Finding Time for a New Language

Academic demands during quarantine can seem to shift drastically from week to week, and from student to student. For most students, though, this period has brought with it new free time. Given the imminent arrival of summer, and the cancellation of many of the usual summer programming opportunities (not ours!), free time will become an increasingly abundant resource (or dilemma). One way to use this time productively is to jump into learning a new language, or dive deeper into a language that students may already be exploring. 

Mastering a language can have powerful neural effects. Studies have suggested that students who master a second language also show increased cognitive control overall, which could lead to improved focus and executive function (e.g. Bak et al.,  Anderson et al.). Since language learning, even more than most other learning, requires daily habits of practice and different modes of study to be effective, it is also a great space for practicing the skills and tools that will empower students across the curriculum. 

Elements of many languages will also improve a student’s understanding of English, for at least two reasons. First, since many commonly learned languages share etymological roots with English, which blends Germanic and Latinate ancestry, learning vocabulary in a new language can simultaneously strengthen vocabulary in a student’s native tongue. Second, the process of learning a new language requires students to think more explicitly about grammar -- the parts of a sentence, verb/pronoun agreement, direct and indirect objects -- in a way that can improve their written and spoken English as well. This new understanding of the mechanics of grammar is part of the reason why students who learn one foreign language are able to add another much more easily. 

There are many digital platforms for language learners to explore, and the all-important element of interaction in the chosen language is already often available remotely. Tutors can guide students through a curriculum while making explicit the grammar and executive function skills they should be picking up along the way. Adding some form of challenge and/or incentive structure can make the experience both fun and effective, as students learn to describe and navigate the world around them through an entirely new linguistic framework. 

Navigating the Treasure Trove of Digital Learning Resources

We all know that in this time of remote learning, there have been hundreds of companies and individuals who have released free materials for students to enhance their learning. But it can be paralyzing to try to wade through all of it to differentiate the truly useful from the “fluff.” To save you from further headaches, we have sifted through many of these resources, and have found what we believe to be the cream of the digital learning crop. All of the resources listed below have been used by us, loved by our students, and perhaps most importantly, they’re all free! Read on for information on how to supplement your child’s at-home schooling with activities that will get results.

Math

• Khan Academy provides standards-aligned math curriculum for students in grades K-12. Its massive library offers helpful and engaging video tutorials for every skill, as well as practice questions, quizzes, and unit tests.

• For a plethora of math games for grade levels 1-6, Math Playground offers engaging games that help students practice math skills for their grade level.

• For students who relied on hands-on manipulatives in the classroom, Didax Virtual Manipulatives offer a virtual platform for students to use these same resources in a digital space. Almost as helpful as the real thing!

• SplashLearn combines the structure of a curriculum with the engagement of gaming, through another free platform that allows students in grade K-5 to practice grade-level skills.

Reading

• Storyline Online is a children’s literacy website, which houses hundreds of videos of celebrities reading storytime favorites out loud.

• ReadTheory begins with a diagnostic which will determine your child’s approximate reading level, then provides them with targeted reading and comprehension practice, through short passages paired with higher-level comprehension questions. Questions resemble those on the state test.

• Newsela is a student-friendly news aggregate that has every article in different lexiles depending on your child’s grade and reading level.

• ReadWorks provides students in grades K-12 with science-backed reading comprehension instruction and activities, with leveled passages in a variety of subject areas/topics.

• Epic has a huge library of super high-engagement books and videos, and is currently offering a free 30-day trial for parents.

• Lalilo is a phonics program which begins by assessing students’ decoding skills through a diagnostic. A learning plan is then automatically created from the results.

Writing

• NoRedInk starts students off with an interest survey so that exercises fit the interests of each child. Activities focus on grammar conventions.

• Similar to NoRedInk, Quill’s exercises focus on both grammar skills and sentence structure.

• The handwriting activities available on Smart Boarding School help emerging writers with letter formation, and are fun for kids while producing results.

General

• Wonderopolis is where curious minds rejoice! If your child likes to go down “worm holes” of wondering, they’ll spend many productive hours learning about anything from the history of rubber bands to the origins of environmentalism.

• GoNoodle has an amazing collection of short videos for younger children to get out their pent up energy. Whether they need to wind down with guided meditation, or dance out their wiggles, they’re sure to find an outlet.

• Created at the beginning of this period of remote learning, Wideopen School came together in mere days to fill an educational void. They collect daily resources from all over the web for teachers and parents to use to supplement their children’s learning. From math to daily schedules to family services, Wideopen School offers a little bit of everything.

