08 Aug 2012
A Low Key Way to Prepare for School this Summer
1. READ – The very best preparation is to read for pleasure every day, or close to it. What should you read?
· Fiction – ask your friends what they are reading, or check out the following reading lists:
· Nonfiction – Read what interests you. Surfing the web is great, but a book will explore your subject in more detail.
· Magazines – Order a subscription to your favorite magazine or read it online
· Web Surfing – Yes, that’s reading, too.
2. WRITE – If you don’t practice at all this Summer, it will take awhile to get back into it in the Fall.
· Letters – Texting is fun but due to all the abbreviations, this doesn’t improve your writing. Try old fashioned letter writing, with a good friend or grandparent. Then you can include pictures and receive mail in your mail box.
· Short stories, poems, journal entries
· Publish a book review for Amazon
· Start a web site or blog
3. MATH – Practice what you learned last year
· Get a workbookthat focuses on word problems
· Practice multiplication tables in the car
· Make up and solve funny and creative problems with your family
4. TEST PREP
· Summer is the best time to prepare for Fall SAT and ACT. If you aren’t yet ready to officially start preparing, set up problems of the day on your computer.
· Set up word of the day on your computer for dictionary.com to improve vocabulary. http://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day/
· To further improve vocabulary, your e-reader allows you to quickly look up words as you are reading.
When? Put aside an hour or two each day to focus on academics and reading. Parents can participate as well.
