Good Reads

another round-up of great articles from the internetz

This article came from a study published by my Alma Mater - the University of Iowa (go Hawkeyes!). Researchers found that varied practice words -- ones that are more varied in the number of consonants, but still teach the same rules as traditional phonics instruction -- results in greater generalization to novel words and non-words by children!

“Variability was good for the low-performing students, it was good for the high-performing students. It was good for the boys, it was good for the girls. It was good for the words, it was good for the non-words,” Apfelbaum says. “Among the students who struggled the most, the kids who weren’t exposed to variation didn’t show any learning at all, while the kids who were exposed to variation did.” 

Another great read I found is this one from Parents.com. The article gives some easy and quick activity ideas for boosting language skills for children with Down Syndrome. These ideas grow with the child from babbling to reading. But really, these are great tips for any child! My favorite idea: Rainbow of Learning :)

The last article I want to share today is about teaching children manners. Sometimes I feel this skill just isn't taught to children anymore. What I love about this article is that it explains what types of manners would be appropriate to teach at various ages -- from sharing as babies and toddlers, to email/text/social media manners for teens.  I'm going to print this one off and have a few copies on hand to send home with parents if they bring up concerns regarding this topic.

Leave a Comment: Any good reads you've found lately?