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The Reading Corner

Learn More About Language Arts Classes at HEROES Academy

Five Winter Themed Writing Projects for Home or School

11/30/2018

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The holiday season is a joyous time, and it's also a perfect opportunity to unleash your child's creativity with some fun winter themed writing projects.  These writing projects are more than just writing prompts.  They're engaging, creative, and fun.   They're designed to be easy to use at home, but they're perfect for the classroom too!  
1. Write a Letter to Santa
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This is a great opportunity for younger children to practice their letter writing skills.  Encourage your child to write a letter to Santa that goes beyond a wish list.  Santa may want to know what (s)he has been doing all year, what they love about Christmas (and why), and/or their Christmas plans. 
  • Address the letter to:
​North Pole Postmark
Postmaster
4141 Postmark Dr
Anchorage, AK 99530-9998
  • Send your letter by December 8th
  • Download Letter to Santa Stationary Here
2. Start a Family Recipe Book
The holidays are filled with yummy foods.  From sugar cookies to latkes, jelly donuts, and gingerbread, there’s no shortage of things to cook and/or bake.  Start your own family recipe book this holiday season. 
  • For younger children, simply have them write a list of ingredients to practice spelling.
  • For slightly older students (7 and up), have your child write down the ingredients AND a set of directions.  For best results, have your child write the directions as you cook.  Talk aloud to explain what you are doing and why to help your child along.  
  • Want to add some math practice?  Have your child help you measure the ingredients.  You can also have your child practice working with fractions and mixed numbers.  Have them increase or decrease the recipe yield.  
  • You can download a Christmas Themed Recipe Template Here
  • You can download a Hanukkah Themed Recipe Template Here
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3. Write Holiday Cards for Your Friends and Family
​Everyone sends out the same printed photo cards each year.  Personalize your holiday greetings with notes from your children.
  • For children that are still learning to write, this is the perfect opportunity to practice name writing.  Have your child sign each card.  
  • For more advanced children, encourage them to write a personal note on each card.   
  • Turn it into a craft project too. Make homemade cards!
4. Daily Letters with Your Elf on a Shelf (or Mensch on a Bench)
This is a fun family writing activity.  I actually stole the idea from a friend of mine.  The Elf on the Shelf left her son a note reminding him to do his homework and play with his toys.  Since then, his favorite elf has been leaving him notes all over the house! 

​I have a feeling that other elves (or mensches) might be leaving kids notes too, so why not have your child write them back?  Your child might want to explain why (s)he is deserving of presents, question why it is that the elf (or mensch) only moves at night, or inquire as to what the elf (or mensch) does throughout the rest of the year.
  • Download notes from the Elf on the Shelf Here
  • Download notes from Mensch on a Bench Here
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5.  Write A Holiday Carol!
Do you have a favorite holiday song?  Perhaps Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer or I Have a Little Dreidel?  Write new lyrics to the tune of your favorite holiday song!  Share it with your family during your holiday celebration to start a new tradition.
  • You can also try these mad-lib style holiday songs!
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Lessons on Learning by Winnie the Pooh & Friends

8/20/2018

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I love to talk in quotes, children’s literary quotes to be specific.  Perhaps it’s a bit odd, but some of our favorite childhood characters have timeless lessons to be told.   As Roald Dahl once wrote, the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places.  I too like to think of at least 6 impossible things before breakfast, and I’ve gone down quite a few rabbit holes indeed.  With the right words, I do believe you can change the world(1).  Winnie the Pooh certainly has.

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I Write Like Paint Splatter on the Walls

7/23/2018

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I write like paint splatter on the wall.  It’s disorganized and chaotic at first; words and sentences echo through my mind as I jot them down on random slips of paper.  To an outsider, it can be difficult to discern meaning from these notes; seemingly random arrows point from one idea to the next, turbulent circles highlight ideas that I’m focusing on, and aggressive lines scratch through ones I’m scrapping. 
 I spend time reflecting upon these ideas, letting the ideas tumble around in my mind until I discover the connection I’ve been seeking.  Slowly, I relate one idea to the next until I’ve found my thesis.  

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Teach Your Child Spelling at Home

7/2/2018

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What is Phonics?
Phonics is a method of teaching people to read by correlating sounds created by letters or groups of letters within an alphabet.  When we teach spelling by phonics, we focus on the correlation between graphemes (groups of letters that form a single sound) and phonemes (their sounds).  By studying spelling through phonics, students begin to see letter-sound relationships.  As such, these students develop strong decoding and encoding skills. 

A successful phonics curriculum focuses on the sounds within words rather than simply memorized spellings.  The HEROES Academy spelling curriculum focuses on a different sound each week, but each week includes a variety of spellings that produce the same sound.  Students develop pattern recognition skills rather than memorizing spelling rules and exceptions. 

Rather than memorizing a set list of words each week, students become familiar with various spelling patterns that fit a single phonetic sound. For example, the long a sound can be created with the a-e spelling pattern such as in the word date.  Alternatively, the long a sound can be created with the ai spelling pattern such as in the word bait.  At the first and second grade level, you will notice that most of the words for a given week rhyme. 
​

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Literacy from Birth to Adulthood:  Assessing, Tracking, and Encouraging

6/10/2018

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I cannot recall a time at which I could not read nor a time at which I felt limited in my ability to read and comprehend.  I remember reading the BOB books and, of course, the Spot books -- my favorite, but my mom always ensured that the books on my shelves and in my prize box were ones that I could read, comprehend, and enjoy with no more than a few new words per book at first and, eventually, longer texts with more complex ideas that she was sure I could handle. 
 When we visited the bookstore, a popular field trip for us, I still felt as if my options were limitless. ​I, of course, subconsciously knew that the store reached beyond the cozy comfort of the children’s section and, eventually, the young adult section, but I was always gently directed towards a section containing a treasure trove of new literary delights.  As I progressed from picture books to chapter books to middle grade books, young adult books, and eventually ventured towards whichever section I felt compelled, each new section brought about new entertainment, knowledge, and memories. I never once felt frustrated or illiterate. 

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    Danielle Voit

    Danielle Voit is the Co-Director of HEROES Academy. ​

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Serving NJ's Best and Brightest since 2007

HEROES Academy provides accelerated math and language arts classes for gifted and talented students in and around NJ.

Hours

M-F: 9am - 5pm

Telephone

732-690-7991

Email

info@njgifted.org
learn more about heroes academy
  • ABOUT HEROES
    • About >
      • Admissions
      • Placement Testing
    • History
    • FAQs
    • Gallery
    • School Calendar
  • Math
    • Math Corner
    • Mathfacts >
      • 2nd Grade
      • 3rd Grade
      • 4th Grade
      • 5th Grade
    • Math Activities >
      • Logic Puzzles >
        • Math Facts Squares
        • Binary Puzzles
        • Multiplication Mysteries
        • 3D Coloring
        • Math Facts Games
    • Math Classes
  • Reading
    • The Reading Corner
    • Reading Resources >
      • Recommended Reading >
        • Library Catalog
        • Elementary Level Reading Lists >
          • Harry Potter
          • RoaldDahl
          • Fairy Tales
          • Elementary Fiction
          • Elementary NonFiction
          • A Touch of Magic
        • Middle School Level Reading Lists >
          • Middle School Fiction
          • Historical Fiction
          • Wonder
          • Percy Jackson
          • Hunger Games
        • 100 Books to Read Before College
      • Literacy Levels
    • Writing Resources >
      • Spelling >
        • 1st Grade Spelling
        • 2nd Grade Spelling
      • Handwriting
    • Games and Activities >
      • Word Puzzles >
        • Word Searches
        • Word Mazes
        • Word Scrambles
        • Latin Based Activities
    • Student Writing
    • Language Arts Classes
  • Purely Gifted
    • Purely Gifted Blog
    • Identification >
      • Definitions by State
      • Characteristics >
        • Twice-Exceptional
        • Degrees of Giftedness
      • Testing >
        • Ability Testing
        • Achievement Testing
      • Theories on Gifted
    • Education Options >
      • Acceleration >
        • Early College
        • Public School Policies
        • Accelerated Math Research
      • Homeschooling
      • Enrichment
    • Memoirs
    • Research >
      • Neurodiversity
      • ADHD and the Gifted Brain
  • Contact