It isn’t easy being different. We are taught that it is bragging to say—or even think—that we might be smarter than other people. Doesn't everyone have gifts? Yes, everyone on the planet is a gift to humanity. Being gifted does not mean being better than anyone else. So what does giftedness mean? 

To me, the gift in giftedness is the potential to make this a better world for everyone.  Every person on the planet has a different job to do. Some jobs require more years of school than others—like doctors. Some require greater knowledge of mathematics or computers or science or languages or art or music or poetry or mechanics or people. You need to learn all you can so that you can do the life's work that awaits you.  Only then can you make a difference in the world. 

When you hold yourself back from learning all that you are capable of learning so that you wont be ahead of your friends, you not only hurt yourself, you hurt the world. For the world needs you to fully develop your talents and abilities so that you can do that special job that only you can do. 

Giftedness is not about competition. Its not a comparison between you and others. It just seems that way when you are in school and everybody is expected to learn the same things. As you get older, you learn different things from other people. You learn what you need to learn to do your own special job in the world. Some of that learning you do on your own in books, via internet, or just by living. 

If you dream about doing something important in your life, you can fulfill that dream. Believe in yourself, believe in your dreams, and work toward making them a reality.  When you face roadblocks, ask for help around them. And help others who need you and ask for your help. Realize that you are not alone, that there are others like you all over the world. Work together for the good of all.

                                                                                      -- Linda Silverman -- 

"You are what you read!"

The importance of reading can not be overstated. It is such a fundamental skill that will benefit to many other areas of your life. The kids who read more tend to do better in reading comprehension, spelling as well as writing. The peak reading time of a child is between 8 and 13. After that, the reading starts to go down as kids begin to engage in other activities. Therefore, it is important to nurture the habit of reading at young age. Once established, kids will probably become a prolific reader for rest of their life.

There are thousands of children books published every year. It is impossible to read them all and frankly not all the books are worth reading. This page provides a starting point for kid's reading adventure. Books are grouped into Popular titles, Award winners, Classics, non-fiction books as well as special interest books. There are many good books outside the recommended reading list. Please feel free to explore. Have fun...

Popular Book Titles (Harry Potter, Lord of Ring, etc.)

Newbery Medal Winners (American Award)

Carnegie Award Winners (British Award)

Classic Titles

Non-Fiction

Asian Interest (Books about Asian countries or Asian American authors)

Girlish Books (Books mostly loved by girls)

Boyish Books (Books mostly loved by boys)

Honor Project Links

California Explorers

Gold Rush Links

Mission Links

California Link

California Historical Landmarks

Native American Links

States Links

Colonial America

American Revolution

Government

World War II Links
 

Have you been assigned research project but are stumped on how to proceed? The following guidlines will help you prepare a great report without wasting time or becoming frustrated.

1) Pick a Topic - Often teachers will assign a broad topic or ask you to come up with your own ideas. Looks, listen and read. Great ideas are all around you. Read magazines on topics with interest you in order to find a subject you will enjoy to researching. Reference books cover everything from A to Z. Newspaper are brimming with topics that are current, global, national, or local. Choose a topic that you can research in several sources and get your teacher's approval before making a final choice.

2) Get an overview and focus - Read at least two sources for background information. Encyclopedias are great for historical topics. Magazines and newspapers are the best for more recent events. As you read, keep in mind questions such as who, what, when, and how. Begine a list of subject heading, terms and keywords. Clarify you focus by writing a statement of purpose. What do you plan to write about? What do you want to accomplish with your research? The key to success is to be very clear on your goal.

3) Plan - Add to you list of key words. Write questions that fulfill your statement of purpose; then organize your questions into key ideas. While doing your research, looking for the following: overviewing information, definitions, statistics, background information, cause and effects and conclusion.

4) Locate and Choose Your Sources - At this step you will need to use the list of terms that you've been compiling. There words can be used as you search reference books, the on-line catalogue, printed indexs and electronic databases. Be selective in what you use. Here are some things to consider: Check publication dates for currency. Ask yourself if the source is detailed enough to be of help. Is the material logically arranged; does it have an index and a table of contents? Make bibliography cards with one idea per card for each of your chosen source -- including web sites. Bookmark your web sites.

5) Read and Takenotes - Paraphrase and write summaries of what you read. Take the time to express ideas in your own words. If you have a quote, remember to identify it. Use your bibliography cards. Number each of them in the upper right hand corner. Include these numbers on your first draft, so you can easily refer back to your sources.

6) Develop An Outline -- Organize your information cards into a logical sequence. This will be the framework from which you will write your paper.

7) First Draft - Stick to one idea per paragraphy.

8) Editing Draft - Fine tune spelling and grammer details. Check for logical flow and take special care with the introductory and concluding paragraphs. The introductory paragraph states your focus and tells the reader what to expect. It should grab the reader's attention. The concluding paragraph is also important. It should repeat your main focus and be strong and clear. If you were trying to prove a point, the reader should feel like you have done so.

