Newsletter July 2009
July 18, 2009
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We strive to bring you the most helpful and up to date information every month, and the July 2009 newsletter is no exception.
You can scroll down through the articles below, or you can click on a headline you like to go directly to that article.

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This Month's Headlines:

Practicing Math Over the Summer
The Write Way to a Successful Summer

Practicing Math Over the Summer

Research shows that over the summer months, an average student forgets roughly 20% of what he or she learned in the school year. Here are some tips for integrating mathematics into the days so students arrive fresh and ready next year.

Game Time
Math isn’t only about formulas and decimal points. Particularly at higher grade levels, math is also about logical thinking, planning ahead and deductive reasoning. Certain games, like strategic ones such as chess and some computer games, promote these kinds of skills in a fun way.

Cooks in the Kitchen
Tried and true, the kitchen is a prime place for practicing numbers. With oven temperatures, different cooking times, measuring cups and timers, there’s a lot to play with in the kitchen. Have children help and get hands on experience with math concepts while enjoying some delicious food!

Open a Store
For younger children, role-playing games like playing store cashier or waiter can bring together mathematical concepts and fun. Have your child “check you out” of the store after purchasing some made up items, or total your check for your “dinner” and figure out the proper tip.

Math in Motion
Take a more active approach to math practice over the summer with some physical activity. Walk a trail and chart the miles, plan out a bike route or driving trip and figure how long it will take—there are many ways to bring math away from the desk.

For those who struggle with math, summer tutoring sessions may be a good way to stay on track and still allow kids to enjoy freedom of the summer days, before they are gone and school starts again!

Keeping math skills strong over the summer has benefits beyond the classroom. Showing kids how the concepts they learn in school integrate with real life helps create a life-long appreciation for learning and applying knowledge.

Source: Hering, Beth. “True or False: child + summer vacation = loss of math skills.” education.com.

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The Write Way to a Successful Summer

Summer reading is always a big part of the summer break, and a lot of attention is focused on making sure children don’t loose their reading and comprehension skills. There’s no denying the importance of reading practice, on the flip side of the coin writing is a subject that is often neglected over the summer. Reading and writing skills can often play off each other. The more someone reads, the more they become familiar with vocabulary, sentence structure, and plot development. These skills can then be applied to the practice of writing, and in turn the lessons learned in practicing writing can aid in reading development.

Here are some ways to encourage your child to write, both in the summer months and long-term:

Provide the Tools
A special notebook or new set of pens or markers can sometimes be all the inspiration needed for writing. The writing doesn’t have to be very structured or serious writing, it can be fun, creative and can even include drawings—whatever gets your child inspired.

Pen Pals
Just because we live in a technologically advanced world doesn’t mean we can’t go back to old fashioned letters. Have your child write to a cousin, out-of-town friend, grandma, whoever they want to communicate with. Plus it’s exciting to receive letters in the mail!

Story Time
Encourage your children to write stories or create small books. It can a story of their own telling, or one that you work on together; it can be fiction or non-fiction. What matters is that your child is inspired and that are acknowledging and celebrating their efforts.

Research Assistant
Kids are great with computers, so why not encourage them to delve into some research. The topic can be anything of your or their choosing, from cool events happening over the summer to organic gardening. Projects like this help children learn how to analyze and organize information presented to them. Once the child has done the research, ask him or her to create a short “report” of the findings.

The Critic Within
Many websites allow children to post their own book reviews. This is a great exercise, because it takes reading a book to the next level, where students reflect on and consider what they read, articulating their own personal responses. The satisfaction of seeing their work on the screen will inspire them. An online search will yield many sites of this nature.

Thank Yous, “Dear Diary”s, and Letters to the Editor
Writing projects can be short ones, like writing thank you notes to relatives or keeping track of a summer vacation in a diary. Children who read magazines or have a particular interest in a subject may be inspired to write a letter to the editor. All of these projects are great ways for students to express their opinions and work on grammar and sentence structure.

Source: Glade, Debbie. “10 Tips for Summer Writing.” Education Magazine.