Free parent workshop in Modesto aims to improve students’ vocabulary skills. How to sign up
What is a preposition? Do your young children know? Would they recognize “it,” “the,” “of” and “at” as prepositions and know how to use them?
LearningQuest – Stanislaus Literacy Centers will conduct a workshop next month that will show parents how to help their elementary students with vocabulary.
The free event is Monday, Sept. 9, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. and is for parents looking to help their children learn the 100 most frequently used words, build vocabulary and improve spelling. Some words they plan to go over include “and,” ”on,” “he,” “she,” “you” and “have.”
Karen Williams, executive director of LearningQuest, said parents reach out to the organization wondering what they can do to help their children. She said the parents often don’t have the tools to do so, though.
“They don’t even know what to do to help their own children because we can’t provide tutoring for every child that wants our help because we’re dependent on volunteers,” Williams said. “We thought we need to empower parents, and that’s what this is about.”
The 2023 CAASPP (California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress) test results revealed around 27% of Modesto City Schools’ elementary school students met or exceeded the English standard in the state. For high school, around 45% met or exceeded the English standard.
In Modesto high schools, the test scores of Black, Hispanic and economically disadvantaged students lagged in English. About 68% of Black and 60% of Hispanic students did not meet the state standard. Statewide, around 70% of Black students and 64% of Hispanic students did not meet the standard for English.
Williams said many states, including California, embraced a reading strategy that experts found doesn’t work. She said it’s because teachers have taught kids to memorize words rather than decode them.
At the workshop, LearningQuest will give historical context on words and analyze where they come from so it’s easier to teach students. For example, the word “but” comes from Old English and was formed into a word using “by” and “out.”
“I wish I would have known this as a child because I would have struggled less with spelling if I had this information,” Williams said. “So it really just helps them spell correctly, have the vocabulary and understand the meaning of the word.”
For the workshop, parents will need to purchase “High Frequency Word Project” by Fiona Hamilton and Rebecca Loveless. All five books are downloadable as a pdf and cost $25, except the first book, which is $40. Participants will be given information on where and how to access the curriculum.
Participants will not have to purchase it to attend but will be encouraged to order their own copy.
To attend, those interested will also need to RSVP.
This story was originally published August 8, 2024 at 5:00 PM.
