Referrer" box for during membership sign-up or in the "Comments" box for other sales.

No paperwork to fill out or tax forms for annual commissions of less than $600.00. Disbursements of commissions will occur at least every two weeks.

For promotional materials or advertising graphics, please see the Retail section of the website. Contact Brian for more information.

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

Language Arts Curriculum Planning on a Budget with AVKO

AVKO understands that homeschoolers and even school educators have an imperative to provide the best possible curriculum, meet the individual needs of each student, and minimize preparation time -- all while staying within a strict budget. With AVKO, a strict budget does not mean that you have to restrict yourself or make compromises that lower the integrity and quality of the education that you provide. We have therefore added a new page to the AVKO website devoted to curriculum planning. Visit the new AVKO Curriculum Planning page for resources to supplement your existing program, or create a complete language arts curriculum from the AVKO materials. Whether you are working with dyslexics, gifted children, English as a Second Language, adults, normal children, or high schoolers preparing to go off to college, AVKO has the materials you need for your language arts program.

Download the new weekly language arts curriculum planning guide that shows you how to integrate the AVKO materials into your school week.

AVKO will help you design a completely customized language arts curriculum to meet your children's specific needs -- while staying within your own budget and limitations as far as preparation time. Contact us for more information.

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

Need Some Extra Cash? Hook New Retail Partners for AVKO!

Do you need some extra pocket money?  While making money, you'll help others achieve literacy for the first time, overcome problems associated with dyslexia, and increase self-esteem for thousands who previously thought themselves to be stupid.  Become an AVKO sales representative and procure new retail partners for AVKO and earn a commission.  We will provide you with all of the promotional materials you will need (or digital copies if international) to provide information to prospective retailers.  

See the Retailers' Section of the AVKO website for more information, including many of our promotional materials, advertising graphics, logos, New Distributor Form, promotional materials request form, etc.   View our entire catalog of materials and download the PDF (web-viewable and foldable versions available).   Commissions will vary depending on the amount purchased by the new distributor and the size of its distribution network (single physical store, worldwide website/warehouse, national bookstore, etc.)

You can also earn commissions for referring people to become a member of the AVKO Foundation.  Earn 10% of the retail price of Individual and Institutional AVKO Membership.

You may choose to put the code to our shopping cart items on your own website (or blog) and have customers buy that way, earning you 10% for each membership and 5% of all other retail sales (excluding donations).  

Contact Brian McCabe (Brian @ AVKO.org), the Operations Manager of AVKO for more information and to receive your Referral Code.  

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

Take Advantage of The Old Schoolhouse's Freebie Friday Special

Take Advantage of The Old Schoolhouse's Freebie Friday Special on AVKO's Sequential Spelling. This special is only available until the 2nd of April (Thursday), so act fast.

Each Friday, The Old Schoolhouse has a Freebie Friday special for its members in addition to the over 40 freebies that they already make available regularly! This week's Freebie Friday special is on Sequential Spelling. Receive two levels of Sequential Spelling plus 1 response book for only $19.95!

Order from The Old Schoolhouse to receive this special.

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

AVKO Pamphlets Available for Only $1.00!

AVKO is making the Great Idea Reprint Series pamphlets available once again for the low price of only $1.00!  These pamphlets are an incredible value to homeschoolers, educators in the school system, and community organizers looking to create a literacy program in their community.  Learn how to evaluate a spelling program, evaluate a child's ability to spell the five different types of English words, teach the English spelling rules, take notes, and much, much more!  See the Clearance page of the AVKO website to place your order today.  Shipping for these pamphlets is only $0.59 each or FREE shipping for current AVKO members.  

Great Idea Reprint Series individual pamphlets - $1.00 ($1.00)
These pamphlets provide information on a very specific topic. To order one or more of these pamphlets, enter the title(s) into the comments field below.

• A Common Sense Approach to Controlled Word Lists
• The New AVKO Pre- and Post- Diagnostic Spelling Test on 100 of the Most Common Phonograms in the English Language (includes the Student's and Teacher's Edition)
• A Sentence Dictation Test That Covers Over 300 of the Most Commonly Used Words
• An L.D. Screening Device That Can Be Given to Entire Schools
• Sample Word Family Puzzles that Special Education Students Can Create
• English Spelling: The Simple, the Fancy, the Insane, the Tricky, and the Scrunched Up
• Survey Tests for Types 1-5 Words: The Simple, the Fancy, the Insane, the Tricky, and the Scrunched Up
• Suggested Order for Diagnosis and Remediation of the Simple Patterns
• Suggested Order for Diagnosis and Remediation of the Fancy Patterns
• Suggested Order for Diagnosis and Remediation of the Insane Patterns
• Suggested Order for Diagnosis and Remediation of the Tricky Patterns
• Suggested Order for Diagnosis and Remediation of the Scrunched Up Patterns
• The Case of the Invisible Y or Why is there a Y in You and not in union, Eunice, and huge?
• How to Develop Your Own Sequential Spelling Tests
• How to Evaluate Your Present Spelling System
• An Index of Phonic Patterns by Vowel Types
• The Three Different Words Spelled H-A-V-E
• The Three "TOOZE": too, two, and to
• The SQ3R Reading Formula Really Works
• A Listing of Phonic Patterns for Older Students
• Underlining or Highlighting: Cueing the Computer Brain
• The Proper Editing of Notes: The Key to Successful Learning
• Building a Better Vocabulary the Lazy Man's Way
• Statues and Sanctuaries, or A Practical Use of Miscue Analysis: Building Egos/ Self-Esteem
• Learning about the Learning-to-Read Process by Teaching Yourself to Read and Write Upside Down
• Comprehension/Schema Theory: A Practical Application
• Reading Improvement through SITDOWN: Student Individualized Teacher-Directed with Students Correcting their OWN.
• Taking the sting out of Testing When Giving Word Recognition Tests to Special Education Students

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

March's Book of the Month

The "It-ss & Tooze", Apostrophes, and I Before E Made Easy is March's book of the month. Three books in one, this book of easy to understand grammar exercises will help your students master the common grammar foibles.

The "It-ss & Tooze"

Learn the difference between its (possessive) and it's (abbreviation for it is).

Apostrophes

Learn how and when to use apostrophes -- contractions, possessives, and NOT for plurals.

I Before E Made Easy

Learn the complete I Before E rule and not the incomplete one that most people have memorized. With the complete rule, you won't have to second guess yourself with the various "exceptions" to the incomplete rule.

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