This time of year is typically when families start to look for a summer camp for their child, or schools begin enrolling students for summer school. Since COVID-19 has caused many cancellations, what are we supposed to do to keep our children engaged and stay current or catch up with their academics? Summer is the perfect opportunity to get kids up to speed. This year that means summer online tutoring.
In years past, summer has been a more lackadaisical approach to learning. Teachers typically only assign a summer reading list, maybe a math packet, and then families are left to enjoy their time off or fend for themselves. This summer is such a great opportunity to continue your child’s education instead of putting it on pause. We’ve finally been given an advantage: time. Teachers are wrapping up the 2019-2020 school year’s curriculum and the summer will be a brief period of time to make sure students master any and all standards they need before going back in the Fall.
Playing Catch-Up
Now it is more crucial than ever that you enroll your child into online tutoring, or you reach out to your child’s teachers to ask for extra resources to revisit concepts over the summer. To familiarize yourself with the content your child is learning, review the Common Core State Standards. Click on your child’s current grade level, and then all the topics they should have learned are listed. While some states have their own standards, the Common Core Standards are national learning goals; 42 out of the 50 states have adopted them. Try not to overwhelm yourself and only tackle one area at a time. Also, keep in mind your child is not starting from scratch. There are many concepts students already know and learned this year pre-quarantine.
Leave it to the Pros
The biggest suggestion I have: Leave it to the pros. Enroll your child in an online summer tutoring program so you can relax and let the experts do their job. Sometimes trying to educate your child at home on your own can cause confusion and can give them conflicting information. When I was in school, many of the strategies I learned helped me to complete assignments quickly and in a methodical manner. However, I never learned how strategies worked until I started teaching the Common Core myself.
Students today need a conceptual and rote understanding of ELA and Math strategies. Tutors will have this expertise and be able to help your child in the most meaningful way. If you can’t get your child into an online or remote learning program, below is a list of five free resources I have found particularly helpful in my classroom. An added bonus: They are aligned to the current Common Core Standards!
- k5 Learning (Math and ELA)
- Common Core Sheets (Math)
- ReadWorks (ELA)
- Khan Academy (Math and ELA)
- Reading Rockets (ELA)
Don’t Delay
Whatever you decide, don’t push it off to the last minute. Mid-May is crunch time and the end of the school year will be here before you know it. Happy searching and enrolling!
Livius offers Common Core-aligned online tutoring for grades K-12. If you’re interested in summer academic support, check out our Two Sigma Summer Catch Up program.