After School Program at Twin Rivers Boosts Students’ Learning
MCKEESPORT CITY OF MCKEESPORT AREA SCHOOL NEWS DISTRICT NEWS
cKeesport
Students who take part in the school-sponsored After School program at Twin Rivers Elementary can boost their grades by having teachers assisting with homework and teaching them additional material.
Ms. Smith, a kindergarten teacher, works with older children in first grade in the after-school program. Once the regular school day ends, students start their after school activities with dinner in the cafeteria. Socialization and nutrition go hand in hand.
About 15 students are escorted to Ms. Smith’ s classroom with bathroom breaks on the way and then the students settle in for doing some homework. Math problems and counting are made easier by some of the counting rulers on the desks. Suddenly the addition and subtraction equations have tangible meaning from the visual learning.
Language arts and reading are also reviewed and worksheets completed with the help of Ms. Smith or a helpful classmate. Lego building and craft activities take up some of the time before everyone’ s attention is focused on a video of weather and its effects. Ms. Smith leads the discussion and the children focus to quickly learn and understand something new.
The final activity before dismissal is outside play on the playground. Climbing the jungle gym, swinging on the swings, and sliding down the slides in fading sunlight on a crisp autumn day is a perfect way to enjoy the outdoors before heading home for the evening with their families. The laughter and activities bring echoes of the memories of childhood fun for all.
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