3 Ways to Help Your Child Learn to Speak Italian

3 Ways to Help Your Child Learn to Speak Italian Brooke Neuman Bilingual children enjoy creative, cognitive, and cultural advantages because of their early exposure to multiple languages. Fortunately,  childhood is an  ideal time to learn a new language, especially when the brain is still developing. However,  your child doesnt have to start taking language lessons in infancy or grow up in a multilingual household to speak Italian. You just need to stay involved in their learning process and think of creative ways to keep them engaged. If your son or daughter is taking private Italian lessons but you dont speak Italian, its especially important to keep them immersed and make sure his or her new skills stick. Turn Italian into your household’s second language with the  following three kid-friendly techniques. From laminated labels to delicious menu items, your child will learn to speak Italian in no time! 1. Household  Labels Enlist your budding bilinguals help with  a creative activity that will pay off for months to come: labels! Sticking name cards on everyday objects  is  a tried and true way to reinforce new vocabulary terms and your child will appreciate the opportunity to curate their own collection of words. Make it an ongoing project by starting with simple items, such as doors, windows, and appliances, and progressing to less common terms as your child gets comfortable with the first set of cards. If you dont want to fill your home with neon colored post-its, find single sheets of scrapbook paper that simulate the colors and materials of each surface. 2. Italian Movie Night There arent many stateside screenings of Italian-language movies, but its hard to beat the educational value of a foreign film. Check  your library, online streaming services,  and  on-demand menus for original Italian movies with kid-friendly themes. The following five are particularly popular and widely available in America: Title Genre Rating Released Themes  Life is Beautiful  (La vita  Ã¨  bella) Dark comedy PG-13 1997 Holocaust, father/son relationship, literature They Call Me Trinity  (Lo  chiamavano  Trinità) Western G 1970 Cops vs. robbers Il  Postino: The Postman  (Il  Postino) Romantic comedy PG 1994 Poetry, love, literature Pinocchio  (Pinocchio) Fantasy comedy G 2002 Fairy tales, father/son relationship, honesty Trinity Is STILL My Name! (Continuavano  a  chiamarlo  Trinità) Western G 1971 Pioneers, brotherhood Dont rely on English subtitles to understand the plots and  dialogue; instead, screen or stream the movies with their original audio, and encourage your child  to pay attention. Even if your child  doesnt catch every word, he or she will  get a little more comfortable with each subsequent viewing. 3.  Italian Dinner Night Italy already has the market cornered on kid-friendly cuisine, but your family  probably wont pick up much  Italian from a slice of pizza or bowl of spaghetti. If you want to  use mealtime as an opportunity to help your children speak Italian, its time to start a new family tradition. Pick a  day or two  each month â€"  for example, every other Thursday  â€" to prepare and serve  authentic Italian meals together. Instead of  rotating a menu of safe favorites, commit to making at least one new dish each time.  You dont have to tackle challenging recipes for flatbread pizzas and hand-pulled pastas; just make sure your kids are picking items with original Italian names, and learning about their origins and etymologies. For example, pasta cuts often have literal names  with plural suffixes, such as  ini  or  otti, which describe their size, shape and  texture. If your kids pick different pastas for every Italian family dinner, theyll gradually become acquainted with a whole lexicon of common words and grammar structures. Speaking Italian is a great skill for a child to have. While private Italian lessons will certainly help your child progress, doing fun exercises at home is a great way to speed up the learning process and engage your child. For more fun kid-friendly Italian exercises, check out these other blogs posts: Italian for Kids: Learning the Alphabet [Audio and Visual] 4 Fun Italian Vocabulary Games for Kids 4 Quick and Easy Italian Grammar Exercises Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher Photos by Tom Borowski,  Ginny,  Jonathan Moreau

Online Geometry Tutoring

Online Geometry Tutoring Get Online Geometry Help Now. Our Online Geometry Tutors Now Available 24/7. If cones and spheres have you stuck, theres no need to worry. Tutor Pace has a team of experienced online geometry tutors who are ready to help you succeed. Our online tutors are available 24/7 to bring you in-depth insight to the areas that bring you the most difficulty. Innovative Geometry Tutoring Online: Our virtual online classroom makes learning Geometry easier than ever. The interactive whiteboard allows you to work on problems in real-time with your tutor. Every session Expert Help at Your Disposal: All of our tutors have been tested to make sure they are ready for any question you have. We make sure they can explain tough concepts in easy-to-understand language so you always get the most benefit from your tutoring experience. A Wealth of Benefits: Our online tutors can help you with everything you need to learn Geometry. They can: Take you step-by-step on a homework problem Give you extra help for an upcoming exam Explain difficult formulas. Explore advanced Geometry concepts Tutor Paces expert tutors are always ready to teach you the concepts you need to know in order to earn the grades you want.

