Read a Timeline

Every family has a history. A timeline can show events in a family's history. A timeline is an ordered group of words and dates that shows when events happened. 

Learn the skill   

Step1 The title tells what the timeline is about. The timeline has a line divided in equal parts. Each park stands for 10 years.

Step2  Look at the first and last numbers on the timeline. The numbers are years. The events on the timeline happened between these years.

① {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Tom is looking for his schoolbag. He wants to do his homework.

② {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Mike can't find the model plane. He is worried.

③ {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Linda lost her ID card. She is asking her friends about it.

④ {#blank#}4{#/blank#} An English book is in the teacher's office. Is it yours?

⑤ {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Some keys are in the computer room. Call Mary if you lost keys.

    It's hard to make friends if you stay at home alone all the time. Get out of the house and do things that will put you in touch with other people. It's easier to make friends when you have the same interests.

    Don't be afraid to show people what you are really good at. Talk about the things you like and do best. People will be interested in you if there is something interesting about you.

    Look at people in the eyes when you talk to them. That way, they will find it easier to talk to you. If don't, people may think you are not interested in them and may stop being interested in you.

    Be a good listener. Let people talk about themselves before talking about 'me, me, me'. Ask lots of questions. Show interest in their answers.

    Try to make friends with the kind of people you really like — not just with those who are easy to meet. Be friendly to a lot of people. If so, you will have a bigger group of people to choose(选择) from and have more chances (机会) to make friends.

Title: {#blank#}1{#/blank#}to make friends

Some birthday customs are quite similar in many parts of the world—- birthday candles(蜡烛), birthday games, and birthday cakes. But some customs are more specific to certain countries. Here are some children talking about their customs.

Linda: I am fourteen. I come from Aruba阿鲁巴岛（拉丁美洲）（荷属安的列斯群岛中的大岛）. In our country, Children take something special to school for their classmates and all teachers. Each teacher gives the birthday child a small gift like a pencil, an eraser or a postcard. The birthday child is also allowed to wear special clothes instead of the school uniform.

Lucy: I am one year older than Linda. Denmark（丹麦） is my country. A flag is flown outside a window to show that someone who lives in that house is having a birthday. Presents are placed around the child's bed while they are sleeping so they will see them at once when they wake up.

Tom: I am as old as Linda. I am from Brazil. The birthday child receives a pull on the earlobe(耳垂) for each year in my country. The birthday person also gives the first slice of cake to his/her most special friend or relative, usually mom or dad.

Paperless homework will affect students^' handwriting

    A growing number of primary schools in Shanghai are now encouraging "paperless" homework. Instead of writing with a pen, children can finish their homework simply by "surfing and typing" on their iPad screens.

    Many people welcome the use of this new technology in schools. And it isn't difficult to understand why digital homework could be the next big thing in education; it reduces waste; makes it easier for teachers to collect homework; and now that everything else is digitalized, homework should too.

    But there's an overlooked downside to online homework, as it shows an alarming trend(趋势); how technology is affecting physical handwriting.

    In today's digital age, handwriting is already a weakening skill. Can you remember the last time you used a pen? For me, it was when I had to fill out a form at work. To be honest, I couldn't write quite a few characters and had to type them on my iPhone to remind me of how to write them correctly. I know I'm not alone. There are more saying they share similar embarrassment (尴尬) when asked to write by hand.

    In a time when computers, smart phones and keyboards are widely used in the world, is handwriting even important？ The answer is yes. Handwriting plays an important role in the learning process. Writing a character is more difficult than typing. It requires the body and mind work together actively. So for school﹣age children, writing not only allows them to memorize characters, but also trains their brains the way typing can't.

    Too many children, lost in technology, lie on a sofa or in bed with their smartphones or iPads a seldom mentioned side effect of modern technology, which may lead to physical problems later.

    All said, I'm not saying that digital homework should be canceled. Digitalization is an unstoppable trend. But for courses such as Chinese and English language, I hope to see digital homework introduced later into the courses, at least after children have had the ability to write characters and spell words well.