Fun Summer Learning – Writing!

Yes, writing can be fun!

The key is to find a topic that you want to write about and then jump right in.  Don’t hesitate, do not pass GO, do not second guess yourself.

Make a list of your children’s interests: sports, video games, television shows, movies, superheroes, toys, etc.  Encourage them to get excited about writing about their favourite topic(s).

For example, if Johnny is obsessed with transformers, he could write a review about a certain transformer.  He could instructive article explaining how to manipulate the transformer. He could compare this transformer with others in his collection, and so on.

Children often want to share what they know and what they are passionate about.

Writing a blog about one’s interests is a great way to share information.  Search for other blogs or sites on the same topic. This will allow you to practise reading skills, too. Connecting with others and following their sites will increase the number of your readers and their participation.

If you are worried about Internet security, ensure that you have the passwords and go online with your children, or monitor them.  You can control the comments that come in or read them in advance of your writing time.

Don’t be too pedantic!

You don’t need to correct every spelling or punctuation mistake.

Gently make suggestions.  Reword a confusing sentence as you read it, allowing your child to make the change if he or she catches your meaning.

The more your children practise writing, and of course reading other articles, the better they will become.  You might even point out a few errors that other authors make that are similar to your child’s errors.  The next time he or she is writing, this “correction” might be more obvious.

Of course, all of this is child dependent.  If your children have no issue with proofreading and editing, you can go full throttle with doing so.

If you don’t want to blog, you can always start a journal.  Part of the fun is searching for a nice book in which to keep a journal. Having said this, any scribbler or even a binder with loose-leaf sheets can serve. You can always decorate the cover yourselves!

Your children can write a journal just like a blog, or they can do a more traditional journal in which daily events, feelings, and thoughts are recorded.

If you want, you could delineate a few daily topics. For example: Write one good thing that happened, one not so good, one new experience, one funny or interesting story, etc.

Of course, you can create cartoons with text, write a short story, even begin a novel if your children are keen.  I have met several students who are really challenged with writing; however, given the chance, they get very excited about writing a science fiction story or a fantasy!

Remember – look for that KEY.

Above all, you want to have fun with your creations.  The whole goal of learning is to find interesting avenues into new discoveries.  That’s not to say there is never any “slogging” to be done, but even that can be fun in the end when you are proud of the final accomplishment.

Need a little help along the way?

Tutoring can make a massive difference – especially when the tutor loves learning himself or herself and projects that enthusiasm to the student.

Free information meetings available! (Online or in-person.)

Our Rose of Sharon this year!

Website:  www.tutoringcentral.com

This week’s video:

Fun Summer Learning – Writing.

 

 

 

The Simple Sentence

What is it?

Technically, it is a complete sentence that has only one independent clause.

In other words, it has only one subject-verb combination.

It makes only one statement.

Note: The term “simple” doesn’t mean “easy.”  It is the technical term for having a sentence with one independent clause.

Note:  An independent clause contains at least one subject and one verb (predicate) and can stand (be understood) on its own.

Not always as simple as it seems!

The simple sentence should not be disrespected.  It is the clearest and most direct way to convey your thought.

There is a lot to be said for clarity.  In fact, many writers and students would benefit from making their writing more concise and more to the point.

A simple sentence can contain more than one subject and/or more than one verb.  In other words, it can have compound subjects and verbs.

A simple sentence can also have many modifiers.

So you see, “simple sentence” doesn’t have to mean boring or without variety.

(Having said this, you should still use a mixture of simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences in your writing.)

Basic simple sentences

Butterflies fly. (subject – butterflies  & verb – fly)

Damien cried.  (subject – Damien & verb – cried)

Simple sentences with a compound subject

Kyla and Carmen drove to the city.

The boys and girls sang a song.

Simple sentences with a compound predicate

Elias washed and polished the floor.

The ponies ran and jumped the fence.

Simple sentences with a compound subject and compound predicate

Ron and Gay live and work in Guelph.

The car and the truck raced and crashed.

Simple sentences with modifiers

Beyond the darkness, we could see a spotlight, shining like a beacon.

After the torrential rainstorm, the streets and pathways were flooded with water and detritus.

The changes in policy caused many clients to avoid or reduce purchasing from the shop.

Simple but awesome!

You can see that simple sentences don’t need to be too tedious. There are many modifiers, subjects, and verbs that you can add to create more interesting sentences even while still using the one basic structure.

When writing, try to use many sentence structures because this adds interest and makes the text easier to read.  It is never pleasant to read a longer piece of writing in which all sentences are simple or all sentences are compound-complex.  Using the same structure over and over and over and over and over and over – Okay, you get my point!

Experiment with writing simple sentences of your own or including them within your other writing tasks.

Some good, crisp simple sentences can add a lot of impact to your writing.  Don’t ignore simple sentences.  They are just as useful as all the other structures.  They should be an important part of your writing toolbox.

Do you want to improve?

For courses and lessons to improve your writing check out the website.

Reading, Writing, Math, and Online courses.

There are online courses that you can do on your own, or I can create a personalized set of lessons for you.  In this way, we can address any difficulties you are having directly.

Having your own personal coach can make a world of difference in your progress.

Website: www.tutoringcentral.com

For more tips, check out this week’s video.  Simple Sentences

 

A Brain is a Terrible Thing to Waste!

A brain is a terrible thing to waste!  So don’t let that happen.

Summer learning can help stop this critical loss.

Research dating back 100 years confirms the phenomenon often referred to as “summer slide.”

                       W. White, Reviews Before and After Vacation. American Education, 1906, 185-188

Research consistently shows that students (aka people) who continue to access learning material and opportunities over the summer months retain more of the foundation they gained during the school year.

Summer slide or summer loss affects all students but particularly those who are struggling in the first place.  Those who continue to learn over those long weeks show dramatic improvement in the retention of information and the ability to reason and complete math problems as well.

            “Differences in a child’s summer learning experiences during his or her       elementary school years can impact whether that child ultimately earns a high   school diploma and continues on to college”

                             Alexander, Entwistle, & Olson, 2007.

Not only can students slow or stop the summer loss, but they can learn new material to be better prepared for next year.

Imagine your child going back to class having kept the foundation from last year.

Walking proudly into school with the full knowledge that he or she is prepared to take on the challenges to come.

Over twenty years of tutoring children has taught me that their confidence and belief in themselves (that is honest belief – not bravado) provides the strongest impetus to improvement and success compared to anything else.

But wait – There’s more!

You can be any age to learn something new, refresh your knowledge, or gain brain synapses – improving brain function.

Yes, students can “train their brain.”  Our brains are malleable – they can be adjusted.  The way our brain communicates is complex; however, in very simplified terms, the dendrites and axons make connections via synapses (small gaps) between them.  These synapses will grow and build when stimulated – in other words, when they are asked to do so through some kind of effort and performance!

Similar to your muscles, if you don’t exercise them – they weaken.

                                     If you don’t use it – you will lose it!

How to avoid summer learning loss: 

       Read!

This cannot be overstated
Reading is so important.  The choice of reading material is less a factor than the act and the follow-up.
Don’t read “blindly” – engage yourself with the material by talking about what you’ve read with others, look to learn more about the topic, write about what you’ve read, comment or blog about it.  Use any method you like to make sure that you aren’t forgetting as fast as you are reading.
Also, remember the library – often free reading material of all kinds there!

       Write !

Write a journal.
Write about what you have been reading (see above).
Start a blog about your favorite topic.
Write letters (astonish your friends and the world!).
Write some poems.

        Visit!

Visit museums, zoos, landmarks, grandparents, science centers, etc.

Yes, visiting and discussing the new facts, ideas, theories, and so one can be very helpful. This kind of learning stimulates multiple styles of learning including visual, auditory, and kinesthetic / tactile.

Why grandma & grandpa?  Don’t forget the wisdom of the entire family.  I’m only using these as representatives.  Different points of view (acceptable to you or not) are important to develop stronger reasoning and decision making skills.  People’s stories provide a different kind of context to the learning process.

Parents

Ask for opinions and comments on T.V. shows or Internet/video games, etc.
NOTE:       Be sure to ask open questions not closed questions.
An open question invites more conversation, whereas a closed question generally elicits only a “yes” or “no” response.
Example:   
            Open question –   “What did you like about the main character?”
            Closed question – “Did you like the main character?”

Don’t be too quick to judge opinions (despite the lack of logic or maturity). It is just important to keep paying attention and engaging with material.  A great deal of learning comes from talking it out and hearing one’s own ideas aloud.  Self-correction tends to happen in stages.

Tutoring

Of course – a couple hours of tutoring per week can also help retain past lessons and help to prepare for the next year!

Note:  This is not school!   Students often complete more in a couple of hours a              week than they did all week in the school year – leaving lots of time to                play, ponder, lie on the grass and look at the sky – etc.

Come see what a professional tutor and personalized program can do for you or your child!

In-person and online tutoring available.

www.tutoringcentral.com

 

E-mail:  tutoringcentral@inbox.com

Phone:  519 824 0982

Video for Summer Learning

References:

Alexander, K., Entwisle, D., and Olson, L. (2007). Lasting consequences of the summer learning gap. American Sociological Review, 72, 167-180.

Borman, G.D. (2001). Summers are for learning. Principal, 80(3), 26-29.

White, W. (1906). Reviews before and after vacation. American Education, 185-188.