School’s out, and summer is here! Pool parties, backyard barbeques, days at the river… and summer learning loss! Hold up. Wait. Let’s put a stop to the summer learning loss, but let’s keep the good stuff. Kids often lose much of what they learned from the school year over the summer. This is because most…
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Vocabulary and Reading: The Connection
How are vocabulary and reading connected? To understand what you have read, you need to know the meaning of the words you are reading. Research tells us that vocabulary knowledge, including both oral and written vocabulary, is critically important for a child’s success in school (Kamil et al., 2008). That being said, each person has…
What is Reading Fluency?
Reading Fluency Definition Reading fluency is the ability to read smoothly, easily, and quickly. Good readers can read words automatically without having to sound out each syllable (also known as decoding). In other words, you don’t have to spend a lot of effort and attention on the mechanics of reading. Reading becomes easy. Word recognition…
Summer Learning Loss: How to Prevent the Summer Slide
4 Steps to Stop Summer Learning Loss Kids often lose much of what they learned from the school year over the summer. This is because most of the time, during the summer, we don’t spend much time stimulating the brain and keeping them active. It’s typical for kids to lose between two and four months…
Mind-Body Connection: Movement and Learning
How does the mind-body connection affect overall learning skills? Most of us don’t think about learning skills in conjunction with the mind-body connection and movement. However, the mind-body connection and movement are very important to your ability to learn and master reading skills. The brain and body work together as a machine, one designed to…
10 Best Practices to Improve Reading Comprehension
When you use best practices for improving reading comprehension, it is easier to understand what you have read. Reading comprehension is the ability to understand, analyze, synthesize, and use what you have read. Continue reading to discover 10 best practices to improve reading comprehension.
6 Benefits of Summer Reading Programs
Table of Contents The struggle is real when it comes to keeping your K-8th graders entertained and educated during the summer months! After all, there’s only so much Minecraft, swimming, and fort building one can handle. But fear not, summer reading programs have been saving summers for decades, offering fantastic benefits for your little ones.…
Visual Discrimination and Reading
Visual Discrimination Visual discrimination is the ability to discern subtle similarities and differences visually. This is the process of seeing the details of what we are looking at. ​​What is the same? What is different? Shapes, sizes, and colors are details to be looked at. In regard to reading, when you see the details and…
Reading Comprehension Strategies
Reading comprehension strategies are a great way to improve your reading comprehension skills. Reading comprehension is the ability to understand, analyze, synthesize, and use what you have read. When you use specific strategies, you make it easier to understand and remember what you have read. “Comprehension is now viewed as a much more complex process…
Sleeping Tips and Solutions for Sleep Problems
How to Adjust to the Time Change Table of Contents Overview Sleep problems can affect all of us and are especially difficult with the time change. Sleep is critical for our minds, memory, learning, and development. While sleeping, your brain organizes information, makes connections, and even solves problems. Sleeping tips and solutions can help you…