August 2009

School Safety 101

This morning I watched both of my children run out the front door towards the bus stop; both eager for their first day of school. My children spent most of the summer with me. Now, we will spend much of the day apart. The safety of my children is extremely important. Students learn best (and [...]

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Pre-reading Skills

Pre-reading Skills Children need to read, not only for academic reasons but because reading is an important skill to develop. Many of life’s normal activities (e.g. filling out an employment application) involve reading. By laying a solid foundation of pre-reading skills, a child is better prepared to master the essential skills when learning to read. [...]

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Learn Your ABCs at the Dinner Table

This post was my daughter’s idea so she deserves all the credit. Last night while my family was eating our dinner, she told us that we should write a post about Ore-Ida ABC Fun Shapes. She proceeded to tell us that children could use the tater tots to learn their ABCs or even practice spelling [...]

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Behind Every Successful Student Stands a Teacher and a Parent

Since they are calling for rain today, I started my morning by looking through my pile of papers to find some summer homework. Interestingly enough, I found a homework packet but I also found a great poem that poetically portrays the results when a good relationship exists between both a teacher and a parent. When [...]

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Getting Ready for School

It’s that time of year when we are getting ready to embark on another school year. Going back to school can be stressful! To overcome fears, talk to your child about his feelings. In addition, there are several steps a parent can take to make the transition easier. Visit your Doctor. Schools require a physical [...]

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Taking Specific Word Instruction Too Far

A lot of vocabulary is learned indirectly, however some should be taught directly. Direct instruction assists students when learning to read (particularly when learning difficult words and concepts). One of the direct instruction methods used is specific word instruction, which is teaching individual words prior to reading text. This also assists with reading comprehension. A [...]

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