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Teachers and schools have so much to share with parents and families. The Family Guide to School is the perfect resource to build family engagement, with strategies to support children’s school work in the home and build a love of learning. Organized with clear, easy to read tips and tools to use throughout the year, maximize math practice, lift language skills and increase the BrainGain!
Schools and teachers use the Family Guide as a take-home for “Back to School” nights, in parent-teacher conferences, for family engagement nights and throughout the year as a support tool in family interactions.
The Family Guide to School contains subjects and supports including these and MORE:
Home and School: Why it’s Important, Eleven Easy Tips for Study Time, Who’s Who at School
Reading: Choosing a Book, Reading Activities for Every Reader, Questions to Ask
Writing: Word Games!, Writing Tips and Tricks at Home, Writing for Fun
Math: Making Math Learning Add Up, Math Words – Know the Lingo, Math Games
Bonus Activities: Parents Share Ideas, Learning Online, Learning Tools
BrainGain Math Fact Activity Books
Focusing on the specific skill sets, not grade levels, BrainGain math activity book contains eight sessions based on best practice skill mastery progressions.
Each session follows a pattern: math fact practice, followed by a math riddle or puzzle. Next, more math fact practice and then students solve word problems using the mastered facts. Finally, students time themselves to measure both their accuracy and speed.
BrainGain Math offers four separate skill sets:
- Addition to 20
- Addition to 1,000
- Multiplication to 12×12
- Multiplication to 10,000
BrainGain Story Journals
BrainGain Story Journals are the perfect tool for reading and writing at home or for in-school intervention and choice reading tracking. With nine sessions, the story journal covers the school year. Each session follows a similar pattern, beginning with a 20 day reading log. Next, students focus on writing, with one journal activity per week for four weeks.
Each weekly journal activity tackles a specific type of writing, including illustration opportunities.
Just the Facts
Informative/explanatory writing to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly
Tell Me a Story
Narrative writing to develop real or imagined experiences or events using descriptive details and clear event sequences
Tell Me Why
Opinion writing on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons
I Just Read
Recount stories and answer questions like who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text
BrainGain offers two Story Journal options
K-2 Story Journal
3-5 Story Journal
Mix and Match the BrainGain System
BrainGain is a flexible system that encourages mix and match customization. Common combinations for elementary schools include:
- Parent Engagement
Family Guide to School - After School Program
Math Skill book and Story Journal with Family Guide to School - Math Intervention
Math Skill book and Parent Guide to School - Classroom Intervention
Math Skill Book or Story Journal - Full school year Parent Partnership
Family Guide to School, Story Journal, Math Skill Book - Summer skill retention
ThinkStretch summer learning program and Math Skill book for targeted math skills