May Newsletter

DENNIS-YARMOUTH TITLE I

FROM THE TITLE I connections between their Volume I Issue ix general knowledge about a Remember to vote COORDINATOR: MAY 2017 subject and the story’s in your local town Continuing from last month: content. They are aware if elections! Voting HOW DO CHILDREN they do not understand a Special points of LEARN TO READ? passage they have just is a responsibility, interest: read. May 2—Dennis Town This month we will discuss not a privilege! Mtg. Text Comprehension. It is recommended that adults support children’s For children comprehension May 6—Yarmouth Town development of is so much more than just Mtg. comprehension skills long decoding written words—it before they can decode May 9—Dennis Elections involves understanding and words. Ways to do this May 16 Yarmouth Town creating meaning from text. include reading aloud to Election It is at the heart of what children, then encouraging reading is all about and it is May 30—No School— them to respond to the a necessary skill for Memorial Day story. Adults might ask children to learn. It is the children to retell the story, foundation of all future to sequence the main Many of our libraries run IMPORTANT learning. Children with events, to predict what will summer programs for strong reading NOTICE: happen part-way through children. Check it out. comprehension skills the book, or to discuss the You might want to sign understand story structure, story and their feelings your child up for the We are planning our can identify the story’s about it. Providing summer programs now main idea, ask themselves Title I program for interesting literature for before all spaces are questions about what they next year. If you children to read will likely filled. are reading, and make have any comments help them develop a love of Children who read over connections between their or suggestions for us reading– one of the most the summer do not slide general knowledge about a important things we can do back. to make our program subject and the story’s if we want children to better please content. They are aware if continue to read as they contact me at your they do not understand a grow!! passage they have just earliest convenience. read. ************************ My phone number is It is recommended that Now is the time to start 508-778-7955 ext adults support children’s thinking about summer. 6204 and my e-mail What is your child going to development of address is: comprehension skills long do over the summer? stewartv@dy- before they can decode Does your child have a words. Ways to do this library card? If not, now is regional.k12.ma.us include reading aloud to the time to sign up for one. children, then encouraging Home&School ® Working Together for School Success CONNECTION May 2017 Dennis Yarmouth Title I Program

SHORT NOTES Thank you, teacher Explore the outdoors Encourage your youngster to decide From sunny mornings when how she wants to thank her teacher for dew sparkles on the grass a great year. Maybe she’ll make a card to dark nights when stars that tells what she liked best. (“The appear in the sky, the great engineering projects were cool. I really outdoors is the perfect had fun building a bridge.”) She can summer “classroom” for hand-deliver the card along with a your child. Enjoy these homemade gift, perhaps a bird feeder activities together to help or a pencil jar. him appreciate nature and Middle school ahead learn more about it. Do you have a child moving on to Observe nature middle school? He will feel more Have your youngster confident if he knows what to expect. put together an outdoor Make sure he attends orientation, exploration kit. He could fill where he’ll meet staff and begin to a shoebox or a reusable grocery bag with learn his way around. He might also a magnifying glass for examining bugs, discoveries in nature guides and display ask older kids for advice about get- binoculars for gazing at constellations, his collection with facts on index cards. ting from one class to another on and a sketch pad and colored pencils for (“A sweetgum ball is the fruit of a sweet- time or finding a seat in the cafeteria. drawing and labeling what he sees. Let gum tree.”) him use his kit all summer long in your Happy parent, happy child backyard, at the park, or on hikes. Take poetry walks A happy parent equals a happier Go on poetry walks. Your youngster household. To increase your family’s Count collections can jot down notes on what he sees, overall happiness, try to find time Encourage your child to gather leaves, hears, feels, and smells. Perhaps he’ll every day to do something that pleases nuts, seeds, and other objects from the walk barefoot across damp grass, sniff a you. Examples: enjoy a hobby, spend ground. He’ll practice math skills as he patch of honeysuckle, or run his hand time with a friend, read a book. counts, sorts, and graphs his “finds.” He over the bark of a tree. Then, he could might make a pictograph to compare the use his notes to write a poem, such as: Worth quoting number of seeds, nuts, and leaves he col- Dew is cool under my bare feet “Good actions give strength to our- lected. Idea: Suggest that he research his The honeysuckle smells so sweet.♥ selves and inspire good actions in others.” Plato Celebrate learning JUST FOR FUN Let your child know how proud you are of her efforts this school year by holding a learn- Q: Why do fluores- ing celebration. Here are suggestions: cent light bulbs ● Be your youngster’s audience as she reads always hum? aloud stories or reports she wrote. Asking A: Because they questions will show you’re interested. don’t know the words. ● Help your child make a hallway gallery of her artwork. Hang up favorite pieces, and invite family members to take a tour. ● Show her all the progress she has made! Pull out samples of her homework or projects from early in the year. She will enjoy seeing how much she has learned and improved.♥

© 2017 Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated Home & School CONNECTION® May 2017 • Page 2 the window on a rainy Expressing empathy day. She could say, “He feels disappointed that How can you help your young- he can’t go out and ster develop empathy? Encourage play.” Continue until her to be aware of how others feel you’ve used up all the and to take action with these ideas. pictures. 1. Recognize. This activity lets 2. Act. Now explain your child see the world from vari- that it’s time to put this ous points of view. First, have her knowledge into action. cut out magazine photos of a dozen Ask your youngster faces. Take turns choosing one and to imagine how people making up a story about how the feel in real life and then person feels. Say your youngster express empathy for them. picks a frowning child gazing out As she goes about her day, she should keep an eye out for people’s feelings. Perhaps she will spot a girl on the play- ground who looks anxious for a turn on the swings and offer to let her go first.♥

Routines that work ACTIVITY Sticking to routines in the summer CORNER My book trailer makes it easier for your child to adjust to school routines in the fall. Try these tips: “You’re going to love this book! Here’s why.” Let your child introduce friends or family to books he reads by creating his ● Have your youngster get up and go to own “book trailers”—videos that give sneak peeks into books the way movie bed at around the same time each day. trailers do for movies. That way, early school mornings won’t He’ll need to think about a book’s details, how the plot be such a big change. unfolds, who the main characters are, and what facts are pre- ● Assign house- sented. Remind him to give clues about the book’s contents— hold chores so but not give away the ending or any plot your child twists. He could practice speaking while stays in the holding up the book to show pictures. habit of When he’s ready, record him with a having camera or cell phone. He can watch the regular video and re-record until he’s pleased. Then, responsibilities, just like he does in the have him share his trailer with others. Any- classroom. He could vacuum, sweep, or time he reads a book he thinks friends would ♥ dust, for example. like, suggest that he make a new trailer. ● Eat regular meals together when possible. You might enjoy an early breakfast before work and reconnect with a family Q Prevent summer math slide dinner in the evening. & Q: I’m concerned that my daugh- Also, give her opportunities to esti- ● Play outdoors every day. Your young- A ter’s math skills will get rusty while mate. Cut open a watermelon, and ask ster will stay active and burn off energy— school is out. What should I do? how many seeds she thinks it contains. and work toward the 60 minutes of daily Or have her estimate how many people ♥ A: Keeping math “muscles” strong is fun! recommended physical activity. are in the deep end of the Look for ways to add math to outdoor swimming pool or in OUR PURPOSE games. For instance, write math your row at a baseball To provide busy parents with practical ideas facts like 7 + 8 or 9 x 6 in hop- that promote school success, parent involvement, game. Then, she scotch squares. As your daughter and more effective parenting. should count to Resources for Educators, jumps to each box, she calls out check her answers. a division of CCH Incorporated the answer. If she’s “It” during 128 N. Royal Avenue • Front Royal, VA 22630 As she estimates and 800-394-5052 • [email protected] hide-and-seek, she could counts, her skills www.rfeonline.com count to 100 by 2s, 5s, or will improve.♥ ISSN 1540-5621 10s while players hide. © 2017 Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated Reading Readiness • May 2017 ®

How Families Can Help Children Get Ready to Read Dennis-Yarmouth Regional School District Title 1 Reinforce your child’s reading skills Library visits build responsibility Turn your child into over the summer a responsible library Summer is around the corner, but that doesn’t mean your patron by reminding child should stop learning! To keep her literacy skills strong her to: over the summer: • Use her indoor voice. You • Create new reading routines. If want your child to be enthusiastic your child enjoyed “show while she’s at the library, but not so and tell” during the school loud that she disrupts other readers. year, keep the fun going! • Respect the books. This means keep- Once a week, have her ing library books in a safe place at select a special book home and taking care of them. It and tell you why she also means returning them on time. loves it. It’ll boost her verbal skills and her creativity. • Review letters and sight Conversation increases words. Let your child go through some of the junk mail you language learning receive. She can circle the letters that she knows or sight words she recognizes. Talk with your child • Stock a special summer book shelf. Find interesting books at yard often to boost his lan- sales, thrift shops or by swapping with friends. Put the books guage skills. Frequent on a shelf marked “Special Summer Stories.” Read them with conversations can expose him to new your child frequently! words and ideas. When talking with your child, remember to: • Speak clearly and enthusiastically. “I think of life as a good book. The further you • Give him chances to respond to what get into it, the more it begins to make sense.” you’re saying. —Harold Kushner • Encourage him to ask questions and share his own thoughts.

Engage your child’s senses when Use rhymes to teach letters and sounds you read together Carve out a few minutes each day for some rhyme time. It’s Find word-filled ways to engage your an effective way to help your child learn letters and sounds. child’s senses. Here are some ideas: It’s fun, too! To encourage your child to rhyme: • Look for books with bright, bold pic- • Sing rhyming songs, like “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” tures to look at. • Point out objects around the house and ask your child to • Take story time outdoors. find words that rhyme with them. Talk about what you • Say three words, two that rhyme and one that doesn’t, smell in nature. such as hat, box and mat. Encourage your child to pick • Help your child imagine out the two that rhyme. (and make) a tasty • Read nursery rhymes and other rhyming stories. Make up treat that her favorite your own rhymes together, too! book character might enjoy. Source: “Helping Your Preschool Child,” U.S. Department of Education, • Listen to audiobooks together. niswc.com/rhyme_activities. • Offer books with different textures to touch or chunky pages to turn.

Explore nonfiction texts with Any type of weather is good for your child building language skills Be sure to read nonfiction books with your child often. They can help her: Summer weather isn’t always perfect, but you and your child can • Learn new concepts and vocabulary. Help your enjoy plenty of outdoor child learn interesting facts about something learning activities anyway: she doesn’t know about. • • Gain information in new ways. In addition to If it rains, grab an learning from the text, your child can learn from pictures and umbrella and go on a captions, graphics and charts. walk around the block. Back home, help your child • Strengthen thinking skills. As you read nonfiction books, have write about your watery adventure. conversations with your child. Ask her what she thinks of what • she’s learning and if there’s anything she wants to know more On hot days, make up silly stories as about. Think out loud as you look at the book together. “I your child plays in the sprinkler. wonder what that group of stars is called. Where could we Or set up a blanket in the shade for learn more? I bet we’ll find out if we continue reading!” story time. Source: “Getting the Most Out of Nonfiction Reading Time,” Reading Rockets, niswc.com/reading_nonfiction. Books to delight your early reader • Gaston by Kelly DiPucchio Read aloud with energy and patience (Atheneum Books for Young Readers). Gaston is a bulldog in a Whether you have unlimited hours or just a few spare minutes, family of poodles. See what happens get the most out of the time you spend reading to your child. when he meets a poodle in a family Make sure that you: of bulldogs, and the two odd dogs • Read with expression. Use trade places. everything from funny voic- • Extra Yarn by Mac es to exaggerated gestures. Barnett (Balzer + Bray). The more you get into the Annabelle has a magic story, the more she will, too. box of yarn, which • Go slowly. Try not to rush she uses to knit hats, through the books. Give scarves and more for your child a chance to enjoy everyone and everything the pictures and think about around her. But what happens when what she’s hearing. someone who isn’t as generous gets • Pause often. Encourage your his hands on the magic box? child to ask questions and make comments during story • Last Stop on Market Street by Matt time. View them as proof that Source: “Tips for Reading Aloud,” de la Peña (G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books National Education Association, she’s engaged in the tale! niswc.com/reading_aloud_tips. for Young Readers). CJ and his grandmother ride the bus across town every Sunday. Throughout the journey, his grandmother helps him : My child adores books, but he can be rough with them. see the beauty in everything. Q How can I teach him to be more gentle? : By being patient. As you read books together, Building Readers® A remind him of the right way to treat them. How Families Can Help Children Get Ready to Read Publisher: L. Andrew McLaughlin. “We pick up the book with both hands. We turn Publisher Emeritus: John H. Wherry, Ed.D. each page carefully. We put it away gently when Editor: Stacey Marin. we’re finished.” Do this each time you read together, and he’ll Copyright © 2017, The Parent Institute® eventually get the message. (a division of PaperClip Media, Inc.) P.0. Box 7474, Fairfax Station, VA 22039-7474 1-800-756-5525, ISSN: 1531-48981533-3299 Do you have a question about reading? Email [email protected]. www.parent-institute.com

Read-aloud favorites A summer full of books ■ Just Itzy (Lana Krumwiede) A little spider named Every day is a good day Itzy doesn’t want to when it includes reading! be called “bitzy” just These ideas will help your because he’s small. To prove he has youngster start his “read- outgrown his nickname, he plans to ing summer” off on a fun catch his own fly for lunch. Find out note—and enjoy read- what happens to Itzy, and look for ing all season long. “guest appearances” from other Special reading days familiar nursery rhyme characters. From “Mystery Monday” to “Fairy Tale ■ The Dot (Peter H. Reynolds) Friday” to “Science Vashti is stumped in art class and says Fiction Sunday,” every she can’t draw. When her teacher asks day of the week brings her to draw a dot, little does she know a new reason for your what inspiration will child to read. Help him come from that plain write theme days on a calendar. Then, weather by reading bedtime stories out- dot. Follow Vashti as add surprise twists like hiding mystery doors on the porch or on a blanket in the she blossoms as an art- books for your little detective to find or yard. ist and even inspires planting bean seeds after reading Jack a younger child to be Portrait of a reader and the Beanstalk. Your youngster will creative, too. Here’s an artistic way for your young- become familiar with a wide variety of ster to practice writing his opinions. ■ reading choices. Hanging Off Jefferson’s Nose Suggest that he draw a portrait of him- (Tina Nichols Coury) A reading habit self on poster board. When he finishes This nonfiction book tells the fasci- Give reading a starring role all day. Try a book, he could add a thought bubble. nating story of how two sculptors snuggling with your child for a “wake- Example: “This book was exciting. The carved four presidents’ faces into up” story in the morning. Turn a vaca- boy got stuck at the top of a roller Mount Rushmore. Gutzon Borglum tion or day trip into a “reading voyage” coaster and had to be rescued.” He’ll came up with the by having everyone pack books in their want to read more so he can add more idea and started the suitcases or backpacks. And enjoy nice opinions to his poster.♥ project. But when he passed away, his son, Lincoln, Edit—and shine fulfilled his father’s dream and com- pleted the monument. w When your child writes a story in school or at home, tell her she can be an “editor” by improving and polishing it. Suggest these ■ Do Families Grow on Trees?/¿Crecen strategies. en los árboles? (Lauren Machta) Listen. Encourage her to read her tale out loud. That will help Eva is learning about family trees in her hear if she left out a word or if a sentence doesn’t make sense. school, and she thinks families actually grow on trees! Your child can follow Ask. Offer to read your child’s story to her, and ask questions along as Eva learns about her family in about it. You will lead her to add more interesting details. Exam- this tale told in English and Spanish. ples: “How old is the little girl?” “Was it a big school or a tiny one?” When you finish reading, help your Look. Have your youngster hold a blank sheet of paper beneath each line and youngster create her own family tree check to make sure each sentence has a capital letter at the beginning and a punc- using the outline at the end. tuation mark at the end.♥

Make a to-do list. Per- Fun reasons to write haps your child wants What would your child like to do while to visit her grandpar- school is out? Encourage her to plan summer ents, explore new bike fun and enjoy nonfiction writing at the same trails, and learn to time. Here’s how. swim. Have her list her ideas and illus- Design play spaces. Suggest that your young- trate each one. She ster draw and label “blueprints” for indoor could hang up her and outdoor places to play. She might redesign list and check off her room with a “science lab” where she can do each item she does. experiments and a “construction zone” for build- Invent a game. ing with blocks. A blueprint of your yard could Hula show a “climbing tree” and a “cartwheel area.” Idea: If ball, anyone? Let possible, help her use her blueprints to set up each spot. your youngster use outdoor toys like balls, hula hoops, or racquets to make up a brand new game. Help her write the instructions, listing the equipment and the steps for playing. Try the game together as you follow the directions she wrote. She can make additions Now I know or changes to be sure her game works!♥ my ABCs Whether your youngster recognizes a handful of letters or has learned most of them, these games will improve and Story hour and beyond reinforce his knowledge: ●Q My son loves story hour at the library. How can ● Have a “ball” with we find other free reading-related events to try in our this alphabet idea! community? Help your child write his ABCs ●A Great question! Your community probably has all over a beach various “bookish” activities for your son to enjoy. For ball. Toss or starters, bookstores may offer free story times or visits bat the ball from local authors. Also, some farmers’ markets, fairs, and back and forth. festivals host storytellers or poetry readings for kids. And community theaters When you catch might put on plays based on children’s books. it, call out the letter that’s closest to your Here’s another idea: Let your son host his own story times and other activities. right thumb. Bonus: He’ll work on recog- He’ll feel like a big kid as he leads story hour for younger siblings, cousins, or neighbors. Or he could invite friends over to read books together or to make up nizing left and right, too. ♥ stories that they can perform for you. ● Let your youngster use chalk to write the alphabet in random order on a side- walk, driveway, or blacktop. Take turns tossing a beanbag (or a sock filled with See all the new words! dry beans and tied shut) onto the letters in alphabetical order. So the first player My daughter was to add. For instance, she wrote gust after aims for A, the second for B, and so on. excited about the hearing a weather report and incubator Continue until someone hits Z. “word wall” in her from a nonfiction book we read on classroom this year. Her teacher wrote hatching chicks. Variation: Your child can say a word words the students were learning on Leah also likes to ask visi- that begins with each letter when you colorful cards and posted them on a tors to put words on her wall. play either game.♥ wall. Leah asked if we could make Her uncle recently added OUR PURPOSE one at home, so we brainstormed yurt under “buildings” and To provide busy parents with practical ways categories to include. explained that it’s a type of to promote their children’s reading, writing, and language skills. She wrote our categories— circular, dome-shaped tent. Resources for Educators, “weather,” “things you plug I love that she’s learning, a division of CCH Incorporated 128 N. Royal Avenue • Front Royal, VA 22630 in,” “buildings”—on separate and using, new words. In 800-394-5052 • [email protected] sheets of paper and taped them fact, she’s in the other room www.rfeonline.com to her closet door. Now, she lis- right now building a yurt for ISSN 1540-5648 tens and looks for new words her doll to sleep in tonight!♥ © 2017 Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated Elementary School • May 2017 ®

How Families Can Help Children Become Better Readers Dennis-Yarmouth Regional School District Title 1 Ask questions to get your child thinking Keep your child reading and talking about reading over the summer If your child needs some It is critical that your child read over the summer. Help her reflect encouragement to keep on what she reads and improve her reading over the summer, comprehension by asking a lot of do what you can to make read- questions! You might ask: ing appealing. Suggest that he read: • Who were the main characters? • A series of books, like Magic What did you like or dis- Treehouse or Nancy Drew. like about them? Do they • A joke book. Ask your child to find remind you of people you the funniest one he can. know? How? • A “choose your own adventure” book. • What happened in the story? Your child may enjoy creating his How did it start? What own path as he reads. happened in the middle? Source: M. Leonhardt, Keeping Kids Reading: How To How did it end? Were you Raise Avid Readers in the Video Age, Crown Publishers. happy with the way the book ended? • Have you ever experienced something that happened to the characters in the story? Enjoy reading aloud to your child • What would you change about the book if you were the author? Your child benefits many ways when What plot would make a good sequel? you read aloud, even if she is able to read “Books are a uniquely portable magic.” on her own. You can —Stephen King expose your child to new concepts and words. And reading aloud is an opportunity to spend quality time together. Help your child improve reading habits

There is no such thing as too much reading—it just has to be done responsibly! Here are three common reading Task your child with being the problems followed by easy ways to turn them around: family fact checker 1. Tattered books. Choose a special spot for books where To help your child engage with they won’t get trampled—like a basket or a shelf. reading, give him the job of being Overdue library books. Set a weekly schedule to visit the 2. your fact checker. When library with your child. Make sure he returns items on you have a question time. Then have fun browsing for new material to about something, ask check out. On school nights, tuck him in early him to get the facts. If 3. Late night reading. you need to double- so he has time to read in bed before lights out. On check an ingredient in occasional weekend nights, it’s OK to let your child stay a recipe, ask him to read up later to read. it to you. If you want to Source: “Breaking Bad Reading Habits,” Scholastic, niswc.com/improving_ know the capital of Bulgaria, have reading_habits. him look it up. He’ll have to read to find out!

Use newspapers to inspire reading games Turn writing mistakes into Spice up your regular reading routine by reading a newspaper or magazine—either in print or online—and playing a few games. grammar challenges You can: Exercise your child’s • Recreate cartoons. Read a comic strip with skills by giving her this your child. Then cut apart the squares. Can sentence to fix: Can she put them back in order? Or, rearrange You correct this Sentence! the squares and create a story together to (Then show her the right answer: Can go along with the new order. you correct this sentence?) Challenge her • Go on a scavenger hunt. Make a list of things to fix other grammatical errors. Include for your child to find in the pages. She might things she’s been learning all year, look for a food coupon, a sports statistic, one of her such as punctuation, capitalization and spelling words and the name of your town. verb tenses. Throw in a few spelling • Retell stories. Read a short, simple (and interesting!) article aloud. mistakes, too! Encourage your child to summarize what it says. Then switch roles with a new story. Source: “Fun Ways to Encourage Your Children to Read,” Family Works, University of For lower elementary readers: Illinois Extension, niswc.com/newspaper_games. • The Hole Story of the Doughnut by Pat Miller (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). Learn how this tasty treat came to Plan family reading activities this summer be—all because of a boy Get the whole family involved in reading this summer by planning who was a ship’s assis- exciting reading events. Here are some to try: tant cook. • Trivia night. Choose a book • Can I Tell You A Secret? by Anna that everyone in your family Kang (Harper). A small frog named can take turns reading. Or, Monty confesses a big secret: He is read a short book together. afraid of water. Then, have each person write three trivia questions For upper elementary readers: about the story. Take turns • Little Joe by Sandra Neil Wallace quizzing each other. Who (Alfred A. Knopf). Nine-year-old Eli remembers the most? is given a newborn calf he names • Themed dinners. What do the Little Joe. Follow along as Little Joe characters in your child’s grows and Eli learns how to take care books have for dinner? research what to include on of the animal. Base a meal around a favor- the menu. • Eureka! Great Inventions and How ite book. If the story takes Source: B. Hyde, “Family Reading place in another country or Activities,” Old Fashioned Living, They Happened by Richard Platt niswc.com/reading_night_activities. time period, help your child (Kingfisher). Ever wonder how the hot air balloon was invented? Or the vacuum cleaner? Learn all about inventions and the creative minds : When my child has trouble reading, he gets frustrated and that produced them. Q says, “I can’t read this!” How can I encourage him? : Remind him that every new skill takes practice. Building Readers® How Families Can Help Children Become Better Readers Show him examples of books he now finds easy, A Publisher: L. Andrew McLaughlin. and remind him that at one time, they were a Publisher Emeritus: John H. Wherry, Ed.D. challenge for him. Reassure him that he is able to learn Editor: Stacey Marin. how to read—and that he will. But it takes determination, patience Copyright © 2017, The Parent Institute® and hard work! (a division of PaperClip Media, Inc.) P.0. Box 7474, Fairfax Station, VA 22039-7474 1-800-756-5525, ISSN: 1533-33021531-4901 Do you have a question about reading? Email [email protected]. www.parent-institute.com

