Executive Function Strategies Blog

When I was little, I can remember being told the old adage, “Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” While I understand that it was meant to encourage me and to make me feel better when someone had said mean words to me, as an adult and as an educator, I now find that phrase a little dishonest. Words have meaning and they can - and do -hurt. But words can also encourage and support, and so I advocate being mindful of the kind of language that we use around our students.

Summertime and the readin’ is easy. Or not. No doubt, your children have a book or two (or more) on their lists to complete before they head back to school - but how will they retain that information and make the most of the juicy learning opportunities ahead?

School's out for the summer. Students and parents are yearning for the chance to kick back and relax. And what do schools do?  Assign summer reading!  Children balk and parents dread the ongoing battle to get their son or daughter to pick up a book. Many will say, “My child learns just as much from experiencing life outside of school by traveling, going to camp, or spending time with family. Why does it always have to be about reading and writing?”

There is a method to the madness. Research shows that one of the most valid predictors of general intelligence is a command of vocabulary. And one of the best ways to develop a rich vocabulary is to read. Furthermore, what other activity can transport you to places real and imagined from the comforts of a hammock or beach chair?

So rather than fight it, here are 4 reading strategies that will help you and your child make the most out of summer reading: