Family Resources

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Summer Learning at Home

Parents often call and ask what they can do at home to ensure that their children maintain gains made over the school year.  The following ideas will likely overlap with the suggestions made by your child's school.  Think about ways to incorporate these into your summer schedule:
    Talk, talk, talk -- Vocabulary is one of the most important components in successful reading.  Individuals develop vocabulary in a variety of ways, but among the most important is good conversation in which specific vocabulary comes up again and again.  Expose your child to interesting words and, when they come up, try to use them again and again in natural conversation.  Another important way to grow vocabulary is through wide reading.  This includes both reading books and listening to them read by another person or on audiotape.  Just as adults enjoy talking about things they read in books or in newspapers, your child will enjoy and benefit from this type of discussion.
   Read, read, read -- Summer is a great time to spend time at the public library.  Many local libraries have special summer events, including read-alouds.  Introduce your child to the children's librarian, a person trained to help your child select enjoyable books that are at his or her reading level.  Encourage discussion of the books.  Telling others about a book is an important way to continue thinking about it long after it is read.
   Write, write, write -- Summertime lends itself to catching up with others.  Encourage your child to send postcards to friends and relatives at various points throughout the summer.  If you travel (and this includes typical summer day trips to the beach and parks), keeping a family travel journal can be great fun.  The journal can include scrapbook souvenirs, photos and drawings, as well as some journal entries to remind your child about summer activities when summer is over.  Spend some time at the end of the summer reviewing the travel journal and reliving your summer  outings.
Publications and Web Sites of Interest to Parents
Parents are always eager to access rich resources to use at home.  A few web sites that are worth a look include:

Colorin Colorado -- a wonderful web-based resource that offers parents a range of actvities that will benefit their children academically and socially.  To access links to this wonderful resource, click here . On this site, you will find Reading Rockets summer activities to help you Get Ready for Summer!

Reading Rockets has packed a "virtual beach bag" of activities for teachers to help families get ready for summer and to launch students to fun, enriching summertime experiences. Educators will find materials to download and distribute as well as ideas and resources to offer to students and parents to help ensure summer learning gain rather than loss. The web site currently offers:


Frequently Asked Questions

A parent recently wrote us the following question:
"My child is in second grade and does not seem to be progressing in reading the way I think he should.  What can I do to help him read better?"

Response:
The first place to start is by making an appointment with your child's teacher to express your concerns and to get more specific information from the teacher.  When children struggle with reading, the important first step is to determine what area of reading is causing the problem and to treat the problem accordingly.  The teacher can let you know what these specific areas may be and can also let you know what steps the school is taking to support your child's reading.  Additionally, the teacher is the best person to suggest specific activities you can do with your child at home to support your child's learning.  Talk to the teacher again in a few months to see if progress is being made.

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Please check this site periodically to find many useful, frequently updated resources.