4 Things to Consider Before Transferring Colleges

4 Things to Consider Before Transferring Colleges Students transfer colleges for a variety of reasons. Sometimes, it is less expensive to get basic credits out of the way at a community college and then transfer to the school of your dreams. Other times, a college may simply be a poor fit for a particular student. But transferringschools can be a lot of work, and can even put students on a different timeline for graduating. Is a transfer the right decision for you? Maybe. Here are four things to consider before transferring colleges: 1. Why do you wish to transfer? If youre considering a transfer, it is important to think about whyyou want to leave and if your new school will satisfy that need. Many transfer schools will ask students why theyre headed out, so have an answer ready. Its best to frame it in a positive way, and not dwell on or express extreme displeasure with your current situation. If your reasons for wanting to transfer are good and the new school provides a suitable alternative that meets your needs, proceed but positively. 2. What is the acceptance rate for transfer students? You might think that having a few courses under your belt will help you be accepted at a new and bigger school, but this is often untrue. In some cases, transfer admissions can be significantly more competitive. Learn how the transfer admittance rate compares to your the first-year admittance rate at your school of choice. This will give you a better idea of your admissions chances as a transfer student. You can also increase your chances of being accepted by keeping your gradeshigh. It is one of the most important deciding factors for transfer student acceptance. 3. Will your credits transfer? Perhaps the most important question you need to ask yourself is whether or not your credits will transfer to the institution youre considering. Often, a class that counts toward your major at one university simply doesnt at another. You may be able to get elective credit for that humanities seminar you took last semester, but it may not count toward your electrical engineering major at your new school. Be sure to look into if and how your credits transfer before you commit yourself to another school. 4. What sort of financial aid are you eligible for? Heres the good news: Transfer students are often eligible for a lot of financial aid, particularly if theyve earned good grades or demonstrate need. Be sure to speak with a financial aid representative at your prospective school. He or she will be able to provide you with all the necessary information youll need about scholarships and applying for aid. Also remember to keep up your grades many financial aid opportunities are tied to them. Many students choose to transfer schools at some point in their education. While it may seem like a lot of frustrating hurdles, it can be a great option for many students. Prepare for a little bit of hassle in the initial stages, but expect great things later on. Know that it is an experience shared by many students and, if youre transferring for the right reasons and it makes academic sense to do so, it can end very positively.

JuniorsComplete This College Admissions Checklist This Semester

Juniorsâ€"Complete This College Admissions Checklist This Semester From taking the ACT or SAT, to applying for financial aid, theres a lot to do during your third year of high school. Junior year often involves more college prep tasks than any other year. Putting in a little extra effort to keep yourself organized can go a long way in helping you stay on top of all your tasks during this stressful time. There are many things juniors can do to tackle college admissions, such as narrowing down college choices, researching how to earn college credit in advance, and seeking letters of recommendation. Hoping to stay on top of all the college admissions tasks coming your way this semester? Below, youll find a college admissions checklist for juniors. College admissions tasks to complete after winter break of junior year Now that winter break is over and classes are back in session, there are several things you can do to help make the college admissions process go more smoothly this semester. For example: Narrow down your college shortlist, and arrange several campus visits for the spring and summer. Understand the application requirements of the colleges youre applying to. This process may involve looking at each colleges website and making a list of requirements. Consider how many requirements you have already fulfilled, and which you still need to complete moving forward. Register for any standardized testssuch as the ACT, SAT, and SAT Subject Teststhat you need to take. Sketch out a study plan and get started. Learn what financial aid is available to you in the form of grants, loans, and scholarships. [RELATED: 5 Steps to Ensure a Stellar Letter of Recommendation] College admissions tasks to complete after spring break of junior year Spring break is another opportunity for you to both relax and complete college admissions tasks. Following spring break of your junior year, the next steps to complete in your college admissions process include: Think about how you might be able to earn college credit before enrolling in college, if you havent done so already. Some options include taking AP, IB, or dual-enrollment courses. Earning college credit before college begins is a great way to reduce tuition costs and can also save you the hassle of taking introductory courses, such as those in math and English. Continue to narrow down your college selections. By now, you should have a list of five to 10 colleges to which you will apply. Apply for any summer internships or jobs. These look good on college applications! [RELATED: The Pros and Cons of Dual Credit Courses] College admissions tasks to complete by the last day of junior year The end of junior year marks another exciting milestone in your high school journey. Heres what to have done by the last day of school: Meet with your guidance counselor to set up your senior year schedule. Choose a mix of classes that best demonstrate to prospective colleges who you are and what youre interested in studying. Reach out to a select group of teachers, coaches, group supervisors, and any other adults at your school to ask if theyre willing to provide you with letters of recommendation to include in your college applications. Plan to get at least three adults to commit to writing you letters before junior year comes to a close. Get organized for the next steps of the college application process. This involves writing down all deadlines for sending in applications, registering for financial aid, and taking standardized tests. [RELATED: 3 Questions to Ask Your Guidance Counselor About College] Junior year can be stressful with its heavy focus on college planning, applications, tests, and deadlines. Remember, its important to take time out of your busy academic schedule to have fun with your hobbies, friends, family, and extracurricular activities. Plan out your personal college admissions checklist and youll be on the right track to success. Any topics you want to know more about? Let us know! The Varsity Tutors Blog editors love hearing your feedback and opinions. Feel free to email us at blog@varsitytutors.com.

