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Feb 16 2021

Book Recommendations for Middle Schoolers

Book Recommendations for Middle Schoolers

Every now and then, people would ask me for book recommendations for their middle school aged student. “Are there any good books out there that my kid will like?” they ask. Acknowledging that there are books not all teens will like, let’s define what is meant by a “good” book for the purpose of these recommendations. For teenagers, good books provide IQ (intelligence quotient) and EQ (emotional quotient) perspective. In terms of IQ, books that give adolescents a point of view other than their own so they can expand their horizons would make great books. Teens will read plenty of sources bolstering their IQ through school, so this list offers only a couple suggestions in this area. In terms of EQ, teens will really benefit and grow from reading first-person narratives so they can learn to empathize and identify with the main character. In the case of auto-biographical writing, we benefit from the author’s perspective and voice. In an age where we need to develop more student leadership, compassion, and solidarity, I recommend the following: [Read more…]

Written by Jaime Koo, Encouraging Literacy · Categorized: Parenting Adolescents, Secondary School Parenting, Social-Emotional Health, Special Needs Parenting · Tagged: #problem solving #parenting teens, Family, middle school books, Parenting, parents as teachers, teachable moments

Feb 02 2021

How Our Kids Can Overcome COVID-19 Social Isolation

How Our Kids Can Overcome COVID-19 Social Isolation

This winter is a first for being separated from large groups of people due to the devastating COVID-19 pandemic. The good news is that this soon should pass as more of our elders and community members are vaccinated from this debilitating and deadly virus. But, until we can play with others again, how do we stay connected with our friends, families, and keep our kids socialized? Here is a list of various activities that families have reported success with during these last few months:

[Read more…]

Written by Mary Ann Burke, Digital Education Expert · Categorized: Elementary School Parenting, Parenting Adolescents, Secondary School Parenting · Tagged: Family, family values, Parenting, Parenting Strategies on Bad Days, parents as teachers, teachable moments

Jan 05 2021

Inclusion Collaborative Warmline

Inclusion Collaborative Warmline

Established in 2006, the Inclusion Collaborative Warmline is a free resource that provides both phone and email support for families, teachers, and community agencies.  Services are provided in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Mandarin. The services are managed by the Inclusion Collaborative, a department at the Santa Clara County Office of Education. This excellent resource is staffed by former teachers and parents of children with disabilities. The Warmline personnel understand both sides of parenting and education issues. [Read more…]

Written by Mary Ann Burke, Digital Education Expert · Categorized: Early Childhood Parenting, Elementary School Parenting, Parenting Adolescents, Special Needs Parenting · Tagged: Educating children, inclusion collaborative warmline, Parenting, parents as teachers, Problem-Solving, Special Needs Parenting, teachable moments

Dec 15 2020

Family Best Practices for Distance Learning

Family Best Practices for Distance Learning

Kenji, my grandson, has limited opportunities to socialize with his classmates and friends since the shelter-in-place orders in March. When school started this fall, students were not able to talk together in class because the online platform would garble students’ talking if more than one child spoke at a time. In recent weeks, my second-grade grandson is now able to socialize with students online during breaks and small group discussions. Although he does not visit with his classmates outside of class time, he is very happy that he now can enjoy his friends. When I supervise his remote classroom participation, I have observed the following best practices that support students’ academic success:

  • Students in the same family can have different schedules and breaks. Ideally, children can learn how to use an alarm to monitor when they need to log back into the classroom.
  • Students need an adult to supervise their participation and to help them with any computer glitches. Many working parents alternate their work schedules to supervise while other families gather students together and rotate parents, grandparents, or a nanny to supervise small groups for added tutorial support.
  • When students are fully engaged in learning, they are excited and motivated to apply newly developed skills to other daily activities. Children are engaged when they participate in scavenger hunts in their neighborhood that may include collecting nature products for math, reading, and writing activities. For example, students can gather different sizes of rocks, count them, and organize the rocks according to shapes and sizes. They can construct a math problem of how they added specific groups of rocks. Students can create a chart on how they grouped the rocks. They can take a picture of their collection and insert the image onto a Goggle slide. A reflective story can describe how a student found the rocks, grouped them, and solved a math problem. This reflective activity can reinforce what a student learned when participating in this activity.
  • The physical fitness teacher has students collect specific objects in the home. Then the student uses these objects when participating in physical fitness exercises. The teacher also has students learn exercise moves when dancing to music.
  • In addition to phonics review, Kenji has learned how to write a book. He creates books on various subjects. Kenji also learns how to research new concepts and facts in his reading materials.
  • Students are learning how to recycle and collect trash. They repurpose these items when completing art projects. They study how to conserve community resources in their social studies and science lessons.

[Read more…]

Written by Joyce Iwasaki, Early Parenting · Categorized: Elementary School Parenting, Grandparenting, Social-Emotional Health · Tagged: academic success, Educating children, family values, Grandparents' Influences, Parenting, parents as teachers, teachable moments

Dec 08 2020

How Parents Can Support Online Homeowork

How Parents Can Support Online Homework

It has been quite a year with most of California’s students learning remotely full time. In spite of technology glitches and steep technology learning for teachers and students, many students are thriving and learning. It is not ideal, but we are keeping our students and families safe. As a substitute teacher and tutor for primary grade students, here are 10 tips for helping your child thrive beyond the school day:

[Read more…]

Written by Mary Ann Burke, Digital Education Expert · Categorized: Elementary School Parenting, Parenting Adolescents · Tagged: Academic needs, academic success, Educating children, Parenting, parents as teachers, teachable moments

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