Our Summer Learning Program is Back!

Did you know tests show students lose about 2.5 months of math computation skills during summer break? Teachers spend on average 4-6 weeks of the new school year getting students back on track. We must keep our students thinking and challenged all year long. Math, Science and Language Arts Skills are practiced each day along with great facts and tips about other subject areas. Books are suggested for Summer Reading. Summer Learning will keep your child learning all through the summer in a fun way!

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SAT and ACT Test Preparation

Free Online Practice Resources for ACT Tests and SAT Tests! I4C now offers free SAT and ACT vocabulary and math quizzes. Become a free member and log in as much as you'd like. Students can take practice tests on 5000 vocabulary words. or over 1000 math problems. Parents and Mentors can log in to monitor your scores - including seeing which vocabulary words they missed. Interactive quizzes allow the test taker to retake and study as much as they want.

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June Blog: Achievable Dreams . We're talking about setting goals and actually meeting them.

 

June 2011 Picks

Teacher Resources | Parent Resources | Technology Tips |

June has arrived! Summer is here. Don't let the school year's achievements fall by the waist side. We've got summer reading, activities, and online resources to keep those minds challenged all summer long. Who can forget Flag Day, Father's Day, and a few famous birthdays too. Visit our monthly newsletter to see all the details. Below are just a few highlights!

WHAT'S HAPPENING THIS MONTH?

Here are just a few of the June events that you can integrate into your classroom lesson plans.

1. George Orwell's "1984" Was Published (6/6) - Did you know the name George Orwell is actually a pen name? Click to learn all about George Orwell and his works. You can find a free online version of 1984 as well.


2. National Yo-Yo Day (6/10) - The Yo-Yo has been around for over 2,000 years. There is debate about when and who actually invented it. Currently National Yo-Yo Day falls around Donald Duncan's (of The Duncan Company yo-yo's) birthday.


3. Flag Day (6/14) - Do you know what each star stands for on the American flag? Learn all about Flag Day, flags around the world, find Flag Day crafts and activities, and more.


4. Father's Day (6/19) - Father's Day didn't become an official holiday until 1972. Recognize the special dad in your life. Make him a homemade tie, picture frame, or cooler. Color one of these printable pages or make him cookies from scratch. There's something for everyone.


5. First Official Day of Summer (6/21) - Keep those kids challenged all summer long. Visit our Summer Activities page for links to summer projects and virtual field trips.


6. The Typewriter Was Patented (6/23/1868) - Read about the history of the typewriter. Challenge your typing skills with this page of online typing games and quizzes, and practice typing all summer long.

TEACHER RESOURCES

1. Activities To Close Out the Year - Ensure your students are learning and reading all summer long. Make a book/magazine holder using an empty cereal box, so students feel they have a special place to track their summer reading.


2. Form a book club - Using our How-to-Create-a-Blog page, create your own classroom blog. Pick a couple of books your students can read over the summer. Start a discussion on your blog, and students can sign into your url to post comments. The possiblities of continuing education are endless as you "sneak" in lesson plans.


3. Wind down over summer break with some inspirational reading - Here is a list of the top inspirational books for educators.


4. Not sure what to do this summer? Click for things teachers can do during the summer to refresh their minds.


5. Whether you've stretched your salary over 12 months or not, everyone could use extra income. This link offers summer job ideas for teachers.


6. Our Daily Dose - Brain Teasers page has an endless selection of games, puzzles, daily brain teaser quizzes, and interactive activities to keep you challenged and thinking every single day.


7. Visit Teacher tools for all of your classroom needs.


8. Go to our grade level help for lesson plans, activities, instructionals, and tools organized by grade and subject.

PARENT RESOURCES

1. School's out and so is the sun - Here are some fun summer activities to get you going. Find ways to educate your kids during the summer months with these summer activity lesson plans, online information, books and writing exercises, outdoor projects and more.


2. When the kids are tired and need a break, I4C has some great educational online games while they cool off indoors - They're perfect activities for rainy days too. If they start to feel out of touch from the news, we've got a few online newspapers for kids too. Stay home and tour the world at your finger tips with our virtual field trip collection.


3. Don't forget to practice math and numbers over the summer - We have math resources, by grade, on all mathematics topics. Parents can incorporate counting and numbers in almost any activity at home.


4. Parent Zone - A comprehensive list of everything school related, including homework help, reading help, all subject areas, and educational games.
   
   

TECHNOLOGY TIPS

1. Have You Ever Saved a Word Doc, Then Couldn't Locate the File? - Here's How to Change the Default Location Where Word Saves Your Documents: Open a new or existing document. Click on the Microsoft Office icon or File tab in the top left corner. Click on "Word Options" at the bottom of the domain box. If you have 2010, it will just say "Options." Click on "SAVE" and a domain box will appear. Look under the "Save Documents" section and you will see a "Default File Location" box. Browse,and save the location you want. Word will always save your files there. You can also change the Word version it saves it as. Find more Word tutorials here.


2. Find Out If a Website Is Really Down! - Go to this site and type in the URL you are trying to access. It will tell you if the site is down or if you are having browser issues.


3. Did You Know There Are MANY Search Engines Available To You? - I4C offers a comprehensive list of Search Engines and Safe Search Engines For Kids that will allow you to search many different ways. Narrowing your search will save you time and find you the best information.

We also have other basic instruction in Microsoft Office, including Word 2007, Excel 2007, Powerpoint 2007.

OTHER AREAS OF INTEREST

1. Resources for Educators - In this section you can find classroom resources for Exceptional Children, Smartboards, Character Education, Web 2.0 Resources and other topics.
2. Resources for Parents - Parents can find resources
   on assisting their children with homework, time management, Internet Safety, subject area resources, grade level resources and more.