The Best Drawing Tablets

The Best Drawing Tablets The Best Graphics Tablet for Drawing ChaptersThe Basics: What a Graphics Tablet DoesDifferences Between Paper and Drawing with a TabletSelecting the Right Drawing Tablet for Your ArtGraphic Tablets with LCD ScreenThe Price of Graphics TabletsIn today's everything digital world, it would be absolutely impossible to draw cartoons or be a professional illustrator without mastering computer art applications.Whether to retouch and alter photographs or drawing a human figure from scratch, artists these days must know all about computer systems that assist in creating visual art.If you are employed in any field related to animation, illustration, communication, or advertising, you would know: drawing is now synonymous with computer graphics.  And just as pencil drawing, oils and pastels all need specific drawing tools, so do you need the right tools for digital drawing.Are you in the market for a tablet with excellent graphic capability?If you are a designer, an illustrator or an amateur manga artist, this article is for you.F ind out now how to choose a tablet that meets your needs and budget.With this set up, you are prepared to design virtually anything Source: Pixabay Credit Stuxfocus should be on a computer screen, rather than on your hand.Getting into the habit of moving your stylus independent of vision takes some getting used to.Unless you have a graphic tablet with LCD screen â€" where the image appears under your hand, as with a traditional sketchbook, count on a few sessions of erasure rather than productivity.Now that we know exactly what a graphics tablet is, let's do away with pencil and paper, by choosing one.Think of all the trees you will be saving!With such a tablet, you can begin to create art in minutes Source: Pixabay Credit: Steevepbincluded in the software.Tablets for Established, Professional ArtistsOf course, every working graphic artist wants all of the features included in tablets meant for those taking drawing lessons London or drawing lessons online, and more.Indeed there are graphic tablets targeted to those who make their living by drawing people.Those tablets' features include:Larger screen size â€" on some models, up to A4!Higher screen resolution, up to 1024lpiIncreased sensitivity to inputCapacitive: reading the tilt and direction of the stylus, without the tip touching the screen or padKeyboard shortcuts built into the graphics tabletA multitouch option â€" exerting pressure with up to 5 fingers on the touch strip.For professional art drawing, Wacom is truly a leader in the field.The Intuos Pro series are wireless, include programmable gesture drawing, with a resolution of 5080dpi, and a stylus tilt recognition level at plus or minus 60.All of the Wacom Intuos Pro graphic tablet features are wrapped in a sturdy, compact and attractive design.Learn to sketch on your tablet with Superprof. Photo via VisualhuntIt is a model that is suitable for an advanced or professional user.Graphic Tablets with LCD ScreenI have GOT to get me one of these! - Will S mith, Independence DayFor the serious artist, seasoned architect or systems engineer, a graphics tablet with built-in LCD screen is a must.This type of tablet is a computer onto itself.Also called a portable interactive screen, your stylus strokes appear under your hand, much the way last century's drawing tools made portraiture appear on the sketch paper they hovered over.Many portrait artists find these tablets more comfortable to use, because they can focus on their hand movement rather than on a computer screen.In fact, outside of the obvious lack of warmth that paper generates â€" liquid crystal screens are much cooler, the sensation of passing pencil over paper is much the same.Let's say you want to draw a still life.No longer do you have to wait for optimal light, pose your subject, mix colours and, perhaps, have to erase a contour line that just will not render properly.No need to worry if you have the right colored pencils or enough oil pastels for the job.With such a table t, all of your supplies are included.Here again, Wacom fits the bill: the Cintiq 27HD Touch is the high-end model, at the forefront of artistic  innovation.It is a very large tablet: a 27-inch screen offers ample room to work.As for colour: from light shade and pastels to somber, darker tones, this treasure of drawing skills has them all.Before we talk about price, let us now make a disclaimer.Whereas Wacom is the undisputed leader in the graphic tablet art industry, there are other, equally respectable names that give a satisfying performance in realistic drawing.Huion stands against the competition by offering a quality model at an unbeatable price.A price lower than the leader brand, we might add.The Huion GT-220 tablet has a generous 21-inch screen, and loads of positive feedback from absolute beginners in art class, all the way to the established portrait artist.User feedback is an important, distinguishing characteristic when considering upgrading to the latest in art renderin g technology.You can make a cool drawing, like this mosaic, on your tablet Source: Pixabay Credit: GladyThe Price of Graphics TabletsShort answer: prices are as varied as the breadth of technology available.The stereotype of the starving artist featuring prominently, still today; the price of a graphics tablet is obviously an important criterion in choosing a tablet.Even more important to consider: do you know how to draw portraits realistically enough that your investment in a tablet will pay off?Or do you more want to draw cool things, like graffiti and cartoon people?Whatever your intention â€" simple shapes or complex portrait drawing, you will be able to find entry-level tablets for just under £50.Are you aiming higher in your artistic aspirations?Professional tablet models, with tons of features and interactive screens could run into several hundred pounds.Still, investing in a graphics tablet would be cheaper, in the long run, than constantly replacing canvas, watercolors, y our colored pencil set and charcoal pencil.It is much easier to clean, too!To make your selection â€" to compare the merits of various tablets, you should consider these characteristics:Stylus resolutionScreen resolutionScreen sizePressure levels of the stylusAdvanced FeaturesIntegrated softwareNow, a final suggestion...If you are still undecided about your future as an artist, and looking for an alternative to the graphics tablet, you may already own your solution.The Ipad Pro tablet and its pencil,  the Ultra-book or the Surface Pro  could be a suitable alternative to more expensive tablets, especially if you have only started drawing.And, thanks to digital advances, you no longer need to fret about framing your art!Inspired to start art classes? Want to find drawing lessons for kids? You'll find tutors for drawing lessons for beginners and experts looking to diversify their skill set on Superprof.

