Helping Parents Prevent the Summer Slide!

Insights from LASE

Welcome to Insights from LASE, an e-newsletter for Lutheran Educators.

Helping Parents Prevent the Summer Slide
Often, at this time of year, many parents are asking their child’s classroom teacher for ideas of ‘educational’ activities that they can do with their children during the summer. Educators and parents have long recognized the potential for students to lose skills that they acquired during the school year. Summer learning loss is the decline in knowledge students experience during the summer months. This documented loss of skills from spring of one school year to the next school year is known as the ‘summer slide’. According to research, most students experience some measure of learning loss when it comes to math and reading. In “The Effects of Summer Vacation on Achievement Test Scores: A Narrative and Meta-Analytic Review,” Dr. Harris Cooper, professor of psychology and director of the Program in Education at Duke University, reports that students can lose one to three months of learning over summer vacation.

It is important for children, of all grades, to actively read and do math over the summer so the ‘summer slide’ does not occur. Listed below are activities, websites and apps that can be shared with parents to help prevent the summer slide. (Please feel free to cut and paste these into your classroom or school newsletter.)

Six books to summer success:
Research shows that reading just six books during the summer may keep a struggling reader from regressing. When choosing the six, be sure that they are just right — not too hard and not too easy. Take advantage of your local library. Ask for help selecting books that match your child's age, interests, and abilities. Libraries often run summer reading programs that motivate kids to read, so find out what's available in your area.

Read something every day: Encourage your child to take advantage of every opportunity to read. Find them throughout the day:
Morning: The newspaper — even if it is just the comics or today's weather.
Daytime: Schedules, TV guides, magazines, online resources, etc. For example, if your daughter likes the food channel, help her look for a recipe on the network's Web site — then cook it together for more reading practice.
Evening: End the day by having your child read to you from the book he is currently reading (one of the six books, above). Have him rehearse a paragraph, page, or chapter before reading to you. Rereading will help him be more fluent — able to read at an appropriate speed, correctly, and with nice expression.

Keep reading aloud: Reading aloud benefits all children and teens, especially those who struggle. One benefit is that you can read books your child can't, so she will build listening comprehension skills with grade-level and above books. This will increase her knowledge and expand her experience with text, so that she will do better when she reads on her own.

Watch TV with the sound off and closed captioning on.
Help with meals by writing up a grocery list, finding things in the grocery store, and reading the recipe aloud for mom or dad during cooking time.
Keep a diary or blog of summer vacation.

Websites to share with parents to help prevent the Summer Slide!
PBS Parents and pbskids.org
ReadWriteThink
www.khanacademy.org/
time4learning.com- 1st month is free then a $19.95 monthly fee
starfall.com
abcya.com (abcya also has apps on the iphone and ipad)
spellingcity.com
www.wildmath.com Select “Play the game”. Select addition, subtraction or multiplication and grade.You can race to beat your time.
www.aplusmath.com Go under “Flashcards” or “Game Room” on the left side of the screen
www.mathisfun.com
www.illuminations.nctm.org Select activities then select grade level. Click on Search.
www.aaamath.com Choose any of the activities like multiplication then select “play” option toward the top of the screen. 20 Questions and Countdown games are good ones.
www.funbrain.com Lots of fun games to choose from.
coolmath.com
xtramath.org/ XtraMath is a free web program that teaches addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts which are critical to success in mathematics.

Apps to share with parents to prevent the Summer Slide!
iBook is a free app that allows you to download and read books from the iBookstore, which features everything from contemporary bestsellers to classics. Although this is a free app, some of the books available for download require a fee.
The latest version of the iBook is particularly great for children because it offers a read-aloud feature in which a narrator reads the book to you. For some books, the screen highlights words as you read along.

Other Apps:
My Word Wall
Reading Raven
K-3 Sight Words
Read Me Stories
Word Magic
Reading for Details
Aesop’s Quest

Printable Summer Learning Packets
The GRASP Program (from Michigan)
http://www.grps.org/grasp The GRASP program is a nine week correspondence summer program written by Grand Rapids Public Schools staff in math and reading. It is designed for children who have completed grades K-8. Children receive a packet of materials for the nine weeks of summer, and mail in a lesson a week. The lessons are scored, results recorded, and lessons returned to the children. An online version of GRASP is also available for grades 4-8.
There are over 20,000 students enrolled annually in the GRASP program. These students are from many different districts in Michigan. Also, many students from other states are also involved in GRASP.

