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Expanded Parent Guide to Summer 2014!
Expanded Parent Guide to Summer 2014! 1275 1674 admin

ThinkStretch has expanded the Parent Guide to Summer to include the needs of families with pre-schoolers and middle schoolers.  As the ThinkStretch Summer Learning series has expanded, we’ve recognized the need to offer more parent support for our new families.

The Pre-school transition to Kindergarten can be fraught with both fear and excitement.  I remember questioning how I would know if my young one was ready to begin school.  I wondered how I could help him be ready for that first day and prepared for the work ahead.

As I reflected, I realized I had exactly the same feelings about the transition from elementary to middle school.  And that is when I knew that we needed to expand the Parent Guide to Summer. 

For pre-schoolers, we expanded pre-reading activities and enhanced early reading ideas.  For middle schoolers, we created an entirely new set of reading comprehension and reading activities just for them.  The independence of the student as they approach middle school often requires new techniques to keep parents engaged and students reading.

Keeping kids reading over the summer depends on their interest in the book before them.  But once you have run through your own personal all time favorite list, it can be tough to help a child select that “just right” book.  To help, I curated a list of terrific websites that offer age appropriate book suggestion lists for kids of all ages.  The sites specialize in boys, girls and youth reading ideas.  In addition to the internet, the expanded Parent Guide to Summer offers suggestions on how to know if you have found the just right book – and what to do if you haven’t.

Engaging parents with kids over the summer continues to be a keystone of the ThinkStretch Summer Learning Program and I am excited to hear your feedback on the new Parent Guide to Summer features and what other topics you would like to see covered in the guide. Feel free to leave us a comment with your thoughts!

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ThinkStretch: A Summer Learning Kit for Groups and Parents
ThinkStretch: A Summer Learning Kit for Groups and Parents 231 300 admin

ThinkStretch offers schools and parent groups the opportunity to sell the ThinkStretch Summer Learning Program to their parents at a 15% discount.  The ThinkStretch Summer Learning Kit Sale allows schools and parent groups to submit one bulk order to be shipped directly to the school and distributed to students.  A summer learning kit sale offers parents a 15% discount off the regular price of purchasing online.   If purchasing online, the Summer Learning Kit is $20 for a parent, while the same Summer Learning Kit is offered at $17 through schools and parent groups.

Research tells us that summer is a time of high anxiety for parents.  The routine is changed and parents struggle to find meaningful activities for their children to engage in.  Parents crave direction from teachers and schools about the types of academic activities they should encourage over the summer months.

Fortunately, parent groups and schools can offer the ThinkStretch Summer Learning Kit Sale.  Each summer learning kit includes a Parent Guide to Summer and student workbook.  In the fall, when the students return their workbooks, bronze, silver and gold achievement medals are delivered directly to the school for distribution. Students who complete their workbooks return to school confident and prepared to learn new material – a real benefit to students, teachers and the school!

With the ThinkStretch Summer Learning Kit Sale – Coordinator Materials, schools and parent groups can begin today!  ThinkStretch provides free downloadable Coordinator Materials with all of the flyers, forms and information you need.  In four easy steps you can offer every student in your school the opportunity to keep all of their hard earned learning.

  1. Promote the ThinkStretch Summer Learning Program
  2. Send home a student order form
  3. Collect order forms and payment
  4. Order and distribute books!

Schools and parent groups receive high praise for offering the ThinkStretch Summer Learning Program to parents.  PTO’s have told us that this is one of their most popular parent offerings.  A few PTO/A’s have increased the price of the ThinkStretch books to above $17 to cover administrative costs or to raise fundraising dollars.

Innovative schools and parent groups offer scholarships for families.  The parent order form includes a box asking if the family needs a scholarship to cover the cost of the ThinkStretch Summer Learning Program.  In addition, parents are offered the opportunity to purchase an extra kit or simply contribute a few dollars towards the purchase of a summer learning kit for a child in need at their school on every order form.  This allows  your parent group or school to ensure that families who may not be able to afford ThinkStretch books for their children over the summer have the same opportunity to return to school confident and prepared to learn in the fall.

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ThinkStretch: A School Wide Summer Learning Program for Every Student
ThinkStretch: A School Wide Summer Learning Program for Every Student 231 300 admin

ThinkStretch is designed to be a school wide summer learning program.  The original and sustaining vision of ThinkStretch is to give every student in an elementary school the opportunity to keep all of the learning they have worked so hard to achieve over the long summer months.

Rooted in research, parent interviews, teacher feedback and kid testing, ThinkStretch benefits every student in a learning community.  When implemented as designed, ThinkStretch maintains reading levels across socio-economic groups and keeps every student practicing math and writing skills.  Administrators appreciate the high quality materials, teachers appreciate the ease of implementation, parents love the guidance from the school, and students like the fun, engaging summer activities.

With its Program Coordinator materials available in hard copy and online, ThinkStretch is quick and easy to implement. Our Program Coordinator materials are tried, tested and improved every year based on your feedback.  Every flyer, presentation, order form and communication you need is included, so bringing ThinkStretch to your school is a snap. An involved parent, teacher or school librarian can bring the program to every student and family in your school in 4 easy steps.

  1. Host a parent education night
  2. Host a student kick off assembly
  3. Distribute books
  4. Optional – Host playground study sessions

Funding for the ThinkStretch Summer Learning Program often comes from many sources for a full school program.  Typically, district funds, Title I funds, principal discretionary funds, or a grant from the school’s parent group are used to bring the program into a school.  Many schools use a combination of these funds to reach every student.

With the Parent Education Night, Parent Guide to Summer, and the parent invitation to the fall award ceremony, the ThinkStretch Summer Learning Program additionally qualifies for Title I Family Engagement funding.

Using La Guia para los Padres, ThinkStretch is perfect for Spanish language parents and families.  Administrators offering ELL supports or migrant family supports can also use Title III funds for specific students and families.

ThinkStretch Summer Learning Program returns students to school in the fall confident and prepared to learn.  The most important thing about implementing a full school summer learning program is the first week of school.  Building a culture of year round learning, where students maintain their skills over the summer months, can dramatically change a school building.  Students transition into school year routines easily, new material can be introduced at a quicker pace, and students begin the school year with a celebration of academic effort.  Give your students the gift of continuous learning with the ThinkStretch Summer Learning Program.

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The Importance of Family Involvement in Education
The Importance of Family Involvement in Education 283 207 admin

How can we know if a child will succeed in school? One of the most accurate predictors of a student’s success is how involved his family is in his education.

As a parent, I know I have struggled with what the phrase “family involvement” in education really means. Does involved mean a helicopter parent or tiger parent or neither?

Fortunately, researchers have been asking the same question and have identified three characteristics of families that enable children to succeed:

  • A home environment that encourages learning,
  • High, yet reasonable, expectations for children’s achievement and futures, and
  • Involvement in their children’s school and community.

As an educator, I need to understand why it is important to place building family involvement at the top of my priority list. As it turns out, what is good for the family is good for the classroom.

Students who have engaged parents:

  • Achieve more regardless of socio-economic status or ethnic/racial background
  • Score higher on tests and have higher grades
  • Graduate at higher rates and enroll in post-secondary education at higher rates

This puts building family engagement in education at the top of the my agenda both personally and professionally.

Originally posted on DonnaLasinski.com.

How does your school rate on family engagement? What could they be doing better? Leave a comment below!

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The Importance of Family Involvement in Education
The Importance of Family Involvement in Education 283 207 admin

How can we know if a child will succeed in school? One of the most accurate predictors of a student’s success is how involved his family is in his education.

As a parent, I know I have struggled with what the phrase “family involvement” in education really means. Does involved mean a helicopter parent or tiger parent or neither?

Fortunately, researchers have been asking the same question and have identified three characteristics of families that enable children to succeed:

  • A home environment that encourages learning,
  • High, yet reasonable, expectations for children’s achievement and futures, and
  • Involvement in their children’s school and community.

As an educator, I need to understand why it is important to place building family involvement at the top of my priority list. As it turns out, what is good for the family is good for the classroom.

Students who have engaged parents:

  • Achieve more regardless of socio-economic status or ethnic/racial background
  • Score higher on tests and have higher grades
  • Graduate at higher rates and enroll in post-secondary education at higher rates

This puts building family engagement in education at the top of the my agenda both personally and professionally.

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Make Sure Your School Stands Out
Make Sure Your School Stands Out 300 161 admin

At the forefront of innovative leadership are schools and school districts that are implementing school-wide summer review programs.  These districts are ensuring that every student returns in the fall confident and prepared to learn.   And they are getting noticed – Star International Academy in Dearborn MI, a ThinkStretch Summer Learning Program school, earned the top spot in Michigan’s top-to-bottom ranking of  student achievement across comparable schools. The ranking highlighted Star Academy’s ability to add significant value beyond a students’ expected achievement based on their income level. In Michigan, schools are funded based on a per student grant monies.

Every school in Michigan competes to attract students – and every little bit counts when it comes to making sure a school stands out.  Star Academy stands out by offering a culture of year round learning with the Thinkstretch Summer Learning Program.

As Star Academy demonstrates, the impact of implementing a school-wide summer review program positively touches parents, students, teachers and administrators.  As a district builds a school year pattern that includes summer learning:

  • Students return in the fall confident and prepared to learn
  • Parents are continuously involved in student learning
  • Teachers transition into school year routines with ease
  • Teachers introduce new learning at a quicker rate
  • Districts fulfill state requirements for parent engagement and extended learning opportunities
  • Districts demonstrate leadership and innovation in achieving high levels of student achievement and proficiency

Quality instruction and leadership demands that districts stop leaving hard earned learning on the table.  Students simply cannot retain their school year skills over a summer break dictated by an agrarian calendar.  Summer skill review must become an accepted part of the school year calendar, led and supported by innovative districts, for our schools to move to the next level of academic achievement.

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Setting Up A Summer Reading Program
Setting Up A Summer Reading Program 436 275 admin

Most educators are all too familiar with the problem of summer learning loss that occurs each year. A good deal of each fall is spent reviewing old material before teaching anything new is even considered. Summer reading is one of the best ways to minimize such loss and to help students remain active and continual learners.

When setting up a summer reading program, it can be hard to know where to start. Following are some tips for doing this:

  • Get parents involved – You can develop the best program in the world and the most exciting reading list ever but without buy-in of parents, your success rate is likely to be low. Remember that you will not see your students all summer but their parents will. Educate your parents on the importance of summer reading and find creative ways to keep parents engaged. Send weekly emails with summer activities to parents, send a mid-summer postcard, or even send home the library registration form at the end of the school year.
  • Solicit input on reading lists – Don’t put the entire burden for developing reading lists on your shoulders alone. Get input from your colleagues and the local libraries. Asking parents and students for suggestions is a great way to increase participation. A child is far more likely to complete a book that they have chosen from a list of books recommended by people they like.
  • Offer incentives – Let’s face it—rewards work. It typically does not take much to motivate kids to participate, especially the younger crowd. Finding fun rewards can make your job a whole lot easier. Offer a pass to the front of the lunch line for each student who has read at least two books this summer. Or offer 5 extra minutes of recess!

Once you have developed your program, review it each fall to see what worked and what you could change for the next year. Your summer reading program is likely to get better and better each year.

Looking for a turnkey solution? ThinkStretch offers everything for a terrific summer reading program with math, writing and science to complete the summer learning fun!

[cta text=”Download our Program Coordinator Materials to see how quick and easy it is to set up a Summer Learning Program for a group or your school!” link=”https://thinkstretch.com/program-coordinator-materials-download/” color=”orange”] Sign Up [/cta]

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NEW! ThinkStretch Summer Reading Challenge
NEW! ThinkStretch Summer Reading Challenge 208 246 admin

ThinkStretch is proud to introduce our newest feature for schools and families – the online ThinkStretch Summer Reading Challenge. Supporting the ThinkStretch Summer Learning book series, the online reading challenge offers another way to engage students and families over the summer time in fun, exploratory summer learning activities.  Logging reading minutes is just the beginning.

Students are challenged to log 20 minutes of reading five days a week over the summer to earn raffle tickets for a prize drawing.  As students create their personal online logins, they can watch their progress and earn raffle tickets along the way.  The raffle tickets enter kids into a prize drawing with large and small rewards – from an iPod to a brain eraser.

BrainGain questions earn even more raffle entries!  Reading comprehension is key to keeping reading skills strong over the summer.  Every time students log reading minutes, they will have the opportunity to answer a BrainGain question.  BrainGain questions range from “Name five words that caught your attention while reading” to “Summarize the story in 3 sentences.”

Entertain Your Brain activities offer hands on science, math, reading and writing exploration.  On each student’s personal challenge page there is a scrolling bar of Entertain Your Brain activities.  With new activities every week, kids and families will have at their fingertips science activities like “homemade silly putty” and “electricity in your mouth.”  Our reading lists ensure that finding the just right book is never a problem.  And our outdoor games and activities keep kids off the couch.

Customized summer reading challenges offer school and student specific reporting on reading minutes and comprehension activities completed.  Our custom option offers you the ability to report on student reading minutes by school, classroom or grade level.  You can also review the answers to the BrainGain questions by student.  In addition, schools can create special prizes and rewards for kids.  From passes to the front of the lunch line to certificates of success for reading milestones achieved, your school can create a program that works best for your student population.  Contact us if you would like to create a custom Entertain Your Brain challenge for your school.

The ThinkStretch Summer Reading Challenge will begin June 1 and end August 31.  Sign up will begin May 1, 2014. 

Summer reading is more fun with friends! Encourage your friends to sign up by sharing this post via social media.

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NEW! ‘Talk to Me!’ Activities for Kindergarten to 2nd graders
NEW! ‘Talk to Me!’ Activities for Kindergarten to 2nd graders 424 283 admin

ThinkStretch is proud to introduce a new feature for Kindergarten through 2nd grade students summer review books that encourages parents and children to discuss the weekly reading activities.  “Talk to Me!” offers simple topics in each weekly lesson that help parents to build reading comprehension skills in elementary school students. The activities reinforce vital reading concepts, such as retelling, predicting events, and strong vocabulary.

As a parent, it often feels like enough just to check off the reading log for 20 minutes everyday.  However, talking about what you and your child are reading together is just as important as the reading.  As a teacher, modeling for parents how to talk with their child about reading at home can be a challenge.

I reflected back on my pre-school and lower elementary experiences, in the classroom and at home, and realized that direct instructions often worked best for me and my kids.  I developed the “Talk to Me” feature initially for our Pre-K to K books to help build vocabulary between parent and child.  The “Talk to Me” feature is rooted in education research which demonstrates a strong relationship between an increased number of words spoken in the home, between parent and child, and a child’s vocabulary and reading performance.

The Pre-K heading to K ThinkStretch Summer Learning book was a tremendous success. Chuck Culpepper, Director of Curriculum and Assessment at West Bloomfield Hills Public Schools, encouraged me to take the next step and integrate the “Talk to Me” feature across the entire elementary series of ThinkStretch books.

Mr. Culpepper’s suggestion dovetailed nicely with the latest research from the National Center for Summer Learning.  The study highlights the importance of scaffolding comprehension skills with weekly reading over the summer to maintain reading proficiency.  In the home over the summer, parents are the educators who are responsible for “scaffolding comprehension skills.”  That is a tall order for many families.

Breaking down the key comprehension skills that the Common Core State Standards are emphasizing by grade level provided an outline for the “Talk to Me” feature.  From there, I spoke with parents, wrote several “Talk to Me” prompts and tested them with parents and kids.

Ranging from word recognition to story re-telling, the “Talk to Me” prompts are developmentally appropriate, fun for parent and child, and successfully help parents “scaffold comprehension.”  An example of a kindergarten “Talk to Me” feature from Week 2 is “Rhyming words are common in books for kindergartners.  Ask your child to find 5 pairs of rhyming words in a story.  Can you make up 5 pairs of rhyming words together?”

As the child advances in grade levels, the “Talk to Me” feature expands.  From Week 3 in the 2nd heading to 3rd grade ThinkStretch Summer Learning book, the “Talk to Me” prompt asks: “Ask your child to tell you what is going to happen next in the book.  Write down the prediction.  When the book is completed, look at what you wrote down and talk together about your prediction.”

I am excited to hear your feedback on the reactions of teachers, parents and administrators to the “Talk to Me” feature – let us know what you think by leaving us a comment.  ThinkStretch and I are excited to maintain an open dialogue to build our partnership in education.

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NEW! BrainGain Questions Improve Reading Comprehension for 3rd to 5th Graders
NEW! BrainGain Questions Improve Reading Comprehension for 3rd to 5th Graders 375 375 admin

NEW! Weekly BrainGain Questions for 3rd to 5th graders

Improving reading comprehension skills can be a tricky task to tackle over the summer for upper elementary students.  ThinkStretch is innovating in this area with our new BrainGain questions for 3rd to 5th graders. Supported by the Parent Guide to Summer, weekly BrainGain reading comprehension activities are guided by the Common Core State Standards’ emphasis on deep understanding of reading materials.

As children become independent readers and rely less on parents to be present for reading time in the home, parents can become disengaged from their child’s reading experience.  In my home, it was often enough just to set aside a time and place for reading.  Checking off or initialing the reading log was the only parent requirement.

However, as understanding of summer reading loss built over the last several years, it has become clear that while logging reading minutes is crucial, it is the reading comprehension activities that provide the student advantage for the next school year.

As I contemplated the research and the typical family time and structure of a 3rd – 5th grade student, I knew we needed to balance the independence of the reader with the need for continued parent engagement in reading.

When I was developing the ThinkStretch Summer Learning Program, many parents let me know that they did not understand what reading comprehension meant.  Their student was reading 20 minutes a day, so of course he must be understanding what he read.  It became clear that parents needed direct, simple activities to engage in with their child to maintain reading comprehension skills over the summer.

ThinkStretch has separated the parent resource, Parent Guide to Summer, from the student summer activity book.  This allows parents to have at their fingertips a number of reading comprehension questions and activities for a range of reading levels.

The next hurdle was tackling reading comprehension from a student perspective.  Kids are not particularly interested in writing book reports over the summer.  They are, however, very willing to share their opinion about the ending of the latest “it” book.  Or to talk about the cool new fact they learned about their favorite basketball player.  Because students are reading books of their own choosing in the ThinkStretch summer review program, the content of their weekly reading is exciting and interesting to them. These student desires align nicely with the requirements of the Common Core State Standards.

The BrainGain feature encourages collaborative conversations, vocabulary building, and practice of reading and writing skills,  all critical aspects of the CCSS for reading and writing.  From a student perspective, however, the BrainGain questions are fun and engaging opportunities to think and write about something they love.

For a 3rd grader heading to 4th grade, a BrainGain question may ask: “Write three new titles for the book you are reading that describe the book better. “  For an older student, Week 5’s BrainGain Question for 5th-6th graders asks “What would happen if your story took place at a different location – Alaska, the ocean, or in an apartment building?”  Other weekly questions focus on prediction, vocabulary building, and making connections.

We are excited to hear from you how this new feature impacts your students and classroom next fall. Have thoughts on BrainGain? Leave us a comment!

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