Teton Literacy Center - Blog

Three Literacy Inspired Valentine's Day Activities To Do At Home

2/7/2019

With Valentine’s day right around the corner, we think combining arts and crafts with reading and writing is a perfect winter activity for students. Here are three fun ways to incorporate literacy at home, while getting in the Valentine’s Day spirit!

Raising Strong Readers

1/22/2019

Harvard Graduate School of Education created a slideshow on what can parents and educators do to promote reading for fun throughout their academic development. Enjoy!

Raising Strong Readers Slideshow from Professional Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education

Looking to engage with your student this New Year? Turn of the TV!

1/7/2019

We get it: it’s cold outside, the sun goes down early, and it just feels so good to hunker down on the couch in front of the tube after work. However, there’s no reason the cold dark weather has to keep your students cooped up in front of the TV (or tablet, smartphone, etc) after school. Pediatricians heartily recommend limiting your child’s screen time, but cutting it down can be overwhelming if you don’t have a slew of activities already up your sleeve. Fear no more! Here’s a quick list of things you can do with your child that engage the brain and get you both off the couch.

Read! Would we be Teton Literacy Center if we didn’t pitch this first?
Cook together. There’s nothing better than whipping up a winter soup and while your kids learn new skills and use their noggins to read recipes and measure out ingredients.
Listen to an audiobook. Services like Audible offer free trials and the library offers a huge array of titles. Listening to skilled narrators emphasizes reading skills like fluency and expression.
Make a blanket fort. Not only is this one super fun, but it boosts make-believe and imagination skills, which are invaluable for creativity and reading comprehension.
Get your craft on. Work together to cut out snowflakes to decorate the house, paint a pet rock, or learn to knit a scarf!
Go on a walk. It might sound horrible in freezing temperatures, but with a cozy coat, hat, gloves and boots you will get that heart pumping and feel great. You can even try going on a scavenger hunt around the neighborhood- keep your eyes peeled for winter wildlife like ravens, magpies, elk, and moose (animal tracks or scat count too!).
Make a box of “unplugged” entertainment. Start by gathering things (your child can help you with this) from around the house like puzzles, favorite toys, or other things that your children can do when they feel the urge to grab the remote. Then have it at the ready somewhere your child can access it.
Teach do-alone games like sudoku or solitaire. Do you remember who first taught you to play these games when you were a kid? Give them the gift that keeps on giving!

Happy reading, crafting, and fort building in 2019!

Holiday Activities At Home

12/10/2018

Learning doesn’t just happen at school! With Winter Break coming up, now is a great time to be involved in your child’s education outside of school. Help foster your child’s creativity and academic skills at home over the holidays in ways that are sneakily educational. Here are some fun and engaging ways to keep the learning going:

The holidays are a great time to spend with family and learn about family history and traditions. During family gatherings, have older relative share stories from their childhood with your children. Compare and contrast how things are different or the same. One of my favorite holiday pastimes is recording my grandpa as he tells stories from when he was a photographer for the LA Times. Having those recordings is a really special way to keep the history alive.
Bedtime stories are always a good idea! Now is a good time to read about the holidays, especially classic books like How the Grinch Stole Christmas or The Polar Express. These books have also been made into movies so follow the book up with a movie night and compare and contrast the two!. You can also find fun holiday books to base projects on. For example try reading the book How to Catch an Elf, and make an elf trap!
Play board games - Scattergories, Catch Phrase, Pictionary, Sorry, Trivial Pursuit - anything! Board games are a great way to build social skills such as turn taking, as well as grow literacy skills. For example, the board game Clue works on inference building. Catchphrase and Scattergories help with vocabulary/word building, and speaking skills.

It might be time for a vacation from school, but learning happens any time any place! Show your child that learning does not always have to be work; it can be enjoyable! We hope you have a wonderful winter break and holiday season!

The endless possibilities of a blank paper: Building routines around writing

11/19/2018

Building writing habits into your child’s routine from a young age helps them foster a love for writing and creating. Whether your child is beginning to learn how to hold a crayon for the first time or starting to recognize and copy letters, meaningful writing time will help expand your child’s skills in many developmental areas.

Here are some tips to make the most out of a blank piece of paper.

Allow your child to use a variety of writing tools such as pencils, markers, crayons, paintbrushes-- and their fingers too! Different writing utensils help your student develop their fine and gross motor strength, and their confidence. Even in adulthood, if you pick up a crayon and try to write out a note, you notice that muscles in your hand work differently. When a child holds a crayon, they are working on the strength of the inner muscles of the hand. In fact, using broken crayons requires more work and is a greater strengthening task. To up the challenge, encourage your child to color more resistive surfaces such as construction paper or cardboard.

Letters aren’t the only way that you can write! Writing is all about expressing yourself; sometimes that takes the form of complex sentences, but pictures can do wonders in expression as well! Different writing mediums and colors help inspire stories and pictures. Being creative allows a child to build their self-confidence so they can start to feel empowered as an artist and writer. If you've ever received a coloring masterpiece from a child, then you know the pure delight and pride they have when giving a creation they created from scratch!

Encourage your child to explore! Coloring with crayons or paint can help children understand color blending and a spectrum of light. These differences in sensory input will help your child learn not only their letters, but build skills in how to perceive subtle differences in the world around them.

For a great book to read with your child about writing, try Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson.

Tips for Parent Teacher Conferences

11/5/2018

Parent Teacher Conferences are about to begin! Studies show that parent involvement is key to students’ success in school, and Parent Teacher conferences are a good first step to becoming more involved in your students’ academics. Conferences are an excellent time to get to know your child’s teacher, and to get a glimpse into what is happening during the school day. In case you missed our Parent Workshop about Parent Teacher Conferences, here are some tips for when you meet with your child’s teacher!

1. Teachers want to help! They want your child to be successful! If you have any concerns about your child, his/her teacher is there to listen and provide advice.

2. It is good to ask questions! Some things you might want to ask your child’s teacher include:
-How is my child doing socially?
-How is my child’s behavior?
-What are my child’s strengths? Challenges?
-How can I support my child’s academics at home?

3. Make a goal with your child’s teacher. This could be something like: “I will read with my child for 15 minutes every night” or “I will count by 10’s with my child.”
Please remember that Teton Literacy is here to help. Let us know if you would like help reading your child’s report card, if your child needs a tutor for reading or if there is some other way we can support you!

¡Las conferencias de padres y maestros están a punto de comenzar! Los estudios demuestran que la participación de los padres es clave para el éxito de los estudiantes en la escuela, y las conferencias de padres y maestros son un buen primer paso para involucrarse más en la actividad académica de sus estudiantes. Las conferencias son un excelente momento para conocer al maestro de su hijo y para vislumbrar lo que está sucediendo durante el día escolar. En caso de que no haya asistido a nuestro Taller para padres sobre conferencias de padres y maestros, ¡aquí hay algunos consejos para cuando se reúna con el maestro de su hijo!

1. ¡Los maestros quieren ayudar! ¡Quieren que su hijo tenga éxito! Si tiene algunos preocupaciones acerca de su hijo, su maestro está allí para escuchar y brindar consejos.

2. ¡Es bueno hacer preguntas! Algunas cosas que le podría preguntar al maestro de su hijo incluyen:
-¿Cómo está mi hijo socialmente?
-¿Cómo es el comportamiento de mi hijo?
-¿Cuáles son las fortalezas de mi hijo? Desafíos?
-¿Cómo puedo apoyar a los académicos de mi hijo en casa?

3. Haga una meta con el maestro de su hijo. Esto podría ser algo como así- “leeré con mi hijo durante 15 minutos todas las noches” o “contaré por 10 con mi hijo.”
Por favor, recuerde que Teton Literacy está aquí para ayudar. ¡Avísenos si desea ayuda para leer la boleta de calificaciones de su hijo, si necesita un tutor para leer o si hay alguna otra forma en que podamos ayudarlo!

Want to set your student up for success? Read aloud together!

10/17/2018

It’s no secret that reading to your child at home is one of the best ways to prepare them for academic success later on. In our Literacy Lab pre-K program, we start engaging with books through interactive readalouds at an early age. Indeed, most parents may think that reading books aloud is just for younger students. But did you know that reading aloud to older students can be just as important?

Here are just a few benefits of reading aloud to students young and old:

Reading aloud exposes children to vocabulary, language, an story structures that they may not otherwise hear.
Having a rich vocabulary is increasingly recognized as an indicator of academic success- reading aloud is a sure sure-fire way to build vocabulary!
Promotes bonding time and routine. Reading aloud before bedtime, for example, can be a positive, relationship-building time after a busy day.
Reading in one language boosts ability in a second language. The more your child learns about how language works in one language, the easier she/he will learn another!

Feeling inspired? Try these tips to make your readalouds super fun for everyone:

Ham it up! In Literacy Lab, we love to create funny voices for characters and make puppets that go with the story so we can act it out and boost our comprehension.
Pause regularly to ask questions that get your child thinking. A simple, “What do you think will happen next?” or “Has this ever happened to you? What did it feel like?” can spark a conversation that extends beyond the text.
Pick books that are an appropriate level for your child- too easy will be boring and too hard will be frustrating.
Reading aloud is a great chance to read books that are a little beyond what your child could read themselves. This exposes them to rich vocabulary and engaging story line that will entice them to challenge themselves when they pick their next book!

Curious about the benefits of reading aloud? Check out this interview with Jim Trelease, the author of The Readaloud Handbook. We love using his strategies in the classroom!

Starting the school year off on the right foot

10/7/2018

Back-to-school season is in full swing! What can we do to start the school year off on the right foot? Establishing certain routines can make a big difference in helping students start a successful school year. If you are a family member, I hope that you find these thoughts useful within your own family. If you are volunteer, community member, or teacher, I hope you find some of these ideas helpful as you check-in with the students you support. There is a wealth of information out there, and these are some favorites from the couple websites listed below.
Read more below.

Growth Mindset in Math

8/2/2018

A growth mindset is a mathematical mindset (Excerpts from Youcubed.org)
The term “growth mindset” comes from the groundbreaking work of Carol Dweck. She identified everyone holds ideas about their own potential. Some people believe that their intelligence is more or less fixed and in math – that you can do math or you can’t. About 40% of students have these damaging “fixed mindset” ideas. Another 40% have a “growth mindset” – they believe that they can learn anything and that their intelligence can grow. The other 20% waver between the two mindsets.
Students with a fixed mindset are those who are more likely to give up easily, whereas students with a growth mindset are those who keep going even when work is hard, and who are persistent. The two mindsets are associated with different achievement pathways. The best part is that it is possible to change mindsets.

Check out this link for games that help develop math skills and support a growth mindset. https://www.youcubed.org/resource/apps-games/

Remember, Literacy is Fun!

5/14/2018

As the school year nears an end and seemingly drags on in the eyes of your student, literacy may be becoming a point of contention—they are sick of it! Which is where we must remind students that literacy can not only be fun, but is in fact the foundation of so many activities they see as fun. Indeed, the basis for all television shows and movies that your student enjoys? Written stories and scripts. Their favorite card or board game? Relies on literacy to explain the game, rules and how to play. Their favorite video game? Follows written story concepts. That vacation they want to go on so badly? Not possible to plan without the ability to read details around tickets, directions and lodging options!

Literacy truly is behind the majority of activities kids (and adults) enjoy, a fact that is important to illustrate to you student when they seem to be getting burnt out with reading and writing. Of course these things are best instilled through lived experiences and it is vital to remember that literacy is flexible as reading, writing, listening, thinking and speaking are all components of literacy. See below for fun tactics that will bring literacy to life!