■ Book ■ The Brilliant World of Picks Tom Gates (Liz Pichon) Read, sing, explore When Tom’s Children who not annoying his class- read during sum- mates, playing tricks on mer break are more his sister, or scheming to likely to maintain get tickets to see his favor- and even improve ite band, he’s writing in his diary. This their reading skills. first book in the Tom Gates series invites Here are ways your readers to chuckle at Tom’s hilarious youngster can fit mishaps. (Also available in Spanish.) in reading while spending time out- ■ Awesome Adventures at the doors, enjoying Smithsonian (Emily B. Korrell) music, or pursuing This nonfiction book lets your young- an interest. ster explore the world’s largest museum system, the Smithsonian Institution in Read on location Washington, DC. The museums con- Suggest that wherever tain more than 154 he goes, your child carry books related million artifacts, to his destination. At the beach or pool, He can use the printouts to sing along including the Hope he might read a novel set on a tropical with the radio or his playlist. Let him diamond and the island or a nonfiction book about ocean practice making inferences—can he Apollo lunar landing life. While camping, he could read a “read between the lines” to figure out module. Created by a former teacher, story about a mountain climber or a what the songwriter meant? the guide is packed with facts, photos, book on outdoor survival. He’ll naturally Follow interests make real-life connections to details in and activities. Your child’s interests can inspire him his books. to read. If he enjoyed a science unit on ■ Fuzzy Mud (Louis Sachar) Collect song lyrics rocks and minerals, he might collect In the woods, throwing weird-looking Have your youngster print out lyrics to rocks and look them up in a field guide. mud seemed like a good way for favorite songs and put them in a binder. Or maybe he loves animals. He could get Tamaya and Marshall to deal with the a brochure of training tips from the vet class bully. But now Tamaya has a bad and teach commands to your dog. rash, and the bully hasn’t returned to Roll-and-write poetry school. Is the mysterious mud at the heart of an environmental disaster? With this fun family poetry-writing number of syllables in that line. If you activity, your child will choose her roll 5, 2, and 1, your youngster’s first ■ Eat Your Greens, Reds, Yellows, words carefully! three lines might go: and Purples (DK) 1. Ask your youngster to pick a topic Lightning cracks the sky Encourage your youngster to eat a (say, thunderstorms) for each person to And then rainbow of foods with this kid-friendly write a poem about. Boom! vegetarian cookbook. Step-by-step 2. Let your child roll two photographs make it easy for young 4. Read your poems dice—the number rolled is chefs to follow along. Plus, aloud. It’ll be fun how many lines each poem color-coded sections to hear how dif- should be. (Roll an 8, and contain nutrition facts ferent they are, the poems will be 8 lines.) about the ingredients. even though the 3. For every line, take turns topic and rhythm rolling one die to determine the are the same!

Continue until a word is Word games spelled (ocean, octopus). If you finish a word or can’t with a splash think of a letter to add, Can your child spell swim- you’re out. The last player suit? Have everyone put theirs to go starts a new word. on, and beat the heat with these family spelling and vocabulary Downpour. Anyone who games. breaks the word chain is in for a soaking. Fill a large Dunk and spell. Players stand plastic cup with water, and around a bucket of water. Let your name a category (flowers). youngster dunk a large sponge in The first player holds the cup the water. She says any letter (perhaps and names something that O) and tosses the sponge to another player. That person belongs in the category (tulip). She passes the cup to the next dunks the sponge, thinks of a word that starts with O, and person, who names a flower that begins with the last letter of adds a letter that would begin to spell her word (O, C). the previous word (petunia). Play until someone is stumped— she must dump the cup over her head!

Parent Start a literature circle My book of summer 2 Parent This year in school, my Putting together a summer scrapbook son Seth enjoyed participat- is a fun way for your child to practice ing in a literature circle. He explained writing. Share these ideas for filling that it’s like a book club where every the pages: reader has a special job—and he wanted to start one in our neighborhood. ● Take photos My son and a few friends decided to during an choose books, meet regularly, and take activity (say, turns with different roles. Seth was the group’s first “director,” so his job was to bring a cookout). discussion questions, such as whether the main character would make a cool friend. Arrange them Thanks to the group’s “word detective,” whose job was to look up unfamiliar words, in order on a the children decided the character’s deviousness would make them unable to trust page, and write him. At the end of their meeting, they passed around books brought by the “recom- captions to tell mender” and voted on the one to read next. what happened. Seth is excited about starting the new book. And guess what? I told Seth that he ● Save ticket stubs, maps, and other inspired me to start a literature circle with my friends. We’re having our first meeting memorabilia. Glue them in the scrap- next month! book, and use them to write a story. ● Keep a list of favorite quotations or passages from books he enjoyed. Listening to audiobooks ● Draw a comic strip about a special Q& memory, such as a water park adventure A ●Q I’ve heard that audiobooks Have your youngster download a title or a visit with cousins. will help my daughter become or two from your public library’s web- Idea: Suggest that your youngster plan a better reader. How can I get her inter- site. She might listen while she does to make a new book each summer. ested in them? chores or plays in her room, or she could relax with an audio- A It’s true! Audiobooks let your ● book before she falls OUR PURPOSE child enjoy more complex books asleep. Or turn on an To provide busy parents with practical ways than she can read on her own. audiobook for everyone to promote their children’s reading, writing, Plus, when your daughter lis- and language skills. to hear in the car. You’ll tens to an audiobook, she Resources for Educators, enjoy a book together, a division of CCH Incorporated hears a good example 128 N. Royal Avenue • Front Royal, VA 22630 and the story could of fluent reading—the 800-394-5052 • [email protected] spark an interesting www.rfeonline.com narrator reads smoothly family discussion. ISSN 1540-5583 and with expression. © 2017 Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated Building Excitement and Success for Young Children May 2017 Dennis Yarmouth Title I Program

TOOLS & The time is now TIDBITS Give your youngster Math all summer long extra practice telling Counting, reasoning, time—in all different ways. He can tell and recognizing num- it’s early morning because he sees the bers aren’t just for the sunrise. Or he might know the time by classroom. Keep your his activity—perhaps it’s noon when youngster’s math learn- he’s eating lunch or 4:30 when he’s at ing on track through karate. Of course, a clock is handy for the summer with these telling time, too! fun ideas. Teddy needs some help Follow the leader What would your child do if her Suggest that your teddy bear hurt its knee? Challenge child write the numbers her to engineer a 1–40 outside with side- knee brace for her walk chalk. Each player stuffed animal. picks a number to stand on. She could use The “leader” tells everyone how far to 25 cents and a customer gives her $1.00, rubber bands to hop so they can “count on”—or count what change would she make? (3 quar- attach a soft cloth forward by a given number. If she says, ters or 2 quarters, 2 dimes, and 1 nickel, to the knee, add- “Hop forward 5 numbers,” the player for example.) ing a flexible straw on each side to on 16 would hop and count, “17, 18, 19, Toss water balloons bend with the knee. What other 20, 21.” Take turns being the leader. household materials might she try? Splat! On a hot day, help your young- Open a lemonade stand ster fill 20 water balloons and number Book picks Let your little entrepreneur practice them (1–20) with a permanent marker. One Grain of Rice: A Mathematical measuring ingredients and counting coins Place two hula hoops on the grass, label- Folktale (Demi) tells the charming by setting up her own lemonade stand. ing one “Odd” and the other “Even.” Take story of feeding a village by doubling She can shop for supplies with you, turns throwing balloons, in order, into the the grains of rice it gets each day. design a cute sign, and mix up a batch of matching circle (1 goes in “Odd,” 2 in With vibrant photos and simple lemonade. Before opening her stand, have “Even,” and so on). Variation: See if she words, I Use Science Tools (Kelli Hicks) her identify and count coins to rehearse can pick up balloons in random order and introduces your youngster to equip- giving change. If a cup of lemonade costs still know which target to aim for. ment for exploring science. How things change Just for fun Your child can observe for himself how things in the environment change slowly or quickly—starting in Q: What your own neighborhood. goes up What might he see that appears different from one but never day or week to the next? He could notice how flowers comes bloom and die or that seeds planted in the garden grow down? into vegetables. If he touches dirt, he’ll find it’s wet or dry, A: Your depending on whether it has rained recently. age! Next, help him spot things that change more slowly. For instance, point out that trees grow tall over many years. Or let him feel smooth rocks from a streambed, and explain they have been worn down over time by the water. He’ll begin to understand that everything is changing, even when he can’t see it happening.

5 + 3 = 8. How many different Split up that ways can he find to share the 8 items? number! Pair them Addition becomes easier For this game, each player when your child learns to break should create a 5 x 5 bingo numbers into parts. These clever board with a number 0–6 in activities will help him do just that. each square. (Most should be 0–3, with a few 4–6.) One Share them person rolls a die, and all play- When you bring groceries home, ers try to cover 2 numbers let your youngster imagine sharing them (with beans or coins) that add between 2 action figures. If you bought 8 cereal together to equal the number bars, for example, he could place 4 in front of each rolled. For a 3, your child could figure—and see that 4 + 4 = 8. Then, if he moves 1 cereal bar cover 0 and 3 or 1 and 2. Continue playing until someone has to the first character, it would have 5 while the other had 3, so 5 in a row horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. “Bingo”—he’s the winner!

Q Monster glyphs Find the object & MATH Q: When my daughter came home CORNER Next time you’re out on a family walk, A the other day, she told me about use the opportunity to play around with making glyphs in school. It position words—words that describe where objects are in sounded like fun. Could we make these at relationship to other objects. home for a summer project? Take turns secretly choosing an item. Then, use posi- A: Glyphs—pictures used to convey tion words to help family members identify what you information—are an easy way to repre- picked. If your youngster sent data. Suggest that your daughter Position words chose a mailbox, she might and her friends make glyphs about above next to say, “I spotted something that is next to a pine tree, themselves by each drawing a monster. below in beside a driveway, and above the grass.” on For instance, they might add: under Ask questions about the object’s position (“Is it top beside behind us?” “Is it below the chimney?”), or make a • teeth equal to the middle between guess. Keep asking and guessing until someone cor- number of people bottom in front of rectly identifies the object. That person chooses the in back of in their family behind next item to describe with position words. • spots equal to their age (6 spots for a 6-year-old) • a toe for each letter in their name SCIENCE Two eyes are better than one They’ll need to LAB Your youngster may What happens? With both eyes open, write a key explain- think he sees the same he should easily be able to touch the eras- ing what each sym- thing with one eye that he sees with ers together. However, when trying with bol means (example: 1 tooth = 1 family both eyes. This experiment will help only one eye open, he will likely miss. member). When they finish, they can him “see” differently. Why? When our eyes see an image, display their monsters—and use the key You’ll need: two pencils they send a message to the brain to figure out which child each monster with erasers about that image. Yet each of belongs to! Here’s how: Your child our eyes sees things from a slightly different perspective. OUR PURPOSE should grip a pencil in each To provide busy parents with practical ways to hand and stretch his arms out in The brain takes the two promote their children’s math and science skills. front of him, with the erasers images and combines them Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated pointed at each other. Ask him to to form the correct one, 128 N. Royal Avenue • Front Royal, VA 22630 allowing your youngster to 800-394-5052 • [email protected] bring the erasers together so they www.rfeonline.com touch. Next, have him close one line up the erasers. This is ISSN 1942-910X eye at a time and try again. called depth perception. © 2017 Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated e ı e c s Dennis Yarmouth Title I Program R c p s for Suc e s MAY 2017 Practical Activities to Help Your Child Succeed Refrigerator Poster Just hang your Recipes poster on the refrigerator and sneak in an activity when you have a few READING FINANCIAL LITERACY minutes. These fun activities will Swap out words Spending pasta help develop school success and Help your child work on word recognition by switching one word for another as This activity gives your child practice positive behavior. Check off each you read aloud. He’ll need to look and listen closely to catch you! choosing how to spend limited resources. box as you complete the “recipe.” books Ingredients: Ingredients: paper, pen or pencil, pasta pieces Read a book to your youngster while he follows along with the text. Every so often, use a word that’s different fromor the emphasizing one that’s printed—withoutthe word. (“Andrew changing dashed yourinside” tone What do people pay for in everyday life? Together, list instead of “Andrew dashed away.”) categories (housing, transportation, food, clothing, entertainment). Then, brainstorm choices for each If your child notices you substituted a word, one. For example, under transportation your he should yell out, “Sneaky swap!” Then, youngster might list bus, have him read the sentence using the correct food, she may put grocerycar stores, and, subway. word. Can he catch all of your “mistakes”? Under vending machines. restaurants, and When you’re done, let him read to you and do his own “sneaky swapping” for Talk about which options are more expensive. Have her write the you to catch. comparative “cost,” in pasta pieces, next to each (say, 5 wagon wheel shapes for a house and 3 for an apartment). Give her 20 pieces to “spend” across the cate- SOCIAL STUDIES gories. If she runs out, can she spend less in one area to help cover another? Laws to live by Try this activity to show your youngster why rules matter in a society.