If you are like so many others, and distance learning is getting harder, we get it! Let us take some of the load off by signing your child up for one of our many workshops being offered each week. And with summer camps likely to close, Smarter Summers is now open for registration, with K-12 classes available in every core subject. We hope to see your child there!

Returning Soon: Smarter Summers!

This weekend, after a week of gray skies and drizzle in New York, we made it to the sunny seventies! Unfortunately, many New Yorkers could only experience the changing weather through their windows, or on an all-too-brief excursion to the nearest park. This weekend’s weather gave us a glimpse of the summer to come, but this summer, like so much in this past few weeks, will be different - so how can we adapt?

With drastically less individualized attention and support for students this semester given limits on teaching time and interruptions to the curriculum, it’s all the more important that students engage in academically and socially enriching activities over the summer. Many summer opportunities are in limbo for the time being, or have already been canceled, leaving students (and parents) without access to the kind of environments they usually enjoy. This week, though, we posted a slate of workshop offerings that take our annual Smarter Summer writing camps online, and add a few extra options as well!

These workshops are designed to teach students useful skills, give them a voice in exploring topic areas that interest them, and provide personalized feedback and instruction in a small-group setting. At the same time, we’ve always been keen to keep summer workshops fun and socially stimulating, with frequent group game breaks along the way. Attendees of our in-person workshops come back year after year, and look forward to the experience -- even those who are openly unenthusiastic about writing in a school setting. All students produce a piece of writing to be proud of, and more importantly, leave with a set of tools and strategies they’ll be able to apply in the future. 

We’re taking what we’ve learned from remote instruction these past weeks and applying it as we adapt the in-person experience for a digital platform, working to maintain the same essential structure and opportunity both for academic growth and summer fun. With weekly elementary level sessions and our usual middle and upper-level offerings on journalistic/expository writing and persuasive writing and speechmaking, along with all new workshops on poetry, playwriting, and Shakespeare, there’s plenty to choose from! 

Self-Motivating under Quarantine

Finding the intrinsic motivation to do work without the camaraderie of peers, the encouragement of a teacher nearby, and the academic tone of the classroom environment is one of the most challenging obstacles that students face in this period of remote learning. While getting them to finally finish their math assignment or write their paper might feel like pulling teeth, there are some tools parents can use to encourage children to feel less overwhelmed and frustrated, and more motivated and in control. Beyond the existential discussions of why learning a particular subject or honing a particular skill will be important to them, there are small strategies you can teach students to make their work feel more manageable. The amount of time and energy you will need to invest in teaching your child(ren) these strategies will depend on their age and how lacking they are in their motivation, but it will be well-worth the investment when you no longer need to nag them to do their work (or at least you will be able to do so less often)!

Make work bite-sized 

Looking at a month-long assignment and not having the tools (or in-person teacher support) to know how to split that project up into more manageable chunks would make anyone want to throw in the towel. Not only is long-term planning for assignments helpful in making sure work gets done, it is a crucial skill to build in order for students to be successful beyond the classroom as well. Help your child break down their assignments into smaller, more manageable chunks so that when they sit down to work on a particular piece of the assignment, they will have taken a tangible step forward towards completion.

Choices, Choices, Choices

One of the most effective teaching strategies to increase engagement in the classroom is to give students choices. So why shouldn’t they have options at home? Teach your child how to give themselves choices, even when their teacher hasn’t. Help them think of aspects of their school work that they can control, like environmental factors, where and when they complete it, or whether they are listening to music or having a snack (as long as those things are not distracting to them). Show them that they do have some control over how and what they learn! And if they have an idea for showing their learning in a way that the teacher did not assign, it can’t hurt to ask! Many teachers appreciate when students take the initiative to be innovative. The worst thing that’ll happen is they’ll say no.

Give them something to look forward to!

Whether it’s a TV show, an hour of video games, or some quality time with Mom or Dad, everyone is more productive when they have something to look forward to after their work is finished. Let kids choose one longer reward activity once all their work is done for the day, and let them take shorter 5-10 minute breaks (depending on age and work stamina) in between assignments or as needed. The Pomodoro Method, which suggests taking a 5-minute break for every 25 minutes of work, can be an effective time management tool as well.

Walk Away

While perseverance is an admirable trait, many students get stuck in a “frustration cycle” in which the work they are trying to do is too hard, so they get frustrated. And the more frustrated they become, the harder it gets. Productivity rarely comes out of these moments. Teach your child that it is OK to walk away from something for now and come back later. Sometimes just a change in perspective the next time they sit down to work can help them approach the obstacle in a more positive and productive way.