Family FUNdamentals Pre K-3 Learning Activities (also from the state of Michigan).
Studies show that students are more likely to achieve and succeed if they enter school and each grade with the foundational skills needed to be ready. These activities are designed to help prevent the summer slide when children lose skills because they haven’t practiced them during the summer.
http://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,4615,7-140-43092-69358--,00.html

Top 10 (Plus 1) List of Summer Ideas for Teachers

Spend time in God’s word. As Lutheran Educators we are involved in ministry everyday. We teach the faith everyday, but sometimes the busy-ness of the school year can make it difficult for us to spend daily time in God’s word.
Reflect on the past school year. What would you change? What would you keep the same? What kind of teacher do you want to become? And how can you get there?
Learn something new this summer. Have you always wanted to make home-made salsa? Bake a perfect peach pie? There is time to learn!
Take a break from teaching, even thinking about teaching. We all know the temptation to start planning for next year, but take a break from everything teaching for one week. Two. Maybe an entire month. You’ll be better when you come back to it.
Read something… just for fun.
Enjoy lunch with a friend, that lasts more than 20 minutes and is uninterrupted by a student who needs help opening his milk carton, or spilled his fruit cup.
Make an investment in your professional life that matters to you. Maybe that’s taking a course on a topic you’ve always wanted to learn about. Maybe it’s catching up on this year’s Newbery winners. Whatever your interests, the summer is time for professional development on your terms.
Pamper Yourself. Take time in the summer for things that you truly enjoy doing – not things you have to do. There are a multitude of things that can provide an escape, from attending to a garden, to getting a massage, to going on a cruise. Stepping away from school will help you become a better teacher.
Wander and Wonder! If you have your own kids, let them plan one wandering, wild, carefree day. The kind that’s hard to have when there are piles of paper to grade. Whether or not you have kids, plan one of those days yourself!
Look for simple joys. Remember, summer break is like New Year’s Eve for teachers—grand expectations can lead to disappointment. It’s okay if you don’t read every book, finish every house project or cut out every last decoration for next year’s bulletin boards. The next few months will still be filled with small, simple joys. Look out for them!
Pray! Pray for the students that you had this past year and the students you will be having this coming year. Pray for your fellow teachers, principal and pastors. Pray for your family, church family and school family. Pray for yourself, for renewal and for ways to find joy in serving Him!

You are invited to attend!!

LASE Insight Series Workshop
Friday, August 8, 2014
8:00-8:30 Registration (LIght continental breakfast will be served)
8:30-11:30 Workshop
St. Paul Des Peres Lutheran School
FREE!!!!!!!

Please e-mail your registration to: rsvp.laseinsightseries@gmail.com or call 314-268-1234

Understanding ADHD and Responding in the Classroom
Featuring: Amy Maus MSW, LCSW

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (“ADHD”) is a well-known but often misunderstood disorder within schools today. Information about ADHD continues to evolve, as research improves our understanding of this lifelong disorder. This seminar focuses on understanding the true nature of ADHD and how its symptoms progress and create long-term impact. Attendees are encouraged to see ADHD as a serious and real disorder that requires educators to possess accurate and up-to-date information, courage when speaking to parents, and realistic expectations concerning school accommodations.

Topics Covered Include:
The three current “presentations” of ADHD and their symptoms
Common associated problems and co-morbid disorders
Why teachers notice ADHD more accurately than parents
Red flags in the school setting
Causes of ADHD and course of the disorder
Common myths about cause, course, diagnosis and treatments
Symptoms in secondary students and young adults
Obtaining appropriate assessment
Understanding ADHD medications
A multitude of ideas for school responses and interventions/modifications
Working with parents toward compliance with assessment and treatment

Amy Maus, MSW, LCSW is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, specializing in services to schools, including training, consultation, and direct clinical intervention. She also leads monthly consultation groups for area school principals. Ms. Maus is trained to provide psycho-educational testing and she evaluates students for ADHD and other mental health and learning concerns that impact the classroom.