Ingredient: board game SUBTRACTION FITNESS Ask your child to name as many laws as he can think of. Examples: Cross the Here’s a heart-pumping game Let your child cut circles from street in crosswalks. Do not take items from stores without paying. to play with friends or family. If your construction paper to make “pan- youngster calls “green light,” players Next, play a board game together without following the rules. What happens cakes.” On one side, have her write run in place or in circles. If he says subtraction problems (7 – 2, 25 – 11). “yellow light,” everyone if players don’t take turns? How about if people Then, she can lay them out facedown. walks. But at “red move ahead more or fewer spaces than the Take turns picking one and writing number they rolled on the dice? the answer on the light,” they freeze in back. Check each place. Say “green Your youngster will see that not having rules other’s work to light” to get play- makes it hard to play the game. Based on make sure they’re ers moving again. that, what conclusions could he draw about all correct! what would happen if we didn’t have laws in our communities?

© 2017 Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated • 128 N. Royal Avenue • Front Royal, VA 22630 • 800-394-5052 • [email protected] • www.rfeonline.com Recıpes for Success Character Practical Activities to Help Your Child Succeed MAY 2017 Corner ENGINEERING When it comes to building WRITING structures, some shapes are more ■ FLEXIBILITY A fan of your fiction stable than others. To test this, your Your child will become a more flexible youngster could form a square and a thinker by discovering there are vari- Boost your youngster’s imagination and writing skills by encourag- triangle with toothpicks and mini- ous ways to do something. See how ing her to write “fan fiction.” marshmallows. If she stands each many methods he can come up with Ingredients: books, paper and pencil or computer shape up and to clap his hands (loudly, slowly) or to pushes down on climb into the car (shoulder first, backward). What book or series is your child a fan of? Suggest that she write her it with her finger, own stories based on the characters or settings that the author uses. ■ SPORTSMANSHIP which shape Ask your youngster to make a For instance, she might imagine what the city in a book would be withstands the like in 20 years. Then, she trading card that celebrates good could place the characters pressure better? sportsmanship. She could draw there and write a sequel. Or an athlete’s picture and list his “good sport” perhaps she will write let- accomplishments, such as respecting offi- ters back and forth between cials’ calls, cheering on teammates, and con- characters, updating each LISTENING gratulating opposing teams on wins. other on new developments Have your child place “obsta- in their lives or solving a ■ DETERMINATION mystery together. cles” (pillows, cereal boxes) on the floor. He can close his eyes while you Setting “stretch” goals will help your young- Have her read her fan fiction give him instructions for navigating ster push himself. Say he sings one part of to you—and let her know around them. (“Take two steps a song by memory. He might fiction! you’re a fan of her left.”) If he bumps into any- decide to memorize two more thing, he starts over. He’ll lines each day. Let him perform need to listen carefully for you to show his progress. to finish the course. ESTIMATION STORYTELLING Youngsters often ask how long things Congratulations! Suggest that your youngster make will take. (“How long until we get to Grand- a deck of storytelling cards. Using 16 ma’s?”) Turning the question around can help index cards, she could write: four settings him practice estimating. If We finished activities together on this poster. (forest, city), four problems (lost dog, he’s clearing the table, ask, upset friend), four characters (girl, fox), “How many minutes do and four objects (suitcase, pineapple). you think it will take?” Signed (parent or adult family member) Signed (child) Have her draw a card from each stack and Have him estimate and use them to tell set a timer to check. a story. Then, it’s your turn.