Submit to your Inner Geek: Comic Books

Redirect to new blog You are being redirected to the new blog.

The Arts - Poetry

Genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood
-T. S. Eliot

You may not know this but 45 out of 50 states have adopted the new Common Core State Standards. One of the subjects that is addressed in those standards is poetry. Whether you like poetry or not, it is a valuable component to education. First of all, poetry increases reading fluency (the ability to read words like you are speaking) because kids tend to reread the poems. The rhythm of poetry is engaging, and if it rhymes, the kids can usually predict some of the words even if they can't read them well. If your child is too young to read, make sure that you do pick rhyming poems because the practice of rhyming sounds is a foundational reading skill. Poetry also creates imagery which can help children understand feelings and language.

Learning Time Part 1

Right now it is the summer, so instead of "Homework Time", we will have "Learning Time". This is very important for several reasons. First, children often lose up to 2 months of learning over the summers. As a former teacher, I can tell you that the first month of the school year is all about reteaching. Second, it is necessary that we retain a structure that carries over from the school year. My oldest son has Asperger's Syndrome and structure is very important for him. He likes knowing what is planned. Third, my middle son is starting Kindergarten next year - it is a half day program with large enrollment. I feel that there will be many holes to fill in his learning. (I am sure his teacher will be excellent, but probably can't teach much in only 2 and a half hours.)

A few skills that I often find older students need to practice religiously are math facts and reading comprehension. For math facts, I recommend Xtramath. It is free to sign up and works on addition, subtraction, multiplication,and division. I also highly recommend Sumdog. It has free games based on the state's math standards that your child can play to improve his/her math scores. My son loves it.

As far as comprehension is concerned, the best thing you can do for your child is make them read EVERY day. Bookadventure is a wonderful, free website that allows your child to take a test on regular children's literature. It also lets you print lists so that you can get books at the appropriate grade level.If your child earns enough points, s/he can earn prizes such as a free subscription to Highlights magazine. Pretty cool, huh?
My next post will cover Pre-K skills.