Don’t Let YOUR Child

deal with the

We had a family meeting to set expectations for the summer.
We decided on a daily routine for practice.
We wrote down a contract for each child, signed it and posted it in a visible spot.

We are holding each other accountable.
The child is wearing a watch.
We are prompting the child to tell and calculate time.
My child is able to pay for something.
My child checks the change.
My child has and reads books in the car, and in places where lots of time is spent ( bedroom, kitchen table, coffee table)
We used the Scholastic Book Wizard to make a bin of just right books for my child.
My child plays educational games on the computer before playing other computer games.
We have logins posted by the computer/on the device.
My child is helping with daily and weekly chores.
My child is writing letters and post cards, and addressing them.
My child is using recipes (meals or science exp.)
My child is calculating amounts at the store.
When I help my child practice math facts, I remember to practice 1 new fact, and 9 known facts, slowly increasing the time between new facts.
As I go through my day, I make a point to think about the situations we are in. Are there concepts and vocabulary my child may not yet be familiar with? Now I can improve his knowledge by teaching in the moment. (Anything from
I praise my child for asking questions.

Summer Time

Keep your skills strong

Summer is here and it’s important that your child keep his/her academic skills strong. Here are some helpful tips/resources that you and your child can use this summer.

**Technology**

  • MyOn
  • SplashMath

• Compass Learning:

**Compass learning and MyOn are individualized to your child’s

learning level. They are a wonderful, fun resources or extra summer practice!

Reading

What Level? Your child’s report card tells you the reading level they are at. Book Wizard gives you titles at that level – or in reverse, tells you the level of the books on your shelves. (We mark our books on the cover, for easy reference.)

• The number one thing that will help your child is for them to read daily. They should read books that are on their independent reading level (these are books that are not too easy or too hard- see report card). If your child does not know more than 3 words on a page, the book is too hard for them to read by themselves. I have included a summer reading log and reading list with this note to help your child keep track of their summer reading!

• Check out your local library’s Summer Reading Program. This is a great program that is FREE!

Ask higher level questions ( Why…, How did…, How do you know…?”)

Model reading aloud, with expression ( get dramatic). Think out loud, to model how you think about what you are reading.

Language Arts & Writing

• Encourage your child to keep a journal and write about their summer activities. Remind them that details make their writing more interesting. A reader would rather read about their “exciting day at the sandy beach swimming in the crystal clear water” than “the beach was nice.”

Writing about what they’ve read, starting a little book club, could be fun, too ;)

Math

• Practice math facts with your child. Use time in the car to practice just 1 new fact at a time, along with mastered facts. Slowly increase the amount of time you wait before you ask again. Be sure to have your child say the whole fact – not merely the answer. He needs to make the connection between the answer and the fact, by saying it, often seeing or writing it. Remember Practice =/= Quiz

• Use everyday life to let your child practice math.

Money: help your child keep track of allowance and extra change…have a notebook where you add and subtract ( with calculator, if needed), the income and expenditures. Let your child be present when you pay bills and do your accounting.

“ How much will two tickets cost?”

“How much change should you get back? – Make sure you check it!”

Use rounding to make sure the answers make sense.

Time

Have your child wear a watch, and practice on analog clocks. Frequently, ask them to tell you what time it is. (If they have trouble with minutes… get a cheap clock with a clear face, write the minutes on the edge of the clock – or tape flower petals with minute numbers on the clock ( your child’s favorite color). You can also temporarily post: Short hand: Long hand

Hang the clock ( and cue) at the child’s eye level.

Routine

Whether you’re asking to spell a word, tell a math fact, figure out a story problem, list reading strategies or tell time - it helps to link asking questions to a particular event that repeats frequently. It helps YOU remember to do it, if it is always linked to the same event – every time the child gets some water, or brushes teeth, goes outside, etc.

Example:

Child: “ Can I watch some TV/play on my ___?”

Adult: “ What time is it now?”

Child: Uses analog clock to answer the question. ----- : ------

Adult “ You can play for 20 minutes. What time do you need to stop?”

Child: Uses analog clock to answer the question ( may need help, show her how to count on by 5s)

Adult: Holds child accountable for tracking time

For a child who can answer these questions, have them work backwards:

Adult: “We are leaving at 8:35. How much time do you have to get ready?”

Child: Uses analog clock to count back from 8:35 or count on to 8:35. “___ minutes”

Adult: “What do you need to finish in those ___ minutes?”

Child: x, y, z

Adult: “ You are right – you have ___ minutes to finish x, y, z!”

At the grocery store, they can figure out how much money they need to pay the cashier. Ask them to tell you what time it is. There are many moments during the day that require math skills.

Great Websites for

Summer

Learning Log

Date/
Start Time –> End time / Learning Activity / I learned that…
Date/
Start Time –> End time / Learning Activity / I learned that…