Literacy and Numeracy

READING

Did you know…

Research shows that Children who read, or are read to, at home will have a more successful time at school, and in life. Students who read at home will have a better knowledge of the Alphabet and the letter sounds, as well as a richer bank of vocabulary that they can use to become a better writer. Reading allows you to learn almost anything, as it can take you to so many different worlds! Practice, Practice, Practice is SO important. Practice makes progress, and we believe everyone is a capable reader. No matter where your child is starting from, increased time involved in reading can change their life for the best! We recommend at least 20 minutes of dedicated reading time each night if possible, to help to practice strategies being taught to your child at school, and instill a life-long love of reading and learning! Happy Reading!

Not sure what books are right for your child? Please ask your child's teacher. Mulvey teachers are all enthusiastic literacy lovers. They will be happy to give you some suggestions of books that you child may love! They also keep quite up to date on the newest trendy youth books! They may be able to suggest a great new series that your child would really enjoy!

At Mulvey School students learn to read by using evidence-based, cognitive-science strategies rather than guessing. Teachers keep up to date with best practices in literacy and root your child's education in the core pillars of the Science of Reading:

• Phonological & Phonemic Awareness: Helping children hear, identify, and play with individual sounds in spoken words.

• Phonics: Explicitly teaching how written letters match spoken sounds to build strong decoding skills.

• Fluency: Developing the ability to read accurately, smoothly, and quickly so students can focus on meaning.

• Vocabulary: Expanding the range of known words to support deeper understanding.

• Comprehension: Making the ultimate goal of understanding, interpreting, and thinking critically about text achievable.

  
  

WRITING

Through writing lessons and opportunities, students learn about:

     ~ Voice

     ~ Ideas

     ~ Organization

     ~ Sentence Fluency

     ~ Word Choice

     ~ Conventions

     ~ Presentation

MATH

Math is an important everyday skill that everyone should have the opportunity to learn. At Mulvey we teach your children the value of this skill everyday. The more your child is exposed to it the better they will be able use it. Teachers focus on counting, mental math strategies for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, communicating ideas, and real life problem solving that is meaningful and engaging to students. 

How can you help your child with math at home?

Always feel comfortable asking your child's teacher about what math concepts your child is learning about in school. They may have suggestions for you on how you can enforce that learning at home.

Some other suggestions that you can try at home to increase your child's math awareness include:

*Show your child that math is in our everyday lives by showing them how you purchase things at the store when you go shopping.

*Lend your child coins to practice counting money.

*Have children point out patterns they find.

*Let your child help you cook. Cooking involves a lot of counting and measuring.

*Give your child story problems to try and solve. Have your child explain how to solve the problem.

*Count your steps as you walk. Count by 1's, 2's, 5's, and 10's.

*Ask your child to tell you the time using an analog clock.

*Play board games that use dice and try skip counting when moving pieces.

*Look for math in advertisements and everyday experiences in your community.

These are just a few ideas that you can expand on at home! We are so proud of the effort and the way your children put the "earn" in "learn" everyday at Mulvey School!