Dear Families,
Over the summer, a young person who maintains a habit of daily reading can continue to make academic growth and avoid the dreaded “summer slide.” If a middle school student reads just 5 books at their level, they are far more likely to increase their reading level, learn new vocabulary, and start the new school year strong. Students who do not read at home, at least three times a week, may lose up to two months of reading proficiency over the summer, a substantial setback that can accumulate over time. We encourage you to emphasize the importance of reading this summer. We suggest providing the opportunity for students to respond to what they’ve read. Make sure that you are having conversations about their books, and using the provided reading prompts, ask students to respond to their reading by writing about the books they are reading. Doing so will help students further develop critical thinking skills, build community, and make sense of their own views, and those of others. With this in mind, the world of stories and truths, meaning and discovery is only a page away and we appreciate your partnership in your child’s continued literary exploration!
A lot of us don’t think about math as existing outside of the classroom. On the contrary, we actually encounter mathematics all around us every day.This summer, we want students to grapple with mathematical tasks that will challenge and engage them and force them to think like a mathematician. Some tasks will ask them to go outside or around their home and to explore math in their world. Other tasks may bring relevant contexts to life on their page. Some may challenge them to think outside of the box, and to get creative to solve problems with many different possible solutions. And others yet may require them to even create something all of their own. Students will find themselves making guesses, challenging their own solutions, looking for patterns, drawing visual representations, and thinking algebraically. Be a mathematician this summer!
Setting goals helps you to stay accountable to yourself. Goals also help you track your progress and they give you the opportunity to celebrate your successes.
We have made this website so students (and adults) can find detailed information for summer reading and mathematics expectations, all in one place. Here you will find: suggested reading lists and options for responding to reading in writing, free online reading resources, ways to find digital books through the public library, guides for setting up student accounts, as well as directions for summer assignments, by grade.
You can also access the links below:
- Rising 6th Grade:
- Rising 7th Grade:
- Rising 8th Grade:
- Summer Reading List & Assignment
- Math Summer Playlist & Deltamath Assignment (posted on google classroom)
With Warm Wishes,
Katie Cardus, Mathematics Coach & Nicole Kotch, ELA Coach
Middle School 88
544 7th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11215
How to Access Books When School is Closed!
Don’t Stop Reading!
Visit the Library to Play and Read:
Brooklyn Public Library Summer Reading Series: Summer at the Library | Brooklyn Public Library (bklynlibrary.org)
Get a library card: Brooklyn Public Library – Welcome Card Application (bklynlibrary.org)
Events at Brooklyn Public Library: Summer at the Library | Brooklyn Public Library (bklynlibrary.org)
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Find Books Online:
| SORA! The New York City Department of Education has created an account on Sora for you to use. This is connected to our personal PS 10 digital library. You can access hundreds of ebooks and audiobooks! Here is a tutorial video for how to access e-books on Sora On Your Device1. Download the free Sora app from your app store2. Tap “I have a setup code”3. Type: NYCSCHOOLS4. Tap “Sign in using New York City Department of Education” button5. Enter your DOE student account ID & passwordIn Your Web Browser1. Visit soraapp.com/library/nycschools 2. Click “Sign in using New York City Department of Education” button 3. Enter your DOE student account ID & password (if you need help locating this information click here or email Ms. Cloud at gcloudwalter@schools.nyc.gov)IMPORTANT:Once you’ve signed into this account, you can add your public library card information. Click ADD A LIBRARY and then select your public library(s) | LIBBY! VIDEO: What is libby? How to Use Libby Get the Libby App  |
