Academic Activity Book for K-6

Academic Activity Book for K-6
Standards-based activities in reading/language arts, math, science, and social studies/history for parents and teachers.

Academic Activity Book for K-6

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Table of Contents

For Parents: Getting the Most Out of InSync Education

For Teachers: Integrating InSync EducationInto Your Classroom

Frequently Asked Questions

Activity 1: Practice Rhyming

Activity 2: Make a Checklist of Reading Strategies

Activity 3: Make and Describe Patterns

Activity 4: Create Graphs

Activity 5: Play an Observation Game

Activity 6: Model the Phases of the Moon

Activity 7: Make a Timeline

Activity 8: Name That Region

For Teachers: Class-Home Connection Template

For Parents: Getting the Most Out of InSync Education

What Is InSync Education?

Your son or daughter’s district or school has begun using InSync Education, an online database of academic resources designed specifically for parents of children in kindergarten through grade twelve. The resources in InSync Education:

Support in-class learning in reading/language arts, mathematics, science, social studies/history in kindergarten through grade 12.

Provide easy-to-read overviews of curriculum topics for parents.

Help with homework, studying for tests, writing reports, and learning study skills and strategies.

Provide extra review, practice, and enrichment activities that are based on the standards taught at your child’s grade level.

Are available in three languages (English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole).

Can be searched by keyword, browsed by standard, or viewed in an index.

All of these features—and more—can be accessed online at

How Can This Book Help Me?

As part of InSync Education, we developed this book—eight easy, standards-based activities in reading/language arts, math, science, social studies/history to do with your child:

Activity 1: Practice Rhyming (Reading/Language Arts, K)

Activity 2: Make a Checklist of Reading Strategies (Reading/Language Arts, Grades 1-6)

Activity 3: Make and Describe Patterns (Math, K-1)

Activity 4: Create Graphs (Math, Grades 3-5)

Activity 5: Play an Observation Game (Science, K)

Activity 6: Model the Phases of the Moon (Science, Grades 3-5)

Activity 7: Make a Timeline (Social Studies/History, K-1)

Activity 8: Name That Region (Social Studies/History, Grades 3-5)

Many more activities like these can be accessed online by visiting

Each activity includes:

Activities that can be used to practice, review, and support curriculum topics in fun, hands-on manner.

Topic overviews that provide parents with a summary of the curriculum topic.

Glossary of Academic Terms that list subject-specific words that parents may need defined.

Additional Resources that suggest websites to learn more about a curriculum topic.

In the coming months, look for notes from your child’s teacher with further information about using InSync Education to support in-class learning.

Ideas for Using InSync Education with Your Child

Here are a few ideas for using InSync Education with your child:

Support in-class learning. Give your child extra practice and enrichment in the four core subjects by doing a standards-based activity together. Either pick an activity from this book or search the online database of resources, and learn more about the skills and concepts your child is learning in class in a fun way.

Find out about what your child is learning about in class. Either in communication with your child's classroom teacher or by using a district provided curriculum map, search for resources that support the curriculum topics being taught your child's classroom. Read an overview of the topic and browse activities you can do with your child.

Help your child study for tests and quizzes. Before your child takes a test or quiz, practice and review important concepts with your child with activities developed to specifically support various curriculum topics in reading/language arts, math, science, and social studies/history.

Start an activity day with your child. Every weekend, pick an activity, collect any materials needed to complete the activity, and have fun! Pick a different subject the next weekend.

For Teachers: Integrating InSync EducationInto Your Classroom

What Is InSync Education?

Your district or school has begun using InSync Education, an online database of academic resources designed specifically for parents of children in kindergarten through grade twelve. The resources in InSync Education:

Support in-class learning in reading/language arts, mathematics, science, social studies/history in kindergarten through grade 12.

Provide easy-to-read overviews of curriculum topics for parents.

Help with homework, studying for tests, writing reports, and learning study skills and strategies.

Provide extra review, practice, and enrichment activities that are based on the standards taught at your child’s grade level.

Are available in three languages (English, Spanish and Haitian Creole).

Can be searched by keyword, browsed by state standard, or viewed in an index.

All of these features—and more—can be accessed online at

How Can This Book Help Me?

As part of InSync Education, we developed this book—eight easy, standards-based activities in reading/language arts, math, science, social studies/history:

Activity 1: Practice Rhyming (Reading/Language Arts, K)

Activity 2: Make a Checklist of Reading Strategies (Reading/Language Arts, Grades 1-6)

Activity 3: Make and Describe Patterns (Math, K-1)

Activity 4: Create Graphs (Math, Grades 3-5)

Activity 5: Play an Observation Game (Science, K)

Activity 6: Model the Phases of the Moon (Science, Grades 3-5)

Activity 7: Make a Timeline (Social Studies/History, K-1)

Activity 8: Name That Region (Social Studies/History, Grades 3-5)

Many more activities like these can be accessed online by visiting

Each activity includes:

Activities that parents and children can use to practice, review, and support curriculum topics in fun, hands-on manner.

