Search results matching tags 'kindergarten', 'parents', and 'parenting'

Connecting the "DOTS" School + Home Connection by Dr. Danny

Anonymous — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 12:30:00 GMT

Connecting the “DOTS”

Hello from the International Reading Association’s annual conference in San Antonio, Texas. As luck would have it, I am presenting a seminar entitled “The Power of Parents: Building School and Home Connections,” based on a series of kits I have developed. The kits train parents, teachers and administrators how to work together to best meet the needs of each particular child.

As a parent you need to know that your child is important to her teacher. Your child is vital to the success of her teacher’s classroom and the school. Good teachers and administrators recognize how important you are to the development of your child, and they are excited to work with you to help your child. Contrary to what a lot of policymakers and folks in the media will try to have you believe, most public schools are doing a good job. As a matter of fact, their success is severely understated and under-reported, while the extraordinary successes of a few well-funded private and charter schools is heralded (there is plenty of data to show that a public school receiving the same funding as these success stories would achieve the same, or better, results). We can talk about that in a future column.

Let’s talk about you. You are your child’s single greatest teacher, and we educators need you to work with us. Together, we can move mountains.

I understand what you are going through, as I am a proud (and sometimes frustrated) parent of three. I know a lot about education, and even I can find the school system overwhelming. So what can we do together to do what is in the best interest of your child?

We simply need to connect the “DOTS.”

Do Play. The “D” in “DOTS” stands for “Do,” as in “Do Play.” It sounds like common sense, but – as my friend Davy Tyburski likes to say, “common sense is not common practice” nowadays. The role of play is critical in your child’s development. It sounds so easy, and that is why many folks scoff at its importance. Well, standing, walking, talking and eating are all fairly “easy,” yet critical, processes. The benefits of playing with your child are as widespread as a healthy diet, so make sure to “feed” your child’s emotional and psychological development by playing board games, going on outings and spending plenty of silly moments together.

Observe and Model. The “O” in “DOTS” stands for “Observe,” as in “Observe and Model.” Being the father of three children who have all grown up under the same roof, I am constantly amazed by how different my son and two daughters are from one another. All are gifts from God who have their own distinct gifts, and my job – as their father – is to determine their strengths and weaknesses and accommodate them. While my oldest daughter is naturally very motivated, my son can take some prying to do certain things. Meanwhile, my son is one of the kindest souls I have ever seen, while my daughters often fail to empathize with those around them. As parents, we need to observe our children and model for them expected behaviors. As an educator I can confess that before I meet most students’ parents on “Back-to-School” night, I can easily match them with their children, as they behave similarly. Kids who are late to school usually have tardy parents, quiet children often have quiet parents, etc.

Talk About Books. The “T” in “DOTS” stands for “Talk,” as in “Talk About Books” with your child. What can I say? Reading is my passion, and I have gratefully passed along that passion to my children (despite school’s attempts to take it away by requiring meaningless exercises, like book reports). If you want your child to succeed in school and in life, your child needs to be a passionate, efficient reader. Make life easier on your child by giving her the joy of reading. I can guarantee that children who like to read usually turn out to be better readers than their peers who detest it. Why? They choose to do it on their own outside of school, and every extra minute your child spends reading enhances her “reading muscles” the way exercise helps your overall physical fitness.

Support/Reward. The “S” in “DOTS” stands for “Support,” as in “Support/Reward” your child’s reading. By support I mean that you need to follow the interests of your child: if she wants to read nothing but fashion magazines, let her read fashion magazines. If she is fascinated with lemurs, help her get her hands on as many texts about lemurs as you can find (I speak from experience on this one). And when I suggest you should reward your child for reading, I do not mean you should give her pizza and candy for getting through Little House on the Prairie. That just creates a new generation of obese children who think of reading as a chore. Rather, reward your child with frequent trips to libraries and bookstores. Heck, discount stores like Dollar Tree and 99 Cent Store have all kinds of inexpensive books, writing supplies and other items that send the message to your child that reading is a reward in and of itself.

Parenting is not easy. Nobody hands you a manual at the hospital.

You need to understand, though, that you are doing a good job. If you read this column, I know you are a good parent because you are a concerned parent (my theory states that concerned parents = good parents). You want what is best for your child, and by working with your child’s teacher and your school’s administrators, I am confident that together we can move mountains with your child. More importantly, we will make learning fun and meaningful for your child so that she becomes a lifelong learner.

