Dear Educator,
-Kelly Harmon & Randi Anderson
5 Ways to Prevent Reading Loss Over the Summer
1. Provide Books
Distribute 6-12 books for students to take home over the summer. "Simply providing children from low-income families with self-selected books for summer reading eliminated summer reading loss and spurred reading gains comparable to those experiences by middle class children (Allington, McGill-Frazen, Camilli, et al., 2010).
2. Meet Students...ONLINE!
Set up dates to meet online for book chats. If you use Edmodo, you can set up small groups. If you aren't an Edmodo user, use www.todaysmeet.com to set up a 2 hour chat on specific dates throughout the summer!
3. Meet Students Locally
Plan dates ahead of time to meet students at their neighborhood library. Meet to give book talks, browse and read books together, or set goals! Get your local librarian involved too!
4. Empower Parents
Suggest online library sources to parents. Tumblebooks is a great way to have instant access to great books! Visit our blog for a link to using Tumblebooks.
5. Make a Summer Plan
Create a summer calendar for parents and students to follow. The calendar can have fun simple daily activities for students to do with their parents or independently to build reading and math fluency & comprehension skills. Offer incentives for students who complete activities during summer vacation. Hold a "back-to-school" celebration so students can share summer learning activities and turn in reading logs for prizes and rewards.
Learning Activites for the Summer!
1. Bananagrams
This game works like a crossword puzzle and scrabble put together. It is great for spelling, phonics, and writing practice. Plus, it's FUN! Click here to get Bananagrams. There is an entire family of word games with Bananagrams. Check them all out on their website.
2. Boggle
Boggle is a fun word game that gets children and adults searching for and thinking about words. Players earn points by creating words! You can find Boggle in most toy stores or on apps for FREE.
3. Charades App
A fun and exciting game for the entire family! Get kids thinking, acting, and playing all summer long. Click here to get the app!
4. Chicktionary
This brain teasing game will keep kids engaged in word play for the long run!
5. Karaoke
Use Youtube for free karaoke songs for kids! Start simple with Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star and then move on to Taylor Swift's new songs.
6. Monopoly
Play Monopoly to practice number sense and money skills.
7. Camera App
Have kids use the camera app on the iphone or iPad to take pictures of things around the house. Then have your student write a creative story or news article about the picture.
8. Fisher Price Books
For your young child, use the Fisher Price Book Apps to enjoy nursery rhymes and classic books. The app reads the story to your child and includes interactive pictures AND its free! Click here to check it out.
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The First 25 Days of School: Setting Up Reader's & Writer's WorkshopJune 24, 2015 8:30am-3:30pm Learn strategies to establish clear and effective classroom literacy routines, including ideas for focus lessons, independent reading, guided and independent writing, word work, research, developing vocabulary, and building reading fluency. Tips will be given on how to get the year off to a great start as you guide and develop children's literacy behavior and motivation to learn. A plan for the first 25 days of school will be shared! Click HERE for more info. | The Best iPad Apps & Strategies to Increase Student Achievement June 25, 2015 8:30am-3:30pm Grades K-12 iPads are great tools for providing explicit instruction, meaningful practice, and student-designed projects and presentations. In this interactive seminar, explore the best apps and projects that will engage your learners and accelerate learning. Be sure to bring your iPad for the hands on make-and-take projects. Learn more Here! | Comprehension Strategies: Following Figure 19 Workshop June 26, 2015 8:30am-3:30pm Grades K-12 Join Kelly Harmon as she helps you navigate and plan effective instruction for the TEKS comprehension strategies (Figure 19) for reading with meaning. Learn how to help your students develop and use the strategies for close reading and recreational reading. Tips will be given on creating rigorous opportunities for practice and how to effectively teach students to read for meaning. For more info, Click HERE! |
The First 25 Days of School: Setting Up Reader's & Writer's Workshop
June 24, 2015
8:30am-3:30pm
Learn strategies to establish clear and effective classroom literacy routines, including ideas for focus lessons, independent reading, guided and independent writing, word work, research, developing vocabulary, and building reading fluency. Tips will be given on how to get the year off to a great start as you guide and develop children's literacy behavior and motivation to learn. A plan for the first 25 days of school will be shared! Click HERE for more info.
The Best iPad Apps & Strategies to Increase Student Achievement
8:30am-3:30pm
Grades K-12
iPads are great tools for providing explicit instruction, meaningful practice, and student-designed projects and presentations. In this interactive seminar, explore the best apps and projects that will engage your learners and accelerate learning. Be sure to bring your iPad for the hands on make-and-take projects. Learn more Here!
Comprehension Strategies: Following Figure 19 Workshop
8:30am-3:30pm
Grades K-12
Join Kelly Harmon as she helps you navigate and plan effective instruction for the TEKS comprehension strategies (Figure 19) for reading with meaning. Learn how to help your students develop and use the strategies for close reading and recreational reading. Tips will be given on creating rigorous opportunities for practice and how to effectively teach students to read for meaning. For more info, Click HERE!
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Using Learning Games to Review & Practice ELAR TEKSAugust 4, 2015 8:30am-3:30pm Grades 2nd-12th Games are a great research-based strategy that engages learners in meaningful review and practice for all of the ELAR TEKS. During this seminar, experience and create games that target specific reading and writing skills and strategies. Discover how to incorporate game formats into daily instruction to practice the STAAR readiness and supporting standards. You will leave with games ready to ignite learning excitement and provide fun in your classroom. Learn more HERE! | The First 25 Days of School: Setting Up Reader's & Writer's Workshop August 5, 2015 8:30am-3:30pm Grades K-8th Learn strategies to establish clear and effective classroom literacy routines, including ideas adapted from the Daily 5 and CAFÉ. Tips will be given on how to guide children's literacy behavior and motivation to learn. A plan for the first 25 days of school will be shared! Learn more HERE! | Guided Reading & Literature Circles in the K-8th Classroom August 6, 2015 8:30am-3:30pm Grades K-8 Learn strategies for assessing students’ literacy needs and planning instruction to match those needs. Participants will explore best practices for guided reading and literature circles. You will leave ready to provide effective reading practice. Click Here to learn more! |
Using Learning Games to Review & Practice ELAR TEKS
August 4, 2015
8:30am-3:30pm
Grades 2nd-12th
Games are a great research-based strategy that engages learners in meaningful review and practice for all of the ELAR TEKS. During this seminar, experience and create games that target specific reading and writing skills and strategies. Discover how to incorporate game formats into daily instruction to practice the STAAR readiness and supporting standards. You will leave with games ready to ignite learning excitement and provide fun in your classroom. Learn more HERE!
The First 25 Days of School: Setting Up Reader's & Writer's Workshop
8:30am-3:30pm
Grades K-8th
Learn strategies to establish clear and effective classroom literacy routines, including ideas adapted from the Daily 5 and CAFÉ. Tips will be given on how to guide children's literacy behavior and motivation to learn. A plan for the first 25 days of school will be shared! Learn more HERE!
Guided Reading & Literature Circles in the K-8th Classroom
8:30am-3:30pm
Grades K-8
Learn strategies for assessing students’ literacy needs and planning instruction to match those needs. Participants will explore best practices for guided reading and literature circles. You will leave ready to provide effective reading practice. Click Here to learn more!
Essentials of Rigor Experience Day
Save The Date!!!!
Join your colleagues on August 3, 2015 at ESC-13 for a day of exploring essential strategies that prepare your students for the cognitively complex tasks presented on the STAAR and EOC tests. The Essentials of Achieving Rigor is a comprehensive instructional framework based on Dr. Robert Marzano's research of pedagogical strategies. From kindergarten to high school, these strategies help teachers design meaningful, student-centered instruction. You will definitely leave this workshop wanting more!
Visit the Marzano Center website to download the white paper on Teaching with Rigor to learn more. I'd love to talk to you about how this instructional framework can complement your current curriculum and assessment program. Please contact me for more information. ~Kelly
Kelly Harmon & Associates
