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Learning Resources

Literacy

Four children lie on a couch, engrossed in reading colorful books.

 

Read-at-Home Plan

Research shows that when families are involved in their children's education at home, children do better in school.

There are numerous activities and strategies to help your child at home.

Just 20 minutes of reading per day can have a huge impact on your child's success in school.

Reading 20 Minutes Per Day

Reading 20 Minutes Per Day
Student A Student B Student C
Reads
  • 20 minutes per day
  • 3,600 minutes per school year
  • 1,800,000 words per year
 Reads
  • 5 minutes per day
  • 900 minutes per school year
  • 282,000 words per year
 Reads
  • 1 minute per day
  • 180 minutes per school year
  • 8,000 words per year
Scores
  • 90th percentile on standardized tests
 Scores
  • 50th percentile on standardized tests
 Scores
  • 10th percentile on standardized tests

 

If reading for 20 minutes per day begins in Kindergarten, "Student A" will have read for the equivalent of 60 school days by the end of 6th grade. "Student B" will have read for 12 school days, and "Student C" will have read for three school days. Want to be a better reader? Simply read!

Nagy and Herman 1987

Six Essential Components of Reading

  • Oral Language: The system through which we use spoken words to express knowledge, ideas, and feelings.
  • Phonological Awareness: The understanding that a spoken word is made up of different parts and that each of these parts makes a sound.
  • Phonics: The ability to connect spoken sounds to written letters or words.
  • Fluency: The ability to read accurately with appropriate rate and expression.
  • Vocabulary: The knowledge of words and meanings.
  • Comprehension: The understanding and interpretation of what is read.

Online Literacy Resources

  • The components of reading are oral language, phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and writing. For each reading component, you will find a definition, why it is important, evidence-based practices, and resources. Also included is information to differentiate instruction: grade-specific Student Progress Records, Information to Guide Instruction, and Instructional Routines.

  • The Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) website provides early grade level (birth to grade 3) literacy strategies and activities for families to do at home. It includes a summer literacy packet for parents as well as intervention information to support tutors. 

  • The Florida Diagnostic and Learning Resources System (FDLRS) website provides recorded webinars for parents of students with disabilities or struggling students who want information on exceptional student education services in the state of Florida. This site also includes resources for parents to support their students at home with learning and behavior. Parents can also sign up for live webinars through this website.

  • The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) is the statistics, research, and evaluation arm of the U.S. Department of Education. We are independent and non-partisan. Our mission is to provide scientific evidence on which to ground education practice and policy and to share this information in formats that are useful and accessible to educators, parents, policymakers, researchers, and the public.

  • Here you'll find tips and strategies to support your child, develop their skills, and nurture their love of reading. Find reading guides, activities to help strengthen literacy skills, resource hubs, and videos that offer tips for caregivers to engage with reading in a child-friendly way.

  • The University of Florida Literacy Institute (UFLI) Parent Hub website provides parents with resources for supporting reading at home for children of all ages (birth to grade 12). It includes websites with activities for students and information for parents. 

Mathematics

Wooden numbers 1 through 8 are arranged on a vibrant red background.

Math-At-Home Plan

It is our goal that your child leave elementary school proficient and confident in his/her ability to think and reason mathematically, to communicate and represent his/her mathematical thinking, and to productively solve problems. Our math curriculum is based on Mathematics Florida Standards. These standards for mathematics form the foundation for kindergarten mathematics and beyond. These standards are taught and assessed in Grades K – 5.


To assist your child at home with mathematics, try some of these strategies. 

 
Ask Your Child To: Conversation Starters:
  • Draw a picture or diagram
  • Reread the problems and restate it in your own words
  • Use a manipulative—everyday objects such as paper clips, toothpicks, pennies, etc.
  • Think of a similar problem
  • Cross out any unnecessary information
  • Keep a math journal to record thoughts and work while tackling challenging math
  • When a problem is hard, I…………
  • The strategy I’m confused about……
  • The most important thing I learned today is……
  • Something useful I learned today is…………
  • Questions I asked today were………………
  • The easiest/hardest part of the problem is……

 

Your home is a great place to begin to explore and “talk” mathematics with your child. Incorporating math activities and language into familiar daily routines will show your child how math works in everyday life. Play board games, solve puzzles, and ponder brain teasers with your child. Your child will enjoy these kinds of activities while enhancing his/ her mathematical thinking. Point out the mathematics involved, and have your child discuss the strategies he /she used.

Standards for Mathematics K-5

  • Number Sense and Operations: Grasping the fundamental concepts of numbers, counting, and basic operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
  • Algebraic Thinking: Developing an understanding of patterns, relationships, and simple equations to solve basic mathematical problems.
  • Fractions: Learning about parts of a whole, comparing fractions, and performing basic operations with fractions, such as addition and subtraction.
  • Geometry: Recognizing and describing shapes, understanding spatial relationships, and basic concepts like symmetry and basic measurements.
  • Measurement and Data: Developing the ability to measure and compare objects, understanding basic data concepts like charts and graphs, and solving simple problems involving time, money, and other measurements.

Online Math Resources

Kindergarten Readiness | VPK

Is your child ready for kindergarten? Check out our "Kindergarten Information" page to learn more.

Kindergarten Readiness

Visit Flagler Schools' VPK Webpage for Additional VPK Information

Free Tutoring with Varsity Tutors

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Flagler County Schools is excited to offer an opportunity provided by Varsity Tutors available to our families for FREE. 

Click here for more information.

Step Up For Students

Learn about scholarships for VPK and public elementary school students needing academic support.

Step Up For Students