Reading tests

Children’s author Alan Gibbon’s “Campaign for the Book”, has launched a legal challenge to Ed Vaizey the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.

Child development expert claims that fairy tales such as Rapunzel and Cinderella are crucial to children’s development.

Parents are being encouraged to form campaign groups to fight the closure of children’s centres in their area.

National Literacy Trust has teamed up with WWE (formerly World Wrestling Entertainment) to inspire pupils to work on their communication skills.

Do you work with people who may struggle to complete their census forms due to low levels of literacy? Help is available.

On the eve of World Book Day (2 March), the National Literacy Trust held a fundraising lecture in memory of the charity’s founder, Sir Simon Hornby.

Many TOEFL students feel confident in their ability to speak English, but express much less confidence in their ability to write Essays. They aren’t alone! Writing an essay can be a difficult experience in your native language, never mind your second or third. Below are some simple tips to help you score your best on the independent writing section of the TOEFL exam.
Remember structure. Plan your writing before you start – a 4 to 5 paragraph essay is the best length. Remember to keep …

This is another Sample TOEFL essay. Check out my first one on writing a persuasive TOEFL essay here.
Some students have issues with the description essay question. A description essay question looks like this:
Describe your favorite sport. Include details and examples to explain why you enjoy this sport
It’s a really simple question, which is probably what confuses students. There are two common mistakes that people make:
Writing randomly all sorts of facts and …

This is a new idea I’ve had to help students prepare for the Written Section of the TOEFL by providing you with a sample essay. I hope to do this fairly regularly.
UPDATE: In fact, I followed up on that promise. Check out a descriptive essay about my favorite sport.
In my textbook once I get in online I plan do a lot of exercises on writing the essay and include more example essays including good ones, bad ones and so-so ones, but overall I think one of the biggest problems …

If you want to find a job working for an English company or wish to move to an English speaking state you will need to pass the TOEFL exam. To pass the test you need to learn English rather well, both speaking and writing. The easiest way today, and the most affordable, is to learn English online. We will cover a few things that will help you learn English online and prepare for the TOEFL exam.
The first thing of course is to evaluate your English skills. For that you can download a free …

When it comes to learning how to read in English, many future TOEFL Test takers often analyze each and every word for meaning.
They break down the word into its roots, and translate what each part of it means.  They look for a relationship between the words in their native language to that of English.  And finally, they use the word to make sense of the sentence, much like how one places the last jigsaw piece in place to finish the puzzle.
As a TOEFL prep coach, I understand …

You don’t need a crystal ball to identify your weakest TOEFL Test area: it’s the writing section.
Maybe that’s why so many students worry about acing the writing section.  After all, their English skills have focused so much on actually speaking the language that they neglected their writing.
Does this story sound familiar to you?  You spent all of your time watching American English films and having conversations with native English speakers.  In fact, you were so confident …

By Kim Min-woo
In Korea nowadays, the TOEFL test is becoming a mandatory test for everyone to take. Admission for university, job applications, and for study abroad programs, the TOEFL test is the one of the most important criteria. Due to the great emphasis on the TOEFL test, people are asking more about tips and study guides to receive a high score. I would like to share some of the know-hows and my personal experience on the TOEFL test.
The TOEFL test is the most efficient and …

By Yoon Jung-yeon

Once upon a time, there was a girl who was in love with the Disney Princesses. Dressed in a princess dress, she twirled around in her little dress like Cinderella. The little girl’s room was filled with storybooks of these princesses and movies. She watched these movies and looked at these storybooks every day to live inside of these stories among her beloveds. Only there was this slightest problem. She did not understand a word in the book nor the lines of her …

For TOEFL iBT Speaking Section: A Closer look and suggestions to consider
By Kim Hae-jin
For students who wish to study abroad in an English-speaking country, an assessment demonstrating your English skills, such as the TOEFL test, will most likely be required to complete your application for international study.
I was one of many Korean international students who have pursued their dreams abroad. Being curious about all aspects of languages, I studied linguistics at the …

When you’re preparing for a big exam like the TOEFL, you need to focus on studying efficiently – packing in the most amount of studying in the shortest amount of time. Using verbal summaries (that is, summarizing an article out loud) tests and improves your reading, comprehension, and speaking skills all at once. Talk about a time saver! Here is how you can work verbal summaries into your study routine.
1. Read a short newspaper article, jotting down major points and any new …

Coordinated by the Migration Policy Institute’s National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, the E Pluribus Unum Prizes national awards program provides four $50,000 prizes annually to exceptionally successful immigrant integration initiatives. The program highlights and rewards outstanding efforts that help immigrants and their children join the mainstream of U.S. society or that bring immigrants and the native born together to build stronger, more cohesive communities.

Applications are due December 15, 2010 at 5 P.M. EST. The application is open to individuals, nonprofit and community organizations, businesses, religious groups, and government entities, agencies, or officials operating in the United States. Winners are recognized at an event in Washington, D.C. each May. For more information and to apply, visit www.integrationawards.org.

Note: On December 20, 2010, The Courier-Journal, the daily newspaper for the Louisville, KY, metropolitan area, ran the following editorial from NCFL President Sharon Darling on its website. The entire editorial is below.

On Dec. 12, The Courier-Journal ran an Associated Press poll that found parents are the group most blamed for what’s wrong with the U.S. education system. It presents a unique opportunity — not for finger-pointing but for moving the dialogue on parent engagement beyond education circles.

The National Center for Family Literacy agrees that parents are the most important factor in their children’s education. Children spent five times as much time outside of the classroom, so learning shouldn’t be confined to the classroom. But we must move past the tendency of playing the blame game and help parents leverage their important role into meaningful change and improvement.

NCFL has conducted research with parents, which shows they understand and appreciate their important role but feel overwhelmed and confused by the system. The research found parents are concerned that:

Learning is no longer fun for children once they face the pressures of a long school day;

They can’t keep up with their advancing children but realize that they have an important role in helping their children succeed academically;

They aren’t getting the answers they need on how to help their children because they don’t even know what questions to ask or how to navigate the complex education system; and

Financial pressures may prohibit them from giving their children everything they need to succeed.

In this bad economy, there is no more important time to enact these changes but also no more challenging time. Parents and schools alike are overburdened and strapped for money. But change doesn’t have to be painful or difficult. In fact, sometimes lasting change can only occur if it begins with simple steps.

Based on more than 20 years of helping 1 million families across the country achieve educational and economic gains, NCFL has three recommendations for how parents can become meaningful participants and leaders in their children’s education:

1. Parents can infuse their daily activities with fun learning activities. Time in car pool, a trip to the grocery store, a visit to the park — these are not only things that parents do every day, they are opportunities for learning together. If parents transform their daily routine into adventures in learning, it doesn’t add time to their busy schedules. Instead, it helps involve them in their children’s education and reinforces learning when children aren’t in school in a fun, easy way. To learn how, parents can visit www.wonderopolis.org to receive a daily activity they can do with their children.
2. Help is available to help parents navigate the education system and prepare for college — academically and financially. This can be a daunting task for parents, especially if they haven’t been to college or are new to the U.S. education system. NCFL has prepared the Family Literacy-Community College Partnership Initiative, a comprehensive set of resources to improve the gateway to post-secondary education for families. The free materials will help families understand the importance of earning a degree, navigate the system and better prepare them for post-secondary courses. They will be made available soon at www.famlit.org.
3. Schools can more effectively increase parental engagement, which has been proven to improve low-performing schools. Parental engagement strategies should extend beyond the one-time bake sale or enrichment activity. Parents must truly become a part of their children’s school. At the most intensive level, schools can create family literacy programs — and equip parents with basic skills for themselves and to assist their children in education while also ensuring the children get off to a strong academic start.

Engaged parents, dedicated educators and a committed community — all must serve a crucial role in education for our children to succeed and our country to thrive.

Sharon Darling is president and founder of the National Center for Family Literacy in Louisville.

Do you know an educator devoted to family literacy? NCFL and Toyota are now accepting nominations for the 2011 Toyota Family Literacy Teacher of the Year. This is the 15th year that Toyota has sponsored the award in conjunction with NCFL.

Nominate your candidate at www.famlit.org/ToyotaTeacher. Nominations are due Monday, January 31, 2011.

• The online nomination form should be completed by the program director or coordinator.
• It must include a statement of support for the nominated educator written by a parent/adult student.
• Programs may nominate up to two educators.
• The nominated educator cannot have been a finalist in the past three years.

The winner will receive $10,000 for his or her family literacy program and a free trip to the 2011 National Conference on Family Literacy in April 2011 in Louisville, Ky. Three finalists will receive a $500 scholarship for the conference.

Celebrate Black History Month with your students by sharing the hard work, struggles and successes of African-Americans throughout history.

Wonderopolis will be honoring the month with special Wonders of the Day. Mark your calendars!

• February 18 — What Was the Underground Railroad?
• February 23 — Who Was George Washington Carver?

While you’re waiting for these special Wonders of the Day, check out this one from January 17 — Who Was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.?

Don’t forget to check Thinkfinity.org for more resources! An extensive collection offers lessons, activities and primary source items that range from W.E.B Du Bois, the NAACP, National African American Read-in, Brown v. Board of Education and many more.

• Share the achievements of great African-Americans with your students. Explore EDSITEment’s collection of 23 Black History lessons (grades 6 through 12).
• For science students, show the impact of African-American scientists in the areas of science, technology, engineering and medicine (grades 6 through 12).
• Help your students experience the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education and understand how the case impacts their education today (grades 6 through 12).

Are you part of the Thinkfinity Community? Visit today and see what other educators are discussing about Black History Month.