The Canadian Record (Canadian, Tex.), Vol. 115, No. 33, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 18, 2005 Page: 23 of 40
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THE CANADIAN RECORD
SCHOOL PAGE
THURSDAY 18 AUGUST 2005
23
Mary Jane MeKinney
CAN WATCHING MOVIES IMPROVE Your reading skills? Yes, if it's the right
movie. Bear with me and I'll explain Reading is a learned skill like playing the gui-
tar or judo. And just like those skills, reading requires the proper workout. In order to
improve your reading skills, you must participate in a challenging intellectual workout
that will result in higher comprehension, speed, and ease.
Students who read material that is two levels beyond their reading level become
better readers. Here's how it works. If you stay in your comfort zone, whether we're
talking about running, weight-lifting, playing the piano, or reading, you will not see an
improvement in your performance. You've got to challenge yourself and go beyond what
you're capable of in order to get results.
What makes reading difficult? Vocabulary, syntax, and inference. Here are some
ways, including movie-viewing, that you can tackle these obstacles:
Vocabulary: Make a list of the words you don't know and look them up in the diction-
ary, either as you read or after you've finished reading. Many times it's not the defini-
tion thattrips students up. Aword can be anallusion they don'tunderstand. Woodstock,
for example, is not in the dictionary. Neither is Love Canal. Both are historical events
that have become literary allusions. Encyclopedias, the internet, and guidebooks like
Edith Hamilton's Mythology are good sources for discovering the symbolic meaning of
anallusion.
Syntax: Gradually, readers should move from the easiestsentence pattern, subjeet-
verb-object to more complex patterns. Otherwise, you will never be able to read your
own insurance policy which is written in phrases and clauses. Some authors remain
in the curriculum in order to provide mental exercise for readers trying to hone their
skills. Dickens, Conrad, Hardy, Melville, and Hawthorne are authors whose syntax
(word order) is complex. Any one of these authors' sentences, when put under the micro-
scope of literary analysis, reveals astonishing logic and artistic, as well as grammatical
complexity. Many highly-rated private schools in the U.S. place modern and contem-
porary fiction on the required summer reading list, and teach only the classics in the
regular term Learning to read challenging material with ease will raise your level of
reading comprehension.
Inference: Most students have tremendous difficulty with inference, which is the
invisible level of reading comprehension. It's what the words hint at. It's what we read
between the lines. In Stephen Crane's Maggie: A Girl of the Streets, the word prosti-
tute never appears. Maggie's decline into prostitution is inferred. Likewise, in Poe's
The Telltale Heart, the insanity of the narrator is inferred, not stated. In Tess of the
D'Urbervilles, Hardy never uses the word rape. The rape scene is masterfully written
using inference.
I used to show the film In the Heat of the Nightwhen I taught Richard Wright's novel
Black Boy. When I taught Night by Elie Weisel I would show Empire of the Sun, one
of Steven Speilberg's best. I paired Casablanca with A Tale of Two Cities. The kids
loved the movies, but they had a hard time following the subplots, and could not catch
the inference. Why not? Because the movies they've been raised on have plots that are
the equivalent of the subject-verb-objeet pattern. They've been watching films without
subplots, without complex characters, with everything bluntly spelled out instead of
hinted at. Watching complex movies will improve one's understanding of inference as
much as reading complex literature. The American Film Institute's list of the top 100
films is a good source. Go to www.afi.com. Turner Classic Movies and PBS also have
websites.
A funny thing about reading. Whenyou improve your reading, you become a better
writer. Osmosis, maybe.
DON'T DROP THE BALL!
Support the Wildcat Football
or your favorite player with a special good
message or a business logo!
Space is limited, so reserve your place today call 806-323-6461.
PI&SKIN PREVIEW 2005 on newsstands August 25th
iood luck
806-323-6461.™ j
r«ii
"pnom "jM"
uirses
By Molly Kerrigan, RN, BSN, Canadian ISD Nurse
Another summer has whirled
through time like a tornado. Tans will be
fading, sun-bleached hair will start to
lose its "California glow" and malls will
be buzzing with parents and kids scram-
bling to get the good deals on fall clothes
and school supplies. Football players have
already reported for duty and the anticipa-
tion and excitement awaiting the Friday
night lights is definitely in the air. I am
amazed, as I continue to be every year, how
fast the time flies.
With the start of school tugging at our
shirt tails, I am obligated to review any
new school health laws that our honorable,
yet indecisive leaders down in Austin have
impressed upon us. So far, only one new
law affects my particular area.
This change will affect children at-
tending Pre-Kindergarten, Head Start,
or other early childhood programs and in-
cludes ALL children attending child eare
facilities. The new law requires that these
children be vaccinated against invasive
pneumococcal and hepatitis A diseases in addition to the regularly scheduled immu-
nizations.
Pneumococcal disease is most commonly associated with middle ear infections,
pneumonia, blood stream infections, sinus infections and meningitis. Hepatitis A is
a liver disease commonly associated with food servers. Children two years of age or
older will be required to get two doses of hepatitis A vaccine separated by at least 6
months. It is only necessary that they receive the first dose in order to start school.
All other students will be required to have the same immunizations as last year.
All shots must be Up to date by the first day of school in order to attend according to
state law! I will be happy to review your child's records and assist you in determin-
ing if they need additional immunizations. Most returning students have already re-
ceived notice from me if they need shots to start school.
The Texas Department of State Health Services will be having an immunization
clinic on Monday, August 15th from 12:30 p.m. - 4 p.m. at the City Hall in Canadian.
Canadian Family Physicians at the Hemphill County Clinie also provide immuniza-
tions. You can call them at 323-8882 for an appointment.
In addition to immunization upkeep, I will be conducting the regular vision, hear-
ing and spinal screenings this year. I will only notify parents of the results if a refer-
ral to a physician is necessary. However, I am always available if you have concerns
regarding any aspect of your child's health. Students have to be healthy if they are to
reach their full potential in the academic arena, and it is my goal to see that all stu-
dents have the same advantages and resources in order to succeed.
I am looking forward to seeing all the kids again and am excited to begin anoth-
er school year. And yes, I too, am craving some Friday night football...GO WILD-
CATS!!!
WEAR HAS
arrived?
m
peppermint
218South Third
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Brown, Laurie Ezzell. The Canadian Record (Canadian, Tex.), Vol. 115, No. 33, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 18, 2005, newspaper, August 18, 2005; Canadian, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth220694/m1/23/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Hemphill County Library.