How to Create Unique and Catchy Guitar Chord Progressions

How to Create Unique and Catchy Guitar Chord Progressions Sign up successful The blues progression is typically I, IV and V (one, four and five). Almost all of the blues songs that youve ever heard consist of those chords, and many pop and rock songs too. So how do you create a progression thats exciting and fresh? One answer is something called chord leading. Chord Leading Certain chords sound best when theyre followed by certain other chords. Here are some examples of chords that go well together: I  Any chord ii, IV, V, vii0 iii, ii, vi IV, I, V, vii0 V, I vi, ii vii0, I, iii Mix and Match Now, having shown you a list that seems pretty restrictive, let me balance that by telling you that terrific chord progressions have been easily written without the used of this chart and without the use of chord leading at all. I have a much more informal way of create unique and catchy guitar chord progressions. Take the chords I, IV, V and vi. This is sometimes called the Nashville chord progression, while Ive also heard it called the pop chord progression, but its not a progression, its just a set of four chords that are often used to create appealing progressions. Play each one four times; lets say, for right now, that thats four beats in each of our future measures. Go from one chord to another, in no particular order at all. If youre inclined to sing or hum a random melody, even if you wouldnt consider yourself a singer, then I would highly recommend it. It helps the creative process in that it keeps your imagination running. This can help to prevent writers block. Plus, the nature of how the human voice phrases music on its own can help to facilitate the motion or fluidity of this new song. Keep Everything Keep everything that you write. One of my college songwriting professors told me that writing about what you write, not about what you think, sounds best. What you think sounds best may change from day to day. Moreover, sometimes we write bits and pieces of songs and progressions on different days that may only come together on some future day. Unique and catchy guitar chords dont always, or most often, come overnight. They are built like little houses. Just as in building houses, once you start over-analyzing and rearranging too much, the whole thing could start to crumble. A big part of songwriting is being happy about whats been written today and leaving it alone. Theres so much technology out there to record your musical ideas. But for practical purposes, all that you really need is a simple sound recorder on your laptop or tablet. Remember, this is only in order to remember what youve come up with. To quote the film Napoleon Dynamite, Listen to your heart. Thats what I do. Creating anything unique and catchy means looking at what you could contribute artistically and being open and willing to sharing that with the world. Learn more about playing the guitar and making music by taking private lessons with a guitar instructor. Search for a guitar teacher today!   Heather L. teaches singing, piano, acting, and more in St. Augustine, FL, as well as through online lessons. She is  a graduate of the prestigious Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, and has performed with the New York and Royal Philharmonics, the New Jersey and Virginia Symphonies, the American Boy Choir, and the internationally renowned opera star Andrea Bocelli.  Learn more about Heather here! Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher Photo by  Janne Poikolainen

