Here are some simple strategies to help your children keep the academic skills they learned during the school year. Support them as they read. Give them material that is motivating - and some of it should be easy. Help them enjoy books and feel pleasure - not pressure - from reading. The summer should be a relaxed time where their love of learning can flower.
As a parent you play a critical role in your child's education during the summer - especially if your child has trouble reading. Without your help, kids are more likely to forget what they learned last year. Encourage them to read for pleasure without the pressure they experience in the classroom.
Here is some summer reading strategies to help your child see that reading can be useful and enjoyable:
- Give them material that motivates them to read. Try comic books, directions for interesting projects, and mystery stories. Have them read information on possible activities as you plan your summer vacation. Let them decide what they want to read.
- Support them as they read. Read their book aloud to them, help them decode, and make it easy for them to get the meaning. Even if a question is asked again and again or if you feel irritated, act happy that they asked. Show them that reading is a way to find out what they need to know, or even to entertain themselves.
- When you read with them, make it your goal to enjoy the book together. You don't have to make them read perfectly! Avoid too much correction. In school next year, the teacher will help them improve their skills.
- Let younger children "pretend" to read. Read the story aloud together. Let them follow your voice. Have them look at the words as you point to them, even if they aren't actually reading. When they say the wrong word, say the word correctly and cheerfully while pointing to the word.
- Read aloud to them as you do daily chores, sight see, or sit on the beach. Read an instruction manual with them as you try to fix something. While visiting a museum, read the interpretive materials. If you see the slightest sign they want to read aloud to you, let them!
- Use technology. If you have a computer, equip it with software that reads aloud. Let them load books into their electronic devices and listen to them at the same time as they read the printed book in their hands. Use recorded books.
- Be a model of reading. Bring books to the beach and read them. If you are travelling, find a book for the whole family to read and discuss. If you are dyslexic, "read" your taped books on vacation, letting your child see you or give them their own tapes. Show and tell them how you overcame your own difficulties.
- Have reading matter conveniently available. You might carry small children's books and magazines with you and have them ready when you must wait in line for those crowded amusement park rides and popular sightseeing destinations.
Children can discover the joys of reading and other academic skills in the relaxed summer season. If nobody tells them they must read to get good grades, they might just pick up a book and enjoy it.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Monday, July 18, 2011
Fun things to do this Summer
Step 1: Take summer field trips
Go to the park, the zoo, the aquarium, a sports event, a historical landmark, or a children's museum. Go on a hike or to a natural attraction in your area. When you're indoors, watch a TV program about volcanoes or the rainforest or marsupials, or use the web to take a virtual trip to a faraway place.
Step 2: Talk about it
Talk about the plants and animals you see, or the rules of a game, or the history of your town, or the new things you learned. Ask questions that get your child to talk, like "If you could be one of those animals we saw today, which one would it be?" or "Why do you think those boulders were shaped like that?"
Step 3: Follow up with a book
Find out what interests your child, and visit the library to get more information. Check out books about butterflies or basketball players or whatever caught your child's attention. Encourage their learning with comments like, "That was cool to see the inside of a computer at the museum today. Let's learn more about that."
You could even have your children create their own book, with photos or illustrations of your activity and their own commentary. This is great writing practice and makes a wonderful summer memory book. Building background knowledge isn't just fun, it's also a great way to spend your summer!
Go to the park, the zoo, the aquarium, a sports event, a historical landmark, or a children's museum. Go on a hike or to a natural attraction in your area. When you're indoors, watch a TV program about volcanoes or the rainforest or marsupials, or use the web to take a virtual trip to a faraway place.
Step 2: Talk about it
Talk about the plants and animals you see, or the rules of a game, or the history of your town, or the new things you learned. Ask questions that get your child to talk, like "If you could be one of those animals we saw today, which one would it be?" or "Why do you think those boulders were shaped like that?"
Step 3: Follow up with a book
Find out what interests your child, and visit the library to get more information. Check out books about butterflies or basketball players or whatever caught your child's attention. Encourage their learning with comments like, "That was cool to see the inside of a computer at the museum today. Let's learn more about that."
You could even have your children create their own book, with photos or illustrations of your activity and their own commentary. This is great writing practice and makes a wonderful summer memory book. Building background knowledge isn't just fun, it's also a great way to spend your summer!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Arrowsmith Students Say......
Here are a few things some student's who have been in the Arrowsmith Program are saying.
3rd Year Male Student - Grade 8
I have seen strengths in many things. I have gotten better at reading, writing, spelling, speaking, grammar, social skills, and most importantly better memory. Due to my improvements I can now think faster and my writing is more legible. I am now at a Grade 10 reading level and at grade level in math and English. My improvements have helped me dramatically and I can now understand why people do things that are mean or nice. I can tell why a person makes an action that may be troublesome or helpful. Using my knowledge of the person I can tell what they may do next or how they may react to an action I may make towards them.
3rd Year Male Student - Grade 9
I have seen changes in my written output. My spelling is also getting better. Math has gotten easier and I find that I can do more complicated equations. My awareness of time and distance has also gotten better. My reading speed is faster and I can remember more from what I read.
3rd Year Female Student - Grade 7
Where I have seen changes in myself is not getting frustrated with myself and not getting upset. I have also seen changes with writing and reading. I don't skip words and I can now create spaces between words when writing. I have seen changes in my Math and with understanding thinks like body language of people and how they feel. I have seen changes with my speech. I have seen changes in my understanding of time and what is going on in life around me. I have seen a change with my ability to stay focused and in my understanding of math problem solving. There is a change in my remembering where I put things or where I had left them. I have seen changes in all my cognitive exercise and I hope I can go far in life with this great experience. Thank You Arrowsmith Program!
Learning Disabilities Association has openings at our Arrowsmith Program beginning in late August/beginning of September. Please call for further information: 652-4116
3rd Year Male Student - Grade 8
I have seen strengths in many things. I have gotten better at reading, writing, spelling, speaking, grammar, social skills, and most importantly better memory. Due to my improvements I can now think faster and my writing is more legible. I am now at a Grade 10 reading level and at grade level in math and English. My improvements have helped me dramatically and I can now understand why people do things that are mean or nice. I can tell why a person makes an action that may be troublesome or helpful. Using my knowledge of the person I can tell what they may do next or how they may react to an action I may make towards them.
3rd Year Male Student - Grade 9
I have seen changes in my written output. My spelling is also getting better. Math has gotten easier and I find that I can do more complicated equations. My awareness of time and distance has also gotten better. My reading speed is faster and I can remember more from what I read.
3rd Year Female Student - Grade 7
Where I have seen changes in myself is not getting frustrated with myself and not getting upset. I have also seen changes with writing and reading. I don't skip words and I can now create spaces between words when writing. I have seen changes in my Math and with understanding thinks like body language of people and how they feel. I have seen changes with my speech. I have seen changes in my understanding of time and what is going on in life around me. I have seen a change with my ability to stay focused and in my understanding of math problem solving. There is a change in my remembering where I put things or where I had left them. I have seen changes in all my cognitive exercise and I hope I can go far in life with this great experience. Thank You Arrowsmith Program!
Learning Disabilities Association has openings at our Arrowsmith Program beginning in late August/beginning of September. Please call for further information: 652-4116
Monday, July 11, 2011
Description of 19 Learning Dysfunctions - Primary Motor/Supplementary Motor
Primary Motor: This problem interferes with the speed, strength and control of muscle movements on one side of the body or the other. This results in some degree of awkwardness of body movement and some degree of less articulated movement of the affected side of the body.
Supplementary Motor: A problem in this area impairs a person from carrying out internal sequential mental operations such as doing mathematics inside his head.
The person can be so impaired that simple counting processes break down.
The person has difficulty calculating change.
If this dysfunction is at a moderate level of severity it means that the person is unable to sufficiently hold numbers inside his head to stably learn the addition and multiplication tables. The person cannot make progress in mathematics beyond a grade 4 level. The person resorts to finger or stick counting when solving math questions.
If the problem is less severe the person may be able to eventually learn his math tables but since he cannot do even relatively simple mental operations he cannot carry out the more difficult aspects of dealing with fractions at a grade 4 to 6 level.
At a mild level a grade 10 student was not able to factor algebraically due to the difficulty of not being able to imagine all the possible combinations of factors that could be multiplied together to lead to the algebraic trinomial he was trying to factor.
Anyone interested in a career involving mathematics requires the supplementary motor capacity for mental operations at an above average level to succeed.
'Arrrowsmith Program's Description of Learning Dysfucitons'
Reprinted with permission from www.arrowsmithschool.org
Supplementary Motor: A problem in this area impairs a person from carrying out internal sequential mental operations such as doing mathematics inside his head.
The person can be so impaired that simple counting processes break down.
The person has difficulty calculating change.
If this dysfunction is at a moderate level of severity it means that the person is unable to sufficiently hold numbers inside his head to stably learn the addition and multiplication tables. The person cannot make progress in mathematics beyond a grade 4 level. The person resorts to finger or stick counting when solving math questions.
If the problem is less severe the person may be able to eventually learn his math tables but since he cannot do even relatively simple mental operations he cannot carry out the more difficult aspects of dealing with fractions at a grade 4 to 6 level.
At a mild level a grade 10 student was not able to factor algebraically due to the difficulty of not being able to imagine all the possible combinations of factors that could be multiplied together to lead to the algebraic trinomial he was trying to factor.
Anyone interested in a career involving mathematics requires the supplementary motor capacity for mental operations at an above average level to succeed.
'Arrrowsmith Program's Description of Learning Dysfucitons'
Reprinted with permission from www.arrowsmithschool.org
Description of 19 Learning Dysfunctions - Mechanical Reasoning and Abstract Reasoning
Mechanical Reasoning: A person with a mechanical reasoning problem has difficulty in imagining how machines operate and in effectively handling and using tools.
Abstract Reasoning: A person with an abstract reasoning problem would be impaired in being able to carry out in proper sequence a series of steps in a task such as in computer programming, using tools or in cooking. The person does not understand the sequences as they need to be set up to get the correct outcome.
'Arrowsmith Program's Description of Learning Dysfunctions.'
Reprinted with permission from: www.arrowsmithschool.org
Abstract Reasoning: A person with an abstract reasoning problem would be impaired in being able to carry out in proper sequence a series of steps in a task such as in computer programming, using tools or in cooking. The person does not understand the sequences as they need to be set up to get the correct outcome.
'Arrowsmith Program's Description of Learning Dysfunctions.'
Reprinted with permission from: www.arrowsmithschool.org
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Description of 19 Learning Dysfunctions - Spatial Reasoning
Spatial reasoning is the capacity to imagine a series of moves through space inside your head before executing them. The following are examples of weak functioning of this capacity.
The person has difficulty visualizing a pathway of movements inside his head. This would result in some difficulty in finding his way through space because the person cannot work out a map inside his head of how to get from one place to another. As a result the person frequently gets lost or takes much longer to get from one place to another. In some cases the person becomes phobic and avoids going anyplace new because of a fear of getting lost. This difficulty applies even to small spaces like tracing out pathways on circuit boards.
When map reading the person has to rotate the map to orient towards the direction he is going. He cannot rotate the map inside his head.
The person does not have a map of how space works inside his head. Several people with this problem report that they cannot imagine how streets connect with one another.
The person forgets spatially where he has left objects resulting in loss of the object or spending extra time trying to find objects.
The person's workspace tends to be messy and disorganized with material stacked in various piles within line of sight. This is because the person cannot imagine how to organize his space. If he puts something away in a filing cabinet or drawer he later has trouble imagining in his head where it is.
The person has more trouble navigating in crowded space because he cannot map a plan on how to get around obstacles ahead of time.
In driving a car the person has trouble planning moves ahead of time and also has difficulty anticipating the future movements of other cars on the road.
A person with this problem is poor at imagining moves ahead in a game such as checkers or chess. They tend to react to the other person's moves as they happen rather than developing a series of planned moves.
In any sports activity requiring spatial plan movements (e.g., planning how you are going to ski from the top of the hill to the bottom, anticipating the movement of the tennis ball and planning where to place yourself on the court to hit it) the person is at a disadvantage.
There is difficulty imagining inside the head different ways to arrange furniture in a room. The person has to physically move the furniture in order to find the best arrangement.
There is difficulty in constructing geometric figures.
'Arrowsmith Program's Description of Learning Dysfunctions'
Reprinted with permission from: www.arrowsmithschool.org
The person has difficulty visualizing a pathway of movements inside his head. This would result in some difficulty in finding his way through space because the person cannot work out a map inside his head of how to get from one place to another. As a result the person frequently gets lost or takes much longer to get from one place to another. In some cases the person becomes phobic and avoids going anyplace new because of a fear of getting lost. This difficulty applies even to small spaces like tracing out pathways on circuit boards.
When map reading the person has to rotate the map to orient towards the direction he is going. He cannot rotate the map inside his head.
The person does not have a map of how space works inside his head. Several people with this problem report that they cannot imagine how streets connect with one another.
The person forgets spatially where he has left objects resulting in loss of the object or spending extra time trying to find objects.
The person's workspace tends to be messy and disorganized with material stacked in various piles within line of sight. This is because the person cannot imagine how to organize his space. If he puts something away in a filing cabinet or drawer he later has trouble imagining in his head where it is.
The person has more trouble navigating in crowded space because he cannot map a plan on how to get around obstacles ahead of time.
In driving a car the person has trouble planning moves ahead of time and also has difficulty anticipating the future movements of other cars on the road.
A person with this problem is poor at imagining moves ahead in a game such as checkers or chess. They tend to react to the other person's moves as they happen rather than developing a series of planned moves.
In any sports activity requiring spatial plan movements (e.g., planning how you are going to ski from the top of the hill to the bottom, anticipating the movement of the tennis ball and planning where to place yourself on the court to hit it) the person is at a disadvantage.
There is difficulty imagining inside the head different ways to arrange furniture in a room. The person has to physically move the furniture in order to find the best arrangement.
There is difficulty in constructing geometric figures.
'Arrowsmith Program's Description of Learning Dysfunctions'
Reprinted with permission from: www.arrowsmithschool.org
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