Danny Brassell, Ph.D., is “America’s Leading Reading Ambassador,” helping parents and educators inspire kids to love reading and achieve more. He is the author of 14 books, and he acted as the lead consultant for the Building School-Home Relationships kits (Shell, 2012) that have been enthusiastically adapted in school districts across the country. A father of three and professor in the Teacher Education Department at California State University-Dominguez Hills, he is the founder of The Lazy Readers’ Book Club, www.lazyreaders.com, Google’s #1-ranked site for cool, “short book recommendations” for all ages. Watch video tips and learn more from Danny at www.dannybrassell.com, where you can check out his TEDx-Village Gate talk The Reading Makeover and download other free resources.

Reading Aloud: Great Informational Texts

Anonymous — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 11:00:00 GMT

Reading Aloud Great Informational Texts

February is one of my favorite months. First, it’s short. Second, it adds a day every four years. Third, it is filled with diverse holidays – from Groundhog’s Day to Valentine’s Day to Presidents’ Day – within the context of thematic tributes like “Black History Month.”

For parents, February presents a treasure trove of ideas for engaging children with great reading materials.

One of the reasons children are drawn to books is to learn more about their world. Children run the gamut, as I have seen some students look with fascination at the pictures of different rocks for months on end in old, beat-up Time Life series books on rocks and minerals, while others check out atlases and carefully examine different places in the world. The more photos and illustrations, the better!

Children are naturally curious about the world they live in, and books are wonderful passports to educate children on new topics. As parents, we can feed children’s hunger for knowledge with daily read alouds of informational books. Here are some ways you can incorporate informational texts into your daily routines at home:

Share Interesting Newspaper Articles. I cannot remember a day that went by growing up (or even to this day, for that matter) when my parents did not read aloud some article that they found interesting in the newspaper. We’d be sitting in our living room, all doing our own things (for example, my dad would be reading a book in his chair, mom would be reading the paper, I was probably watching TV, my brother would be building a model and my sister was having a funeral for one of her dolls), when my mother would loudly read aloud a story about a meteorite that struck Russia or some three-headed frog scientists found in Colombia. While I often found the interruptions to be annoying, I realize that I do the same dang thing with my own children. I also now realize that while always acting disinterested, I often would check out the article on my own when my mother left the room!

Cook Together. My wife is saving my life by forcing me to eat healthier. We’ve been teaching our children how to cook various healthy meals, and we always point to recipes in our cookbooks. You can also teach children how to read the nutritional information on products.

Go Through the Mail Together. I don’t care if you are seven or seventy – isn’t the trip to the mailbox always exciting? You never know what awaits: a Valentine’s Day package from grandma and grandpa, a flyer for a new toy store, a bill from the electric company. My youngest daughter loves walking to the mailbox and sorting mail with me. She’ll point to various pieces of mail and ask what they are, and I’ll read aloud various items that attract her attention.

Text Together. Embrace technology, don’t fear it! If you don’t understand the latest concoction, you can always ask a five-year-old how to use it (believe me, they probably know how to use it better than you do). If you spend a ton of time on your iPhone texting and reading articles, why would you think that your children would not be interested, too? Show your children all of the information that they can have at their disposal in their pocket every day.

Read Aloud “Tough” Books. What do I mean by “tough” book? A tough book, to me, is a book that is written well above the level of the child. Preschoolers can check out the pictures in books, but most cannot decipher much text. It is one of our jobs as parents to read aloud difficult texts to our children. Remember that while children’s early reading abilities may be limited, most can comprehend things that are read aloud to them at much higher levels. If you don’t believe me, ask your little one to read a movie script and tell you what the movie was about. Most cannot do it, but they can certainly tell you all about a movie after they have watched it. That’s because our listening comprehension abilities far exceed our reading comprehension abilities at a young age. One of the reasons I am so interested in Presidents is because my father used to read aloud to me books and articles about various Presidents and Founding Fathers.

There are all sorts of ways to expose your children to interesting informational texts during the course of a typical day. Nothing I share with you is too difficult. However, in my experience, it is usually the simple things that have the greatest results. What are some basic habits you have exposing your

Stepping Stones Together Review

Anonymous — Mon, 02 May 2011 22:00:17 GMT

As a classroom teacher I feel just as much responsibility for my students learning during the summer months as I do during the school year. I want them to have a balanced summer filled with fun and learning support at home so they can begin the next school year right where they left off in my classroom. Unfortunately, research shows that children can experience significant learning loss during the summer months. Imagine if an athlete stopped training, he or she would see a significant decline in performance. The human brain is no different; it needs daily exercise to maintain learning.

In an attempt to prevent learning loss during the summer I provide parents with a calendar listing free or low-cost local activities such as library story times, public pool information, and discount days at the zoo or aquarium. I also send home a folder filled with educational activities for parents to do with their children. However, one skill that I am not able to fully support during the summer is reading. Many parents read to their children but when it comes to helping their children learn how to read parents want to help but often don’t know how.

I was recently introduced to Stepping Stones Together; an online program for parents who want to support their child’s reading abilities at home. I am not a fan of any pre-packaged curricula or “teach your baby to read” programs so you can be assured that Stepping Stones Together does not fall into either of these categories.

The philosophy of the Stepping Stones Together program is research based and focuses on fostering a love of reading in young children ages 3-7 while providing a positive bonding experience between parent and child. The program takes only 15-20 minutes per day so there is still pelnty of time for summer fun. This is not a program where the child sits in front of the computer while mom makes dinner; this is a fully interactive program that provides busy parents with the tools they need to take an active role in their child’s beginning reading skills.

Developed by Dr. Erika Burton, the Stepping Stones Together program provides simple, step-by-step directions that parents can easily follow. The program consists of the following components:

90 High-interest printable books on popular topics such as superheroes, princesses, sports, fairies and more
Printable incentive chart
Daily writing practice
Printable instructions explaining how to introduce the books
High-frequency word games
Printable certificates of completion for each level completed
Printable flash cards to introduce and review high frequency words in each book

While the program is designed with parents in mind, after careful review I believe it can be easily used by classroom teachers. Many teachers are required to teach their students to read but are not provided with all of the tools necessary to do so. Stepping Stones Together offers everything, including the books for a very affordable price. Classroom teachers can also send home the Stepping Stones URL in their summer educational packets for parents who are interested.

Here’s the good news, Stepping Stones Together is offering readers of Pre-K Pages a special one day only discount. This discount allows you to access to the complete program for one year for only $19.99, use discount the code Pre-K Pages If you missed the first day special you can still receive a 5% discount on the program using the same code.

'); //-->

is early entrance to kindergarten a good idea?

Anonymous — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 18:19:06 GMT

I have written about this topic before, but thought I would address it again, this time not just as a teacher, but as the mother of a child who skipped a grade. (Keep in mind that going to kindergarten early is a grade skip.)

***********

My husband is sad about our oldest child leaving for college. Never mind the fact that our son will only be starting high school in September, and his departure is four years away; my husband is sad. (I am fine, so far. Talk to me in four years. When I think about it, however, I think it will be when my baby leaves for college that I will fall apart. At present, my baby is ten years old, so my breakdown is a ways off.)

“I really wish we had thought about this more carefully when we let him skip first grade,” my husband says, with a tinge of anguish and regret in his voice.

“I’m pretty sure we did the right thing,” I reply. ”He was miserable in kindergarten. He moved to second grade and then he was happy, and he has been appropriately challenged ever since. If he had stayed in his grade, he would have been bored and unhappy.”

“Do you mean to say that the school wouldn’t have been able to challenge him at his level?”

“Well, yes. It’s much easier for them to let a kid take a class a year ahead, rather than two. He has been taking 9th grade math as an 8th grader, when really he is supposed to only be in 7th.”

“I don’t know that you’re right,” my husband says. ”I just wish we had more time with him.”

***********

Our older son is probably gifted. I knew back when he was two that I should start thinking about early entrance to kindergarten. When he was two, he knew all the basic shapes and was working on figuring out the difference between an octagon and a hectagon. He knew all the letters of the alphabet, capital and lowercase, in any order, and could name the numbers from 0-31 in any order. He was also very articulate, with a huge vocabulary. By the time he was three, he knew all the letter sounds, and he could read at four. Before kindergarten he was reading the Magic Treehouse books, and devouring them one by one, in about 45 minutes each.

He has a September birthday, and would miss the cutoff of being five by September 1 by a few weeks. I started to agonize over whether or not I should try to get him into kindergarten early. I went to school fairs, I talked to teachers and principals, I read things online….and got a lot of mixed messages. The reflexive response of the teachers and principals was to say NO. They all thought that early entrance to kindergarten was a bad idea. I know (especially now, with years of experience under my belt) that there are tons of parents out there who think their kid is really smart or even gifted, and should go to K early, and a lot of them are wrong. What irritated me no end was that none of the school personnel I talked to would even admit the possible existence of actually gifted preschoolers who really were ready for K.

Hoagie’s Gifted and other websites, on the other hand, do support grade-skipping and early entrance when it is warranted. You can read what Hoagie’s has to say here. I finally decided to wait. He was in a wonderful Montessori preschool with an incredible teacher who was able to keep him challenged. He stayed, and did the kindergarten curriculum with the kindergartners in his class.

When he started actual kindergarten, the teacher didn’t know what to do with him. She’d never had a student like him before. It was a rough year. The next fall, in a 1st and 2nd grade combined classroom, the teachers said to my six year old at our parent teacher conference, “would you like to be a 2nd grader?” That was it; they never even talked to me about it! But, lucky for them, I was relieved. My son also thought it was a great idea, so that day in October he became a 2nd grader, after one month of 1st grade. I have always been happy that it was the school that skipped him, rather than pressure from me before kindergarten, which would always have made me wonder if I’d done the right thing.

It has gone well ever since. There was, however, a time in 3rd grade when he kept getting sent to the principal’s office for fighting at recess, which was quite unlike him. I finally realized it was directly related to his grade skip. He was a 7 year old 3rd grader, in a class with both 3rd and 4th grade, with some 4th grade boys who were 10 (their parents had held them back). The 8, 9, and 10 year olds were more mature, and could handle squabbles or unfair behavior on the playground, but my 7 year old just couldn’t. Lucky for us, that was really the only time that his social immaturity was an issue.

Now he is heading off to high school, where he will be taking mostly honors and AP classes, and he is both excited and ready.

************

So here are some things to keep in mind if you are thinking about putting your child into kindergarten a year early.

You will get one less year with your sweet child at home with you.
Early entrance to kindergarten should be for gifted kids, not the average smart kid.
If you wait, you can see if the school will challenge your child, and if not, you can always request a grade skip. (I know, some schools are better about this than others.)
Social immaturity may raise its ugly head at different times after a grade skip. For some kids, it is a recurring problem. Your child must be mature and socially skillful in addition to being ahead academically. You might still have problems.
Your child will be with older children (or teenagers) and will be exposed to certain things (swear words, peer pressure, etc.) a year earlier than kids who stay with their grade, all through his/her education.

I hope this has been helpful to those parents out there who are grappling with this issue now.

In praise of picture books

Anonymous — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 19:13:43 GMT

So I read a shocking article in the New York Times last week. Apparently, picture books are losing favor with parents, because they want their kindergartners and first graders reading chapter books!

The picture book, a mainstay of children’s literature with its lavish illustrations, cheerful colors and large print wrapped in a glossy jacket, has been fading. It is not going away — perennials like the Sendaks and Seusses still sell well — but publishers have scaled back the number of titles they have released in the last several years, and booksellers across the country say sales have been suffering.

As an enthusiastic fan of the well-written picture book, I was surprised and sad to hear this news. I thought it might be because we read less and less each year as a culture, but no, it’s because of the trickle-down effect of the rush to push kindergartners to read. Parents think that picture books are a waste of time and are pushing their children toward chapter books.

“They’re 4 years old, and their parents are getting them ‘Stuart Little,’ ” said Dara La Porte, the manager of the children’s department at the Politics and Prose bookstore in Washington. “I see children pick up picture books, and then the parents say, ‘You can do better than this, you can do more than this.’ It’s a terrible pressure parents are feeling — that somehow, I shouldn’t let my child have this picture book because she won’t get into Harvard.”

Argh! Parents, please know that if you really want to get your children into Harvard, you have a much better shot at it if you read lots of wonderful picture books to them. Picture books are a child’s introduction to literature, and have so much to offer. Picture books can be so fantastic that they make a child fall in love with books, and if that is not a recipe for success, what is?!

Here’s the saddest sentence in the whole article, about a 6 1/2 year old boy who can read chapter books, but wants to read picture books:

“He would still read picture books now if we let him, because he doesn’t want to work to read,” she said, adding that she and her husband have kept him reading chapter books.

That poor child. What do you want to bet that by the time he’s 8 he will hate reading?

Here is what he could be reading — books that will make him think, laugh, cry, and fall in love: