Spend an hour with your child studying and it will set them on the right track for success. Studies have shown that an hour a day spent helping your child study, read, or write, can have a lasting effect on their academic performance. Researchers recommend the hour be spent reviewing information, rather than going over new material. This helps instill the lessons taught that day, and helps with the retention of information in children.

Online Literacy Resources for Students, Families & Community:

Offline Activity Suggestions: Grades 6-8

• Watch a TV show or part of a movie. Take notes on different characters and choose one to compare and contrast to a character in a book or story you've read. 
• Choose an object or place in your house. Write a description of the object or place using as many adjectives and details as possible, but do not say what the object or place is.  Give your description to someone in your house and have them try to draw the object or place based on your description.  When you're done, compare the drawing to the actual object or place.  Discuss what adjectives and details were helpful in creating that image. 
• Create a greeting card with a poem; add a picture to go with the poem. Send it to a neighbor to brighten his or her day!
• Read! Read! Read!

         [- VA Dept. of Education]