Resources for Literacy

Resources from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education: http://www.doe.mass.edu/familylit/parents/

DSNCS administers the STEP reading assessment in K1-Grade 3. This internal assessment is used by teachers to know where students are excelling and/or need support in reading.

The following table shows what grade-level STEP benchmarks look like over the course of the year. Students in K2-Grade 3 are assessed four times a year. In response to the data, students receive specialized instructional support based on their reading needs.

The following parent guides are intended to support literacy at home geared toward your child’s STEP level:

PARENT GUIDE ENGLISH

PARENT GUIDE SPANISH

The single most important thing you can do at home is to encourage your child to read (or read to your child) at least 20 minutes every day.

Click here for some strategies for reading aloud to your child: http://www.literacyconnections.com/ReadingAloud.php

http://www.readaloud.org/importance.html

Resources for Math

Resources from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education: http://www.doe.mass.edu/familylit/parents/

Boston Globe article, 9.15.16, Teaching Parents to Talk about Math

Videos, games, answers to math questions and more: kids.usa.gov/math

A rich website with information and resources for math, especially around numeracy, with practice problems and worksheets: http://www.math.com.

Five minutes of math practice a night and other great math recourses: http://www.bedtimemath.org

BPS Summer Learning Packets (for grades 1-8): http://www.bostonpublicschools.org/Page/2156

Grade 3 and 4 Online Game Resources: https://bpe.egnyte.com/dl/lQ4c5dR2Zn

Recommended Math Apps for Kindergarten and First Grade:

Cost App Title Developer Skill
Free Line ‘em Up Classroom Focused Software Number line
$1.99 Academic Board Tracer Animals Counting Numbers by Hien Ton Writing numbers
Free Ten Frame Fill By Education Quantity recognition, ten frame
Free Math Concentration By NCTM Quantity and number recognition
$0.99 1 to 100 1 to 100: Help your kids learn to count to 100 by Jonathan Mulcahy Reading, Identifying and Listening to number 1-100
$0.99 Math Girl Number Garden By leanaology LLC Number composition/quick images
$1.99 Tric Trac By McGraw Hill, Everyday Math Number decomposition and addition facts
Free Numbers! Numbers! On Numbers and Counting Match Games for Kids with Skills by Eggroll Quantity recognition and counting

Kindergarten math websites and apps: http://thejournal.com/articles/2015/05/21/5-online-resources-to-help-teach-kindergarteners-ccss-aligned-math.aspx

Summer Resources for Families

Read with your child or have your child read for at least 20 minutes every day!

Experts agree that children who read during the summer gain reading skills, while those who do not often slide backward. According to the authors of a report from the National Summer Learning Association, students from low-income families “…experience an average summer learning loss in reading achievement of over two months.” Not only do these students suffer greater sliding during the summer, they also experience cumulative effects of greater learning loss each summer.

Dudley Street School/BPS Summer Reading Lists

The following are lists of books recommended for scholars to read this summer:

K-2 Summer Reading List

Grades 3-5 Summer Reading List

Boston Public Library Calendar of Events (includes story hours and virtual options)

ReadBoston Storymobile Summer Schedule

Boston Public Library Summer Events for Kids

Summer Resources for Families

The following are resources for keeping kids active, engaged, and healthy this summer.

COVID-19 Summer Activities and Camps

Roxbury Youth Initiative Summer 2020 Program – English 

Roxbury Youth Initiative Summer 2020 Program – Spanish

Summer Food Service Program

BPS participates in the USDA Summer Food Service Program for Children and opened more than 120 sites in July and August to serve free breakfast and lunch to students under the age of 18. Free meals are provided to attending children 18 years of age and under, without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, age, or handicap. No registration or ID is required to take part. This project is supported by a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Education and sponsored by USDA, Project Bread and the Boston Public Schools Department of Food and Nutrition Services.

Please call Project Bread’s Hotline at 1-800-645-8333 for information about sites.

Education Progress and School Readiness

Resources to help you get your child (birth through age 5) get ready for school. Free child/family play groups in Boston, information about parks, and free events: http://www.talkreadplay.org/

Resources to provide parents the knowledge and know-how to nurture early development: http://www.zerotothree.org/

A great website for helping families talk with their kids of all ages and has a bank of amazing questions to ask kids of different ages: http://www.wonderopolis.org

A web site that provides information, helpful tools, and other resources to support you and your child in their academic success: http://raisethebarparents.org/

Great website for appropriate uses of technology and screens for kids, also reviews games and movies for age-appropriateness: http://www.commonsensemedia.org.