Over the course of the last few months, we have focused on various topics that have been geared at "making the grade'' during the marking period.
It is no secret that the majority of students are more than happy to be entering into the summer vacation months.
This is a time when students of all ages can relax and have fun! However, it also is a time when the dreaded "summer slide" can occur. In this article I will discuss some academic supplementation that your child can employ during the vacation period.
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CORDELL
When we examine all of the information that your child is absorbing over the regular school year, it is just simply amazing. What I mean is the content they are being taught is deep and compounding.
The frontal lobe of the brain constantly is stimulated during the school year and when we "shut it off" during the summer months, there is a significant amount of that content that is lost. Academic researchers go as far as to say the average student will lose one to three months of knowledge over the summer break.
This essentially means that your child will enter into the beginning of the new school year already behind in their knowledge base.
How can we prevent this from happening? We, as parents, must give aid to our children to assist them in "curbing" the summer slide. This may be course or subject specific for older students or of a general academic nature for the elementary grades.
One of the most popular or demanding subjects that falls to the summer slide is math. It is safe to say that the math your child was enrolled in during the regular marking period will segue them to the next level. If the student just barely passed the math class, chances are they will have struggles in the next level.
Now let's focus on a plan of attack for the summer months.
Whether it may be one subject or several subjects, the plan of attack generally is the same. Many schools will supplement work for their students to work -on during the summer months.
As a parent, it is beneficial to contact your child's guidance counselor to inquire about supplemental work for the summer. You also can contact a local tutoring company or private tutor to spend one to two hours every other week with your child. This may be practicing math, performing writing exercises or reading with the child.
It essentially boils down to keeping the student's mind stimulated during the summer months.
The older students can start to work through the content in their upcoming fall courses, which they will know because they are classes the student scheduled. They can simply take notes, read through the text or use the chapter reviews in the textbook as practice.
As parents, we have to set defined study times for our children. Children will be children, meaning they will tend to resist independent summer studying and gravitate to activities that are more fun in nature.
This is why having a private tutor or tutoring service is a beneficial investment. A tutor can maintain that discipline and set schedule that your child may need.
The practice of summer enrichment may seem bizarre to many students or parents, but it is a proven fact that the summer slide can and will occur to the majority.
Taking the time to speak with your child about summer enrichment and setting a schedule will pay great dividends during the regularly scheduled school year.
In the next article, I will focus on the transition from middle school to high school.
Cordell is the owner of Excell Tutoring Services, 1020 Arthur Road, Montoursville. He may be reached at 506-9998 or twcordell@gmail.com.
