Working With Your School
Provide activities to build on skills taught at school
Teachers can do only so much at school. Students need lots of practice to
develop skills. They need opportunities to build knowledge actively and
integrate new concepts.
This is especially true for students with special needs. “They will
benefit from talking, singing and reading on a consistent basis,” says
Sharon Lumpkin. She’s a Special Education Teacher in Mt. Pleasant, Texas.
She shares these ideas:
- Include literacy in
everyday activities. Talk about activities your child enjoys. Explore words
on signs, boxes and labels. Read maps, ads, coupons and flyers.
- Experience the
environment. Make trips to bakeries, concerts and gardens. Then read
books about places you have visited. You can even bake bread or plant a
garden.
- Use music and physical
movement to enhance stories you read and tell.
- Let your child be a
“book collector.” Create an area where he can store and
browse through his books and magazines.
Reprinted with permission from the April 2005 issue of Parents make
the difference!®
(Elementary School Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2005 The Parent
Institute®, a division of NIS, Inc.