My Town Tutors is a great resource for parents & teachers. Find qualified tutors in your area today!
Please Share!
Top Summer Jokes for Parents and Teachers!
Top Summer Blogs for Parents & Teachers
Author Bio: Bradley Drewyor is Product Sponsor for Specialized Curriculum at McGraw-Hill Education.
With the Fourth of July celebrations in the rear-view mirror and the first day of school still not yet in sight, summer fun is at its peak. Unfortunately, so is the dreaded Summer Slide. Yes, the summer brain drain is real and has real consequences, disproportionately affecting children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds (Alexandar, et. al, 2007).
Okay, if the Summer Slide is real, what can we do about it?
There are simple things, like joining a summer reading program at your local library or using flashcards to practice math skills or vocabulary. Encouraging kids to have meaningful conversations, completing science experiments, or taking walks to explore the world around them. If available where you live, visit a museum or planetarium; if not available locally, take virtual tours online. But if you are looking for something more formal, let McGraw-Hill Education help with these free resources.
Exploring and Manipulating Math: Reading and language are much more likely to be built into your summer activities than math, resulting in a month or more of knowledge loss for children during the summer months. Hands on, conceptual understanding is the foundation to math success and, in its simplest form, can be achieved simply by making manipulatives and tools available to kids. The My Math virtual manipulatives site provides tutors and learners access to a sandbox of math tools, game boards, and resources that is limited only by the user’s imagination.
Personalized Reading Practice: The simple act of reading on a regular basis during the summer has been proven to bridge the gap between spring and fall, but having a proven resource that focuses on key skills and strategies is even better (Kim & Quinn, 2013). SRA Reading Laboratory 2.0 is a personalized reading practice product that allows tutors to differentiate reading practice and track progress and address skill gaps. Try a 30-day sample for all your students here!
Reading Comprehension through Cartoons: The FLEX Literacy Reading Skill Cartoons can be used to introduce students to new comprehension skills, aligned to high-priority reading standards and skills.
Scientific Method and Critical Thinking: Looking to get your kids thinking about science and challenge their critical thinking? Check out the Fact or Fool video collection. These videos offer a great opportunity to learn about the scientific method, as well as critical evaluation of what they are seeing on the Web.
App Time!: Have an tablet and looking for some quality resources? We have something for that, as well.
-
Bluster! for vocabulary practice
-
Grammar Wonderland Lite to demonstrate grammar mastery
-
Sail through Math as you use this fun practice app
-
Sketchpad Explorer to manipulate and animate mathematical concepts
-
McGraw-Hill K-12 eFlaschcards to master vocabulary from a variety of content areas
-
Networks: Step into Time and Place to learn about important times and places and use photos of yourself, your friends, and your family to become part of history
-
Check out or full library of apps