Momathon Blog

Homework Helper: How to Write a Theme Statement in Three Easy Steps

I included the graphic above to show how to compose a theme statement using the three steps given here. I think this handy fill-in-the-blank format to writing a theme is almost fool-proof for kids in middle grades and above. 

3 Steps to Write a Theme Statement:

1) Select an important TOPIC the book includes. Topic ideas include: freedom, love, trust, death, forgiveness, and many others. (This topic is often called an abstract concept.)

2) Begin the theme statement by listing the book genre, the name of the book, and author. (See graphic above to help you begin the sentence.) 

3) Now finish the statement from above by adding what the author REVEALS about the topic. 

Infographic image above by me, Chris Olson. 

Homework Helper: Writing Tips for Final Exams

It's final exam time and kids in middle school and high school are busy writing essays. Facing a blank page can be daunting. Fortunately, adding a simple framework to each paragraph makes the actual writing part a snap. (Three steps to writing a strong paragraph below)

Do schools take the thinking out of learning?

Imagine getting in your car to go on a trip to a new place and never making a plan such as looking at a map, writing down directions, or using GPS to plot the road trip for you. In very simple terms, that is what some schools encourage kids to do when they remove the activities that involve planning and organizing ideas and instead rely on highly regulated activities such as memorizing facts for a test. 

When no one understands your kid in school...

Moving beyond the labels and achieving great things is a big dream for children with learning difficulties. 

I remember being told my daughter would never be able read a book. I remember seeing my daughter banished to the hallway outside her third grade classroom because she was so far behind in class. I remember hearing teachers say my child would never go to college. I remember seeing my daughter crumple her homework papers with a big, red "INCOMPELTE" scribbled on them. I remember hearing my daughter would never achieve anything above a D or C in school. 

And I remember hearing my daughter say, "No one understands me."

In those moments I cried inside because I didn't have an answer. I did not understand my daughter's learning problems either. 

And then one day my daughter met a tutor who saw beyond the labels of her learning disability. She opened the door to learning. And that is when I knew someone understood her. 

If your child faces similar challenges, a new HBO documentary I Can't Do This But I CAN Do That offers hope and inspiration for children with learning difficulties and their families.

 

You can watch HBO trailer here.

This motivational film can even inspire adults to achieve more and move beyond the negative ideas holding them back. Photographer Scott Bourne blogged about it: 

Now here’s the important part. Start thinking about, talking about and living in the world of the stuff you CAN do. Concentrate on what you CAN do and not on what you CANNOT do... There’s a way to make this even more successful. Only surround yourself with positive, supportive people. Ask them to stop you dead in your tracks if they start hearing what you can’t do. Ask them to remind you what you CAN do. I bet you have more going for you than you realize.

According to Smart Kids With LD:

The film highlights the resourcefulness, creativity and strengths that schools frequently fail to acknowledge when students with LD are viewed as less capable than others, and are not given the help they need to succeed.  As director and producer Ellen Goosenberg Kent notes, the film “encourages students, families, and teachers to look beyond labels and discover the gifts each child possesses.”

According to the Denver Dyslexia Awareness Blog, the documentary is "hopeful, honest, emotional, empathetic, uplifting, vulnerable, riveting, inspiring, intelligent." 

To find the date and time for this documentary on HBO, check the listings.

(Photo by C. Olson.)

Homework helper: Write a strong paragraph in 3 steps

It happens every day after school across America, kids complain to their parents about another writing homework assignment. I don't remember when I wrote my first paragraph, but kids today are expected to write a paragraph as early as first grade. Even after two decades of working as a writer, I think facing a blank page can be daunting. Fortunately, if you want to write a strong paragraph such as a summary paragraph, just grab your paper and pencil or a laptop and follow this simple recipe. 

Here are some tips to help you write a strong summary paragraph:

1) Begin with a topic sentence using the IVF format:

• Identify: In the topic sentence, start with the subject of the summary. (What are you summarizing? Identify the article title, the author, the source.)
• Verb: After you identify the subject add a strong verb (identifies, illustrates, argues, emphasizes, recommends, supports, contradicts, questions, reinforces, undermines).
• Finish: Conclude the topic sentence with a clear statement of a main idea. (What is the main idea of the piece the student summarizes?)

2) Follow the topic sentence with 3 details that support the topic sentence.

Detail One

• Show how the author supports the main idea with a detail.
• Illustrate detail 1 with one or two examples.

Detail Two

• Show how the author supports the main idea with another detail.
• Illustrate detail 2 with one or two examples.

Detail Three

• Show how the author supports the main idea with a third detail.
• Illustrate detail 3 with one or two examples.

3) Conclusion

Finish your summary with an insightful conclusion. Your concluding sentence should not give new information. The conclusion should reinforce, reiterate, but not repeat the main idea from the topic sentence.

(Photo:  Pink Sherbet Photography)