Book reviews/How to encourage reading/Words and Technology

Common Sense Media: A Tool for Families

Posted on by Julia Tomiak / 5 Comments

Precious little eyes and ears

I like to keep a very close tab on every book, movie, or game my children see.  As technology and media permeate our world, I feel compelled to diligently monitor what goes through the little eyes and ears of my family members.  That’s why I’m so thankful that my tech savvy friend Don introduced me to Common Sense Media.  (Everyone needs a tech savvy friend.  You got one?)

Common Sense Media is a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to offering information about media, including books, movies, apps, and games, to parents, children, and educators.  The goal is informed decision making, not censorship.   Board Members of Common Sense Media have experience in a wide range of fields, including law, education, and communications, and they provide reviews of products “so that families can have a choice and a voice about the media they consume.”
Each review lists a summary of the product and a minimum suggested appropriate age for using/viewing/reading.  Entries include specific ratings for content issues that parents need to know about, such as positive messages, positive role models, violence, sex, and substance abuse.  You can also access parent and kid reviews, as well as links to other suggested items in a similar genre.   Discussion questions are included at the bottom of each entry so that parents can initiate conversations with their kids about the themes and characters they have seen.
I’ve found that in general, the reviews on the site fall in line with my perceptions.  For example, The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, gets an excellent rating but is recommended for 15 year olds.  I agree with the high rating, the warnings provided about controversial content in the novel, and the recommendation for older teen readers.

It’s also interesting to note the discrepancy between kids’ and parents’ insights.  The website rated The Hunger Games book as appropriate for 12 year olds, while parents rated it for 13 year olds, and kids rated it for 11 year olds.  This accurately reflects what I’ve observed while talking with kids, parents, and teachers about the book.

You have to join the Common Sense Media Community to access content, but it’s a free and simple process.  As a member, you can post your own reviews to add to the data base. I’m so happy to find a resource to help me keep up with my kids.  Since I don’t have lots of leisure time to sit around and read (like my kids do… oooh I get so jealous!), I need help to guide my children as they choose media to explore. You can bookmark the site or download the iPhone app!
Up until a certain age, I think it’s appropriate to shield adult topics from my children.  And as they mature, I want to discuss difficult and controversial issues with them to help build ethical and moral thinking.  CommonSense Media gives me the tools to do both.
What resources/websites/tools do you use to screen information?  How do you tackle conversations about difficult subjects in media?  Please leave your suggestions below.
And thanks to Don Klingen for sharing this great website!
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Julia
Improving vocabulary

Gidget Teaches Me Vocab

Posted on by Julia Tomiak / 12 Comments

June Review winners


First, thanks to everyone who participated in June’s Word Nerd VocabularyReview.    Three ladies got all three questions correct!  Congrats to  
  • Emily McGee, who writes very interesting posts about her traveling adventures at One Trailing Spouse.  She currently lives in Kenya with her husband, and I love reading about her experiences.  She also offers recommended links every Friday.
  • Susan Stillwell, from I Hope for Him and  Blogmama Susan .  See her blogs for devotions, prayers, practical blogging advice, and Friday roundups.
  • Sally Mayor, who offers writing and website resources at her site, Word Nerd. 
** Note:  Susan and Sally are two time winners!  Great job ladies!

A few clarifications about the review.  I left the analogy pedantic : academic :: pernicious : ___________  open ended on purpose.  I was looking for a synonym for pernicious, and several of you gave excellent answers (ie. harmful, malicious, malevolent.)  Also, my third question asked you to choose a definition for preternaturally, which is an adverb.  However, all of my answers were adjectives!  Emily McGee caught this and wrote in her answer as “extraordinarily” instead of extraordinary.  Good eye, Emily, and extra kudos to you!

Come back on the last Tuesday in July for another (less confusing) review and another chance to earn “link love.”  



This Week’s New Word


Gidget, an energetic little dog, keeps the horses in line at the barn where my daughter takes riding lessons.  When my daughter commented on the dog’s unusual name, I explained that Gidget was a character from a 1960s TV show.  In the process of “Googling” Gidget, I discovered that it’s the portmanteauof the words “girl” and “midget”.  


Sally Field as Gidget
Portmanteau \pōrt-‘man-tō\ noun, from French porter to carry + manteau mantle; originally meaning a large carrying bag, but in 1882 it also came to be used as a word blending more than one use or quality.
Word Nerd Note: Dickens uses portmanteau several times in Great Expectations to refer to Pip’s luggage.  
Word Nerd Workout  Create your own portmanteau or share one you have heard.

Some examples:

linner (lunch + dinner)
ginormous (giant + enormous) – my husband hates this one
brilly (brisk + chilly) 

I can’t wait to see your suggestions!  Thanks for stopping by!

You may also like my posts on these word nerdy words:

oleophobic
supercilious 

Julia
How to encourage reading

Another Great Word Game: Scribblish!

Posted on by Julia Tomiak / 8 Comments

Lake Pleasant
When this post is published, I will be relaxing in the Adirondacks, sitting beside the waters of Lake Pleasant, reading a book (of course!).
Every summer we travel to the blissful peace of Camp of the Woods, a place dedicated to family, faith, and renewal.  And this year I plan to pack one of our favorite new word nerdy (don’t tell my husband) games:  Scribblish!
Hasbro has put out lots of fun games in the Cranium line, starting with the original “Cranium.”  (I always gravitate towards the “Word Worm” category for some reason…)  This one, which combines the classic games of “Telephone” and “Pictionary” is fun for adults and kids. 
Here’s how you play.  Grab at least six friends and family for maximum fun.  Everyone gets a “scroll” and a card with silly phrases on it like “And that’s when I fell into a bucket of _____” or “I invented the world’s craziest dance move”.   Each player must choose one phrase from their card (they are all unique) and write it on his scroll.  Then all scrolls get turned upside down and placed in the middle of the table.  Players choose new scrolls and must draw a picture for the phrase they find on the scroll.
Not too hard, right?  Wait!  Then, players again turn in scrolls and blindly pick new ones.  Now, they must write a phrase looking ONLY AT the PICTURE previously drawn.  They cannot peek at the original phrase.  The process repeats, and the giggling begins, as well as exclamations of “WHAT is this?” or “I can’t draw!!”
Somehow, the opening phrase “I can balance a ladder on my nose” can change to “A bird flies south for winter,” as it did in one of our games (see below).  Players earn points for the funniest entries, as well as for guessing which final picture matches their original phrase.  

Opening phrase and picture
Final picture!  How did that happen?
You can find Scribblish at most retail stores.  Please give it a try!  What are your favorite summer time games for friends and family?  Share your ideas in the comments below.  Thanks for stopping by!
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Julia
Improving vocabulary

More Vocabulary with Dickens

Posted on by Julia Tomiak / 7 Comments

Since I found so many interesting words in Great Expectations, I thought I’d share another one.  When I came across sagacious, as I have many times in the book, (sagacious must have been one of Dickens’s favorites), I guessed that it meant wise. (ie, sage advice)
Hurray, I was correct!
Sagacious \sƏ- ‘gā-shƏs\ adj from  Latin sagire,  to perceive keenly; of keen and farsighted penetration and judgment


Word Nerd Workout:  Use sagacious in a sentence.  My workout:

I learned about more than physics from Dr. Fisher, my sagacious professor in undergraduate school. 

Please don’t assume I majored in Physics; I had to take it as a prerequisite for P.T. school, and I nearly flunked.  Dr. Fisher guided me through the challenges with a firm hand and a patient smile.  She still sends me Christmas cards!
I look forward to reading your sentences, and thanks for stopping by!

Julia
How to encourage reading

Like Thomas Jefferson, I Need Books

Posted on by Julia Tomiak / 7 Comments

Jamestown Settlement
In April, I traveled across Virginia with my daughter and 125 of her fourth grade classmates.  We took a whirlwind tour of important sites in Virginia state history:  Richmond, Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Monticello. The buses rolled out of the school parking lot at 5am the first day, and we got back, bleary eyed, at 11pm on day two.
Sounds like a dream trip, doesn’t it?

Actually, it wasn’t that bad, and we saved the best stop for last: Monticello.  Thomas Jefferson chose a remarkable spot for his home: a mountain in the foot hills of the Blue Ridge, with gorgeous views of the valleys around it.  My energy level perked up when we arrived, but unfortunately, my excitement didn’t help the kids.
Monticello, Charlottesville, VA
Disclaimer:  I graduated from the University of Virginia, the institution of higher learning founded by the great Mr. Jefferson, and therefore I confess a bias.  However, although I admire Jefferson, I’m not oblivious to his faults.  The whole rewriting the Bible thing disturbs me.  And then there is Sally Hemings.
That aside, Jefferson’s home truly inspires awe.  He devoted his life to acquiring knowledge, which is evident the moment you step inside Monticello.  Maps and artwork cover the walls.  Nineteenth century gadgets occupy his desk, and my favorite is an early form of a copy machine.  The pen Jefferson wrote with was attached to another pen, which printed up a second copy.  Ingenious!  But the best example of Jefferson’s love for learning is his library.
Mr. Jefferson loved books of all kinds.  He believed books were necessary for learning, and that knowledge cleared the pathway to freedom. 

“I cannot live without books.”  Thomas Jefferson

According to the Library of Congress, by 1814 Jefferson had acquired the largest personal collection of books in the United States at the time.  After the British burned down the Nation’s Capitol and the Library of Congress during the War of 1812, Jefferson sold his library to Congress to replace what had been lost.  Records indicate he shipped 6487 volumes.  Wow. 
I smiled when our tour guide explained that Jefferson, in letters to his daughter Martha, urged her to read as much as she could and to plan every hour of her day to maximize her intellectual growth.   I looked down at my daughter and said, “See, I’m not the only one.” 
My exhausted 10 year old rolled her eyes.  But I grinned the entire time I walked through Monticello, because I love learning and books as much as Jefferson did.  
After the tour, in the noisy chaos of the gift shop (125 fourth graders, remember?), a patron standing near me picked up a mouse pad printed with the fine quote above:  I cannot live without books.  The man chuckled and commented:  “Isn’t this ironic, since the e-book is destroying books.”
I looked up at him with horror.  And then the Jeffersonian spirit filled me.  Books may assume different forms, but will never die, and neither will learning.  The future of our country depends on it.  We cannot live without books. 
Do you feel this same need for books?  How do you see their relevance changing, if at all, in our society?  What or who inspires your love of books and learning?  Share your thoughts in the comments below, and thanks for stopping by.

Other posts you might like:


The Future of Books Depends on Barnes and Noble
The Pros and Cons of eReaders

Julia
Improving vocabulary

Word Nerd Vocabulary Review: June

Posted on by Julia Tomiak / 11 Comments

We have reached the end of another month, which means it’s time to review!



First, thank you to everyone who participated in my first “WordNerd Vocabulary Quiz.”  I hope you had fun while stretching your brain briefly for the quiz.  Special congratulations to the Word Nerds who got ALL THREE questions right!  These awesome ladies are…        *Drum roll*

  • Susan Stilwell, who has two great blogs:  I Hope for Him, with prayers, devotionals, and great links every Friday, and Blogmama Susan, tips for starting and maintaining a blog, with an emphasis on the technical aspects of such an endeavor.  (She’s why I’m here!)
  •  Monique Liddle, who blogs about the how she copes with health challenges at Bends in the Road.  She offers resources and encouragement for all of us facing those big “turning points” in life.
  •  Sally Mayor, who offers website and blogging resources at Word Nerd.  (How can I not like this woman, another self proclaimed word nerd!?)

By the way, the correct answers were samovar, mellifluous, and inexorable.  See the quiz here.
I’ve decided a month is too long to wait for results.  (Right now, you’re probably scratching your head, trying to remember the quiz!)  Since I’ll be on vacation next week (yippee), I’ll announce the winners and share link love in two weeks.  From then on, I’ll congratulate the winners one week after the quiz. 
On to the next review! 

Word Nerd Workout
  1. Which word comes from Latin roots meaning “diviner by birds”?
    1. Supercilious
    2. Auspicious
    3. Gerrymander
  2. Fill in the blank for this analogy.                                                    Pedantic : academic :: pernicious : ________________.
  3. “Campbell offered several preternaturally bright ideas during Camp Invention.”  In this sentence, preternaturally is an (adjective/adverb- choose one) that means
    1. Ostentatious
    2. Literal
    3. Extraordinary 
Hope these get you thinking!  Leave your answers in the comments below, and  thanks for playing!

Julia