READ to your baby! That was the expert advice from my doctor 37 years ago when we brought our daughter home from the hospital. And that is exactly what we did! When our son came along 2 years later, we did the same. We read and read and read from their infancy to teen years. […]
The school year is finally winding down—and what a year it has been! Teachers, parents, and students will all be happy to take a break from distance learning. Unfortunately, the summer slide will not be taking a break. In fact, the impact of the COVID slide, as some are calling it, may be substantially worse, […]
In addition to crafts and Active Experiences, expose your campers to some great literature. Answering a few questions after reading a story is an effective way to maintain reading comprehension skills over the summer. Simple Download these children’s classics adapted by Simple Solutions. For very young children, use The Tale of Peter Rabbit and The Steadfast Tin […]
Back in February, Susie, Mary Pat, and Regina from the Simple Solutions proofreading team worked very hard to ensure our revised science books were error free. Use the worksheet below to help your students become proofreading pros too! Practice Your Proofreading Skills! Use the Proofreader’s Symbols Chart to complete the worksheet below. Click on the […]
There are many ways to help students improve their communication skills by writing for an authentic audience. School may not look the same right now, but gratitude and thank you notes are more important than ever. The end of this non-traditional school year is upon us, and there are many reasons to celebrate and be […]
For many years, researchers have warned us of the learning loss that occurs when students are not academically engaged. It’s a loss that increases with age as children progress from elementary through middle school. At Summer Solutions, we specialize in preventing learning loss through these research-based strategies: Retrieval practice is one of the best ways to […]
Springtime can be magical for children and their pets. Spend some time with an adorable pup by exploring a longtime-favorite, Harry the Dirty Dog, by Gene Zion with illustrations by Margaret Bloy Graham. Then, create a story map. (By the way, you can use this idea with any children’s book.) If you don’t have a copy […]
Suddenly, you’re a homeschool teacher! Or maybe you’ve been doing that for years. Either way, as time goes on, you’ll be looking for some engaging, new educational activities to do with your kids at home. At Summer Solutions, we specialize in keeping students academically engaged outside of school. Here are two lesson ideas with free […]
Writing Task Activity Story mapping is the ability to identify the components of a story—setting and characters, as well as the sequence of the story (beginning, middle, and end). Story mapping is an important skill that contributes to a student’s ability to comprehend what he/she has read. This skill is particularly important when reading narrative […]
What are your goals for teaching reading to 6th, 7th, or 8th graders, and how do you find the time to achieve these goals? One way to shore up reading skills is to make efficient use of independent study time – that includes homework, bell work, study period, or anytime students work on their own. […]
