While some children are back at school in-person, others are adjusting to the “new normal” of online at-home learning. Students can still learn and absorb a great deal of information in this virtual format, but supplementing your child’s learning with education apps can only help foster their academic growth. Try some of the apps detailed below for reading, writing, math, science, and social studies.

Psst…Check out How to Get Your Child Engaged This Election Season

Reading-‎Epic!
Grades Prek-6
Epic is a fantastic ebook app that offers a wide universe of over 35,000 books for kids to choose from.‎ Students can search for various authors, publishers, or themes and can either read the books themselves or have the books read aloud to them while they follow along. Parents can also monitor their child’s progress with the data tracking feature that tracks the amount of time spent reading as well as the total pages and books read. Kids can earn special rewards for reaching certain milestones. This subscription-based service is a great way for students to keep up with their reading while learning at home.

Writing-Book Creator
Grades 3-12
With online schooling, it’s imperative that kids continue to develop their writing skills. Using this Book Creator app, kids can write and publish their own digital books. They can create fiction books, nonfiction books, comics, and more, and can even integrate video and audio clips as well as visual images. The app offers children the opportunity to create and maintain a portfolio of their writing pieces without lugging around an old-fashion binder. This tool is interactive and fun for kids to use, and is particularly great for those who tend to dislike more traditional pen-to-paper writing tasks.

Math-SplashLearn
Grades PreK-5
Spla‎shLearn is an engaging, visual app for kids that gives them lots of extra practice with key math concepts in a multi-sensory, interactive way. The topics presented are curriculum-aligned to each grade and the app tracks kids’ progress so parents can gauge areas of mastery and concepts that need continued development. Kids get instant feedback on any mistakes they make, and they love the virtual “rewards” they can earn as they progress forward.

Science-K-5 Science
Grades K-5
This app is a great one for expanding your child’s science knowledge with over 200 colorful and engaging lessons. A character named “Haley the Science Gal” brings science to life by breaking down complex science concepts into easy-to-understand explanations and demonstrating cool science experiments.‎ There are game shows, videos, interactive games, and tons of questions to spark your child’s curiosity. Kids will learn about space, animals, plants, volcanoes, magnets, energy and so much more!

Social Studies-PBS Students
Grades K-12
Pull your child’s social studies learning out of the textbook with this multi-dimensional app. Students will watch videos, listen to audio clips, read about fascinating current events, and play games, helping them to grasp important social studies information. ‎They’ll learn about geography, U.S. History, World History, government, economics, and more, all while having loads of fun!
Learning at home may be the new temporary norm, but don’t let your child’s education stop when the school day ends. Continue to expand your child’s knowledge with these cool apps and they will be well on their way to academic success.

For more information on Dr. Emily Levy and EBL Coaching, click here!

The post The Best Education Apps to Supplement Your Child’s At-Home Learning appeared first on EBL Coaching.

Children with dysgraphia often struggle with forming letters and words correctly, spacing words properly on a page, and generally have difficulty expressing their thoughts on paper.

Your child struggles to properly hold a pencil. His handwriting is messy and he has trouble with letter spacing and spelling. Writing a paragraph is a completely daunting task. If your child experiences these challenges, he may have dysgraphia.

Dysgraphia is defined as a specific learning disability that affects writing. Children with dysgraphia often struggle with forming letters and words correctly, have ‎trouble spacing words properly on a page, and generally have difficulty expressing their thoughts on paper when writing. Yet with the right strategies and tools, your child can learn to tackle the increasing writing demands of school. Try the ideas detailed below:

Feel the letters!
Many kids with dysgraphia have trouble learning to form letters and numbers properly when writing. To build this skill, try creating a multi-sensory experience. Have your child trace letters in a tray of salt or colored sand while she says the formation of each letter aloud. For instance, as she traces the letter “A,” she might say “around, up, and down,” or “down, up, and around” for p. You might also have her trace letters on your back or palm, or you can do the same to her while she closes her eyes to better experience the sensation of each letter’s formation. For gross motor exercises, try having her sky-write each letter or number while standing up, or squirt some foam on the shower door and have her write letters and numbers, using large hand formations.

Practice storytelling!
Children with dysgraphia often struggle to organize their ideas into well-constructed stories and paragraphs. To help build this skill, teach your child to tell stories aloud in an organized fashion. For instance, when you return from a vacation, ask him for an opening line by saying, “We did so many fun activities on our vacation!” and then ask him ‎to discuss his three favorite activities and why he loved each one. He might say one of his favorite activities was playing on the beach, since he built a giant sand castle, jumped the waves, and swam in the ocean. He may say another favorite activity was eating every meal with his family and enjoying special treats, like Belgian waffles, chocolate ice cream, and frozen lemonade. Finally, he may say that his third favorite activity was spending time with his cousins, which included swimming with them, sharing stories, and laughing. Then have him end his story with his overall thoughts on the vacation, like “I had so much fun on my vacation and can’t wait for the next one!” You can try this exercise with just about any experience—a day at school, a play date, or a meal he just ate. The more you practice helping him organize his ideas orally, the easier it will become when writing.

Learn to type
The physical act of writing involves so many components: Letter and word formation, spacing, spelling, sentence construction, written organization, and so many other challenging tasks, especially for kids with dysgraphia. Typing can ease some of these challenges. It eliminates letter formation and spacing challenges, and computers can help with spelling with the use of spell check. When the physical challenges of writing are reduced, ideas often flow much more easily. ‎ If typing is not an option, though, learning to write in cursive, rather than print, can help your child with letter reversals, spelling, spacing, and the overall flow of writing.

Brainstorm!
Many kids—even those who don’t have dysgraphia—have trouble getting started with their writing. Brainstorming can be very helpful in easing this challenge. Encourage your child to start by creating a brainstorm web with her ideas. If she wants to write about why she loves math, for instance, before she begins writing, she should draw a bubble in the middle of the page and write “why I love math.” Then, branching out from the middle bubble, she can add details on why she loves math, like “It helps with problem solving,” “It’s fun!” and “It plays a role in everyday life.” Then branching out of those detail bubbles, she may even add supporting details on why each of those reasons make her love math so much. Once her brainstorm web is complete, it becomes a much easier process to translate that information into an organized written format. Computer programs like Inspiration and Kidspiration are great tools for creating electronic versions of these brainstorm webs.

‎As students progress through school, they will inevitably be required to write longer and more complex stories, paragraphs, and essays. Help your child with dysgraphia build his writing skills with these ideas, and he will be well on his way to academic success!

The post Does Your Child Have Dysgraphia? appeared first on EBL Coaching.

Originally published on the New Jersey Kids Online website

As children move through school, the writing demands increase rapidly. Students must first master proper letter formation, then learn to write words, sentences, stories, and soon multi-paragraph essays. ‎Some students enjoy expressing their thoughts on paper, but for others, this task is downright daunting. Help your child develop stronger writing skills with the ideas detailed below.

Simply beginning the writing process can be challenging for many students. They often feel overwhelmed and at the thought of having to compose a well-written sentence or paragraph. To combat these fears, encourage your child to start by simply jotting down ideas about a given topic. For instance, if your child is asked to write a paragraph on why he likes winter, he can start by‎ listing ideas about the joys of winter. He might write in list format, for instance: one can play in the snow, roast marshmallows, go skiing or snowboarding, travel, and spend time around a fireplace. Once these ideas are on the page, he can then highlight the three or so points he plans to include in his writing.

Create a Brainstorm Web

After your child has selected the points she plants to elaborate on in her paragraph, she should brainstorm these ideas in an organized fashion. While there are different formats she can use for brainstorming, a web diagram is a useful tool. She can, for instance, brainstorm for a basic five sentence paragraph by writing the topic in a rectangular box at the top of the page, connecting it to three circular bubbles beneath it (for the three key points, such as playing in the snow, skiing, and roasting marshmallows), and finally ending with another rectangular box at the bottom for the concluding sentence. Computer-based programs, such as Kidspiration can also serve as engaging multi-sensory options for brainstorming.

Start Writing

Once your child has listed his ideas and then created a brainstorm diagram, he can turn those boxes and bubbles into complete sentences to form his paragraph. Have him turn the “topic” box into a topic sentence, such as “There are many fun and engaging activities one can do during the winter.” Next, he can turn each detail bubble into full sentences. For example, “You can play outside building snowmen. You can go skiing or snowboarding. You can also roast marshmallows around a fire.” Finally, he should turn the bottom box into a conclusion sentence, which can express his opinion on the topic, such as “I love winter” or “Winter is my favorite time of year.”

Remember to self-check!

Many students have a tendency to speed through their work to “get it over with” and often forget to self-check their writing. Rather than telling them to simply “check” their work, teach them specific tools for how to go about doing so, such as the COPS acronym, which stands for Capitalization, Organization, Punctuation, and ‎Spelling. Have her write the COPS acronym vertically at the bottom of her paragraph with a check box next to each letter. Once she is done writing her paragraph, encourage her to go back and check for each individual item on the check list (one at a time) and check off each one once she makes the relevant corrections.

Writing demands in school increase at a rapid pace. Help your child learn to effectively express her ideas on paper in an organized, well-structured manner and she will be well on her way to school success.

The post Help Your Child Build Stellar Writing Skills appeared first on EBL Coaching.

Princess and the Pea (and other interactive storybooks)

In this app, students either practice reading the Princess and the Pea or listen as the story is read aloud to them, reinforcing auditory comprehension, auditory processing, and listening skills. They can also play interactive games related to the story that are contained within the app, such as matching pictures, completing puzzles, and filling in missing items to complete a picture, all of which reinforce early learning skills.

This app is free and available on iTunes –> Click Here

Short Vowel Word Study

This is a great app for reinforcing basic word decoding at a Kindergarten/1st grade level. The app contains three main sections: word families, short vowels, and longer words. The first game is “Sort It,” where the child must sort a word into its proper vowel category; i, u, or a. In the “Find It” game‎, the child must find the “oddball” word that doesn’t belong in the same vowel family, and drag it to the bottom of the screen. The “Spell It” game reinforces spelling by displaying an image (like hat) and the child must drag letters to spell the word. The “Write It” game teaches students to trace and then independently write words. Other related fun and engaging reading games are also integrated into this app.

This app is $2.99 and available on iTunes –> Click Here

Montessori Crosswords

This app helps students develop their decoding, spelling, and writing skills by teaching them to build words with different phonics patterns. Students start by building basic CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words, then move into words with blends, digraphs, silent e, vowel teams, and other combinations. Students are initially given a picture (like “bag” or “kid”) and are asked to drag letters from the alphabet at the bottom of the screen to spell the word displayed. Later, students spell words following specific phonics patterns in the form of crosswords. Students can also choose themes for the activities, like animals, food, clothes, etc.

This app is $2.99 and available on iTunes –> Click Here

Nursery Rhymes with Story Time

For younger children (ages 5 and younger), this app is great for building phonemic awareness and early reading skills. The app presents classic rhymes, such as Humpty Dumpty, Three Blind Mice, Jack and Jill, and others, in an interactive, playful format. While listening to the rhymes, children can “play” with the images. For example, when listening to Jack and Jill, children can drag a bucket of water up a well and watch flying fish and bubbles burst out of the water. The interactive illustrations make listening to rhymes and building core phonemic awareness skills great fun for children.

This app is free and available on iTunes –> Click Here

SuperWhy!

This app is a great one for building reading, spelling, writing, and phonemic awareness skills. It includes four games, each led by a different character: Alpha Pig, Princess Pesto, Wonder Red, and Super Why. In the Alpha Pig game, students find letters on a path to form different words. ‎In the Princess Pesto game, students practice writing letters to form words that are modeled first by Princess Pesto’s magic wand. In Wonder Red’s game, students identify rhyming words, and in Super Why’s game, students build their reading comprehension skills by identifying words that complete sentences in a given story.

This app is $2.99 and available on iTunes –> Click Here

The post The 5 Best Reading Apps for Kids appeared first on EBL Coaching.

For many students, the thought of having to write a well-constructed essay causes a chronic case of the jitters. Adding a time constraint to this task only fans the flame of their already raging anxiety. Unfortunately for many, an increasing number of standardized and in-class tests incorporate timed essay writing as part of an overall academic assessment. Learning strategies for composing a well-written essay in a timely fashion can help students feel relaxed and well-prepared for these types of exams. Encourage your child to try using some of these techniques!

The Prompt

When students are asked to write an essay, they are usually given a prompt, generally a statement to let students know the general topic. Some prompts might include: Discuss your idea of a Utopian world, Describe the advantages of technology. Or, explain how eyeglasses and the sewing machine have had important influences on our lives.

Students should take particular note of directive words such as discuss, describe, and explain. Other directives might include analyze, compare, contrast, compare and contrast, and persuade. Students should always underline the directive after reading the prompt to make sure they answer the question correctly. You may notice that your child sometimes veers off topic when answering an essay question. By identifying and underlining the directive, he or she can avoid making that mistake.

After reading the prompt and underlining the directive, students should rewrite the prompt in their own words. This step ensures that the student is aware of precisely what the prompt is asking and how to correctly write the essay.

Brainstorm

Before writing, students should always organize their ideas on paper, even if they are under a tight time constraint! This step helps ensure their essay will be well-organized and include the necessary information in a structured format. What is the best style for brainstorming? Students may have their own preference for jotting down their ideas, but one useful strategy is to create a web diagram.

For this strategy, students should draw a vertical web diagram with a box on top for the opening and thesis statement, three bubbles beneath it, and a box at the bottom for the conclusion paragraph. They should write their opening sentence inside the upper part of the box for the introduction paragraph, and their thesis statement inside the bottom part. They should then create branches stemming out of each bubble with ideas for the body paragraph.

After completing their brainstorm diagram while practicing, students should write an estimated time (ET) detailing how long they think it will take them to complete their essay. When they have finished writing and self-checking their work, they should write the actual time (AT) it took them to complete the process. By practicing this step, students will develop time management skills and gain a realistic sense of how long it might take them to complete their essay during the exam.

The Essay

It’s time to begin writing! Students should note that the hard part is done, they have already detailed the ideas which they will include in their essay. Now they must translate that information into words to form a well-organized essay.

How do I begin writing? This is a question students frequently ask themselves, and often struggle with. Learning five options for opening their essays can be a helpful tool. To add variety, students can also start their essays with a question (Have you ever wondered how lasagna is made?), quotation (If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it), opposite statement (Some people believe that all water is safe to drink), or a story (David decided to go for a hike one day). These alternate choices can help your child add creativity to his or her essay.

The thesis statement is another sentence that gives students trouble when writing, and it can be considered one of the most important parts of the entire essay. A thesis statement should be composed of an opinion and a plan.

When writing, students should remember to use transition sentences at the beginning of each body paragraph. They should also start their conclusion paragraph by restating their thesis statement, and end their essay with a unique thought or idea.

Self-Checking

Self-checking is a step many students love to leave out! Students often lose points because of careless mistakes they could have fixed by self-checking their work. Here’s a helpful self-checking tool:

C
T
O
P
S

C stands for Capitalization
T stands for Tense (students should make sure they use a consistent past or present tense)
O stands for Organization (students should include an opening, a thesis statement, well-organized body paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph)
P stands for Punctuation
S stands for Spelling

Students should be sure to re-read their essay five separate times to check for each element on this list. Once they have finished brainstorming, writing, and self-checking their essay, they should look at the clock and record AT, the actual amount of time it took them to complete this process.

The more students practice these strategies, the easier and less daunting the essay writing process will become. With these tools, students will be well on their way to writing a good, well-organized essay for any timed exam.

The post Effective Writing Strategies for Students appeared first on EBL Coaching.

Do you find that your child has interesting, smart, and creative ideas but struggles to put them down on paper? Many students are unsure how to begin the writing process, how to write well-organized thesis statements, and how to structure each of their body paragraphs. As the writing demands of school increase, these struggles tend to follow. Yet learning the steps for composing a well-written five paragraph essay can help all students improve their writing. Read more at Help Your Child with Dysgraphia Build Stronger Writing Skills – EBL Coaching.

Here’s how it’s done:

Step 1: The Introduction Paragraph. This paragraph tends to be the most challenging one for students to write. At the start of the essay, the student must lure in the reader with an interesting, thought-provoking remark or anecdote. The paragraph must end with a well-constructed thesis statement to set the organization and tone of the essay. Here are some guidelines for writing a strong introduction paragraph:

1. The Opener. Students can choose one of the following five ways to start the essay:

• Question (Ex. Have you ever wondered how lasagna is made?)
• General Statement. (Ex. Growing trees is an easy process.)
• Quotation. (Ex. A wise man once said, “If it ‘aint broke, don’t fix it.”)
• Opposite Statement (Ex. Many people believe that all water is safe to drink.)
• Story (Ex. The manager left his store to take a quick lunch break. He was sure all of his employees were trustworthy. He was gone for one hour, and when he returned, all of the cash was missing from his register.)
• For practice, encourage your child to write just the opener of several different essays on various topics. These five choices will add variety and creativity to his or her writing!

2. The Thesis Statement. The thesis statement should always come at the end of the introduction paragraph. It should contain two parts: the student’s opinion on the topic and his or her plan for the essay. For example, a well-constructed thesis statement might be as follows: Blue Man Grill is the best restaurant in town because of its food, atmosphere, and friendly staff. Note that for this thesis statement, the opinion is Blue ManGrill is the best restaurant in town and the plan is because of its food, atmosphere, and friendly staff. Thus, the first body paragraph of this essay would be about Blue Man Grill’s food, the second body paragraph would be about its atmosphere, and the third would be about its friendly staff. For practice, have your child write thesis statements on the following topics: winter sports, junk food, and holidays.

3. The Lead-in. The lead-in is composed of 3-5 sentences and should come before the thesis statement and after the opener. We teach the lead-in after teaching the thesis statement, however, because it flows together and is easier to grasp this way. As practice, students should read well-written introduction paragraphs and highlight the opener in one color, the lead-in in another color, and the thesis statement in a third color.

Step 2: The Three Body Paragraphs. The thesis statement sets the plan for the content of each body paragraph. When writing the body paragraph, students should ask themselves: If the thesis statement is: Skiing is a great sport because it is fun, social, and athletic, what would each body paragraph be about? In this case, the first body paragraph would be about why skiing is fun, the second would be about why it is social, and the third would describe why it is an athletic sport.

Each body paragraph should include details, examples, statistics, quotations, and any other specific information. The old adage “Show, don’t tell” certainly applies here. It is important that the student describes information in detail, with concrete backup from credible sources, rather than just “telling” about it. Remember that if any information is taken from other sources, it must be credited as an outside source.

Step 3: The Conclusion Paragraph. This paragraph can be a tough one for many students to write. Students must reiterate all of the information from the essay without being redundant, and add more information without really adding more information. How is this done: The solution for writing the conclusion paragraph is as follows:

1. Restate the Thesis Statement. This is where the student should remind the reader of his or her opinion on the topic and restate the three supporting points. For example, for our Rocking Horse Grill essay, we might start our conclusion paragraph with the following: “Because of its delicious Mexican cuisine, convivial ambiance, and energetic staff, Rocking Horse Grill is one of the best restaurants in Chicago.”
2. The Lead-out. The next 2-4 sentences should lead the reader to the author’s final, conclusive remark. The student can reiterate some points about each of the body paragraphs. These sentences should, of course, contain words that are different from those used in the actual body paragraphs.
3. Concluding Remark. This remark should be conclusive, strong, and perhaps profound. It should leave the reader thinking. For example, a concluding remark for our Rocking Horse Grill essay might be: “The next time you are in town, do not bother with any other restaurants since Rocking Horse Grill has it all.”

If your child follows the above model when writing, he or she will be well on the way toward a perfect five paragraph essay. But first, to your child, a few other pointers:

1. Try not to directly state your opinion. Avoid phrases like:
   • “In this essay, I will talk about…”
   • “I think that smoking is bad for you because” (rather, simply state “Smoking is bad for you because…”)
   • “In conclusion, my essay proves…”
2. Remember to use transition words when transitioning between paragraphs and between points within paragraphs. For example, at the start of your first body paragraph, you might write, “The first reason why Rocking Horse Grill is the best restaurant in town is because it offers delicious Mexican cuisine.” Between points within that paragraph, you might write, “Next, the burritos at Rocking Horse are some of the best I have ever had. They are warm, thick, and are filled with fresh ingredients. Furthermore, there is a wide variety to choose from.” The words in italics are some transition words you might use.
3. Perhaps the most important advice you should follow is to always use three steps when writing: brainstorm, write, and self-check. Use the following guidelines when doing so:
   • Brainstorm. Use a visual diagram, a word processor, or even a hand-written list to plan your essay. Make sure you write out your opener, your thesis statement, your three points for your body paragraph, and some details, quotes, statistics, or other specific information that you might include in each body paragraph before writing. This step sets the stage for the organization and flow of your essay.
   • Write. Use the above-mentioned guidelines for specific information on how to write the essay itself.
   • Self-check. This step is critical; one that many students neglect! When self-checking your work, do not rely solely on the spell check or grammar check on your word processor. Many mistakes are missed by using just these tools! Instead, self-check your work using the following checklist:
     • Capitalization: re-read your essay and make sure that all letters that should be capitalized are, and those that should not be capitalized are not.
     • Tense: re-read your essay and make sure that all tense is consistent. That means that you should not mix past and present tense together. Rather, you should choose one of the two and stick with it throughout the essay.
     • Organization: re-read your essay and ask yourself the following questions: Does my essay have a strong opener? Is that opener followed by a lead-in, and then by a well-constructed thesis statement? Have I clearly stated my points in each body paragraph? Have I restated my thesis statement in my conclusion paragraph and ended my essay with a thought-provoking remark? If so, then check off this box.
     • Punctuation: again, re-read your essay and make sure all of your punctuation is correct.
     • Spelling: re-read the essay and make sure all spelling is correct.

Note that the key theme here is re-read. You should re-read your essay five times, each time checking for a different element. Read more at Help Your Child Build Stellar Writing Skills – EBL Coaching.

Encouraging your child to follow this step-by-step guide to writing a five paragraph essay can help him structure his thoughts on paper in a well-organized, logically flowing fashion. It may take some time, but the more practice, the more progress you will see – so help him get to work!

Dr. Emily Levy is the Founder and Director of EBL Coaching, which offers one-on-one tutoring and intensive summer programs. For more information, visit www.eblcoaching.com or call 212-249-0147.

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The post How to Write a Perfect Five Paragraph Essay appeared first on EBL Coaching.