Tips For Reaching Students With Autism

Teaching a student with autism can be a challenge. Their learning styles are often different from those of most other students, and it may even seem that they are taking no interest in the lessons. Usually, however, this is not the case, and the student is simply overwhelmed and needs lessons tailored to the way they learn. This article contains tips for reaching your autistic students and will help you understand their needs better. Before long, teaching a student with autism will be as easy as teaching a student who does not have autism.

 

Use Simple, Concrete Language

Due to the nature of autism, people with this condition do not always understand abstractions, idioms or figures of speech. They may take your words literally and attempt to do exactly what you said. This attempt on their part and your subsequent disappointment can be very frustrating. Simple, concrete language works better as there is no wording to confuse your student.

 

Put Tasks in Sequential Order

If what you are trying to teach is complex, put your tasks in sequential order. Some people with autism have difficulty recognizing the order in which things go, so it can be a help to give them the tasks in the order they need to be accomplished. Breaking down larger tasks into smaller chunks can also be a big help. This way, the student does not get confused or overwhelmed and can more effectively focus on their work.

 

Choices

Choices can be important to any child, but especially to a student with autism. However, too many choices can be confusing. If possible, give your students with autism only two or three choices. That way you do not overwhelm them. Further, do not leave choices open-ended. You are likely to get better results by asking the student whether they would rather read or draw than by asking them what they would like to do.

 

Avoid Distractions

Some students with autism can find colorful wall displays or noise to be distracting. If you are doing a task which requires concentration, allow your student with autism access to a quiet, distraction-free area. This minimization of distraction will help your students concentrate, and will make the task much easier for them.

 

Have a Clear Routine

Children with autism do best when there is a clear daily routine and clear expectations set for them. Avoid changing this routine. If your routine must change, then be sure to warn the child that there is a change in the routine so that they have time to prepare. Changes in routine can lead to anxiety for students with autism. This anxiety can then lead to outbursts and misbehaving.

 

Teaching a student with autism may seem daunting, but it does not have to be. With some preparation and patience and the tips listed above, there will be less frustration for both you and your student. They will have an easier time learning the material, and will not get nearly so anxious. The less anxious your student is, the fewer outbursts they will have and the more smoothly the school day will go. That is something

The Importance of Teacher Appreciation Year-Round

Most people have that one teacher that they will never forget, the person who taught them to think outside the box, to believe in themselves. Many communities have Teacher Appreciation Week. Sometimes, students buy their teachers gifts for the holidays. However, those are just a few days a year events. Teacher appreciation needs to be a year-round affair. Teachers who feel that they are appreciated have higher morale. This translates into a desire to work harder to make sure that their students succeed. Beyond that, appreciated teachers are less likely to quit their jobs. Showing our teachers how vital they are also improves the classroom atmosphere for everyone.

 

Increasing Morale

A teacher’s job is never easy. They have to deal with school restrictions, restrictions on their classroom funding, and depending on the school they may even have to deal with a lack of teacher support from their superiors. All these factors can really lower a teacher’s morale, making them feel like they are in an endless struggle to do their jobs. Teachers who feel as if their job is a constant struggle are more likely to quit their jobs to move to schools in which they are better supported or to leave the profession altogether. However, teachers who feel that their contributions matter are much more likely to stay at a school even if the support from the administration is low. In short, community support for teachers is just as important as support from within the school environment itself.

 

Showing Teachers They Matter

Teachers work very hard for their students. When their colleagues, students and parents show them that they have done well, it gives the teacher concrete proof that they are not teaching into a vacuum and that their students appreciate their efforts. The support from colleagues is especially valuable. It shows teachers that their co-workers also recognize what they are doing for the children under their care, and this show of support from parents, students and co-workers is important all year round, not just during Teacher Appreciation Week. Furthermore, if a teacher has positive feedback on their performance, they can use that input to tailor their methods to better assist the students. This then gives the students a better learning experience.

