While you’d like your son or daughter to disappear into the land of Narnia or be swept up in a Harry Potter spell while reading, the reality may be the opposite of this for your child. In fact, they might even say they hate reading and when they finally sit down with a book, you…
If your child is starting kindergarten this year, you know his teacher will have a long list of goals to accomplish before the end of the school year. To some degree, your child will definitely be working on: Letter names and sounds Sounding out for reading and writing Sight word recognition and spelling Printing…
A generation ago, kindergarten days were filled with activities like finger painting, “Hide-and-Go-Seek”, making friends and learning to be peaceful at nap time. And, while reading and spelling may have been introduced in grade 1, there was nothing like today’s pressure for students to be performing according to grade-level standards. Sure, there is still…
Teachers of English Learners face a unique challenge—to quickly develop language and literacy skills in a differentiated manner. To address the needs of English Learners, teachers can add instruction that develops the imagery-language connection. English Learners can acquire the skills and knowledge they need, more quickly. By addressing the skills that underlie reading and…
Bedtime reading can take children to a safe and enchanted world for a few minutes each night; and when kids are cosy and comfortable, reading aloud to them can help them “de-compress” from any worries from the day. Reading to your child is also a special time to be close to your child and bond…
Teachers always encourage students to read as much as they can over the summer. But if your last parent-teacher conference came with a specific suggestion—to get some extra reading support during the summer months—you may be considering one of the following options to prepare for next school year: Teach your child to read yourself….
Do you have a child who would rather wash the dishes or help with the laundry than read a book? Do you have to beg and plead with them to sit down and read, whether it’s for school or fun? Maybe they even say they “hate reading.” It’s hard to know how to…
The end of the marking period is a time for parents to assess their child’s progress—to make sure they’re on track, improving in subjects, or to see if they need help. This is the time to note any areas of difficulty. It’s important to look carefully at each area of your child’s progress report—how are…
Parents often can see that their child is struggling with reading—especially if there is an older sibling or friend who seemed to, comparatively, breeze through the process. It is not always so clear, however, whether a child has a weakness that needs to be checked out, or if reading simply hasn’t “clicked” for them yet….
