Author Archives: Meg Rayborn Dawson

Reading War Champions & How to Teach Reading – Flesch & Blumenfeld

Posted on August 2, 2021 by Meg Rayborn Dawson

“According to the U.S. Department of Education, 54% of U.S. adults 16-74 years old – about 130 million people – lack proficiency in literacy, reading below the equivalent of a sixth-grade level.” (Forbes Magazine, September 9, 2020) How can we … Continue reading →

Posted in education, Functional Illiteracy, homeschooling, Phonics, Reading, teaching, The New Illiterates, tutoring, Why Johnny Can't Read | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Great Phonics Exodus was Followed by Mass Illiteracy (What I learned from Sam, #6)

Posted on July 30, 2021 by Meg Rayborn Dawson

While reading another of Sam Blumenfeld’s books (The New Illiterates: And how to keep your child from becoming one, 1973 and 1988), I came across an intriguing quote. When responding to the high percentage of “functional illiterates” among inmates, Chief … Continue reading →

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Lightning may have sparked life on Earth, study finds

Posted on July 20, 2021 by Meg Rayborn Dawson

  Lightning may have sparked life on Earth, study finds Issued on: 16/03/2021 – 17:22Modified: 16/03/2021 – 17:2Paris (AFP) Lightning strikes may have supplied primordial Earth with enough phosphorus to support the emergence of life, according to new research Tuesday that offered … Continue reading →

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Nurturing the Budding Scientist inside Every Child

Posted on July 19, 2021 by Meg Rayborn Dawson

“Young children live in the here-and-now world around them, which they use as a laboratory for their explorations.” Lucy Sprague Mitchell Children’s author Ruth Kraus put this idea into practice. She asked a group of children to define the purposes … Continue reading →

Posted in A Hole is to Dig, child scientist, encouraging children, teaching science, traits of a scientist observation | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Surprising History of the Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich

Posted on July 18, 2021 by Meg Rayborn Dawson

The Surprising History of the Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich BY ASHLEY M. BIGGERS  APRIL 2, 2021 GRANDRIVER/ISTOCK VIA GETTY IMAGES PLUS The peanut butter and jelly sandwich is a classic childhood dish, and many adults still enjoy it as a … Continue reading →

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Encouraging Children to Explore their World

Posted on July 15, 2021 by Meg Rayborn Dawson

Inside every child lives a budding scientist. Each has his unique set of tools, a specific environment, and some degree of nourishment. It is our responsibility to apply a balanced amount of guidance. As we observe the child and the … Continue reading →

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Home Schooling Is Way Up With COVID-19. Will It Last?

Posted on July 14, 2021 by Meg Rayborn Dawson

Home Schooling Is Way Up With COVID-19. Will It Last? ByArianna Prothero&Christina A. Samuels— Education Week November 09, 2020 |Corrected: November 11, 202010 min read   Concerns over exposure to the coronavirus, excessive screen time, and instability in school schedules … Continue reading →

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Social Media and a New Type of Learner

Posted on July 9, 2021 by Meg Rayborn Dawson

In an article from Signature Magazine (May 1970) the well-loved American news broadcaster, Walter Cronkite from CBS Evening News, questioned the sufficiency of television news programs.  He believed that the limited reading ability of the American populous (in 1970) was not … Continue reading →

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Learning before we Teach (What I learned from Sam, #5)

Posted on July 8, 2021 by Meg Rayborn Dawson

Samuel Blumenfeld (author of Alpha-Phonics: A Primer for Beginning Readers) was an independent thinker on a solitary quest, and a master at research. (The indexes of his books will show this.) Devoted to improving American literacy, he became a dedicated … Continue reading →

Posted in homeschooling, Of Plimoth Plantation, Phonics, The Paradigm Company, tutoring, U.S. History, William Bradford | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Old Foes & New Conflicts in American Schools (What I learned from Sam, #4)

Posted on July 7, 2021 by Meg Rayborn Dawson

or…         New Battles in an Old Conflict Educational battlegrounds, in our present-day public schools, stem from similar conflicts from our Colonial days. Originally, Massachusetts Puritans enforced Biblical teaching in support of a Calvinistic worldview.  Eventually, these beliefs … Continue reading →

Posted in Common Sense, homeschooling, Phonics, The Age of Reason, Thomas Paine, tutoring | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment