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Summer Learning on
July 10, 2011
And what has your child been learning?
Teachers know that summer break sets most children back several months in their achievement. That’s why they spend September and October reviewing last year’s concepts. For some children, the first few days of school are like starting all over again from scratch!
Don’t let your child be one of the ones who are way behind when the school bell rings this fall. Keep your kid’s mind engaged all summer long. Read together and insist that older kids read on their own, too. And don’t just read; respond to the books in some way. Have a discussion, write a report, make a poster, whatever! And keep doing math, as well. Put your child to work doing age-appropriate math tasks that are a part of everyday life. Make change, tell time, measure things, add things up, and so forth.
Head out to a few museums, parks, zoos and similar community outings to make science and social studies connections. Visit the library at least once a week.
You can make a huge difference in your child’s academic readiness for the coming school year—Don’t blow it!
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Uncategorized on
September 30, 2010
Summer is over so Virtual Summer School Online will be out of session until May.
When Summer School is back in session we will be ready for you with make up courses and a bunch of extracurricular summer fun courses.
See you in May!!
Published by
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Math Skills on
July 10, 2010
Here’s a way to bring math to life for reluctant learners. Instead of presenting your student with a page of math problems, try turning the tables and challenging the child to create math problems for you to solve. Many children will rise to the bait and quickly set to work making the most devious problems that their minds can devise, assuming that your math skills are at the same level as theirs.
When you set a child to this task, give them just a few parameters to help them focus their work. You might want to assign an operation or a level of complexity to the math involved. Perhaps you could suggest that at least one piece of irrelevant information be included, or that the problem require at least two math steps. No matter what other restrictions or requirements that you implement, be sure that you have your student create an answer key for the problem set that includes an equation and a solution for each problem. In this way, you will ensure that your child gets the most out of the exercise. You’ll also be better able to isolate any misconceptions or inaccuracies that are included so that you can help the student improve skills.
Creating math word problems is an outstanding (and sneaky) way to get kids to practice their math skills. It’s also a great opportunity to put neglected writing skills to work, as well. Remind children to proofread their creations for spelling, grammar and punctuation, under threat of having to solve the problems themselves if you find writing mistakes. There’s nothing like a bit of blackmail to motivate kids to do their very best!
Published by
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Summer Learning on
July 4, 2010
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein can be an outstanding way to coax a reluctant reader into a summer project. Many teens are drawn to book versions of popular movies, and this piece has many movie interpretations. Some are more true to the book than others, and some don’t even go by the same title! The reading level is 7.7, so it’s not too demanding for high school students.
In spite of its horror reputation, Frankenstein is a much deeper story than most people expect. There are a lot of complex characters and relationships to explore, as well as monstrosity and society’s responses to things outside of the accepted norms.
This is a prime book to use for comparison projects, since there are so many versions and stories that have taken the same idea and gone a slightly different direction. Use Venn Diagrams to explore similarities and differences, then have your student write a compare/contrast paper. It’s also an excellent opportunity to discuss issues of morality and science, abortion, and social norms.
If you’d like to find further discussions of Frankenstein with study guides and questions, visit these sites:
Enjoy! Frankenstein is an outstanding novel that is referred to regularly in other literature and in society. It’s important that a well-read person be familiar with the book.
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Summer Learning on
June 13, 2010
I was reading status updates on a social media site that I frequent, and happened to see a post by a young friend of mine saying she was headed to the library to get a book to begin summer reading. A mutual acquaintance (also a teen) responded, “Why are you doing that? Haven’t you heard that school is out???” This tells me something very important about that young man’s family’s expectations of him. My feeling is that he has not been expected to exercise his brain during the summer for many, many years. Not coincidentally, the young man also struggles in high school and is at risk for dropping out.
NOW is the time to make that expectation clear to your children. Kids live up (or down) to the expectations that their parents and other important adults have for them. This vacation, make it clear to your children that you expect more from them. Bookmark this site and consider some of our classes to keep the brains active at your house!
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Reading Skills,
Summer Learning on
June 11, 2010
Upper elementary and middle school students will enjoy the novel Holes by Louis Sachar. With a reading level of 5.2, the book is accessible to upper elementary students and interesting to middle schoolers. It’s a Newberry Award winner and has been made into a popular movie.
Holes is the story of a boy named Stanley who seems to have everything go wrong in his life. He blames it on a family curse from four generations back, but the results seem very real to him. He’s a social outcast, overweight, and now accused of a crime he didn’t commit and sent to a juvenile detention camp with a twist- the warden believes that boys’ characters can be changed by having them dig holes in the desert in the hot sun. Is he secretly searching for buried treasure?
The book touches on themes of friendship, destiny, and even literacy. The characters demonstrate determination and strong will. It will appeal to girls as well as to boys, and is an outstanding choice for summer reading fun.
Online resources to use with Holes include:
SparkNotes: Holes
Free Holes Online Trivia Game
Activity Suggestions for Holes
Scholastic.com Activities for Holes
Book Wizard: Holes Literature Guide
Don’t forget that you can help your child learn to write an outstanding book report in the Book Report Workshop!
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Reading Skills,
Summer Learning on
June 6, 2010
Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird shows up on a LOT of high school reading lists, and with very good reason. The book tackles racism, being a social outcast, and many other very deep subjects through the eyes of a child. In between, there are themes of maturation and lost innocence. The book will cause some deep thoughts about racism and issues of right and wrong both at the personal and at the community and societal levels.
The story is about a young girl growing up in the deep south in the 1930s, and is told through her eyes. She and her brother ponder why some people are outcast from society, and look on as her attorney-father tackles the defense of an African-American man accused of rape.
Parents will want to be aware that there are some instances of bad language and references to rape, violence and racial injustice in the book, and might want to screen it before sharing the story with younger or more sensitive readers.
To Kill a Mockingbird is on classic reading lists for good reason. Harper Lee was honored with a Pulitzer Prize in 1961. The story boasts some outstanding depictions of life in the 1930s in the deep South. The tone moves from childish joy and innocence to dark and almost frightening depictions of the town’s racism during the trial. It’s truly a masterful work of art.
You can read To Kill a Mockingbird online for free at Goodreads.com.
You’ll find a few outstanding study guides and question sets for To Kill a Mockingbird at the following websites:
And as always, you’re welcome to sign up for the Book Report Workshop for $5.00. This self-paced online class will guide your student through the process of writing an outstanding book report, and may be just the ticket to boost those English grades in middle school and high school.
Published by
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Study Skills on
May 28, 2010
Need to organize information from class so you can learn it in a hurry? Try a graphic organizer. This highly-visual method of studying works well for chapters that have subheadings and many smaller skills or sections. It’s also a great way to show how information is interconnected.
Try a web organizer to go over material from a chapter in your text. Put the chapter title or topic in the center, then make a branch outward for each subtopic or subheading. Put details about each of those on branches, including names of important events, problems and solutions, formulas, and so forth.
Once you have created the web organizer, make another copy. Cut it apart and try to reassemble it like a jigsaw puzzle. Use a blank copy of the same organizer and try to recreate the web from memory. Engage your brain in the learning process, and you will have more success on your exams this year!
Published by
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Reading Skills on
May 20, 2010
How is your child’s reading? Are you sure that he or she is reading as well as needed for grade placement? Too many parents assume that reading skills are developing normally, only to find out that skills are far below grade level when the grades start to drop. Now is a great time to make sure your student is reading as expected. Here are some warning signs that shouldn’t be ignored:
- Reluctance to Read: Reading is generally a fun activity for children and youth. If your student protests picking up books on a regular basis, this should set off your warning bells.
- Slow Silent Reading Pace: Silent reading should be faster than oral reading. If your child seems to be lagging when reading silently, it’s time to check reading skills. Think about how long it takes your student to read a book for a book report, or the length of time required to complete content reading assignments.
- Avoidance Behaviors: Does your child complain of headaches whenever asked to read? How about putting required reading off until the last possible moment? These can be signs of a reading problem.
- Poor Test Scores: Children with reading problems often do well on homework scores but fail tests miserably. This can be due to having ready help with reading directions and problems on homework assignments that is not available in test situations. Some children even convince their parents to study with them orally and families become very confused when the test scores don’t seem to match the effort put into studying.
- Difficulty with Written Expression: Reading and writing are so closely tied together that if your student is having trouble putting ideas into words on paper, chances are good that there are reading problems, as well.
Do any of those warning signs sound familiar? If so, there are some simple ways you can find out if your child is reading at the level expected for his or her grade placement.
- The Five-Finger Test: Choose a book that is labeled to be at your child’s grade level. Many newer fiction books have grade level designations listed. Open the book to a page in the middle with lots of words and few or no pictures. Have your child read aloud from that page. Keep track of the words that are misread, stumbled over, or hesitant. If you count five or more words on the page that are difficult, that grade level of text is likely too difficult for your reader, and you should have a teacher or reading specialist investigate further.
- Oral Reading Fluency: Choose a book at your child’s reading level. Choose a passage from the middle of the book and count the words. You’ll want a passage of around 250 words. Have your child read the passage and time his or her reading. Note how far he or she read in one minute. Use the chart below to judge if your child’s reading rate matches other students of similar age and experience.
Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) Target Rate Norms
|
Grade
|
Fall
(WCPM) |
Winter
(WCPM)
|
Spring
(WCPM)
|
|
1
2
3
4
|
30-60
50-90
70-110
|
10-30
50-80
70-100
80-120
|
30-60
70-100
80-110
100-140
|
|
5
6
7
8
|
80-120
100-140
110-150
120-160
|
100-140
110-150
120-160
130-170
|
110-15-
120-160
130-170
140-180 |
| Source: Adapted from “AIMSweb: Charting the Path to Literacy,” 2003, Edformation, Inc. Available at www.aimsweb.com/norms/reading_fluency.htm. Data are also adapted from “Curriculum-Based Oral Reading Fluency Norms for Students in Grades 2 Through 5,” by J. E. Hasbrouck and G. Tindal, 1992, Teaching Exceptional Children, 24, pp. 41-44. |
- Retelling Stories: Another sign of successful reading is the ability to retell and summarize the text. Have your child read a story and tell you what happened. See if he or she can get most of the main events in the retelling and in the right order. There should be a beginning, middle and ending to the story.
If you see signs of trouble, try the quick assessments mentioned above. If the quick assessments indicate problems, seek out a teacher, reading specialist or a tutor to do a more extensive and detailed evaluation. Don’t let your child fall further and further behind!
Published by
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Summer Learning on
May 17, 2010
Only a few more weeks of school in many areas, so now is the time to plan for summer learning opportunities. Teachers the world over know that the extended vacation over summer might be fun, but it’s downright damaging to many kids’ academic progress. Don’t let your child lose ground this summer! Keep learning alive by turning on the brain power for a little while each day. Here’s how:
- Take play to the next level. Most play activities are really learning activities in disguise. Board games use a host of math and reading skills. Cooking can lead to science experiments. Even watching a movie can be paired with reading the book of the same name. At least once each day this summer, help your child make academic connections and use reading, math, science and social studies skills related to recreational activities.
- Set aside some daily work time. Each day, plan thirty to sixty minutes of review time. You can use a commercial workbook or two that cover areas of weakness, or grab one of the titles that reviews the previous grade material or previews academics coming up next fall. You also can design your own program. The internet is filled with great educational activities that you can cobble together to keep your child entertained as well as academically fresh.
- Read and respond to books. Make sure at least part of each day is spent with a good book. If your school does not offer an age-appropriate reading list, check with your local librarian or bookstore worker for title suggestions. Many libraries and bookstores also try to encourage reading by offering prizes or even free books in exchange for completed reading logs from kids and youth. And don’t stop with simply reading the books! At least half of the time, find a way for your child to respond to what has been read. This can be a traditional book report, a multi-media presentation, a poster, a discussion, a book review, a diary that a character might’ve written, a play or skit, or any other method of having the student recall and analyze the text.
- Build logic and planning skills. Very few families don’t take any trips or outings at all during the summer. Your child will exercise brain power if you put him or her in charge of planning all or part of the excursion. Young children can plan and pack for picnics. Older kids can use maps to choose routes to destinations, calculate gas mileage and make a budget. Not only will you be keeping the brain exercised and active, but you will be nurturing important life skills.
- Take advantage of summer programming. You’re not alone in this endeavor. Countless organizations around the country want to help you exercise your child’s brain. Many programs are free or low-cost, and designed with parental convenience in mind. Check libraries for summer reading program events. The bookstores often offer programs for children. Hobby stores generally host craft classes. The local parks department, YM or YWCA, and other civic organizations run day camps. Scouting programs abound. Community colleges and museums host summer events. Check your community calendar and local bulletin boards for more ideas.
This list just scratches the surface. It’s really not hard to prevent your child from vegging in front of the television or computer for three months. Just a few activities each day can make a world of difference when school rolls around again in the fall.