Topic overviews that provide parents with a summary of the curriculum topic.

Glossary of Academic Terms that list subject-specific words that parents may need defined.

Additional Resources that suggest websites to learn more about a curriculum topic.

Class-Home Connection Templates that can be filled out to alert parents to resources that would support in-class learning.

Ideas for IntegratingInSync Education in Your Classroom

Here are four ideas for integrating InSync Education in your classroom:

Differentiate instruction. Either during small group time or afterschool, use InSync Education standards-based activities and tips with students who may need information presented in a more visual or hands-on manner.

Provide extra practice and review. Before a chapter test, have small groups of student complete InSync Education activities as needed to provide additional practice and review.

Offer extra help. Assign specific InSync Education resources to students as needed to provide additional support using the Class-Home Connection Template at the end of this book.

Extend and enrich learning. Use InSync Education activities with students who want to learn more about a specific topic.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is InSync Education?

A:InSync Educationis an online database of academic resources and activities designed specifically for parents of school-aged children. All InSync Education resources are searchable and aligned to Florida state standards.

Q: Who is InSync Educationfor?

A: InSync Education isdesigned for all parents of children in kindergarten through the 12th grade. InSync Education is available to parents in English and Spanish.

Q: What kinds of resources can I find on InSync Education?

A: InSync Education has hundreds of resources and activities in core subject areas such as reading/language arts, math, science, and social studies/history. InSync Education also offers parent resources to help prepare students for standardized tests, practice academic skills over the summer, and develop study skills and lifelong learning strategies. Special resources for students in grades 9-12 focus on life skills, applying to college, and career readiness.

Q: How will using InSync Education help my child in the classroom?

A:All of the resources in InSync Education are standards-based—developed specifically to guide parents in how to build the grade and subject specific knowledge and skills that children are learning in the classroom. When you complete activities in InSync Education with your child, you’ll help your child learn what’s being taught in the classroom in reading/language arts, math, science, and social studies/history.

Q: What's included as part of InSync Education resources?

A: All resources in InSync Education provide an overview of the content, two activities/tips related to the content, a glossary of academic terms, and a list of additional web-based resources. Resources are available in English (K-12), Spanish (K-12), and Haitian-Creole (K-5). Resources for students in grades 6-12 also include real world applications of content and list prerequisite resources.

Q: How do I log into InSync Education?

A:To log into InSync Education, contact your district for detailed log in instructions.

Q: How do I find resources in InSync Education?

A: Finding resources in InSync Education is easy. You can either search for resources by keyword, browse resources by standard, or browse through an index of all the resources in the database. Some districts have also provided InSync Education with a district curriculum calendar, which allows you to search for resources connected to your student’s daily classroom learning schedule.

Q: I’m a teacher. Are other teachers using InSync Education in their classroom?

A: Although InSync Education was initially built for parents, the resources in InSync Education are also commonly used by classroom teachers. Because InSync Education resources are standards-based, activities can be used for in-class practice, lesson differentiation, test prep and review, enrichment, or additional support for individual students based on need. Additionally, many teachers print out the resources in InSync Education in the home language of the student as homework for both the student and the parent, and as a way to reinforce and support parental involvement in the student’s academic achievement.

Q: In which languages is InSync Education available?

A: InSync Education is available in English, Spanish and Haitian-Creole. Additional languages can be added by individual districts based on the needs of their parent population.

Q: How do I view InSync Education in another language?

A: Switching languages in InSync Education is easy, and can be done from anywhere in the database, and at any time. Select either Spanish or Haitian-Creole, and the entirety of InSync Education will appear in the selected language. You may also identify your language preference in your user profile.

Grade Level:KindergartenSubject: Reading/Language Arts

Activity 1: Practice Rhyming

Overview

The ability to rhyme is an important skill that develops your child’s ability to recognize and produce patterns in language, words, and sounds. In many cultures and for many years, caregivers have been singing songs with rhymes or telling nursery rhymes to babies and young children. Perhaps people have an instinct that rhymes help children develop their language! In any case, this skill of recognizing patterns will help your child learn how to read.

To find a rhyme for a word, your child has to find another word that has the same or similar ending sounds. For example, words that rhyme with hat include bat, splat , flat , mat , and pat. Examples of words that do not rhyme with hat are hand , ham, part, mad, bit, and vet.

Activity

Together with your child, sing a song with rhymes to practice producing rhymes. Examples of songs with rhymes are “Down by the Bay,” “Willoughby Wallaby Woo,” “This Old Man,” “On Top of Spaghetti,” “A-Hunting We Will Go,” and “The Ants Go Marching.”

After your child is familiar with these songs, sing a line of the song until the part where there is a rhyming word.
Pause to have your child fill in the blank. Your child can say any rhyming word, not just the ones you have already thought of.

For example, in “Down by the Bay,” sing:

Down by the bay

Where the watermelons grow,

Back to my home

I dare not ______. (go)

For if I do,

My mother will say,

“Did you ever see a dog

Sitting by a ______(log, frog)

Down by the bay?

For “A-Hunting We Will Go,” sing:

A-hunting we will go,

We'll catch a fox

And put him in a ______(box)

And then we'll let him go.

Additional Resources

"Reading Rockets: Sounds & Symbols, Article 2 – Beginning Reading and Phonological Awareness" – An article about the relationship between being able to rhyme and reading.

Glossary of Academic Terms

rhyme – to produce a word that has similar or the same final sounds as another word

Grade Level:Grades 1-6Subject: Reading/Language Arts

Activity 2: Make a Checklist of Reading Strategies

Overview

Some texts your child reads may be difficult for him to understand. Learning some reading strategies and how to use them will help your child understand difficult texts.

Reread – Have your child read the difficult passage of text again and read the text more slowly. By rereading, your child may learn more about the text than the first time she read it.

Check context clues – Have your child look at the text surrounding the text he is having trouble reading. Use what he understands to help him figure the meaning of text he doesn't understand.

Predict– Have your child use what she already knows about the text to predict what will come next. After your child has developed a prediction, she can compare her prediction with the text, revising her prediction as necessary.

Summarize – Have your child summarize the most important parts of a text. By summarizing what he already knows about the text, your child may be able to determine the meaning of a passage he can't understand. You will also be able to determine if your child understands the main ideas of a text before trying to help him with specific passages of text he may have trouble understanding.

Question – Have your child ask questions about the text. For example, as she reads, your child could ask herself: How is this organized? What is this paragraph telling me? By asking questions about a text, your child will stay more engaged while she is reading, promoting better understanding of a text.

Clarify by checking other sources – Have your child read an easier text about the same subject to find information that helps explain the meaning of a difficult passage. You could also have your child look in a glossary or dictionary if he doesn’t understand a difficult word.

Each of these reading strategies can be used on their own to understand difficult texts; they also can be used together.

Activity

Help your child create a checklist of reading strategies to use when she is reading.

Make a checklist of the reading strategies listed above, with definitions of each strategy.
Have your child create a drawing of each strategy that helps her remember how to use it.
Have your child use the checklist of reading strategies when she reads a text that is difficult.

Additional Resources

"Reading Rockets: Reading for Meaning" – An article that includes tips and explanations about how to help a reader make sense of text.

Glossary of Academic Terms

reading strategies– research-based strategies that will help your child understand difficult text

Grade Level: K-1Subject: Mathematics

Activity 3: Make and Describe Patterns

Overview

When your child is able to identify and continue patterns of objects and numbers, he is using logic. Logic is a necessary skill for understanding algebra and geometry topics.

A repeating pattern has a unit that repeats over and over. Repeating patterns often use shapes and colors.

Example 1. Some repeating patterns use colors.

The pattern is red, blue, yellow. This is the part that repeats. The pattern can also be described with letters (ABC…) or numbers (1, 2, 3…). The item that comes next in the pattern is a red square.

Example 2. Other repeating patterns use shapes.

The pattern is circle, circle, triangle (AAB or 1, 1, 2). The item that comes next in the pattern is a circle.

A number pattern follows a rule. The rule tells what to do to get from one number to the next.

Example 3.

24681012____

Each number is 2 more than the one before it. The rule is to add 2 or count by 2s. The next number in the pattern is 2 more than 12, or 14.

Example 4.

51015202530_____

Each number is 5 more than the one before it. The rule is to add 5 or count by 5s. The next number in the pattern is 5 more than 30, or 35.

Activity

Practice making and describing patterns with your child.

Cut out a variety of squares, circles, hearts, and triangles from sheets of colored paper.
Create a shape or color pattern with the cutouts.
Ask your child to describe the pattern using words.
After he states the pattern correctly, have him express the pattern in a different way, using letters, numbers, or sounds.
Finally, instruct him to tell what comes next in the pattern.
Continue the activity by taking turns creating and describing the patterns.

Additional Resources