There is a literacy gap that exists before children even start kindergarten, and it’s a serious problem for educators. A collective impact model is the solution.
Author Archive: Carissa Lellos
Preventing Failure Before It Begins: The Power of Pre-Teaching in Elementary Education
by Ilene Rosenthal, CEO Footsteps2Brilliance
Children do not all start school with the same language and literacy skills. According to the Children’s Reading Foundation, 2 out of every 10 children enter kindergarten with skills two to three years lower than their grade level, and another two start school with a one-year disadvantage. When we expect students to absorb new information without a solid foundation, we set them up for failure and the need for reteaching. This vicious cycle of playing catch-up disproportionately affects historically underserved students. Elementary education determines whether students move through their educational journey with enthusiasm or reluctance. To prevent failure before it begins, pre-teaching emerges not just as an alternative teaching method, but as a beacon of transformative change.
The Boy Who Cried Wolf
This week, you and your children will read The Boy Who Cried Wolf and make a comic strip. Comic strip writing will help you learn about dialogue and conversations that characters have with each other.
El niño y el lobo
Esta semana, tú y tus hijos leerán El niño y el lobo y crearán un tira cómica. Escribiendo la tira cómica ayudará a aprender sobre el diálogo y las conversaciones que mantienen los personajes entre sí.
Caregiver and community engagement #1
By Carissa Lellos
Teaching, like many other jobs, relies entirely on the relationships you build. Unlike other jobs, there is regular changeover, and it’s not just your success that depends on your ability to connect. One of the hardest lessons I learned during my years as a teacher was the importance of building mutually beneficial relationships with my students’ caregivers. I was trained during my graduate studies to embrace caregivers and community members and to include them in the goings on of my classroom, but was initially resistant. I worried that by inviting them in, all I was doing was providing fodder for criticism. It took work to put my pride aside and put my students’ needs ahead of my own insecurities. Doing so made all the difference.
It was not easy work, and amid the thousands of other plates teachers are expected to keep spinning, it may seem like a luxury instead of a must-have. In this article, we will dissect the importance of building healthy caregiver-teacher relationships and becoming the Dream Team. In the rest of this series, we will provide concrete tips and resources for taking this important step.
Beat the Summer Slide: 7 Essential Tips for Keeping Students Sharp
Each summer, students risk falling into the “summer slide.” The summer slide is a phenomenon where students can lose up to two to three months of academic progress during the summer months, setting them back and making reentry into the next school year more difficult. Here are seven proactive strategies that educators can recommend to parents and caregivers to ensure students return to school ready to continue their learning journey without missing a beat. With these essential tips for student engagement, you can help your students beat the dreaded summer slide.
7 Ways to Celebrate Black History All Year Long
Black History Month in February is a vital time to reflect on the significant contributions, achievements, and experiences of Black individuals throughout America’s history. However, the celebration of Black history should extend far beyond just one month. Integrating this crucial part of our collective history into the school curriculum all year long is not just beneficial but essential for fostering a comprehensive and inclusive educational environment. Here are several strategies schools can adopt to celebrate Black history throughout the entire year.
Leveraging Mobile Technology for Parent-Child Learning Moments
Bridging the gap between traditional and digital learning, mobile technology emerges as a key player in enhancing educational experiences and nurturing stronger connections between caregivers and children in today's fast-paced world.
The integration of mobile technology in education marks a significant shift in the learning landscape. Far beyond a mere trend, it’s a transformation that bridges the gap between traditional classroom settings and the dynamic world of digital learning. These advancements have opened doors to interactive and accessible education, facilitating unique learning experiences that extend beyond the confines of school walls. For caregivers and educators alike, this means a world of opportunities to engage and inspire young minds, offering a platform for continuous learning and exploration.
Demystifying the Science of Reading Series Collection
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Demystifying the science of reading #4: Instruction That Works
We’ve moved beyond the buzzwords and uncovered the mystery of the science of reading. Now we’ll talk practically about five essential reading domains, critical pillars that will lead to student reading achievement. While there’s no single set of instructions for teaching each of these domains, science of reading research has shown that spending instructional time building skills in these domains will set students up to be successful readers. In this final installment of the Demystifying the Science of Reading Teacher Tip Tuesday series, we’ll talk about ways you can address these essential domains in your reading instruction and offer some tools to make it easy and fun!