* * * My Little Realm * * * - Read More v/2.5 - ____________________________________________________________________ General Information ____________________________________________________________________ Important Read More is protected by copyright. It is not freeware, and it is not in the public domain. This is the 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. For readers from ages six months (they might need a little help with the program and the reading) to young adults ... and even those who aren't so young. 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. Bonus! Get one MLR stand-alone program free with your order. Read DESCRIBE.TXT for details. This offer ends 12/31/94. My Little Realm Enterprises stands behind all of its products with a 90-day money back guarantee. Thank you for trying Read More. ____________________________________________________________________ Introduction Note: Read More is quite useful to readers of all ages. For literary focus, however, this document is addressed to parents of young readers. The Read More goal. Parents of young readers frequently find it difficult to come up with new books and authors for their children. Read More attempts to alleviate 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. You won't have to look for a free librarian to help you as you roam through the stacks, or ask older friends what their children were reading when their kids were your children's ages. Read More also entices and encourages young readers by helping them keep track of those books they've read. This provides positive reinforcement to children by giving them tangible proof of their accomplishments. Read More lets readers select and print out those titles that they'd like to look for at their favorite library or bookstore. Then, after they've read their books, readers can check them off and a smiley face will be displayed next to the titles. The titles offered in the Read More program are to be read for pure enjoyment. When reading is fun, interesting, and exciting, young people will simply want to read more. Who doesn't? Most kids (especially the older ones) lose interest because the only works they're exposed to are those books they're told to read by their teachers. Quite frequently, these are works the kids just don't understand until their teachers explain them (by which time the kids have lost interest). There is nothing wrong with those intellectual works, but a steady diet of forced reading material quickly dulls the literary appetite of many a young reader. Summer vacations, long weekends, and lazy holidays are great times for pleasure reading. 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. A goal all parents share. ____________________________________________________________________ The Interface Windows. 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. ---------------------------- 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's of Read More are defined near the end of this document. Sample EPO Screen. _____________________________________________ | | | Extended Processing Options | | | | * From the Working Window | | Reset Readers List | | <\> Change Quickeys | | | | From the Options Window | | <-> Change Reading Level | | <=> Display Abbreviations | | | |_____________________________________________| 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. ---------------------------- Quickeys. The Quickeys for Read More are the names of the young readers who will be 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. ____________________________________________________________________ Getting Started Creating the Quickey name list. When you start Read More the very first time, it will know that there are no reader names in its Quickey list. Before you can continue, Read More will ask you if you want to create the Quickey list. Press or to enter your Quickey names. When you finish, press . The name of each person can be up to twelve letters long. [Note: If you tell Read More that you don't want to create the Reader Quickey list, it will return you to your operating system.] After you create your Reader Quickey list press , and Read More will display the following prompt in the Working Window: ____________________________________________ | | | | | Enter your Reader Quickey: _ | | | |____________________________________________| The Reader Quickeys and their respective names will be displayed in the Reader ID Box on the lower right side of your screen. Enter the appropriate Quickey (numbers 1 through 6). Once you have identified yourself to Read More, called logging on, it will set up the files it needs as they pertain to the identified reader. This is important to understand. 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 will be accessible. Bob will have to wait his turn to peruse the Book Title file or update his records. Furthermore, if Paula has specified a Reading Level of "F", Bob won't even be able to view the books in his age group (C) because Read More would have filtered them out for Paula. (See below for information on setting a reader's reading level.) So when can Bob log on? When Paula is finished with Read More, and the cursor is in the Options Window, press . Read More will ask for the next reader's Quickey in the Working Window. The title "Logon" appears in the top center of the window. Enter 1, and Read More will create Bob's own version of the Book Title display, and put the cursor in the Options Window. He would then have 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 will also display the Reading Level of that user and the total number of books that reader has read. When no one is logged on, the Options Window is empty. Overview. There are three options in the Read More Options Window. The first is to select and print those titles you and your children would like to look for in your favorite libraries or bookstores. The second is to check off those books you've read so that Read More can keep track of your children's accomplishments. The third option lets your children view their accomplishments. Specific details on each of these options follow in the section entitled `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 will tell you the current Reading Level for that reader and ask for the new reading level. 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 will ask 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 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 extra important. It displays the abbreviations used in the Book Title display. Refer to the section entitled "Extended Processing Options" near the end of this document. ____________________________________________________________________ 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. Select 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?". (Don't forget 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 (or you can press without keying in a record number). Confirm print. Read More will then display 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 again.] Should you decide to delete one of your selections or add another, press <3>, and Read More will allow you to make the necessary changes. ____________________________________________________________________ Option # 2, checking off the books read. Select titles. Highlight those titles you (or your young readers) have read by entering the record numbers of the works you've finished. Press without entering a record number when you've finished. If an incorrect title is highlighted, the highlight can be turned off by reentering the record number, as in the preceding option. Confirm checkoff. Press (or without entering a record number) to advance to the next phase of the Check Off function. Read More will display the following 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 will update 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 will let you correct the problem. Smiley faces will be 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, 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 will see that the book had been highlighted, and since the work already has a smiley face next to it, Read More will assume it is to remove the smiley face this time. ____________________________________________________________________ Option # 3, viewing all the titles in the Read More file. This option allows the reader to peruse the entire Read More file, not just the reader's current reading level and up, as is shown with the other options. Option # 3 is also the safest to use for younger children since it doesn't attempt to print or change the file structure. You can highlight titles by entering their record numbers if you want to focus on them. The highlights are turned off automatically when you leave the function and return to the Options Window. To return to the Options Window, press (or without entering a record number). ____________________________________________________________________ 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 is asking "Enter your Reader Quickey ==>"). Press the backslash key. Read More will ask you to select a Quickey (between 1 and 6). You cursor will then appear 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: the Options Window's commands will be displayed and the Reader ID Box will contain the name of the current user and a line about the number of books that reader has read. 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 will display 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. [Note that the levels listed here are approximations only.] Age Group Category 0 - 2 A 3 - 4 B 5 - 6 C 7 - 9 D 10 - 12 E 13 - 15 F 16 + up G _______________________________ <=> 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. 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 will ask for confirmation. _______________________________ <#> Switch between color and black/white display modes. _______________________________ <$> Print an order form. _______________________________ 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. 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 will enhance 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. Starting Kindergarten. 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. 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 your kid 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 room 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 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 will make 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 will initially try very hard to get good grades to make some money, but after a short period their desire wanes. 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 back 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 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 for the television. Both gestures will yield little educational gain. After a time, you will find that your very young children will want to reread books that you used to read to them ... only now, they'll 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. 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 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 will sell a wide variety of books for children who are so young they would rather devour them literally than literarily. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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. 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 John L. Salisbury