Questions & Answers Which level of Make Your Point, Jr. is right for my kid? If your kid is a brand-new reader and writer, as long as they know the sound that every letter makes, they're ready for Level A. They'll read easy picture books, and they'll write sentences and short paragraphs (or dictate to you until they're ready to write on their own). If your kid is more advanced, they're ready to jump into the higher levels of the program, where they'll find books and words that challenge them and help them grow stronger as readers and writers. Once you see how those levels are set up, you'll probably know which ones are right for your kid: Level Type of Reading Material A picture books full of easy sentences B picture books full of easy paragraphs C picture books full of complex paragraphs D chapter books with pictures on every page E chapter books shorter than 200 pages F chapter books longer than 200 pages Collegiate a variety of substantial texts for mature readers When should my kid progress to the next level of the program? I'll actually encourage your kid to sample from different levels and see what feels comfortable. There's no need to remain on any particular level: your kid may be in the mood for a shorter, easier book one week, then a more challenging one the next. My kid is a new writer and doesn't know how to type yet. How do we use this program? I suggest plopping your little one on your lap, or sitting side by side, as you work on the computer. Your kid can dictate their sentences to you as you type them. If you like, you can grab some paper (or print some) and let your kid practice writing one or more of their sentences by hand, and then you'll type them. I expect your kid will soon be saying "No, let ME type it!" I saw that the weekly lessons are broken up into Day 1 through Day 5. Do I have to follow this schedule? It would be a good idea! You might prefer to work a bit faster or slower, and that's fine. However, I'll caution you against rushing through multiple days of material in a single day. Vocabulary words will stick with you best if you spread your studying out over time, giving yourself a chance to forget about the words and then recall them. The time that you're investing in studying is so valuable, and I want you to get the best results possible. If you're determined to blast your way quickly through multiple lessons each week, let me suggest this: Pick two or more lessons, and do the "Day 1" activities for all of them on Monday, all of the "Day 2" activities on Tuesday, and so on. This way, you're still spacing out your studies, so you'll still be securing the vocabulary words in your long-term memory. The lesson I picked has words that I already know. Can I skip those? Please study them anyway! Strengthening your vocabulary is all about richness and depth. I want you to know so much more than a simple definition of a word, and I want you to do so much more than comprehend a word when you bump into it. I want you to know lots of things about that word, and lots of ways to use it. I want you to summon that word whenever you need it. Most of all, I want you to build rich neural networks of words in your head, so that it's fast and easy for you to sift through your vocabulary to select just the right word to express yourself. How do I use the given ideas to write my own sentence? How does that work? Also, isn't that plagiarism? Will I get in trouble? Don't worry! There's a difference between plagiarism and practice. Plagiarism is stealing someone else's writing, publishing it, and saying that it's your own. That's not okay! But practice can involve using someone else's writing as a template, borrowing the structure as a model of good grammar and style, and adding your own ideas and details. That's totally okay! What you want to do is copy and paste the template, and inside all the parentheses, add your own details. Let's see some examples... Start with the given idea... and turn it into your own sentence! To me, one of the most delightful (smells, tastes, or sounds) is (something). To me, one of the most delightful smells is the warm, buttery scent of biscuits rising in my grandmother's oven. A baby (kind of animal) is fragile, with tiny little (body parts of some kind). A baby skunk is fragile, with tiny little claws. If you attempt to (do something difficult), make sure you start by (taking some important step). If you attempt to skateboard down the railing of a staircase, make sure you start by strapping on a helmet. Do I have to read an entire book every week? That's a lot. Only if you want to! I do encourage you to read at least a little bit every day. If you're working on Levels A, B, or C, then you're reading picture books, so you can probably get through an entire book in a day or two. You don't have to read the book by yourself: you can listen to a family member read it, or you can listen to it on YouTube. If you're working on Levels D and up, then you're reading chapter books. In that case, I totally understand your concern. A chapter book a week can be a LOT of reading. You'll notice that in each lesson, I ask you to read at least a certain number of pages or chapters—that's enough for you to understand the lesson, absorb the vocabulary words, and do some writing. After that, if you're into the book, please read more! If you're not into it, don't read any more! Life is short and books are plentiful. Try a different book, or reread a favorite. If you have a question that I haven't answered here, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. I look forward to working with you!