My Little Realm Enterprises - Read More v/3.0 - Shareware Version ____________________________________________________________________ Important ____________________________________________________________________ Read More is protected by copyright. It is not freeware, and it is not in the public domain. This is the Shareware (evaluation) version of My Little Realm's Read More. It is a full-featured, fully functional program. You are welcome to try it on your computer to ensure that it functions on your system as it should, and that it meets your individual needs. If after 30 days you decide to keep using Read More, you must pay for the program. To print an order form, press <$> in the Options Window or print the text file REGISTER.TXT. The registered version of Read More comes with a new Book Title file that contains over 2,500 titles. It requires 640 Kb of RAM. My Little Realm Enterprises stands behind all of its products with a 30-day money back guarantee. Bonus! Get one MLR stand-alone program free with every order. Read DESCRIBE.TXT for details. This offer expires 12/31/94. Thank you for trying Read More and Shareware! ____________________________________________________________________ My Little Realm Enterprises - Read More - Contents General Information......................................1 Introduction........................................1 The Read More Goal.............................1 Overview.................................................2 Interface...........................................2 Quickeys............................................2 Extended Processing Options.........................2 Sample EPO Screen...................................3 Getting Started..........................................3 Creating the Quickey Name List......................3 Logging On..........................................3 Who's Logged On?....................................4 Using Read More.....................................4 Setting the Reading Level...........................4 Exiting Read More...................................5 Program Information......................................5 The Options Window.......................................5 Option # 1, Printing a List of Book Selections...........6 Selecting Titles....................................6 Confirming Print....................................6 Option # 2, Checking Off the Books Kids Read.............6 Selecting Titles....................................6 Confirming Checkoff.................................7 When Does the Smiley Face Appear?...................7 Erasing a Smiley Face...............................7 Option # 3, Viewing All Titles in the Read More File.....7 Extended Processing Options..............................8 <\> Change the Reader Quickeys......................8 <-> Set Reading Level...............................8 <=> Display Read More's Abbreviations...............9 Reset a reader's selections.....................9 Display EPO Command Set.........................9 Helpful Hints from a Dad.................................9 About the Book Title File...............................13 Missing Favorites?......................................13 Read More Page 1 ____________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ | | | Remember, the very best education begins at home! | |_______________________________________________________| ____________________________________________________________________ General Information ____________________________________________________________________ Introduction Note: Read More is quite useful to readers of all ages, even adults. For literary focus, however, this document is addressed to parents of young readers. The Read More Goal. Kids frequently complain that they can't find anything interesting to read. What they mean, of course, is that they can't find anything fun to read. And you can bet that they won't find any fun reading material on their teachers' "recommended reading list". Face it, the books most teachers recommend were written for adults for adult comprehension. It's no wonder many kids give up reading. Read More alleviates that problem by offering a large list of titles and authors from which you and your children can choose right in the comfort of your own home. These works were chosen because they are interesting to young readers. Your kids will find adventure, romance, science fiction, and mystery in works written by authors who write for kids. Read More also provides positive reinforcement to kids by giving them tangible proof of their accomplishments. When kids report that they've finished reading a certain book, Read More prints a smiley face next to the title. Kids can take a great deal of pride in their literary accomplishments as they watch those smiley faces add up. Summer vacations, long weekends, and lazy holidays are great times for fun reading. So, don't feel your children have to be brought up on a regimen of the literary luminaries found on their teachers' recommended reading lists. Everyone needs a little play time ... for the body and for the mind. And once your children get hooked on reading, even a teacher's recommended reading list won't diminish their new-found passion. Encourage your young readers to read for fun. The more they read, the more proficient they become at it, and the more they retain. Without even realizing it, they'll absorb more of what they read for school simply because they'll be better readers. The ultimate goal of Read More. Read More Page 2 ____________________________________________________________________ Overview Interface. Read More's screen has three types of windows: a Working Window, a Viewing Window, and an Options Window. If you are using a color monitor the Viewing Window is always green, the Working Window red and the Options Window blue. You choose processes (such as printing a list of titles) in the Options Window. You respond to Read More's queries in the Working Window, and you find your book title records in the Viewing Window. ---------------------------- Quickeys. The Quickeys for Read More are the names of the young readers who are using the program. Up to six are allowed and the maximum length of a name is twelve characters. Associated with each reader's name is a code called the Reading Level. It tells Read More if it should display all of the Book Titles, or just a portion of them. This allows the more advanced readers to skip the book titles whose age group categories are inappropriate to their reading abilities. The next section, Getting Started, explains how to set the Reading Level. ---------------------------- Extended Processing Options. Several processing tasks, called extended processing options or EPO's, are not listed in the Options Windows because they are functions that only occasionally need to be performed. EPO's are used to "extend" a program's power and functionality. To find out what EPO commands are employed by Read More, enter (the question mark) in the Options Window or in the Working Window during Logon. When you use the Help EPO, , Read More tells you if you're in the Working Window or in the Options Window by placing an asterisk next to the appropriate Window line you're in so you'll know which EPO's are accessible to you at that moment. The EPO definitions for Read More begin on page 8. As you can see in the sample EPO screen below, the asterisk next to the line "From the Working Window" indicates that you are currently in the Working Window. If the asterisk appears next to the line "From the Options Window", you know you are operating from the Options Window. Read More Page 3 Sample EPO Screen. _____________________________________________ | | | Extended Processing Options | | | | * From the Working Window | | Reset Readers List | | <\> Change Quickeys | | | | From the Options Window | | <-> Change Reading Level | | <=> Display Abbreviations | | | |_____________________________________________| ____________________________________________________________________ Getting Started Creating the Quickey Name List. When you start Read More the very first time, it knows that there are no reader names in its Quickey list. Before you can continue, Read More asks you if you want to create the Quickey list. Press or to enter your Quickey names. When you finish, press . Note: If you tell Read More that you don't want to create the Reader Quickey list, it returns you to your operating system. The name of each person can be up to twelve letters long. After you create your Reader Quickey list press , and Read More displays the following prompt in the Working Window: ____________________________________________ | | | | | Enter your Reader Quickey: _ | | | |____________________________________________| The Reader Quickeys and their respective names are displayed in the Reader ID Box on the lower right side of your screen. Enter the appropriate Quickey (numbers 1 through 6). Logging On. Once you have identified yourself to Read More, called logging on, it sets up the files it needs as they pertain to the identified reader. This is important to understand. Read More Page 4 As an example, suppose Quickey 1 is for Bob (who is 5 years old) and 2 is for Paula (who happens to be 14). If Paula logs on, only her records are accessible. Bob has to wait his turn to peruse the Book Title file or to update his records. Furthermore, if Paula specifies a Reading Level of "F", Bob can't even view the books in his age group (C) because Read More would have filtered them out for Paula. (See "Setting the Reading Level" for information on adjusting the reading levels of the titles displayed.) So when can Bob log on? When Paula is finished with Read More, and the cursor is in the Options Window, press . Read More asks for the next reader's Quickey in the Working Window. This is the Logon prompt that appears in the top center of the window. Enter 1 (Bob's Quickey), and Read More creates Bob's personal version of the Book Title display, and puts the cursor in the Options Window. He then has sole access to Read More. Who's Logged On? In the Reader ID box on the lower right side of your screen, Read More identifies the reader who is using the program. It also displays the Reading Level of that user and the total number of books that reader has read. Using Read More. Read More essentially does three things to help encourage kids to visit their libraries and read more. First it offers numerous book titles that are fun reading. These are works written for kids, not for adults. In the first option, kids select the titles they'd like to find at their library. They can print their selections and bring the list with them. In option 2, Read More lets kids mark the books they've read so that Read More can display smiley faces next to the titles. Those smiley faces can add up fast. Make sure the kids show friends and relatives how hard they've worked. The third option lets the kids view their accomplishments. These options are detailed in `Program Information' below. Setting the Reading Level. The default reading level for readers is A (for ages 0 to 2 years). If a reader is beyond that level, he can instruct Read More not to display the lower levels when he is using Options 1 or 2 in the program. (Option 3, View All Titles, always displays the entire Book Title file regardless of reading level.) To adjust the Reading Level, press <-> (the minus sign) in the Options Window. It's one of Read More's EPO's. Read More tells you the current Reading Level for that reader and asks for the new reading level. Read More Page 5 Refer to the age groups below. There are seven: Age Group Category 0 - 2 A 3 - 4 B 5 - 6 C 7 - 9 D 10 - 12 E 13 - 15 F 16 - 18 G Remember, Read More already knows who is currently using the program when you invoke the Reading Level function, so the reading level you are setting can only pertain to the user who is currently logged on. Exiting Read More. To exit the Read More program, press when the cursor is in the Options Window and once again when the cursor is at the "Enter your Reader Quickey" line (i.e., when Read More is waiting for someone to log on). If you have made any changes to Read More's master file, Read More asks you if you want to save those changes. Reply , for yes, or simply press . You can also press to return to the Logon screen if you decide you want to do something else in Read More. Why would anyone ever reply , no, to saving one's changes? Home programs must take into account the unwanted help of children who occasionally get into a program and wreak havoc. Should you find that someone you love has put smiley faces next to more book titles than he or she should have, don't get angry. Just exit the program and don't save the changes. You'll be returned to your operating system with your Book Title file intact. ____________________________________________________________________ Program Information ____________________________________________________________________ The Options Window. ______________________________________ | | | 1 Print selections | | 2 Check off titles Choice: _ | | 3 View all titles | |______________________________________| You have two EPO's available from the Options Window and two from the Working Window. Younger readers may find the <=> EPO the most important. It displays the abbreviations used in the Book Title display. Refer to the section entitled "Extended Processing Options" beginning on page 8 for a description of all the EPO's. Read More Page 6 ____________________________________________________________________ Option # 1, Printing a List of Book Selections. Young readers can browse through the Book Title file and highlight those titles they would like to look for at their library or bookstore. They can use the directional keys to scroll. Selecting Titles. To highlight a particular title simply enter its record number (shown on the left side of the Viewing Window) when Read More asks: "What is the record number of the book you wish to print?". Be sure to press after you've typed in the record number. If you hightlight the wrong title, reenter the record number to turn off the highlight. To end the Print Select function, press . Confirming Print. After you press , Read More checks the Book Title file to see if you've left any of the records highlighted. If you have, it displays the following confirmation prompt in the Working Window: ______________________________________ | | | Press <1> to confirm print. | | Press <2> to abort print. | | Press <3> to recheck selections. | |______________________________________| To print your highlighted selections, turn on your printer and press <1>. If you decide you don't want to print out your highlighted selections after all, simply press <2> (or press ) to return to the Options Window. [Note: If you return to the Options Window, the highlights are turned off, and Read More will not remember them if you reenter the Print Select function.] Should you decide to delete one of your selections or add another, press <3>, and Read More allows you to make the necessary changes. ____________________________________________________________________ Option # 2, Checking Off the Books Kids Read. Selecting Titles. Highlight those titles you (or your young readers) have read by entering their record numbers. Press when you're finished. If an incorrect title is highlighted, the highlight can be turned off by reentering the record number, as in the preceding option. Read More Page 7 Confirming Checkoff. Read More checks the Book Title file to see if you've left any of the records highlighted after you press . If you have, it then displays the following confirmation prompt in the Working Window: ______________________________________ | | | Press <1> to confirm update. | | Press <2> to abort