Math can be a Foreign Language: Dr. Long Translates

Imagine this: You’re in a foreign country and you walk around listening to the locals talk to one another in their native tongue. They all act like it’s easy and like they actually enjoy it!  You just stand there….dumbfounded….. overwhelmed…. and lost. Then they try to talk to you! They want you to engage with this language too? Oh no, not going to happen. You get that “deer in the headlights” look, you start to sweat, and you feel so embarrassed and uncomfortable because you can’t understand what you’re hearing.

Unfortunately, a scenario similar to this one is all too familiar for some learners. This is how some feel when they look at a sheet of paper with a math problem on it or when they are sitting in the classroom and their teacher is going on about everything from addition to the z-intercept.

How to Help Your Teenager Get Organized in 5 Easy Steps

High school can be an intricate maze of assignments, responsibilities, and deadlines and navigating it can often be very challenging. We all know the feeling of having a “to do” list a mile long and not even knowing where to begin. Learning how to tackle one’s schedule in an organized and efficient way can seem daunting, but if equipped with strategies one can successfully conquer the calendar chaos. Throughout adolescence, some of the most important skills teenagers can learn are time management and organizational skills. Here are 5 easy steps suggested by Michelle Szabo, Instruction Program Manager at the Stern Center, to help your teenager avoid feeling overwhelmed and instead feel in control and confident.

1.      BE PROACTIVE:

It is important to identify a problem early, before the situation has a chance to spiral out of control. Don’t wait until progress reports come out before identifying a break down in organization that may be hindering your teen from excelling academically. If you peek in your teen’s backpack and find crumpled up papers of unfinished homework assignments and quizzes with less than favorable results don’t be discouraged. It is never too late to start creating effective organizational habits. Executive function lies on a spectrum and everyone has the ability to learn these skills if given the proper plan.

2.     MAKE A PERSONALIZED PLAN:

Once you and your teen have agreed that there is a need for a more organized routine, the first step is to create a plan of execution. It is important to discuss what challenges your teen faces, what they struggle with the most, and what your collective goals are. Lay out the objectives and discuss how your teen learns best. Every person is different; discover which strategies are best for your student. Would keeping a binder help or would a daily calendar/planner be more beneficial? Ask questions and brainstorm together to find out which customized plan is the best to start with.

3.     ESTABLISH A SYSTEM:

Once a plan has been formulated, the next step is to develop a system of actions that will help your teen remain organized on a day to day basis. Some individuals may need more supervision than others. Does your teen struggle with clutter and needs to simply make sure he or she hole-punches each paper and puts it in a folder to ensure it doesn’t end up at the bottom of a bag? Or do you need to have a more hands on approach with your child where he or she needs to check in with someone at the end of the school day to make sure everything is accounted for? Develop clear and concise tactics to make sure each goal identified in the plan is being met. 

4.     MANAGE THE PROCESS:

Help your teen choose a resource most conducive to their learning style that allows them to facilitate their own learning as well as track their progress. Options include posting sticky notes in places that act as helpful reminders, creating daily “to do” lists, creating notes on their phones, or having a planner where they can write in each homework assignment. Just remember that these resources are not set in stone. If you and your teen find that one management tactic is not for them then you can always try another. This process is all about trial and error.  

5.     MONITOR PROGRESS:

Be diligent about making sure you and your student are tracking his or her progress. It is important to regularly evaluate which strategies are working the best and which ones may not be worth your student’s time. If you and your teen are willing to experiment and change strategies when it is necessary you will be able to work together to create a system that is most effective and that gets you closer to achieving your collective goals.   

Written by Stern Center Staff: Michelle Szabo and Allison Provost

Write On! Three Ways to Teach Your Preschooler That What They Say Can be Written Down

People are motivated to read and write because we know that print contains a message. We also know that anything we say can be put into print. In our third and final post of this series spotlighting different early literacy games to play at home, we will focus on building awareness about speech to print or what we say can be written down. 

Speech to print is the third building block in the journey towards becoming a reader alongside shared book reading and phonological awareness, which we discussed in the previous two blogs of this series, Sharing Stories, Building Brains, and 5 Games for Busy Parents to Help Their Young Children Learn to Read.
 
Here are a few games that will help your little ones master this early literacy skill:  

If You Can Say It, You Can Write It!
Have your child dictate a thank you note, an email or a story to you. Write down exactly what is said, not making any corrections for grammar or pronunciation. Read it back to your child, pointing to each word as you go.

5 Games for Busy Parents to Help Their Young Children Learn to Read

Last week, in my Sharing Books, Building Brains blog post, I wrote about the difficulty I have had with not being able to send my kids to preschool due to scheduling and lack of child care. It is a worry to me that my kids may fall behind their peers who are able to attend preschool. I am not an educator and nor do I know how or what to teach my children to ensure they are ready for kindergarten. Making sure they have the early literacy skills needed to become successful readers tops that worry list.

I am lucky to work with many experts in just this area, who have helped me come up with activities to help with early reading that are fun and not overwhelming to me as a mom. They are games that can be played for a couple of minutes here or a couple of minutes there, don’t take a lot of explaining and usually leave my children asking for more.

This week’s five games are all about raising your child’s Phonological Awareness or helping them understand that words are made up of smaller parts. Words are made up of syllables, syllables are made up of letters, letters have individual sounds.

Please note, your kids do not have to know that this is what they are learning, it will automatically happen while you are playing the following games:

Clean It Up!
When it is time to pick up all the toys that have become scattered about you can make it fun and educational. Tell your child that you see something that needs to be picked up and it starts with the letter B, /b/ (make the sound a b makes), B. Your child can then start by picking up the ball or the bulldozer or the book. Keep going until the room is clean.

This game helps children think about the individual sounds in words, by isolating initial sounds.  

Sharing Stories, Building Brains

 

When conversations surrounding the necessity of high-quality preschool became a daily occurrence in the national media, I had mixed emotions. On the one hand, I was happy. I am a strong supporter of education and these early childhood programs are beneficial to our children and communities. On the other hand, it scared me because I am unable to send my kids to preschool.
 
While the town I live in has an amazing preschool program, the hours are challenging to coordinate with our family’s work schedules. Kids go to school four days a week from 10-2:15 and, unfortunately, at this point in time, there is no care before or after to cover early mornings or later afternoons.

The fact that my children are unable to attend preschool has drastically shifted my perspective on educational responsibility. Preparing our children for school now falls solely to me and my husband.

As a reader, I have made sure that books are an integral part of my children’s upbringing. We read together every day and most nights before bed. Is this enough? I know that reading with your child can alone build vocabulary skills, help children become comfortable with books, serve as a great conversation starter and help provide quality time as a family. But, does this prepare my child for kindergarten?

How-To: Help Your Child Get Ready to Read Through Games Part IV

This week's "How-To" focuses on vocabulary. Did you know that children from middle to high-income families have heard 30-million more words than their peers from low-income families by the time they are four? Unfortunately, this gap keeps widening as kids move through school. Below are two videos demonstrating ways to help increase vocabulary and understanding of words.

The more words a child hears, the more that child's vocabulary grows. There are numerous ways to promote language development in young children. Modeling gives you the opportunity to use multiple words with the same meaning so the child learns a word and its definition. For example, "That's a fragile statue. It's very delicate. If you knock it over, it could break." Watch how this preschool teacher models new words for her students:

Help Your Child Get Ready to Read Through Games Part III

How-To: Help Your Child Get Ready to Read Through Games, is a four-part series of “how-to” videos for parents, and early child care providers and educators that shows you different games you can play with your children to help them get ready to read in kindergarten. Each of the videos models a different technique that will increase your children's early literacy skills through fun and games. For more information on how to help prepare your child for reading, or to find more fun ideas and games, check out the Stern Center's Building Blocks for Literacy online program for parents and educators. 

This week's How-To focuses on the sounds of letters. This is important because the ability to think about the individual sounds in a word is one of the strongest indicators of future reading success. Below are two games you can play with your child that will keep them entertained while at the same time helping them practice their letter sounds.

How To: Help Your Child Get Ready to Read Through Games (Part II)

How-To: Help Your Child Get Ready to Read- Games, is a four-part series of how-to videos for parents, and early child care providers and educators that shows you different games you can play with your children to help get them ready to read in kindergarten. Each of the videos models a different technique that will increase your children's early literacy skills through fun and games. For more information about helping your child prepare for reading or to find more videos, check out the Stern Center's Building Blocks for Literacy online program for parents and educators.

This week's How-To is a strategy to teach kids about syllable awareness and how words are made up of different parts and sounds. Children progress from simpler to more complex tasks when working with syllables:

Level 1: Blending and putting syllables together. For example, a parent says, "Guess my secret word." And the child responds,"Bum ble bee."

Level 2: Segmenting and taking syllables apart within words. For example, "My name is E liz a beth."

Level 3: Taking syllables away is an even more complex skill. The video below demonstrates a game you can play with your child.

How To: Help Your Child Get Ready to Read Through Games (Part I)

How-To: Help Get Your Child Ready to Read- Games, is a four-part series of how-to videos for parents, and early child care providers and educators that shows you different games you can play with your children to help get them ready to read in kindergarten. Each of the videos models a different technique that will increase your children's early literacy skills through fun and games. For more information about helping your child prepare for reading or to find more videos, check out the Stern Center's Building Blocks for Literacy online program for parents and educators.

This week's How-To is all about rhyming and showcases a great game to play while driving in the car, sitting in the waiting room at the doctor's office or while grocery shopping.

Have fun today, rhyming away!