Simple Wikipedia is a separate version of the primarily used Wikipedia. It is written in basic English and is ideal for younger kids or tweens who read at lower grade level. You can find any topic on Simple Wikipedia that is available on the main English version.

The simple version of Wikipedia is also an online encyclopedia, but sentences are shorter, and grammar is easier to understand.

This more simple Wikipedia can also be beneficial for people from cultures that are just learning English or those who have a limited understanding of the language. Readers with learning disabilities will also find it helpful.

Because Safe Search Kids promotes safe search resources, we provide yet another version of Wikipedia that is not directly affiliated. It has been created by our partner KidzSearch and can be searched at the top of our website.

Getting back to the topic of Simple Wikipedia, this alternative version will also be beneficial for anyone researching difficult to understand topics. Concepts of higher education or technical subjects can be easier to grasp when written in a simple way.

When learning about any topic, remember that Wikipedia should only be used as a starting point. Wikipedia’s popularity has grown because of how easy it is to find so much information on a single website, all with without ads or external links within the articles. But you cannot always trust what you read as absolute fact. Your library remains to be your best tool for good research.

A suggested research method for older students is to first read the regular version of Wikipedia. Work to understand what is being communicated. The history, the characters in the unfolding story, or the detailed explanation of a complicated theory.

Make a few notes and write a brief summary of what you’ve learned. Then, search for the same article in the Simple Wikipedia version. You may find further insight thanks to the use of less complex words and sentences.

When doing any research on Wikipedia, whether the simple version or not, it is essential to understand that Wikipedia is an “open source” online Encyclopedia. This means anyone can change it, so make sure you explore all aspects of the article. This includes all cited references and external links to reputable sources. Many articles will make a note if a fact is not fully verified.

As mentioned, Simple Wikipedia should not be your sole resource on any topic. Don’t forget to visit your school library to confirm facts and details. These findings from published books should be your sources when writing an article or paper. Even Wikipedia states that it is not a reliable source. If you are a student, check with your teacher’s views regarding the use of a Wikipedia as a research tool.

Being that Wikipedia and Simple Wikipedia are “open source” and able to be updated by anyone, if you find information in an article this is incorrect you are welcome to correct the article and cite your reliable sources. The most popular Wiki articles have a moderator that will review your entry. This is how Wikipedia grows to be more reliable.

What We Have Learned about Wikipedia’s

• Wikipedia is a free online Encyclopedia written in English, as well as many other languages.
• Simple Wikipedia is an additional English version of Wikipedia, written at a lower reading level.
• Wiki for Kids is our own form of Wikipedia created for younger kids. It employs safe search and is kept separate from the main unfiltered Internet. Scroll Up to search Wikipedia for Kids at the top of our website.

Learning how to read can be a tedious developmental process. Every child learns at a different pace and in a variety of ways. The goal is to not only teach the skills necessary to get through school, but to also instill a desire to keep reading for life. This is why it’s important to discover ways to make reading captivating.

So, how does a parent or teacher install a passion for reading in every child? What are the methods to help them pay attention and remain interested? Below are five fun and creative ways to help teach your kids to read while making every step along the journey engaging.

1. Use Nursery Rhymes and Kids’ Songs

Nursery rhymes and kids’ songs are a lot of fun, and their rhythm and rhyme enable children to hear syllables and sounds in words, which is a good way of learning to read. Phonemic awareness is an important ability required in learning. It entails being in unison when singing and clapping rhythmically together. Such bonding and playful activities are fantastic ways for children to grow their literacy skills that are the building blocks to developing successful reading habits.

2. Displaying Words and Letters in Class and their rooms at Home

Kids are naturally inquisitive. By displaying different letters and words around in class and their bedrooms, they’ll be encouraged to ask you questions about those words. By doing so, they’ll be learning without realizing it. You can also try labeling objects in a classroom and rooms such as doors, windows, tables, and chairs. Or placing words like ‘black,’ ‘red’ and ‘blue’ with the font’s color matching the word. This can especially help the reading skills of boys and help all kids to learn by associating words with what they see.

3. Reading Together Daily and asking Questions

There are many skills children can acquire just by reading the stories out loud. First, they learn the art of sounding out words. Second, you’ll be helping them develop major comprehension skills, expand their vocabulary as well as give them a chance to know what fluent reading is like. But most importantly, regular reading drives your child to love reading. Strengthen your kids’ comprehension skills simply by asking them questions when reading. Use pictures to encourage younger kids to engage and ask older kids questions that are a little bit more complex.

4.  Playing Decoding Games

Decoding is simply sounding out words. Once your kid learns the letter’s sound or the sounds of different groups of letters, they can start to put words together. Learning how to decode is a very crucial stage of learning to read, preparing them for higher subject levels in school. This is because the more a student can decode words, the quicker they can automatically identify different words. You can make the decoding lessons fun by incorporating simple games.

5.  Word Search Bingo

As earlier mentioned, reading to kids out loud helps to develop their listening and language skills while preparing them to figure out written words. Nevertheless, some kids have difficulty sitting still and focusing while listening to the reader; therefore, you need to find a way of keeping them engaged in reading. One such way is by creating bingo games.  Hand out paper sheets to your students containing words from the text you are reading. Ask your students to circle the words on their list that they hear you reading, and in the end, talk about these words.

Developing a Love for Reading

Another way to instill a reading culture in your young children is to simply lead by example. It’s been said that kids ultimately develop their life long habits by doing what you do, not necessarily by what you say. Younger kids imitate their parent’s actions. What better way to teach the importance of reading than to have them to see you reading on a regular basis.

It begins at a younger age by taking the time to read with them everyday. Let them pick out the books they want. Make it fun. As they get old enough to read on their own, carve out time throughout the week for them to read their own books while you read yours. Do it together. You’ll not only be instilling a love for reading early on and guiding them towards reading success, you’ll be creating quality time together.

Other ways to encourage reading would be by registering your kids at centers for early learning. To find a reputable early learning center near you, search the internet for valuable venues and resources.

For decades, school administrators have worked to make school buildings safer. They have done so by locking doors, adding security systems and cameras, hiring law enforcement staff, and installing metal detectors.

Over 90% of schools in the U.S. have security cameras to help staff monitor the school and surrounding area more closely.  And, in 2016 alone, schools spent $2.7 billion on security systems. One year later, the amount spent almost doubled.

Besides video surveillance, almost 80% of schools track their visitors by asking them to sign into the front desk.

Sure, it’s essential to keep all the outside doors of a school locked and take note of who is in your building, but not all threats are face to face.  We live in a digital world.  And, a lot of your preventative maintenance needs to take place in that same cyber environment. 

So, when threats are made, schools need to right tools to spread the word to teachers and staff quickly. Here are some ideas you may want to try to keep your school safe.

Social Net Watcher

School shooters tend to be narcissists. They often use social media, especially Instagram, to proclaim their manifestos.

One start-up out of Indiana, Social Net Watcher, watches students’ social media accounts for specific phrases that may indicate warnings of violence. They can also be programmed to alert school officials to acts of cyberbullying.

TextMagic

In an emergency, fast communication is essential. TextMagic allows schools to send immediate texts to the staff, students, or parents at the touch of a button.

Texts are the most effective form of communication in an emergency. Teachers may not have access to their computers while they are barricaded in their classrooms.

TextMagic can also be used to alert parents if their children are not in attendance. Parents who may be concerned about the mental health of their children can be warned immediately that their child is not where he is supposed to be. 

Visitor Management System

While most schools have visitors sign in at the reception desk, some schools are taking this precaution to the next level.

Visitors at some schools must present their state or federal ID to the school. These IDs are checked against a national database of registered sex offenders.

Alertus Desktop

Although text messaging is the most effective form of communication during an emergency, at times, a back-up plan is needed. Alertus Desktop can send an immediate alert to every computer screen on campus. This system is particularly helpful for buildings that have notoriously bad cell coverage.

Take a look at what Gordon College learned by implementing Alertus Desktop.  The school felt that its checklist for notifications in emergency systems was too long.  And, It wanted one unified system for keeping people informed.  

The college reports that its decision to streamline communications was extremely beneficial.  “Being able to setup pre-scripted alerts to fire off with one button press or one-click during a crisis can help save lives during an emergency.”

Facial Recognition Software

Although there may be privacy concerns from using biometric data on a school campus, some districts are willing to overlook this opinion to keep their students safe. Programs such as RealNetworks is 98% accurate, and this software will alert school officials if someone of concern is on campus.

GPS Systems

Schools not only need to keep students safe on campus, but they also need to protect their students on buses as well. GPS systems are so sophisticated now that the district will be notified if a driver is reckless.

This software has the added benefit of protecting the school from parent complaints. If parents complain that the bus did not pick up their children that morning, the district can check the GPS to see whether or not the driver really missed the stop.

Edgewood Independent School District in Texas utilized this technology on its fleet of school buses. The system proved beneficial when the local sheriff was able to send the closest officer immediately to a driver who needed assistance.

Safety and Security Film

The doors of a school may be locked, but that doesn’t mean that school shooters can’t break into a building through a window. An American company now has made a thin film that can be placed over the windows of a school building to keep them from breaking.

Fortify the windows of your school with this 3M product. This product will enable responders to have more time to arrive in the event of an emergency.

Conclusion

Schools have the moral and legal responsibility to keep their students safe.

Even though some schools have metal detectors at the door, 7% of high schoolers reported being hurt or threatened with a weapon on school property within the last year.

Even though safety measures have been utilized, nearly 6% of high schoolers have reported that they stayed home from school because they did not feel safe.

What that means to you as an administrator at a school is you need to maximize your resources.  Explore these different options. Then, start to implement  some of these digital technologies and other strategies to keep your school safe.

Now that university is back in full swing, you will have noticed students in every corner of the city. This may instill some fear into you, especially if your child is in their last year of school and planning to head to university. You may have some worries about them leaving or home, or whether they will get a place in the university of their dreams.

Whatever the case, you need to start preparing for your child’s future in university, as this move will affect them as well as you. Take a look at these tips which will help you assist your child with the next step of their education.

One of the hardest decisions your child will have to make is which university course is right for them, as this will define their future career. Parents tend to have a big say on this, as some would prefer their child to stay closer to home, while others are adamant that their offspring will attend a prestigious university. Both can offer your child clouded judgement, as they may end up at university they don’t enjoy or take on a course that provides them with little to no job opportunities.

Choosing a Course

Instead, you and your child should conduct thorough research on UCAS where you can look into subjects that he or she finds enjoyable or will excel at, while also taking note of the employment prospects. You should avoid just focusing on the course overview, as this will only provide you with a generalized description.

Most universities lay out each module for individual courses to help the potential students decide if its right for them, and whether the entry requirements suit them. If they can relate to any of the skills or experience mentioned on the course, they can use this to their advantage in their personal statement. Before making a final decision, you should try to choose three universities where you can attend open days with your child to help them choose up to five universities to apply for.

The Application Process

After researching courses and selecting the top five universities, you can then commence with the UCAS application. This consists of everything from your child’s education to work experience, along with a personal statement of 4,000 characters which is used to promote your child’s key skills, knowledge and work experience in support of their application. Once it has been sent off, your child will receive a notification whether they have an offer. If they receive a conditional offer, they will have to wait until they receive their results to find out, whereas if they are granted an unconditional offer, they will have secured a place immediately.

If your child is lucky enough to be approved of all five, they must decide which university is right for them and decline the remaining four. This is a hard decision to make, so make sure you and your child sit down and discuss their options before confirming where they want to attend. Don’t worry if your child does not get any of their choices, as there is always the opportunity to get place through Clearing, which enables students to find a last-minute course that aligns with their grades.

Funding Options

Once your child’s place at university is secure you can then start looking into finances. The majority of students tend to receive funding from student finance, where they can apply for living expenses and tuition fees, which are now charged a standard rate of £9,250. Your child may receive a maintenance loan or grant, but this will all depend on your income, as student finance takes into account the parents or guardians financial situation and their ability to support their child.

So basically, the less you earn the more financial support your child will get. You must input all the right information when applying for student finance, as the application may be rejected if the information is incorrect. Make sure you do not take too long with this, as the deadline is around May or June time, and if you do not submit in time, your child’s financial aid will be severely delayed.

Finding the Right Accommodation

Some parents wait to see how much their child is awarded before they can find somewhere for them live, while this is financial responsibility it can actually result in slim pickings. The majority of first-year students living in student halls, however, others do opt for private student accommodation. Some of the best purpose-built student accommodation is located in central areas, such as the RW Invest developments which are located next to some of the UK’s top universities. These provide students with comfortable and sociable living spaces, which include high-quality bedrooms, common area and even gym facilities.