update. | | Press <3> to recheck selections. | |______________________________________| If you don't need to change any of the titles you've highlighted, press <1>. Read More updates your file accordingly. If you want to exit the Check Off function without making any updates whatsoever, press <2> or to return to the Options Window. Finally, if you find you've highlighted the wrong title or left one unhighlighted, press <3> and Read More lets you correct the problem. When Does the Smiley Face Appear? Smiley faces are displayed next to the appropriate titles after the file has been updated, which is when the reader exits this function. To see the smiley faces, then, bring up any of the functions in the Options Window after you have left the Check Off function. (Option # 3, View All, described below, is safest for young readers.) Erasing a Smiley Face. If a smiley face appears next to the title of a work that the current reader hasn't read, it can be removed by highlighting that title before you leave the Check Off function. When Read More updates its records, it sees that the book has been highlighted, and since the work already has a smiley face next to it, Read More assumes it is to remove the smiley face this time. ____________________________________________________________________ Option # 3, Viewing All Titles in the Read More File. This option allows the reader to peruse the Read More file regardless of Reading Level. Option # 3 is also the safest to use for younger children since it doesn't attempt to print or change the file structure. Kids can highlight titles by entering their record numbers if they want to focus on them. The highlights are turned off automatically when they exit the function and return to the Options Window (by pressing ). Read More Page 8 ____________________________________________________________________ Extended Processing Options EPO Definition <\> Change the Reader Quickey names for Read More. You do not enter this EPO in the Options Window, but rather in the Working Window when you log on (i.e., when Read More displays the following prompt: Enter your Reader Quickey ==> __ Read More asks you to select a Quickey (between 1 and 6). You cursor then appears in the Reader ID Box where you can add or change the name of the current reader. Reader names can be up to twelve letters long. Note: Once logged on, you (as the reader) are put in sole control of your portion of the Read More files. You can tell when someone is logged on in two ways: 1. The Options Window's commands are displayed 2. The Reader ID Box displays the name of the current user In between logon sessions, when the cursor is in the Working Window, the Options Window is empty. _______________________________ <-> Set Reading Level. Enter this EPO (the minus sign) in the Options Window. In the Working Window, Read More displays the following information: ______________________________________ | | | Your current Reading Level is A. | | Indicate desired Reading Level: _ | | Reading Levels range from A to G. | |______________________________________| Refer to the age group listing below. Age Group Category 0 - 2 A 3 - 4 B 5 - 6 C 7 - 9 D 10 - 12 E 13 - 15 F 16 + up G Read More Page 9 <=> Display the abbreviations used in the Book Title file. This function is invoked from the Options Window. The titles used on children's books tend to get a trifle long, especially those works with a popular heroine or hero. Titles can sometimes get longer than the eighty characters to which most computer screens are limited! For that reason, a dozen of the more popular names that appear in titles have been abbreviated. They are: BC Babysitter's Club HH Happy Hollisters BT Bobbsey Twins ND Nancy Drew DD Danny Dunn NTG Nate the Great DG Dana Girls SVH Sweet Valley High EB Encyclopedia Brown TB Trixie Belden HB Hardy Boys TS Tom Swift Press any key to return to the Options Window after you've finished the abbreviations. _______________________________ Reset a reader's selections. This EPO is accessible from the Working Window. Use this function to erase the smiley faces from all of the titles a reader has marked as read. You can erase the smiley faces one by one using Option # 2 in the Options Window, but if there are a lot of them, that method takes considerable time when there are a considerable number of smiley faces to erase. The EPO is handy when there is a change of readers for a given Quickey. The first reader may have read dozens of the works in the Book Title file. Enter in the Working Window and give Read More the Quickey of the reader whose titles you want to clear. Read More asks for confirmation. _______________________________ <#> Switch between color and B/W modes. _______________________________ Display EPO's for the Read More program. May be entered in either the Working or the Options Window. ____________________________________________________________________ Helpful Hints From a Dad Children are naturally inquisitive, and they all love to read, at least initially. Exactly why some of them stop is a mystery. Maybe their parents became too busy to help them keep up their interest; perhaps it was peer pressure. Whatever the reason, we can conclude that something makes those children change their minds about reading. What we as parents must do, therefore, is make sure that our kids don't change their minds. Read More Page 10 How? Well, children emulate their parents. If they see you read, they'll feel more inclined to read. Also, phrases like "I'm too busy to read right now", or "I have more important things to do than read", send subtle messages to our kids that reading isn't important. The fact is, however, that reading is extemely important. They'll need to be able to read and read well for the rest of their lives. Children who are better readers do better in school. Why? Partly because they don't have to struggle with reading their homework, whether it's math, history or science. They can simply concentrate on what it is they're trying to learn. Good readers also absorb their reading material more easily and more efficiently. Poor readers get frustrated when they try to do their homework. They have to work hard to read the material, and they have to work hard trying to understand what it is they're supposed to be learning. Who wouldn't give up in a situation like that? If you have to tell your kids that you can't read with them "right now", remind them that you know how important it is to read, but you have other responsibilities and promise them that you'll read with them just as soon as possible. (And don't forget because they'll remember!) You'd be surprised how you can squeeze reading with your child into a normal day. While you're making dinner, for example, have your child sit at the table and read to you while you prepare the meal. Be as attentive as you can and ask questions, not only to show your child that you're paying attention, but to force the child to think, to analyze what he or she is reading. Note: Even children who are too young to read can "interpret" the pictures and pretend to read. Play along. This enhances your child's desire to read later on. The questions you ask of your very young readers don't have to be thought provoking. If your four-year-old daughter is "reading" something about the Berenstain Bears, ask what color jeans Papa Bear is wearing or how tall are the buildings in the city the Bear family is visiting. Ask them questions you're reasonably sure they can answer. It helps build up their self-confidence, and it makes them feel as if they are actually reading. Kindergarten's a Job. Don't worry at this juncture about stressing the importance of an education to your children. They won't understand. They will understand, however, if you tell them that learning is their job. Read More Page 11 They know that Mom and Dad have jobs, sometimes for pay, but other times for nothing. It is important that they understand that each of us has jobs that we have to do, just as Mom and Dad have jobs like mowing the lawn, or fixing dinner, or cleaning the gutters on the house, or working for an employer. At home, at this early age, make sure you set aside a private place for your kids where they can do their homework. This is very important, especially in the first years of their formal education. It helps them focus on the work at hand, i.e., their homework. It is even better, if you have several children, if they each have their own work area. It isn't always feasible in small homes with large families. In those cases, try letting the kids work in shifts in a place that's at least relatively quiet. Since the oldest can usually stay up later, let him do his homework last. For the youngest, it's beneficial if an adult is nearby when the child is working on homework. If the child has a problem and a parent is close at hand, he won't hesitate to ask questions. As the stay-at-home parent, I'd made a point of putting my daughter's desk in the study where my desk was. Then when it was time for her to do her homework, I'd pretend to have to do paperwork. I can't begin to estimate the number of times she jumped down from her chair to come over to ask a question. By the way, asking questions is a good habit to instill in your kids. Remind them that the teachers really do want to teach them what they need to know. Tell your kids that if they don't understand something, it's their job to ask the teacher questions. It's the teacher's job to explain. Can you substitute an older child for a parent? Sure, but the older child is more likely to simply give the younger one the answers to the problems (which doesn't help the younger child understand the problem at all). What you want to do is ask questions to find out what it is exactly that the youngster doesn't understand. Then show him how to arrive at the correct solution. As kids get older they sometimes get teased by their peers for getting good grades or for being teacher's pet. This is hard for kids to get through because they want desperately to be accepted. Be very understanding and remind your kids that a good education doesn't make them weird, it makes them special. A good education, while no guarantee, makes it a lot easier for them to get jobs later in life. Should you pay your kids for good grades? I've never believed in this practice. I've never seen it produce long-term gains. Yes, in some cases, kids initially try very hard to get good grades to make some money, but after a short period their desire wanes. Read More Page 12 Why? Because they weren't interested in the learning ... only the money. And as most of us know, there are many easier ways to make money than studying hard and paying attention in class for long periods at a time. When your child does do well, remind him or her that you know how hard it is to work every day in class, how very difficult it is to keep up with the homework day in and day out because so few students really have the discipline to do so. What should you do for the kid who really does well? My wife and I started a tradition when our child was in the third grade (it was at the time our daughter had heard that some of her friends were being paid for good grades). We wouldn't pay her for the good grades she should be getting for herself, we maintained, but we would be willing to take her to the restaurant of her choice to celebrate her good fortune and well-deserved rewards. Now if you have a lot of kids and they're all doing well, you could quickly end up in the poor house celebrating that way. An alternative would be letting the feted children pick the dinner for the family one night. Be creative, it's really the gesture that matters in this situation. Just knowing that you're celebrating their hard work and success with them can make all the difference when it comes to sustaining them in times of trials. What should you do for the child who's having trouble? First and foremost, talk to the teacher. This person is the second most important person in your child's educational life. Teachers are usually quite helpful and can provide useful insight and techniques for helping kids with problems. You can also try remedial classes or summer school for older kids. They'll feel embarrassed, but try to talk about it seriously, adult to adult, if at all possible. Again, refer to their teachers for assistance when selecting a remedial class. Educational computer programs can be useful for those kids having trouble with specific areas, such as geometry or algebra. Computers have the advantage of patience and the correct program can make learning more interesting. But be selective. Some educational programs are little more than games, and giving a child a computer game is akin to giving him the remote to the television. Both actions yield little educational gain. After a time, you'll find that your very young children want to reread books that you used to read to them ... only now, they want to read to you. Encourage this behaviour. Repetition is the best way to learn at that early age. Don't forget to remind them on occasion that as soon as they can read the words, they'll have an even better idea of what the pictures mean, since the words help to explain the pictures. Read More Page 13 And finally, remember that Read More is just the beginning. There are millions of works in our public libraries, covering every known subject, exploring every facet of life, and fulfilling every need. Use Read More as a launching pad. If you find an author whose works you or your children enjoy, try to find more of that person's work in your local libraries. ______________________ I realize that the methods I've outlined above take quite a bit of time, but they pay huge dividends not only in the quality of the education your child receives but in the discipline, character, responsibility, and independence your child learns. By the time our daughter was in the seventh grade she rarely asked questions any more, and I certainly didn't have to be available whenever she did her homework. Now that she's in high school, she doesn't even ask me to proofread her essays and reports any more (although I do ask to see them occasionally because I like to see what she's doing in school). Her level of excellence has never wavered. Such are the rewards of getting them started properly. I wish you and your children equal good fortune and success. Sincerely, John L. Salisbury ____________________________________________________________________ About the Book Title File Some of the titles might be out of print, but they should be available from most libraries. If you can't find a listed book, ask your librarians for help. They might know of inter-library loan programs that you could use to acquire it. Many of the books for very young readers can also be purchased from stores that sell such works. They don't have to be bookstores. Ofttimes department stores and even large grocery stores sell a wide variety of books for children who are so young they would rather devour them literally than literarily. Missing Favorites? Is our file missing some of your old favorites? We've tried to include a wide variety of books, but we're sure to have missed a good many of your favorite titles and authors. Read More Page 14 If you'd like to send us a list of your favorites, please include their titles, authors, and the approximate age groups of the intended readers. We'll try to include them in our next release of Read More. Thank you! Mail your list to: My Little Realm Enterprises The Read More Program 22 Church Street # 103, Suite 376 Ramsey, New Jersey 07446 ____________________________________________________________________ + + The End + + ____________________________________________________________________ (c) Copyright 1992 - 1994 John L. Salisbury