The Interventionist Blog
Ahhh! Summer! A time to relax and enjoy those lazy days filled with trips to the park, family vacations and backyard barbecues, right? Not so fast! Summer can entail more than just a change from the unusual routine. For children, it can mean a serious loss of learning. Research shows that many children experience a ‘summer slump’ and can lose about four weeks of growth from the previous school year. However, there are many things a parent can do to keep their child’s brain active. Here are a few ideas recommended by experts to help prevent the dreaded ‘brain drain’. Read between the lines. Have your child join the local library’s summer reading program or start their own reading program or book club. They can set a goal for reading so many books and even keep track on a book ‘growth’ chart. Incorporate reading into everyday activities by pointing out billboards, fliers, food containers and such. Younger children can play the alphabet game on longer drives. Talk the Talk. Ask questions about anything and everything, but not the kind of questions that only illicit “yes” or “no” answers. For instance, ask “What did you like about….?” Get children talking, and you may be able to turn a normal experience into a teaching moment. Got Game? Organize game nights not just for your family, but in the neighborhood. Play educational games like Scrabble, Uno, crossword puzzles, Sudoku, Monopoly, or basic card games. They make for a fun night and reinforce skills such as memory, concentration, logic and reasoning. They also teach children how to take turns, and be both a good winner and a good loser. Vacation your body, not your mind. Going on a trip can be a great time to expand more than your physical horizons. Use the library and internet to learn about the destination and its historical sites. Study maps and plot mileage. It all adds up to fun. According to the National Summer Learning Association, losing math skills is the biggest threat over sum-mer. Try a number of activities to reinforce math skills. For instance, look at the measurement in a recipe you’re making and ask your child to double it. Ask your child to compute the 15% tip on the restaurant bill, or determine how many gallons of gas are needed to travel the 50 miles to grandma’s house. Make math a part of your everyday life.
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Spring testing is finally behind us. While being productive in and out of school is important, it is equally important to be able to relax, especially after days of grueling State Testing. We are on the home stretch, but these last few weeks can be extremely stressful as students are trying to finish up in their classes. Here are some de-stressing tips from Virtual Learning Connections - A friendly resource supporting K–12 school from home. Health Tips to Fight Stress
Reduce School Pressures Certain things happen in school that put pressure on all children. These include the following:
Relaxation Tips for Frustrated Learners
Tips for Relaxation and Focus
Academics are very important, but so is your physical and emotional well-being! Take time to smell the flowers! I hope everyone is enjoying their spring break whether it is being spent relaxing at home, visiting with friends and family or escaping to warmer climates! Upon your return, you may find it difficult to get back on track and stay focused through the end of the school year. I have created a list of 5 things that you can do to stay focused and engaged. 1.Get organized The last couple of months of school can be chaotic. The best way to handle this is to get (or stay) organized. Create a calendar with important upcoming events such as class schedule, due dates and state testing. Update the calendar daily. Remember to add in time to complete projects and make time for studying. Plan ahead so you don’t have to cram! I find a sense of accomplishment when I get to put a big black X on completed events. 2.Don’t look too far ahead While creating your calendar remember it is important to take things day by day. Our schedules can become overwhelming when we take a look at the big picture. Look individually at each day on your calendar as they approach. 3.Stay healthy It is important to take care of yourself. Remember to eat healthy, get good sleep and work in some exercise. It is so easy to get buried in our work and overlook a healthy snack and lunch. Eating small meals throughout the day is best. Try to work in some carrot sticks and fresh fruit! Attending school online, we sometimes over look exercise. Plan 5 minutes in between classes to get up and get moving and/or take a walk during lunch. 4.Get some vitamin D The weather is warming up and the sun is shining! Get outside and take advantage of it! Find a quiet spot and set up shop. I like to go out on my deck and spend the day working outside! 5.Find support Get yourself a cheering section. There are people who believe in you and want to help you succeed. You may want to talk to your fellow classmates, teachers, parents or friends about goals you would like to achieve. Have them hold you accountable for achieving those goals. I am always much more successful when people know what I want to get done because I don’t want to disappoint them!
A hot topic amongst educators in the schooling from home/virtual learning field is environment. We are taught the importance of environment on a child’s growth and development, as well as in his or her education. This is why many of you choose to school from home in the first place! You want to be in charge of your child’s learning environment and want to be a part of the everyday process of educating your child. A student’s home environment has a profound impact on his or her learning. The old saying, "The most important work you do takes place within the walls of your home," applies here. Children are imitators and like all of us they learn from their surroundings. Apply this principle to the important things your children need to learn, such as math and reading. A child’s attitude about learning is shaped by experiences at home. The best part of schooling from home is that you can be in charge of the environment your student learns from. This is exciting! It can also be stressful if you are not sure where to start or if your space is limited. First focus on a few of the big factors to the learning environment:
It takes a little time to learn what works best for each individual. What works for one, may not work for another. You do not have to have a lot of space to begin creating an environment that is best suited for your child’s learning. What factors in your environment can you control? Start by trying some different techniques with your student and reflect on which techniques yielded the best learning days. Great learning days do not have to be gauged by academic performance. You can also look at your child’s attitude towards school. Kids who are excited about schooling from home will be more likely to be engaged in lessons and the classroom, and will be motivated to get better each day. What type of environment does your child thrive in? Please feel free to share your tips and ideas with us…we would love to hear from you! --Danielle Wright K5 Math Interventionist September 18, 2015 It's hard to believe that we are at the end of our second week of school already! The first few weeks always flies by and then comes the "settling in" period. I'm not there yet. I am still wondering if I finished everything that was on my daily to-do list and that had me wondering: How are our students staying organized? Whether it's a daily online planner or post-it notes, students need to find their own way of organizing their life, their time, their daily work. First--since we are serving LCs and students ranging from Kindergarten through 12th grade--we need to recognize the differences between ages and grades and each child's independence level. Is your student ready to manage his or her organization on their own? As a teacher and mother of three--two of which are high school girls--I suggest taking time to ask your student how they would like to stay organized. My kids are all different and I know that what works for one might not work for the other. My oldest daughter is the organized, color-coding, binder type and our middle child is not. She likes all things "techy", so she prefers using online post-its to write down her assignments and then check them off when she completes them. Ensuring that she actually turns the assignment into the teacher is another story for another day! After deciding who is going to be "in charge" of organization, now comes the fun part of creating, organizing and maintaining a specific spot in the house designated as the "school zone". This is really important! I believe students need their own space, even if you are tight on space. Here are some fun ideas (with some great photos) for school organization: http://becomingmartha.com/40-back-to-school-organization-ideas/ Now comes the hard work of checking on your students' daily progress. This is so important and necessary, especially in the first six weeks of school. Once a routine is created, check back to make sure your organizational system is functioning properly. Student might need that daily check in, or they might just need a once a week update with their Learning Coach to ensure that assignments are being completed on time. How are you organizing your school work so far? We'd love to hear some great ideas from you--the ones working hard at home! --Leeann Kish MS ELA Interventionist |
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January 2017
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