TIPS FOR SUPPORTING YOUR MIDDLE SCHOOL READER DURING THE SUMMER Reading is a really important habit for all kinds of people – and especially for middle schoolers. Reading for 60 minutes a day is probably the most important academic habit a child can develop to prepare for high school and college. Students will learn new words, get faster, learn about the world, have interesting things to talk about all the time, and (we hope) have fun! Summer reading is especially important because it helps students maintain the progress they’ve made the previous year in school. Our brain is like a muscle; if you don’t use it, you lose it. Here are some tips:Schedule regular trips to the library to choose new books. Your child will look forward to these outings and will always have new books to choose from. _Let your child read what he/she is interested in reading. This helps your child build his/her reading identity. Any reading is better than no reading and forcing titles might be unsuccessful. If your child doesn’t want to finish a book, let him/her give it up. If a book isn’t a good fit, don’t force it. Reading the “wrong” books can discourage reading altogether.Help to find a quiet, well-lit, and comfortable place to read. Turn off the TV, the games, and the phone. Once a child is able to focus 100%, he/she will realize that reading is entertaining too. Try to keep track of what he/she is reading, and ask about his/her reading. Checking in on your child’s reading may be the encouragement he/she needs to keep reading. Consider reading along with your own copy! and try some of the following questions:Do you like what you are reading? Why or why not?What does this book/article make you think about?What do you think will happen next? Why?What connections can you make with what you are reading? What do you think you’re doing well as a reader? What can you improve?Make reading social. Reading aloud with children builds fluency. Make reading a family affair. Model reading the newspaper, books, or magazines. Also, encourage participation in book clubs, library activities, or school events. |
| 6 WAYS TO SUPPORT YOUR CHILD’S MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT Do you remember how excited your children were about maths when they were young? How they were excited by patterns in nature? How they rearranged a set of objects and found, with delight, that they had the same number? Before children start school they often talk about math with curiosity and wonder, but soon after they start school many children decide that maths is confusing and scary and they are not a “math person”. This is because math in many schools is all about procedures, memorization and deciding which children can and which cannot. Math has become a performance subject and students of all ages are more likely to tell you that math is all about answering questions correctly than tell you about the beauty of the subject or the way it piques their interest. What can parents do to transform math for their children?Here are some steps to take:Encourage children to play math puzzles and games. Award winning mathematician Sarah Flannery reported that her math achievement and enthusiasm came not from school but from the puzzles she was given to solve at home. Puzzles and games – anything with a dice really – will help kids enjoy math, and develop number sense, which is critically important.Always be encouraging and never tell kids they are wrong when they are working on math problems. Instead find the logic in their thinking – there is always some logic to what they say. For example if your child multiplies 3 by 4 and gets 7, say – Oh I see what you are thinking, you are using what you know about addition to add 3 and 4, when we multiply we have 4 groups of 3…Never associate math with speed. It is not important to work quickly, and we now know that forcing kids to work quickly on math is the best way to start maths anxiety for children, especially girls. Don’t use flashcards or other speed drills. Instead use visual activities.Never share with your children the idea that you were bad at math at school or you dislike it – especially if you are a mother. Researchers found that as soon as mothers shared that idea with their daughters, their daughter’s achievement went down.Encourage number sense. What separates high and low achievers is number sense – having an idea of the size of numbers and being able to separate and combine numbers flexibly. For example, when working out 29 + 56, if you take one from the 56 and make it 30 + 55, it is much easier to work out. The flexibility to work with numbers in this way is what is called number sense and it is very important. Perhaps most important of all – encourage a “growth mindset.” Let students know that they have unlimited math potential and that being good at math is all about working hard. When children have a growth mindset, they do well with challenges and do better in school overall. When children have a fixed mindset and they encounter difficult work, they often conclude that they are not “a math person”. One way in which parents encourage a fixed mindset is by telling their children they are “smart” when they do something well. That seems like a nice thing to do, but it sets children up for difficulties later, as when kids fail at something they will inevitably conclude that they aren’t smart after all. Instead use growth praise such as “it is great that you have learned that”, “I really like your thinking about that”. When they tell you something is hard for them, or they have made a mistake, tell them: “That’s wonderful, your brain is growing!” |
Setting goals helps you to stay accountable to yourself. Goals also help you track your progress and they give you the opportunity to celebrate your successes.