GenParenting

Parenting resources for all who love and care for children

Blog

10 Summer Outdoor Activities That Build English Language Skills 

10 Summer Outdoor Activities That Build English Language Skills

Summer is one of the most powerful seasons for growing language skills, especially for children learning English. As a teacher, I’ve seen firsthand how stepping outside can lower pressure, increase engagement, and create meaningful opportunities for authentic language use. Nature gives us built-in vocabulary, real experiences to talk about, and endless chances to practice listening and speaking in a natural way.

For students learning English, language grows best through real-life experiences, not just worksheets. Summer offers families a chance to build those experiences together. The best part? You don’t need anything fancy—just time outside, curiosity, and conversation. [Read more…]

image_pdfmake a pdfimage_printPrint

Collaborating with Teachers

Collaborating with Teachers

As a new teacher, I believe collaborating with other teachers and leaning on veteran colleagues is crucial to surviving your first year as a teacher or your first year at a new school.

Be Curious About Your Environment

  • Approach everything with humility.
  • Absorb as much as possible about the school culture, especially the language they use for students schoolwide (follow the ABCs, follow the 4C’s).
  • Get to know your neighboring teachers.
  • Get to know your grade level team. Ask how they work together and understand their collaboration style. Are they open to meeting anytime? Do they prefer to plan on their own and only meet together to discuss assessments?

[Read more…]

image_pdfmake a pdfimage_printPrint

First Year of Teaching 4th Grade

First Year of Teaching 4th Grade

As the summer break begins and my first year of teaching in the classroom closes, I am reflecting on all the experiences I’ve had and the opportunities I’ve gained in the past year. With a goal of a healthy school environment in mind, I have implemented a lot of strategies in order to ensure the most nurturing and structured classroom that I could provide. Summarized below are some of my greatest successes during my first year as a 4th grade teacher. [Read more…]

image_pdfmake a pdfimage_printPrint

Grandparenting Summer Play with Our Tween Twins

Grandparenting Summer Play with Our Tween Twins

Summer is a wonderful time to spend extended quality time with our tween twin granddaughters. In previous years, our days were filled with planned outings, free-play games, and art projects. Now that the girls are shifting their focus toward friends, we are adapting by inviting their peers along for the ride. Thankfully, our car is large enough to play “chauffeur” for the whole crew!

Summer Activities and Outings

Below is a summary of our plans for a summer full of growth and adventure: [Read more…]

image_pdfmake a pdfimage_printPrint

How Students Can Self-Assess Their Writing

How Students Can Self-Assess Their Writing

In my previous blog post, I described how our primary grade students completed a 10-page report primarily in their own words on mud and soil. Our team then completed a Mud Report Student Evaluation for each student that highlighted their abilities to complete their mud report.

Five Mud Report Components

Listed below are the five questions that were used to evaluate each student with comments on each student’s report:

  1. Did the student research and copy text on the internet and from books with ease?
  2. Did the student write the report from multiple sources and combine information without help?
  3. Did the student blend information from various sources and apply what was read to personal life experiences and other experiences?
  4. Did the student work diligently with ease on the project?
  5. Is the report’s content, spelling, punction, and printing easy to read?

[Read more…]

image_pdfmake a pdfimage_printPrint