Improve Reading Comprehension With Summer Learning

Improve Reading Comprehension With Summer Learning Four Fun Ways to Boost your Child's Reading Comprehension this Summer! Summer is here and it is the perfect time to get in some extra reading comprehension practice for your child. You can utilize summer's wide variety of educational opportunities, extra time, and lazy days to get in some valuable reading practice for your child. The best part is that your child won't even think that the family is working on reading. Instead your comprehension-building activities will feel like fun ways to spend a summer day learning with the family.If you're looking for some ways to increase your child's reading comprehension this summer consider trying these fun activities: Launch a family study What topics of study intrigue your family? Insects? The Civil War? Dinosaurs? No matter which topic you choose for a family summer study there are many great ways to integrate reading practice. Your family can visit the library to check out books on the topic, read them together, and create a list of questions you still want answered. Take time to extend the reading and learning to real life experiences. Visit a museum or participate in another educational opportunity about your topic to search for answers to the questions your family generated. Ongoing study will prompt your child to ask questions, seek answers, and improve reading skills while participating in a fun family activity. Visit the library Many public libraries sponsor fun summer activities for children of all ages. You can visit your library to learn more about summer programs and to gather plenty of reading materials. Don't limit your children to books they can easily read themselves; there are a wide range of materials to choose from that you might not normally consider. If your child is an early reader the summer is a perfect time to choose a chapter book to read aloud. Reading a chapter a day will help boost comprehension and expose them to topics, authors, and genres they haven't yet experienced. Graphic novels, comic books, and magazines are also available at the library and are great ways to motivate reluctant readers. Talking about what your child is reading will boost comprehension regardless of the reading material. Form a book club Finding multiple copies of a single book is a great way to start a family book club. Establish a schedule for the club and make sure all readers are able to experience success. Set a specific reading goal (perhaps a chapter at a time) and then meet as a group to discuss what you read. Encourage input from each book club member, regardless of reading ability. You can shape the book club discussion around your child's reading needs. For example, if your child struggles with making connections between texts you can spend a part of the book club discussion talking about ways the book is like other books they've already read. Invest in tutoring Even though there are many great ways to improve comprehension for your child at home you may also be interested in receiving professional tutoring services. The tutors at Huntington Learning Centers know how to engage students in activities that are both fun and highly effective. Comprehension and critical thinking skills are woven into tutoring activities that often utilize a student's favorite reading genre. Your child will be learning valuable new comprehension skills while gaining academic confidence and having fun! Your child's reading comprehension shouldn't suffer during the summer months. The professionals at Huntington Learning Centers are trained to help all their students maintain the knowledge and skills gained in previous years. Our tutoring sessions are customized to meet your child's specific needs and are created using data gathered in ongoing assessments.What are some other fun ways to boost your child's reading this summer?

6 Common ESL Errors

6 Common ESL Errors Infographic One thing I have become acutely aware of while working on the  VirtualWritingTutor.com ESL grammar checker  is just how common some errors are in college students writing. I see the same errors day after day, year after year. I could easily come up with a list of about 100 common errors that college students should avoid, but for the sake of brevity, heres an infographic with six undisputably common glitches in ESL writing. Infographic Infographic of 6 common ESL writing errors Share this Image On Your Site /pbr / pstrongPlease include attribution to virtualwritingtutor.com with this graphic./strong/pbr / pa href=https://blog.virtualwritingtutor.com/infographic-6-common-esl-errors/img src=https://blog.virtualwritingtutor.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/6-Common-ESL-errors-1.png alt=Infographic of 6 Common ESL Errors width=619 border=0 //a/pbr / p Please follow and like us: