Children can learn about family heritage at the same time they are improving their literacy skills. Using family-based writing projects, you can build a connection with parents, and help children see the value in their own heritage and in the diversity around them.
Professional school counselors can be more effective in their work with parents of students with disabilities — as well as with the students themselves, their teachers, and other students — if they understand parent perspectives. Parents’ areas of concern are described, and implications for school counselors are discussed.
Is your child enrolled in kindergarten in a school that is implementing the Common Core State Standards (CCSS)? In this overview for parents, learn more about what Common Core is and how to know whether a teacher is providing developmentally appropriate instruction to address the CCSS for your child. Here are some of the questions you might ask yourself.
Improving the effectiveness of interventions for struggling readers requires a school-level system for early identification of ‘at risk’ students and then providing those students with intensive interventions. Learn from Reading First schools with demonstrated success in reaching struggling readers.
The birth of a child with a disability, or the discovery that a child has a disability, can have profound effects on the family. In this article, you’ll find information to support the life cycle, health, and well-being of the family when a son or daughter has a disability.
The summer is a time to unwind and relax for parents and kids alike, but learning should not come to a halt. By focusing on your child’s interests, involving the family, and setting goals, you can motivate even the most reluctant learners
Use picture books to teach young writers how to organize plot logically. This article includes examples of basic plot structures, along with picture books that use those structures.
Learn about the features in e-books that may distract, support, or extend comprehension and the need for more scaffolding of reading instruction with e-books. The article also addresses ways to familiarize students with multi-touch tablet devices while encouraging students and teachers to transfer print-based reading strategies to this new medium.
Reading together is a good way to open the conversation about natural disasters and what to do when disaster strikes. Books can help children contextualize and discuss difficult events, like hurricanes and earthquakes.
Science and math explorations give your growing reader a chance to strengthen observation and writing skills by keeping a special journal to fill with sketches, notes, and graphs. Try these ideas to get your child started.
The development of oral language is one of the child’s most natural – and impressive – accomplishments. Get an introduction to when and how language is learned.
Review well-established scientific findings about reading and their practical implications, for children with and without reading disabilities. In addition, consider some broader ways that science may be useful to educators and get suggestions for individual teachers interested in becoming more familiar with scientific research on reading.
When students practice observing in science, they use their senses to collect information about objects and events related to a question, topic, or problem to solve in science. Learn some strategies to help students organize and analyze their data through presentations, sharing, and discussion.
Dr. Mark Seidenberg is Vilas Research Professor and Donald O. Hebb Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is a cognitive scientist/neuroscientist/psycholinguist who has studied language, reading, and dyslexia for more than 30 years.
Reading problems are common, but they can have different causes and warning signs. Sometimes a problem is simple and quick to solve while others may require extensive intervention. Here are some common reading issues and ways to get help for your child.
Civics teaches kids about the rights each of us has as a citizen, as well as our responsibilities, such as voting or serving on a jury — and getting involved in our communities to make them better for all. Do you know any kids who are eager to volunteer in their communities? Or kids who are curious about the history of voting rights in the U.S., how a bill becomes a law, how we elect our President, and stories about life (and pets!) in the White House? We’ve gathered up a great collection of books for school and home. Find more books, plus activities, apps, and kid-friendly websites at Start with a Book: Civics and Our Government.