9) Final Paper -- Make a cover, prepare final illustrations and bibliography, produce the final copy and turn it in.

Online Dictionary

Merriam-Webster Dictionary- online English dictionary and thesaurus.

American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Over 200,000 entries feature 10,000 new words and senses, 70,000 audio word pronunciations, 900 full page color illustrations

Dictionary of Science and Technology
Largest scientific dictionary ever compiled in the English language to the Web. Search from over 130,000 terms defined in 130 fields of science below.

Online Thesaurus

Roget's II: The New Thesaurus
Containing 260,000 synonyms and cross-references in an easy-to-use format, this thesaurus features succinct word definitions and an innovative hyperlinked category index.

Online Encyclopedia

The Britannica Concise A rich source of answers to questions about the full range of human knowledge, with more than 25,000 alphabetical entries, covering the arts, business, computers, geography, history, literature, medicine, philosophy, politics and popular culture.

Microsoft Encata Online
The ultimate reference resource engages learners with more up-to-date information and multimedia than ever before.

Encyclopedia Smithsonian
features answers to frequently asked questions about the Smithsonian and links to Smithsonian resources on subjects from Art to Zoology.

Quotations

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations A Collection of Passages, Phrases, and Proverbs Traced to Their Sources in Ancient and Modern Literature.

Others

World Factbook
The U.S. government's complete geographical handbook, featuring 267 full-color maps and flags of all nations. Each country profile tracks such demographics as population, ethnicity and literacy rates, as well as political, geographical and economic data.

World Almanac for Kid
All kinds of useful and fun things for kids.

Bay Area Libraries
Extensive lists of bay area libraries, including public, university and some private libraries.

    The Rules for Kid Online Safety

• I will not give out personal information such as my address, telephone number, parents’ work address/telephone number, or the name and location of my school without my parents’ permission.
• I will tell my parents right away if I come across any information that makes me feel uncomfortable.
• I will never agree to get together with someone I "meet" online without first checking with my parents. If my parents agree to the meeting, I will be sure that it is in a public place and bring my mother or father along.
• I will never send a person my picture or anything else without first checking with my parents.
• I will not respond to any messages that are mean or in any way make me feel uncomfortable. It is not my fault if I get a message like that. If I do I will tell my parents right away so that they can contact the online service.
• I will talk with my parents so that we can set up rules for going online. We will decide upon the time of day that I can be online, the length of time I can be online, and appropriate areas for me to visit. I will not access other areas or break these rules without their permission.

After learning the safety tips on the Internet, you are ready to explore. Clicking on one of the categories to see the fun web sites.
 

Places Geography Magazines Weather Earth Science Archaeology Jokes Space

Museums Math Chemistry Biology PenPals Movie Arts

Computer is everywhere nowadays. Kids use them to play game, write reports, research for home project, send e-mail to each other. Since you may have to use computer for rest of your life, you may as well get a head start on it. Followings are some useful computer and Internet terms. You may know some already. Knowing them will impress your friends, teachers and parents. Give it a try.
 

Application Software Bandwidth Browser CD-ROM CPU Digital Camera Domain name DVD ROM File Firewall Format Hard Disk Homepage Hyperlink Internet Laptop Logging Off Minimize Multimedia Notebook computer PC Protocol Recycle Bin Server Search Engine Spreadsheet Unix Virus Webmaster Windows 2000

Bit Bookmark Bulletin Board Computer Cyberspace Directory DOS E-mail File Management Floppy Disk/Diskette FTP Hard Drive Host Icon IP address LCD Panel Maximize Modem Multitasking Operating System Peripheral RAM ROM Scandisk Shortcuts Telecommunications URL WAN Word Processing WWW

Backup Boot Cold Boot Control Panel Database Disk drive Download Encryption File Server Folder Function Key Hardware HTML Input LAN Logging In Memory Mouse Network Password Port Reboot Router Scanner Software Toolbars Videoconferencing Web Page Windows Zip Drive

• Geography Bee Each year thousands of schools in the United States participate in the National Geographic Bee using materials prepared by the National Geographic Society. Schools with students in grades four through eight are eligible for this entertaining and challenging test of geographic knowledge. Learn Bee Basic and take on Bee Challenge. You can also try your geographic knowledge with the on-line Games, Quizzes and Trivia.

• Science Olympiad The Science Olympiad is an international nonprofit organization devoted to improving the quality of science education, increasing student interest in science. To learn about the Elementary level events, click here.

• Gateway Young Writer Award The award is sponsored by Gateway Reading Council which is local branch of California Reading Association. Every year, one writing by student K-12 is selected to represent the school. The wining writing of different schools are put into anthology. 

• POETRY CONTESTCreative Communication awards over $50,000 to young poets each year and brings recognition to young writers by sponsoring poetry contests to students in grades 4-12