Provide them with a “work space”

Give your child somewhere they can go that is a dedicated space for their school work. Not all students have (or even need) a desk, so anywhere will do. A spot on the floor of their room, a chair at the kitchen table, just don’t let that work zone be the bed or a comfy couch! This spot should be solely for working so that when they are there, their brain is in work mode, and when they aren’t, their brain is in leisure mode.

Celebrate successes

Finally, try to acknowledge every small success your child has with their schoolwork, even if it’s just that they sat and worked for half an hour. If they get something wrong, or their work needs improving, don’t immediately point it out. Find something they did right and celebrate that success first. Of course our inclination as parents is to dispel misunderstanding and help our children “get it right”, but confidence is more important, especially if a child struggles with motivation! By pointing out what they did right, you’ll boost their confidence. Eventually they’ll take more pride in their work, become less self-critical, and maybe even start to enjoy the process of learning.

Changes to AP Exams in the Wake of Covid-19

The virus has disrupted daily life in myriad ways; of course, at Smarten Up, we’re particularly focused on its impacts on students. In this post, we’ll lay out the changes to AP exams planned for the end of this school year and offer some advice for how to adapt to the new format.

While some end-of-year tests, including for the IB (International Baccalaureate) program, have been cancelled entirely, AP exams will still take place! A wide selection of AP students were surveyed as the shutdown began, and the response was overwhelming: students who have spent their school year learning material in preparation for exams remained eager for the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge to admissions officers and earn potentially valuable college credits. The College Board, which administers AP exams as well as the SAT (which, as of this writing, will not be administered in an online format -- although a contingency plan to that effect is actively being explored), responded quickly, putting forth a new plan for testing that includes unprecedented changes from previous years. Colleges across the country have committed to honoring the results of the adapted online exams - so what, exactly will they consist of? 

New format in brief:

All AP tests, normally 2-3 hours long, will be limited to 45 minutes, and include as few as one multi-part question, depending on the subject. All exam questions will be free response, rather than multiple choice, and all exams are now open book.  Finally, the College Board has announced that material that would have been taught in the final two months of the semester will not be assessed on the adapted exam. For a subject-specific breakdown of changes to each test in the new format, check the AP site directly. 

What this change means for students’ study plans

Now that we’re all stuck inside, finding time to study should be a breeze, right? Unfortunately, many students are reporting difficulty focusing as they struggle to stay motivated with the distance from peers and teachers. These conditions are similar to those students will experience in college in the near future: broad swathes of unstructured free time, and a personal responsibility to craft your own study plan. Luckily, there are resources to help. The College Board has enlisted master AP teachers from across the country to teach live online versions of their courses on YouTube, which are available here. You should also explore Khan Academy’s extensive AP-prep catalogue, which is well-organized by unit and includes helpful practice problems - take a glance through the AP Calculus AB course here, for instance, or search up the one that’s most relevant to you. And don’t be deceived into thinking that an open-note test will be simple; test-makers have made it clear that questions will be designed to test students’ ability to reason logically and apply concepts learned in the course, rather than merely recite information. 

What this change means for students’ test-day strategies

It will be up to students (and families) to work through the College Board’s explication of the procedure for test day, and to set up an individual testing environment for optimal focus. Even though the test is digital, students will benefit from using paper to annotate their thought process and outline free response answers. Although you may technically use the internet to find information for your exams, it’s recommended that you first refer to notes compiled from the course, since online resources may yield confusing or misleading answers. With only 45 minutes for the entire exam, time is another limiting factor on the usefulness of the open-book format. Keep an eye on the clock, and another eye on the AP scoring rubric for your subject; it’s a good idea to print this out for reference on test day.

Managing Schedules and Creating Structure for Students

For many of us, it is hard to appreciate the complexity of creating an effective schedule. We have an approximate idea of how long tasks should take given our life experience, we can intuit the best order in which to tackle the tasks on our to do list, and we know how to use scheduling tools to manage our time. Sure we sometimes procrastinate and avoid those tasks, which is only natural, but at least we know how to manage our time in order to know what our deadlines are and meet them.

In contrast, think of how hard it is for kids to develop those skills. For years and years their parents wake them up, help them get dressed and fed before dropping them off at school. Then, teachers take over and establish a set of activities for the school day with structured transitions from one class to the next. After that, those kids are picked up from school and helped through an afternoon of classes or playtime, before dinner, stories and bedtime. But then those young students transition to middle school, high school, and college (or they are quarantined at home thanks to a global pandemic!), and suddenly they have to take a lot more responsibility for managing their time and responsibilities, and they’re largely expected to magically know how.

We assume this transition to independence will be intuitive because children have had endless exposure to “scheduling” for so many years, and for some students the pieces do fall into place. For so many others, though, there is a lot more frustration and a frustrating learning curve. With that in mind, the guide below offers suggestions for how to support children as they learn to manage their time and responsibilities.

Write Things Down!

Our brain is really good at remembering a lot, but we rarely remember everything. Between homework assignments, planning for longer-term projects, after school activities, and the odds and ends that need to be brought back and forth, there is a lot for kids to remember in a day. Keeping track of those tasks in a consistent way in a notebook, or better yet using a tool like Google Keep or Google Tasks which can’t be misplaced as it lives on the cloud, means that it is at least a bit more difficult to simply “forget” about something that needs to be done, especially with the option to set reminders based on time or location! And it goes without saying, checking things off once they are completed is an important part of maintaining an effective to-do list, and this can be done on both Google applications.

Even better, Write Things Down in a Planner!

A daily to-do list is a good, but a daily, weekly, and monthly calendar is even more effective. Students can use Google Calendar or a paper planner to keep track of their classes and related assignments, to note after school activities or social plans, and to remember appointments with teachers or office hours. It seems intuitive, but all too often kids think knowing what they have to do is enough, so the idea of planning when to do it just isn’t important. I don’t think any of us would make the case that everything needs to be scheduled into a specific block of time, but noting a deadline on a calendar, and a plan of what to do each day to meet it is undeniably helpful to stay on track! By using Google Tasks and Google Keep alongside Google Calendar, all of these lists and deadlines can be easily noted on a shareable calendar that syncs across any and all devices, so it is always accessible.

Stick to a routine

Establishing as much regularity as possible with that schedule is also helpful. By sitting down to do work at approximately the same time of day, energy levels will be more predictable which makes it easier to approximate how long tasks will take, assuming a more or less consistent work load. And by completing that work in the same place each day (and no, that place should not be in bed or on a super comfy couch!), students can work more efficiently knowing they have the tools they need within easy reach, rather than always having to search the house for supplies. Routines are predictable, and for learning new skills and developing good habits, routine is key.

While this isn’t an exhaustive guide, it is a great place to start. All of these general concepts can also easily be applied to supporting younger students as well. If they can’t read, use pictures; if they can’t tell time, set alarms or have them cross out activities for the day as they are completed. If you need more guidance, reach out! We are always here to help.

Survival Strategies for Quarantine Day 3

Good morning and happy Friday. We did it! Week one of no school with everyone at home is officially behind us. And while I imagine there have been a lot of conversations with children about why they are at home, what COVID-19 is, how it is impacting our lives, and all that we can do to stay safe, this super quick video (just 1:29 minutes long!) provides some great guidance on how to talk with children about the Coronavirus and the uncertainty it is creating in our lives. My favorite takeaway is the importance of encouraging children to ask questions that are meaningful to them, as our perspective is so different than theirs! Older children might also appreciate this easily accessible comic on the virus from NPR.

 We also still have space in next week's workshops and we'd love to have your child join us. The drop in story time sessions have been lovely so far, and I'm sure the classes will offer an even more stimulating experience and a refreshing social escape. You can learn more about the offerings and sign up here. 

Today's tip: 

Given that we are all stuck inside, yet there are so many places we'd rather be, why not take a virtual escape to an amazing national park? At the Hidden Worlds of the National Parks, students can take a guided journey with a park ranger through Alaska's Kenai Fjords, the Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, Bryce Canyon in Utah, Hawaii's volcanoes, or the Dry Tortugas in Florida. After being cooped up, the amazing views and magical encounters with nature offer a refreshing (imaginary) escape. 


After the adventure, kids can complete one of the following off-screen activities:
 

• Create a drawing or painting that shows their favorite part of the adventure

• Create a model of the park

• Put together a travel brochure about the park. This could be very simple for younger students (think a picture, the name of the park, names and/or drawings of animals or plants that are there), or a more advanced research project for middle schoolers.

• Draw an imaginary map of the park

• Tell you about everything they learned!

Survival Strategies for Quarantine Day 2

Good morning! We've made it to another day. While it is only Thursday, and the weekend will only bring the relief of childcare without work on top, we've got to celebrate the little things. And to make next week a bit easier than this one, we have a great line up of workshops to keep your kids busy beginning on Monday! In addition to a free story time at 9:00am and 4:00pm daily, we also have amazing offerings that are sure to keep your children thinking new and interesting thoughts.

Today's tip: 

There are so many math games that can be played with a deck of cards, and kids can never get enough practice with their math facts and basic arithmetic. Here are printable directions for a few great ones you can play with your kids, or that they can play together, but click the link for many more suggestions. Just one game a day will help to solidify important math facts in a super fun way, but I'm pretty certain they'll want to play even more.

Survival Strategies for Quarantine Day 1

Given the unprecedented disruption to schools in these strange times, families face a new challenge – how do you keep kids happy and engaged when they are stuck inside all day?! Given our expertise in all things education and learning, we've created this daily newsletter to offer quick tips and share resources for you to prevent learning loss, encourage productive distractions from the crisis, and help your child continue to develop and grow while stuck at home.

We know this won't be easy, but we are here to help!

With that in mind, we will also be updating the site daily with a wide range of creative, educational, online workshops for students of all ages.  From a free daily Story Time at 9:00am and 4:00pm, to writing, acting, math classes, and so much more, we are tapping into the vast pool of diverse talents at Smarten Up to create workshops that will keep students engaged with and excited about learning.   

Newsela is a news aggregator that curates high interest articles for students - this means that its staff gathers articles from news sources across the web, and then adjusts the reading level to make them accessible to students of all ages. While articles are organized by topic, there are also wonderful Text Sets that enable children to explore a specific area of interest with guidance. Plus, kids can annotate as they read and work through related comprehension activities as well. Newsela makes current events accessible to children, no matter their age or reading level, which should lead to some interesting dinner conversations for all!

Building Foundational Math Skills

For some students, looking at numbers can feel like trying to read text in a foreign language. No matter how hard we try to drill that language, they just can’t seem to make meaning of what they see. But regardless of how challenging a student may find math, there is always a way to make the content more accessible, no matter what is holding them back. 

Because each subsequent grade in math builds off of prior concepts, any gaps in understanding will affect a student’s ability to make sense of more complex topics. So, for example, if a student does not understand the reciprocity of addition and subtraction, they will struggle even more when eventually faced with more complex algebraic equations. For this reason, it is crucial that we address our student’s challenges with math as early as possible. Otherwise, they run the risk of falling further and further behind.

The “traditional” math instruction of years ago, which consisted of mostly rote memorization of facts and formulas, just doesn’t cut it anymore; math mastery requires so much more! Children used to have to adapt to learn the way math content was being taught. Now, teachers are adapting their instruction to teach the way students learn. There are many opportunities to supplement and replicate this new approach to math at home, and it won’t require you to remember any formulas or re-teach strategies you learned in your childhood.

Here are some common early challenges and ways to address them at home:

• Fact fluency

  • All kids love games! Why not help your child build the crucial skill of knowing their addition/subtraction and multiplication/division facts through play? All you need is a deck of cards. Play “Go Fish” with Make 10 pairs, or play any number of other games that will build addition and subtraction fluency. 

  • A deck of cards works just as well for multiplication and division facts. Just multiply the cards chosen instead of adding. Have your child build an understanding of the inverse relationship between multiplication and division by having them work backwards from the product to get to the original number. (Example: student draws a 4 and a 6, they write the equation 4 x 6 = 24, followed by the inverse, 24 / 6 = 4.)

• Word problems

  • Have students make sense of word problems by drawing a picture of the information. This can help them understand and keep track of what is being asked.

  • Have students generate their own word problems. They can either solve them, or give them to a family member and then check their work.

• Precision (counting and calculating)

  • To build your child’s skills with one-to-one correspondence (counting accuracy), have them count household objects like buttons or coins, moving one at a time from one pile to another as they say each number out loud. As simple as it sounds, many math errors are a result of weak one-to-one correspondence, so it’s important to develop this skill.

  • Have your child estimate their answer before they solve using strategies like rounding. This will help them become more likely to catch errors as they work, or at least recognize more quickly when they’ve arrived at an incorrect answer.

• Developing an “I can’t do this” mentality

  • Many math struggles come from a student’s simple belief that they “just can’t”. This mentality can quickly spiral, and when students focus primarily (or exclusively) on whether they are right or wrong, it becomes impossible for them to grow their thinking. Help your child re-frame their perspective by encouraging them to talk through their process and not just focus on their answer. Have them explain a problem to you and how they solved it, explaining each step and what they were thinking. Even when they do make mistakes, finding those mistakes and fixing them not only prevents them from happening again, but might just boost their confidence when they understand where they went wrong!

With patience, persistence, and some creativity, we can help our children not only begin to understand puzzling mathematical concepts, but we can also begin to cultivate a love for (or at least an interest in) problem-solving and the often perplexing language of numbers.