 

Teacher appreciation is very important. Under-appreciated teachers are 12% more likely to transfer to schools with better support. This transfer rate leaves schools with higher poverty rates and fewer resources understaffed. Teachers in less affluent districts who are not shown  appreciation are also 10% more likely to simply leave the profession entirely. Showing teachers that they matter is an excellent way to increase their morale. Teachers who feel appreciated and supported report higher rates of satisfaction with their jobs and are therefore much more likely to stay at their current schools instead of moving to other schools or finding other professions to go into.

It is not just about morale though. Showing teachers that they actually do help students  allows them to evaluate the things that they have done that have been a benefit and then to work to improve their teaching style. Without positive feedback, teachers would never know what they needed to improve or what they are doing well. Teacher appreciation does not even have to be complicated. Just a simple note to tell that teacher who helped you so much during high school is enough, and it will make you feel good as well.

How the School Library Promotes Independent Learning

Although school libraries’ role is shifting in the digital age, they are still a critical resource for students in fostering the skills for independent learning.

The Internet has changed how information is consumed, and some have even questioned whether libraries still have a role in the modern school system. However, libraries have and continue to adapt, offering critical support for student success. In fact, a well-equipped and staffed library is a key differentiator of the most successful schools.

Libraries continue to be important for student success because they don’t just offer access to books and resource materials—they also help students become independent learners.

 

What is Independent Learning?

As defined by Brightside, independent learning is “when an individual is able to think, act and pursue their own studies autonomously, without the same levels of support you receive from a teacher at school.”

In other words, independent learning is the ability to learn on one’s own, without outside support.

 

Why Does Independent Learning Matter?

When a child becomes an independent learner, limits on their education begin to dissolve. An independent learner is free to discover new books and pursue what they are curious about, from bugs to baseball to why the sky is blue.

This can, in turn, reinvigorate the learning process for students, even in the classroom, and turn them into lifelong learners who will continue to grow and learn long after they graduate.

These are critical life skills that will help their grades in school, their job performance in adulthood, and overall life enrichment.

 

How do Libraries Support Independent Learning?

To start, libraries offer access to a wide range of books and materials, both print and digital. Studies have shown that students are better, more avid readers when they have a wide range of engaging materials available to them.

Perhaps even more importantly, librarians help students become critical researchers. Mainstream search engines tend to produce results based on what a person has searched for and clicked on in the past. This means that search results reaffirm the searcher’s bias. But a school librarian can help students learn to apply strong research methods, evaluate the quality of provided information, and seek out balanced resources.

In a digital world, these are important skills not just for the classroom, but for life.

 

A Skill Set to Get Ahead

An independent learner is motivated, curious, and able to overcome challenges. These are qualities that would serve every child well and help them reach their potential. School libraries have a big role to play in developing this skill set in children, and schools can help their students get ahead by supporting them.

20 Ways to Show Appreciation for Teachers

Teacher Appreciation Day this year is May 3. What are you doing to appreciate the teachers in your life or in the lives of your family? If you do not yet know what you will be doing, then please allow me to offer some suggestions. After all, teachers do some of the hardest work in the world right up there with nurses. They present our students with information necessary for their success, but teachers do much more than that. Many people report that a special teacher was the difference between success and failure for them or was their mentor when things were going badly at home. That is why teacher appreciation is important. However, your gifts to your teachers do not have to be elaborate. In this article, we will discuss twenty teacher appreciation gifts that will not break your bank.

 

Write a Note

Perhaps the best teacher appreciation gift is a note. Tell the teacher in your life how much they matter. If you are a parent, tell them how much you feel that they have helped your child. If your child likes that teacher as well, then they could make a note of their own, mentioni1ng some of their favorite experiences in class.

 

Send an Apple

It may seem slightly cliche, but an apple is a good gift for a teacher, preferably a glass one that can serve as a paperweight or desk ornament. Apples of this kind never go bad, and you do not have to worry about accidentally triggering any food allergies. As a bonus, an apple of this type will last for years to come and will be a gift the teacher can hold onto and display in their classroom.

 

Make Custom T-shirts

Custom t-shirts can be a great way to show a special teacher they matter. Get together with other parents or other classmates if you are a student, and decide on a design. Then you as a group can present the finished shirt to the special teacher.

 

Treat A Teacher

Get together with your classmates or other parents and make a small lunch for the teachers at your school. This is a great way to show all the teachers you appreciate them. Be careful to include foods that can be eaten by anyone regardless of food preferences or allergies. Foods that can be eaten with your hands, such as small sandwiches with a variety of fillings and breads work well for this. That way, the teachers can make their own sandwiches the way they like them. Be sure to ask the school’s permission before doing this one, especially if you are a student.

 

Pamper The Teachers

Teachers work hard every single day. During Teacher Appreciation Week, why not pamper them? With the administrators’ permission, set aside a space. Then hire a nail technician to come in and do the teachers’ nails or give hand massages with hot lotions. Every time the teacher looks down at their hands, it will become clear how much they matter.

 

Cookie Coupons

Slide coupons for cookies into teachers’ mailboxes. Then arrange with the cafeteria to allow teachers to retrieve the coupons. Alternatively, if you know the teacher’s favorite type of cookie, small packages of homemade treats could be inserted in the mailboxes instead.

 

Take Over the Class

With permission, take over the class of a special teacher for one period for a read-aloud session. You could read a favorite book and do a follow-up activity. This gives the teacher a chance to catch a break or do some planning activities. For older children and teenagers, you might do a writing activity.

 

Provide Special Gifts

Find out what sorts of things your teachers enjoy. Then keep an eye out for gifts that match those interests. For example, if the teacher in question loves knitting, you could get them a new book of patterns.

 

Gift Certificates

Give gift certificates for special teachers. Make the gift certificates redeemable at any point, and give the teacher a choice of which certificate they choose.

 

Recognize Birthdays

If you know of a teacher who is having a birthday, celebrate with them. Organize a small party for the teacher and be sure to wish them a happy birthday.

 

Send Encouraging Words

Attach an apple sticker to a blank piece of cardstock. Ask the principal to begin the chain by sending out the first five cards with words of encouragement written on them to five faculty members. Then ask those five people to send the chain onward. Be sure to recognize every staff member in this project.

 

Send Flowers

Most people like fresh flowers. Send a special teacher a bouquet of fresh flowers for their desks. They will brighten up the desk and smell lovely while making the teacher who receives them feel special.

 

Do Lunch

Take a special teacher out for lunch outside of school if you know them well. During lunch, make sure to tell the teacher they matter.

 

Provide Coffee Mugs

Coffee mugs make a great gift for teachers. You can provide a coffee mug with the teacher’s name on it. That way they can feel appreciated as they drink their morning beverage of choice.

 

Buy Supplies

If you know of a supply that teachers are missing, you could buy a stash of that supply for the classroom. That way the teachers do not have to spend their own money to furnish the classroom.

 

Purchase a Special Book

Purchase a special book to commemorate a teacher on a special occasion such as a twentieth teaching anniversary or retirement. The book will then have the teacher’s name in the back, and students for years to come will be able to honor that teacher. Allow the teacher to pick which book to buy.

 

Chocolate for Teachers

Buy boxes of candy for special teachers. Put these boxes in their mailboxes for them to find.

 

Stress Balls

Teachers are often very stressed. Slip a stress ball into each mailbox.

 

Give a Reward

Sometimes simple rewards are the best. Give special teachers blue ribbons that proclaim them the best teachers.

 

Vacation

If you are the principal of the school, provide your teachers with a coupon for a local attraction that they could go see with their families. It is nice to know that administrators appreciate you both in and out of school.

 

Teacher appreciation is very important. Teachers need to know they matter. Now that you have read this article, you have some great ideas to let them know just how much they matter.

100 Awesome Science Fair Project Ideas

Science fairs are a fun and interactive way to learn about how the world works in an up-close and personal, hands-on manner that  allows a person to showcase their favorite fields. But with so many interesting experiments in the world, how do you narrow your focus down to just one question you want to answer or hypothesis to test? Below is a list of one hundred interesting ideas to help you out in that all-important search for your next science fair project topic. The ideas cover a varied list of fields of study and a wide range of subjects from astronomy to zoology and everything between.

These projects are perfect starter ideas to get you thinking if you are stuck. But they can also be used on their own to create an awesome project that will wow your family, friends and classmates and may even make you the winner of your next science fair.

 

  • How Does a Hovercraft Work?
  • How do Duck Feet Swim?
  • Design Aerodynamic Paper Airplanes
  • Which Kite Flies Best?
  • Race Milk Carton Boats.
  • What Are Saturn’s Rings?
  • Build an Astrolabe
  • Test Evaporation Speed of Liquids.
  • Do Tea and Coffee Stain Teeth?
  • Best Methods for Cleaning Coins
  • Vinegar and Baking Soda Balloon Inflation
  • How Do Butterflies Fly?
  • What is the Link Between the Moon and Tides?
  • Why are there Seasons?
  • Can Chewing Gum help you Recall Information More Easily?
  • Which Food Molds Fastest?
  • Physical Effects of Digital Gaming
  • Make a Potato Clock
  • Does Hair Color Impact Personality?
  • Is The Five-Second Rule Reliable?
  • Build a volcano.
  • Solar oven.
  • Does music affect plant growth?
  • Do people like natural scents best?
  • Does fertile soil conduct electricity more effectively?
  • Static electricity. Does the color of hair affect conductivity?
  • Climate change and ecosystems.
  • Test food acidity.
  • Test water for microorganisms.
  • Can soda dissolve bone?
  • Test ideal stargazing conditions.
  • Build a lever.
  • Test minerals for fluorescence.
  • Make a string telephone.
  • Design a device to prevent a dropped egg from smashing.
  • Create fossils.
  • Build a model cell.
  • How do plant leaves get water?
  • Make an ant farm.
  • Grow a crystal.
  • Can plants sunburn?
  • How much water is in fruit?
  • Use iodine vapor to detect fingerprints.
  • How are taste and smell linked?
  • Effects of dehydration on a potato.
  • Make homemade lightning.
  • What makes blood pressure rise?
  • Discover the iron in breakfast cereal.
  • How does sun block work?
  • Peanut power.
  • Test the energy of moving water.
  • What material conducts electricity best?
  • Structural soundness: Which shapes are strongest?
  • How does plate tectonics work?
  • How do fish breathe?
  • Why are bubbles round?
  • Best conditions for popping popcorn.
  • What causes static electricity?
  • Make a gear.
  • How does blubber work?
  • Pollution and water sources.
  • What battery brand lasts longest?
  • Build a model of the human heart.
  • Demonstrate the water cycle.
  • Build a soap-powered boat.
  • Will birds eat oddly-colored seeds?
  • Make a geyser.
  • Make homemade slime.
  • Do bacteria look different?
  • How does milk become butter?
  • Can you make eggs bounce?
  • Make a prism.
  • Build a molecule.
  • Does hot air expand?
  • What is buoyancy?
  • Does salt in water increase buoyancy?
  • Which object is densest?
  • Sugar and salt. Which dissolves fastest.
  • Make non-frozen ice cream.
  • How do plants reproduce?
  • What colors attract bees??
  • Raise a caterpillar.
  • Do worms help plants grow?
  • Grow plants in up-side-down pots.
  • PH of various soils.
  • How do germs spread?
  • Information retention while distracted.
  • What is noise pollution.
  • What makes stars shine?
  • Grow a plant in air.
  • Rock and mineral display.
  • Make a magnifying glass.
  • What microorganisms live in air?
  • What substances conduct sound best?
  • When does bread mold fastest?
  • Parts of a seed.
  • Why is cold air denser?
  • Different types of cells.
  • Which feathers fly farthest?
  • Perform some optical illusions.

 

Science is all around you. Every time you wonder how the world works, that is science in action. A science fair, and the project ideas listed above are a catalyst for science and for your own understanding of the world’s workings. And if you win the science fair, that is just another bonus.

Mother’s Day Crafts for the Classroom

If you are a teacher, Mother’s Day is an excellent time to get your students’ creative juices flowing. Celebrating an important female relative in a child’s life, whether they are a mother or not, gives students both a chance to show those people how they feel and a chance to stretch their imaginations. As a bonus, other lessons can be worked into these crafts such as color, perspective, creative writing and explanations of types of art that the students may not know. The possibilities are endless. If you are looking for ideas for your own classroom’s Mother’s Day crafts, look no further. Below are some of the best Mother’s Day craft ideas out there.

 

Write a Poem

Poems are a wonderful way to show someone you care. Have your students write poems for the special women in their lives. This craft is an excellent way to discuss rhymes, pacing and phrasing. The students could print their new poems inside cards they decorated themselves.

 

Photo Cards

Use a camera to snap photos of your students standing with their arms held out as if they are giving a hug. Trim these photos into heart shapes and attach them to Mother’s Day cards. Allow your students to decorate around their photos and write letters inside the cards. This craft is an amazing writing practice.

 

Coupon Books

Give your students pieces of cardstock and have them decorate them. The cardstock will become the covers for a coupon book for their mother or special woman in their life. Then you can either pick up free coupons from local businesses or ask your students to come up with coupons that their mother can redeem at any time, such as a coupon for a free hug or a coupon that entails that the student will do the dishes one night so that their mother can have a break.

 

Origami Roses

There are free printable instructions for making all kinds of origami online. Get colorful paper and help your students fold origami roses for their mothers. If you have enough time and paper, each student could fold a small bouquet of roses. These bouquets can then be tied with ribbon bows and presented to their mothers. Unlike real roses, these will never wilt and can be used as beautiful keepsakes for years to come. Most students love origami, and this is an excellent way to teach them new shapes.

 

Recipe Book

Each day in the weeks leading up to Mother’s Day, print a recipe on the blackboard and have your students copy them on plain white paper. Then have them make a cover for the recipe book which they will then give to the special woman in their life. This craft is excellent for teaching good penmanship as well as vocabulary related to cooking. Your students will be delighted to present their homemade recipe books to their mothers.

 

Picture Frames

Have your students decorate special picture frames for the special women in their lives. Be creative! The picture frames can be decorated with paints, stamps, pebbles or shells. Picture frames are cheaply available at most budget outlet stores. Remove the glass before allowing the students to decorate the frames.

 

Clay Pots

Buy very inexpensive clay pots. Then allow your students to decorate them. Do this a few weeks before Mother’s Day. Then sow flower seeds in each pot. Water the flowers as needed and watch them grow. This is both a wonderful present for the special women in your students’ lives and an amazing science lesson about how plants grow and the various types of seeds.

 

Fingerpaint Bookmarks

Make bookmarks from strips of white cardstock. Then allow your students to go absolutely crazy with the finger paints. This is a fun, messy craft and  your students will enjoy getting to finger paint a gift. Poke a hole in the end of the bookmark and add a ribbon to make it extra special once it is dry.

 

Mother’s Day is a wonderful creative time of year. Children are excited to show the special women in their lives just how much they are loved, and mothers, grandmothers and other special ladies are happy to receive gifts from their favorite children. Mother’s Day is also an excellent teaching opportunity. Many important lessons can be taught effectively by craft projects. These lessons include perspective, color choice, creative writing, simple arithmetic skills, penmanship and grammar. As a bonus, these crafts are not expensive. Most of them can be done with found objects or ones bought from budget outlets. The key here is to be creative. Use your imagination and let your creativity flow. The ideas listed above are merely a starting point. Use your imagination and who knows what wonderful ideas you could discover!

Promoting Summer Reading

Reading is more than a great way to pass the time. It expands vocabulary, develops empathy, and improves analytical skills. Research has also shown that how much a child reads over the summer has a strong correlation to how much they retain from last year’s lessons—the more a child reads, the less of a “summer slide” they experience.

But how can teachers motivate students to read over the summer? Even if students love reading, not all are lucky enough to have tons of books in their home or a library within walking distance. And getting students to want to read can be a challenge itself.

Here are some tips to get students motivated to read on their own all summer long:

 

Introduce a Book Series
It’s great when a child loves any book, but series can be especially great for encouraging students to read more, beyond the one story. Each time they finish a book, there is a clear next step to keep them reading.

Let Students Borrow from the School
For some students, the biggest hurdle to reading is access to books. This is especially true for socioeconomically disadvantaged students who suffer most from “summer slide.” Simply providing access to books they can hold onto and read over the summer can be one of the best ways teachers can encourage students to read.

Start a Facebook Page or Blog
Highlight age-appropriate books students will enjoy, and get them to share what they’re reading, too. This can helps students find good stories to check out even when they’re out of school, and the social factor can help them keep it up over time.

Read Book Excerpts to the Class
Select exciting passages from age-appropriate books, and read them out loud to the class with dramatic flair to entice them. Leave the book out during free times later, and be ready to lend copies to interested students.

Model Good Reading Behaviors
During class quiet times, show students that you love to read by modeling the behavior for them—simply pick up a great book and read it where they can see you. Tell them how interesting it is, and how you can’t wait to read more later.

Encourage them to Read What they Love
All kinds of reading counts when it comes to stimulating the mind. Support student reading in all its forms, whether its novels, comics, magazines, or something else entirely.

Encourage All Opinions
Ask students whether or not they liked a book, and respect their answer—no one likes everything! Even better, ask them why they don’t like the book, and get them to engage their critical thinking and express their thoughts.

Promote a Summer Reading Challenge
Tell students about summer reading activities at the local library or other challenges like the Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge, and encourage them to participate.

Reward Good Habits
Before students leave for summer vacation, get them as prepared to read over the summer as possible. Then tell them if they can meet a designated reading goal and come show their progress in September, there will be a special reward for them. Some fun pencils or other small prizes can go a long way to incentivize and reinforce good reading habits!

 

Good Summer Reading Habits Start in Fall

A passion for reading doesn’t just appear in June when school lets out—it’s got to be fostered throughout the school year.

The more teachers work with their students to develop a habit of reading for fun in fall, winter, and spring, the more likely these students will be to seek out and take advantage of opportunities to read over the summer.

Reading: 20 Top Tips for Teachers

Reading is an important part of anyone’s life, and for a child, the ability to read can help send them to different worlds full of adventure, fun, and education.  Of course, we are not all born with a reading ability ingrained into our minds!  Children must be taught how to read, and whether they learn at a school, preschool, or at home with a parent or guardian teaching them, it is important to get them started on the road to reading in the way that works best for them.  Here are some ideas for teaching children to read, no matter what kind of learners they might be.

 

  • Start by reading to your child.

Read to children as often as possible even when they are still babies.

 

  • Have your child copy down letters.

Repetitive copying of letter shapes helps teach kids what the letters mean.

 

  • Ask your child to repeat letter sounds aloud.

Repetition can also be used to teach letter sounds.

 

  • Teach sight words, and ask your child to identify them.

Sight words, like a, an, the, to, and from, can be easy to recognize.  Teach them early, and ask kids to point them out in newspapers and magazines.

 

  • Put words into word families.

Ask children to organize words into families based on different structures, such as color words, sound words, and more.

 

  • Consider teaching phonics.

Phonics is sometimes a controversial subject, but many kids respond well to learning phonemes as they learn how to read.

 

  • Teach children how to sound out words.

Sounding it out can be a great way for a child to make a guess at a complicated new word.

 

  • Make letter arrangement puzzles.

Cut up simple words or the child’s name into individual letters, mix them up, and ask the child to reorganize them into the correct order.

 

  • Glue or sew letters.

Gluing or sewing around letters is a great way for kids to remember their shapes by touch.

 

  • Teach with simple clues or scavenger hunts.

 Write down easy to read clues and have kids read them to for “treasure” around the room.

 

  • Ask children to organize items into boxes by letter or sound.

A toy duck should go into the D box, and a pencil should go into the P box.  Teach kids word beginnings using this method.

 

  • Clap out syllables.

Syllables can be tricky, but if you make a game of clapping them out, they can be fun to learn.

 

  •  Focus on punctuation.

Slightly older kids can learn about punctuation marks and what they do to a sentence.

 

  • Spend a while on vowel sounds.

 Vowels are difficult, since they make a lot of different sounds.  Be sure to spend plenty of time focusing on them.

 

  • Read simple poetry to learn about rhymes.

Simple children’s poems are excellent ways to teach vowel sounds through rhyme.

 

  • Set a daily reading time.

Reading every day is a sure way to improve those skills!

 

  • Allow children to put together simple scrapbooks of their families, friends, or pets.

Cutting and pasting pictures and mementos into pages organized by name can help kids sort words by family member, emotion, and more.

 

  • Ask children to classify their favorite stories by type.

Older kids might benefit from sorting out their favorite stories as fantasies, school stories, and more.

 

  • Teach children how to write simple notes.

Small notes to and from friends or family are great reasons for any child to learn reading and writing both.

 

  • Utilize flash cards.

They may be a little outdated, but flash cards can still help some kids learn how to recognize words, letters, and sounds quickly.

 

 

When a child knows how to read, he or she is able to enjoy books, comics, and more without struggling.  With these methods for teaching children to read, you can easily help a child in your home or classroom.

20 Ways to Teach a Child To Read

Learning to read a major milestone and rite of passage for any child. And yet, one in four children in American grow up without becoming literate, according to DoSomething.org. Weak reading skills makes it harder for a child to succeed in school and work, and is even linked to greater risk for dropping out of school and incarceration.

As parents and teachers, we are eager to do all we can to support our children and give them a strong start in life with great reading skills. Here are 20 ways to get kids on the path to reading well—and loving it.

  1. Read out loud
    A child can benefit from reading together even as a newborn. In fact, the earlier you start, the better you can establish reading and a special time for bonding and relaxing fun. This association can set kids up for a lifetime of learning and imagination.
  1. Read to yourself
    Set a good example for children by modeling the behavior you wish them to emulate. When a child sees you reading, it shows that reading is an activity adults partake in and enjoy—and that s/he can enjoy it, too.
  1. Create a tactile experience
    Babies and young children learn by touching, feeling and even chewing. Let reading be a safe tactile experience by opting for baby-proofed books make of cloth or sturdy cardboard. Also, look for books that create many different feels for young kids to engage with, such as tufts of fur, crackly swatches, buttons that squeak and mirrors to look into.
  2. Use your surroundings
    Everywhere we go, there are examples of letters and words in action. No matter what stage of reading a child is at, you can use these real-life examples to help kids learn. Point out uses of this week’s new letters, or turn it into a game of “I Spy.”
  1. Explore the pictures
    While reading together, ask kids questions about the pictures. This encourages children to interact with the story and develop important critical thinking skills that make reading meaningful. Ask questions appropriate to their age and reading level.
  1. Introduce the letters
    Start with the letters in the child’s name, then move on to the most common letters like T, C, and M. Instructables recommends introducing two letters a week. Write each letter on a piece of paper together, talk about the letter’s name, and review the sounds the letter makes. Hold onto the written letters and review them together regularly.
  1. Point to the words
    As you read together, children will pick up the basics of what a book is—the cover and the pages, how the illustrations relate to the words, how to go from front to back. When you point to the words, you help them pick up the correlation between the letters on the page and the words that create the story.
  1. Sound it out
    Build on the alphabet by introducing phonetics. “Phonemes” are the small sounds of the English languages that words are built from. By learning these sounds, a child can begin to sound out words for him/herself. Sound out words together and break them into their pieces, then show how they come together to create a word.
  1. Teach sight words
    Being able to recognize sight words is a key milestone in reading fluency. “Sight words” are the common, short words of the English language that we come across all the time, but don’t necessarily follow the rules of phonics, such as “the” and “said.” By memorizing these words, children can blow past them in a book and focus on sounding out bigger words.
  1. Get to know word families
    If a child can recognize that the “-ain” found in “rain,” “train,” and “gain” are the same, they can begin to recognize these words more quickly in context. Being able to identify word families is a crucial step in understanding phonetics.
  1. Read predictable stories
    There is a category of books for children called “predictable stories,” which use predictable sentence structures and clear illustrations to help kids make informed guesses about the words on the page as they learn new words.
  1. Up the ante
    As children learn and grow, offer new, more challenging books to keep them learning and stimulated. This will make sure the child continues to learn new words and develop their critical thinking.
  2. Rhyme
    Stories with rhymes are another way to offer a child predictability in reading, while also reinforcing word families. In addition to this, rhymes are just plain fun, which helps keep the process enjoyable.
  1. Set a challenge
    As a child learns, keep pushing him/her to reach for the next step. You can do this by teaching him/her new words, get more complicated books, or ask more advanced questions.
  1. Let the child set the pace
    While it’s great to keep kids challenged, don’t push them. Every child has his/her own pace for learning to read. Pushing him/her will only make the experience stressful. To keep the challenge fun, turn reading into a game.
  1. Stay positive.
    When starting school, it can be discouraging for a child who is not as far along in reading as some of their classmates But if you stay positive, you can help the child stay positive, too.
  1. Keep lessons consistent
    Avoid confusing children by keeping reading lessons at home consistent with what they’re learning at school. Teachers can help by sending letters home about the methods you’re using in the classroom. Parents should pay attention to information from school.
  1. Talk about the plot
    Reading isn’t just about knowing the words on the page. It’s about the greater meaning the words create, too—the story. Help a child develop this important comprehension by talking about the plot with him/her.
  1. Respect a good guess
    A child uses a story’s context to inform his/her guesses as s/he reads. So if a child reads “I have soap to wash my hands,” when the sentence says “I have soap to clean my hands,” the child is showing s/he understands the meaning of what s/he is reading. Instead of just correcting the error, assure the child that s/he is close, and review the sentence again together.
  1. Schedule well
    The timing of reading sessions matters. Keep them short (about 10 minutes) and keep it positive—don’t start at a point when a child is upset, tired or hungry.

Reading sets kids up for success

Beginning to read is a milestone in the learning process, and the beginning of a wonderful lifelong habit. These 20 ways to just some examples of the many ways you can help children learn to read. Whatever you do, keep it fun and show them how enjoyable reading can be!

Shakespeare Made Fun

 

You’ve likely heard your students complain about Shakespeare before. Every teacher has. He is hard to read. His work is boring. His work is not easily relatable. As a teacher, you know these complaints are quite untrue except perhaps for the difficulty in reading Shakespeare’s English. But how do you share the joy of Shakespeare’s work with your students while still making it fun? This article will explore several Shakespeare-themed activities which you and your students can do, and at the end if they still do not like Shakespeare, at least they will be able to say they had fun and learned about this brilliant wordsmith anyhow.

 

All The World is a Stage

Set the stage. If you are going to study Hamlet, for example, turn off the classroom lights, and set LED tea lights on tables and desks throughout the classroom to give the feel of a dark, slightly spooky night. Be sure to set the tea lights somewhere where they are not a distraction to students. You could even create a night backdrop. If you are going to teach Romeo and Juliet, you could create a scene that looks like the iconic window. Use inexpensive props, and your classroom will look like a Shakespeare set in no time. As a bonus, students will realize something is different, and will likely pay more attention.

 

Playlists

As you study the sections of a Shakespeare play, make sure to ask your students their thoughts on the characters. Discuss the character’s motives and personalities so that your class gets to know the characters. Then ask them to do a 3-5 song playlist of their favorite characters. With each song choice, ask them to include a two-paragraph mini essay explaining why they chose the song they chose. If you wanted, you could even ask them to properly cite song lyrics. Your students will much more easily remember that Justin Bieber was Romeo than simply answering questions about who Romeo killed on a reading quiz.

 

Hamlet’s Father

If you are studying Hamlet, you could have a discussion of the various ways to create Hamlet’s father’s ghost. Have your students discuss various ways of creating the ghost, including puppets, bedsheets ghosts, and anything else your students think up. Then discuss how the ghost was created in Shakespeare’s time. Be sure to discuss what makes the ghost foreboding.

 

Perform a Mini Play

A full play would be difficult to perform in a small space, but you could perform one scene from the play you are studying. Assign each student a character part. If you have more students than characters, assign some to make sound effects, flash the lights to make lightning or raise and lower backdrops. This way, your students can feel as if they are part of the Shakespeare experience.

 

Your lessons on Shakespeare do not have to be boring! They can be fun, informative and memorable. With the above activities, you can teach your class Shakespeare in a way they will never forget. Also, these are just a few suggestions to get you started. Use your imagination and creativity, and you can probably come up with many more. Believe us, your students will thank you.