Is Your Child Learning this Summer?

As an educator, I'm completely baffled by the fact that we allow (and encourage!) our students in the United States to take two to three months off of learning over the summer. First (and probably most importantly) is the amount of learning loss that occurs when students do not actively engage in learning activities.

On average, students lose approximately 2.6 months of grade-level equivalency over the summer.* When you consider that students are only in school for 9 months, that's almost one-third of that learning time! So when students go back to school in the fall, the start of the school year is spent on review. How much time of that 9 months is used to recover the average 2.6 months of learning loss?

The second thing I wonder about is what expectation we are setting for life. How many jobs are there that take the summer off? If we consider that school is a child's job, then shouldn't we be setting the expectation that your job is year round? Parents should start early instilling a realistic work ethic in kids. Not that I believe there should be no break from work, by all means, we all need time for recreation! But entertainment and recreation should not take the place of learning for kids. We all need balance!

There are ways to have fun while you learn--learning SHOULD be fun! Summer is a great time to learn those math facts. Make a game out it by using playing cards and seeing who can add up two cards the fastest.

Start a neighborhood book club and read a book with a movie tie in. When everyone has finished the book, have a movie day as a reward and watch the movie version of the book. Have a discussion group about the similarities and differences between the movie and the book.

Keep a summer journal ('cause you know there will be a back-to-school writing assignment on "What I did this Summer"!) of activities that you do. Bottom line is, SUMMER BREAK SHOULD NOT BE A BREAK FROM LEARNING!

*Cooper, 1996

Are You Reading this Summer?

Did you know that Tuesday, June 23 is National Summer Learning Day? At Sylvan, this is pretty exciting! Since we work year round, we know the importance of making sure students' brains stay active during the summer months. Ten to twelve weeks is a LONG time off for most people. I know when I take a week long vacation, it takes me a few days to get back in the swing of things when I get back to work...imagine what it's like for students after a summer long break!

With that in mind, I'm encouraged by the fact that Sylvan has partnered with the National Summer Learning Association to celebrate Summer Learning Day! Summer is such a fantastic time to enrich a child's skills, my favorite skill to encourage is READING! For a child to discover the enjoyment of being swept away by a good book is one of my greatest hopes! Part of making that happen is practice and making sure a child becomes proficient at reading. No one likes to do something they are not good at! I know I don't!

You can make a game out of improving those reading skills and make it fun. Mail time can be fun...take that junk mail that seems to fill the box and have your young child circle various words. Pick a word you know will occur a lot (like "the" or "of") and have the child seek and find.

To get your child practicing oral reading, have your child read any and everything out loud: street signs, store names, restaurant menus, etc. For an extra special treat, make a book on tape play it back or send it to a loved one who lives far away. I'm sure you have someone who would love to have that in their mailbox!

For older students, one of my favorite things Sylvan offers is the Advanced Reading Skills class. Students really get a kick out of how much they can improve their reading skills (speed and comprehension) in just the first class. It's especially good for those kids who are competitive...even with themselves! There is a class starting next week, so jump on that bandwagon and sign up! Your student will LOVE it!

Most of all, make sure that you have lots of books on hand. Sylvan has a great resource for families called BookAdventure. It's a free reading incentive website designed to help students become more motivated about reading.

Any of us would be happy to talk to you more about how to help your student become a more engaged reader and perhaps avoid that "Brain Drain" this summer!

866-949-4776

Need Help in Fractions? Most do!

Over the past 16 years, I've worked with a lot of students who have a variety of ages and skill levels. Many who come in for math help have struggled for years and finally hit a wall during their high school years. By the time they come in to see me, we are dealing with a student who not only hates math, but is beginning to hate school as well...we have a lot to overcome by this time!
Of course, the first thing that we do is take a look at where the root of the problem is--then figure out how we can fix it. Most of the time we can, and we are hopeful that the student is willing to believe that we can and be patient with the process. We evaluate the students' skills, looking at everything that the student should know by this point in their school career.
You know what I find most often? That the student does not have a clue what to do with a fraction! A FRACTION! These fraction skills are taught in the 5th grade--then often not taught again, except as they apply to higher math. And as each math class piles on more and more difficult fraction skills, the student gets more and more discouraged.
The up side is, by high school, most kid-brains are able to figure them out! They just need to be given simple, step-by-step directions. I love it when we show a student how easy fractions are when you break them down. I love seeing the student slowly (but surely) not hate math anymore. I love it that math is no longer big and scary!
Next week is a fun week at Sylvan. We are teaching a class JUST ON FRACTIONS! So we will have a group of kiddos who no longer fear the big bad fraction!
Do you have a student in this boat? If you are reading this you probably do. Don't wait another year and hope it gets better. It won't. Give us a call and we'll make it better--for everyone!
1-866-949-4776

Word Analysis Camp

Phonics Fun!
This camp is perfect for those students who want an extra boost of phonics and fluency!
In this month long camp, students will:

• Learn and review phonics skills



• Practice spelling strategies



• Develop fluency



• Have fun!

Classes are held on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from and are offered during June and July.

Call for specific dates and center times.

1-866-949-4776

This camp is perfect for students in kindergarten through 3rd grade who want to improve their decoding skills and learn to read more fluently.
Students will:

Learn and review phonics skills

Practice spelling strategies

Apply decoding strategies to fluency

Have fun while learning!

Class will be held Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays

Two different dates available:

June 3 - June 29 OR July 1 - July 29

2011 Summer Seminar Series Grades 7-12

Study Skills: Advanced Reading Skills: June 20 – June 29 OR July 18 – July 27
Students learn how to improve their reading speed and comprehension, preparing them for the increased workload in high school and college.
(Class is M, T, and W)

Study Skills: Organization and Time Management: August 15 – September Start the year off right! Let us help you get your classes organized so you can have a great start to the new school year.
(Class is M/W)

College Prep Writing: June 6 –June 24 OR July 11 – July 29

The Writing Skills you need for College
(Class is M, T, W, TH and F)
· Research papers − Develop research and organization skills.
· College Entrance Essays
· How to avoid the pitfalls of plagiarism.
· How to write an analysis essay.

Pre Algebra Camp: June 1 – June 30 OR July 5 – July 28

Great for students going into 7th, 8th and 9th grade.
(Class is T, W, TH)
· Numeration Skills
· Fractions and Decimals
· Integers and Algebraic Reasoning

Geometry Camp: June 6 – July 1 OR July 5 – July 28

Get ready for High School Geometry
(Class is M, T and W)
· Foundations and Reasoning
· Properties of Triangles and Circles
· Similar Triangles and Transformation

SAT Vocabulary Building: June 13 – June 24

Great for students who want an edge on the SAT
(Class is M-F from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.)
· Learn tips and strategies for test day
· Learn the meanings and usages for the most common SAT vocabulary
· Strengthen vocabulary for high school and college

SAT Prep for October Test: July 23 – September 24
Get ready for the big test.
(Class is Saturdays 9:30 – 1:30)
· Refresh math and verbal skills tested on the SAT College Entrance Exam
· Take three practice tests during the course
· Learn tips and strategies for test day
· Get access to SylvanMathPrep.com for SAT math

Sylvan Test Prep for SAT/ACT/PSAT and PLAN

Great for busy students who need a flexible schedule and skill enrichment
(Class is online, at home, anytime!)
· Four practice tests
· Analysis of missed skills and enrichment of those skills
· Video lessons to strengthen math and vocabulary skills
· Personalized vocabulary word bank and practice

2011 K-6 Summer Seminars

Word Analysis (K-3rd)
Word Analysis Skills
• Learn and review phonics and spelling skills
• This class is Monday, Wednesday and Friday (closed on the 4th of July)
June 3 – June 29
OR
July 1 – July 29

Sum Fun
Addition and Subtraction Math Fun
A fun approach for your child to improve understanding of basic addition and subtraction skills, while increasing speed and accuracy
• Learn strategies to help with addition and subtraction
• Understand the concept that addition and subtraction are related
• Increase speed and accuracy of basic addition and subtraction facts
• Solve simple addition and subtraction word problems
June 13 – June 17
OR
July 11 – July 15

Divide and Conquer
Math Facts
A fun approach for children to improve understanding, speed and accuracy of basic multiplication and division facts
• Understand the concept of multiplication as repeated addition
• Identify division facts as they are related to multiplication facts
• Learn strategies to help learn multiplication facts
• Increase speed and accuracy of basic multiplication and division facts
June 27 – July 1
OR
July 25 – July 29

Solve This!
Problem Solving Skills
• Students will become confidant, analytical thinkers and problem solvers
• Students will explore many options to solve problems and discuss their tactics with the group
July 11 -15 (3rd – 5th grade)

Write On!
Writing Styles Camp
Your child will have fun engaging in different roles as authors, while practicing and improving writing skills
• Discover your literary voice
• Write descriptive, informative and persuasive pieces
• Write as a newspaper reporter, an advertiser, a movie critic, and more
• Create and illustrate stories
• Practice different approaches to prewriting
• Create a unique piece of work that reflects your style
June 6 – June 10 and July 18 – July 22 (3rd -5th)
OR
June 13 – June 17 and July 11 – July 15 (6th – 8th)

Read Ahead: Early Reading Fun (Pre K and K)
Beginning Reading Camp
A fun approach to building early reading skills and kindergarten readiness
• Recognize and write capital and lowercase letters
• Build listening comprehension strategies
• Improved phonemic awareness
June 13 – June 24
OR
July 11 – July 22