Newsletter July 2008
July 14, 2008

Welcome to the July, 2008 edition of "How to Succeed in School," the A+ Home Tutors Newsletter.

Below are links to this month's headlines.
Tips to Make Summer Reading Cool

New Wave: Project-Based Learning

Listen for Lasting Relationships

Mathematics in Everyday Life

Getting children to pick up a book over the summer is not the easiest task, but it helps them maintain and develop better reading skills. Although visions of school desks are far from their mind in summer months, there are fun ways to integrate reading and vocabulary building while enjoying the sunshine. Here are a few tips for encouraging summer reading from Reading Is Fundamental.

A Trip to the Library
If you are not already members in your local library, the summer is the perfect time to start. Take a walk or bike ride to the library and browse the wide selection of books. Check with your local library for child-friendly reading events and programs.

Bringing Books to Life
Summer time is usually filled with outdoor activities and other fun. Try to combine reading with the activity your child is drawn to. If they love to play basketball, suggest a book about a famous player.

Follow the Leader
As always, children are more likely to do something if they see it is a valuable part of your lifestyle. When they see you enjoying a book beachside, or thumbing through the newspaper in the morning, they’ll recognize that reading can be fun, even in the summer.

Talk it Over
Telling your children about what you read is another way you can share your own appreciation for reading. Tell them about a funny part of a book you are reading, or some news article on a subject they like. Better yet, read aloud with your children so it becomes a fun activity to share.

Offer Variety
Different children are drawn to reading in different ways. Some love to read a long novels, while others may feel more satisfaction reading magazine articles. Make sure to have a variety of options around for kids. Let them pick out a book of their choice with their summer reading requirements, or get them a subscription to a magazine that interests them.

Relaxing the Rules
Children have hectic schedules during the school year, so summer time offers freedom for them to read what and when they want to. Help them find time to read, but don’t try to be strict on setting the amount of time they spend reading or the number of pages they get through.

Books to Cure Boredom
Summer time gives children a lot of free time—sometimes too much. Books can help kids tackle summer boredom by providing inspiration. There are plenty of instructional and how-to books for those who want to keep their hands and bodies busy too.

One of the best ways to encourage summer reading is to get directly involved—talk to your children about their summer reading goals and help them make a plan to reach them.

Source: “RIF's Ter-RIF-ic Summer Reading Tips for Families,” www.rif.org/summer.

There is a lot of discussion about the No Child Left Behind Act and its effects on our country’s students. But what happens when the child leaves the school hallways behind and enters the work world? Some opponents of NCLB claim curriculums are shifting in order to meet the new standards, and not necessarily for the better. In the quest to meet standards, they argue, students are often left ill-prepared for the workforce.

New Skills
Technology has created a global society, particularly for our children who have grown up in a time where it is so integrated into daily life. This change has created new demands for the work environment. Communication and collaboration skills are more important than ever. The fast pace of today’s world requires analytical skills in addition to technological literacy. With this multifaceted goal in mind, some educators have come up with new learning approaches.

Project-based Learning
Project-based learning is one method that aims to teach students a variety of important life skills. Designed to mimic a work-like setting, it puts students in groups to learn critical thinking, communication and teamwork. They strive to reach standards, while also learning valuable lessons on work ethics and leadership skills.

A New Concept
Project-based learning is a departure to traditional short-term assignments, which may not leave students with long lasting lessons. It is based on four concepts: teams of three or more work on a project for 3-8 weeks; teachers propose a question for students to investigate and structure the project information and activities to deepen the work; teachers create a timeline for the project, culminating in student presentations to an outside panel; teachers offer timely feedback on the project in terms of critical thinking, communication, teamwork and other skills. Technology often plays a large part in the structure of projects—offering research and instant communication at student’s fingertips, along with tools to create presentations and write reports.

Policies in Action
In Bob Pearlman’s article “New Skills for a New Century,” he cites a few of the schools that have implemented project-based learning curriculums. Napa’s New Technology High School has followed the concept since its opening in 1996. Teachers at New Technology High create lesson plans based around the strategy that the best way to learn is by doing. Students work in teams to build collaboration skills, and take on complex problems to develop critical thinking. MET/Big Picture Company high schools use the Learn Through Internships program. Under the guidance of mentors twice a week, students create business plans, or apply school lessons to real world work situations. In Novato, students at Marin School of Arts and Technology work on school-wide, thematic projects that are interdisciplinary in nature.

Real Results
Proponents of project-based learning say the approach fosters students’ desire and need to know when tackling complex issues. Through teamwork, they create solutions and share ideas. This active approach to learning puts students in direct charge of their knowledge. With constant feedback from teachers, and in many cases, also anonymously from other student team members, students can become self-directed learners. Whether in agreement with project-based learning methods or not, everyone can agree that these are important skills for survival in our global world.

Source: Pearlman, Bob. “New Skills for a New Century: Students Thrive on Cooperation and Problem Solving.” www.edutopia.org/.

Parents constantly worry about their child’s happiness. One of the best ways to make sure children are healthy and happy is to have good communication within the relationship. Children often feel overlooked, so one very important aspect in creating this bond is listening to and valuing what they tell us. Are you truly listening to your children and offering support or simply lecturing? There are many ways you can improve the lines of communication with your children. If they know you will listen, they’ll turn to you when they have problems or need advice.

Opening the Lines of Communication
Create space for communication—use car rides or waiting time between activities to reconnect. Be involved in their life. Teach children to respect their instincts and trust their gut reactions. This helps them handle problems when you aren’t there to help. And finally, strike a balance between respecting them and creating discipline. Talk about the rules and why they are in effect, rather than giving in when problems arise.

Source: Scandora, Julie. “Parents, Are You Listening or Lecturing to Your Kids? Five Tips to Help You Listen.” www.edarticle.com.

We talked about tips to encourage your children to read over the summer, but literary skills aren’t the only ones they should stay brushed up on over the break. Maintaining your child’s math skills will help them stay on track in the fall and not have to spend time reviewing when the school year begins.

The Algebra Around Us
Many of us have bad recollections of struggling through Algebra class in middle school. But today’s students often begin learning algebra and algebraic concepts as early as kindergarten. At this stage, children begin considering the relationships, patterns and variables intrinsic to algebra. As elementary school progresses, algebra becomes more of a main component in math class. Because algebra comes up so often in our daily lives, it is easy to find small ways to practice and sustain these skills over the summer months. Here are some tips, courtesy of Education.com.

The Old Ball Game
Does your child like to go to baseball or basketball games? Bring a pen, paper and calculator next time and create word problems based on the events of the game. How many points is the winning team ahead by? If team 1 scores 4 points in each quarter, how many points total will they take home for the day? Switch roles and let your child make up the questions for you. Putting the problems down on paper helps connect abstract algebra into tangible real-life situations.

Chart Progress
Keep your eyes open for charts and graphs while reading the newspaper and other materials. They can be about any topic—sports figures, weather results, business matters. Together, discuss the meaning of the graph, each axis, and the information it provides. Helping kids become literate with graph and chart reading prepares them for similar, more advanced tasks in algebra.

Money Matters
Shopping provides many opportunities for math and algebra problems. Give children a budget and have them help you stick to it as you select groceries. Or calculate savings on sale items to get the best deal. Are they saving up for something special? Have them figure out how much of their allowance they must put aside to reach their financial goal.

These activities offer valuable real life skills that children will use in their everyday life, skills that also relate back to the algebra they learn within the school walls. Getting children to practice these skills over the summer can be easy when you think creatively.

Source: Ellis, Jes. “Algebra All Around: 3 Activities,” www.education.com.