Sleep like a rock Light as a feather Cream of the crop As big as a bus     The above phrases are examples of figurative language, all of which are commonly used in day-to-day English. Any student--especially any English language learner--can struggle with such figurative speech, particularly when the implied meaning (i.e., idiom) does not translate to the student's first language. The concept of figurative language is also difficult for struggling readers to understand, but all students need to be able to identify and use it in reading and conversation.

You may have noticed that some students seem to lose academic ground over the summer break. Well, you’re right. This phenomenon, sometimes referred to as the “summer slide,” can indeed affect student achievement levels in the fall. In fact, some students lose up to three months of reading achievement over the course of one summer. But while you may already be familiar with the affect summer sliding can have on student achievement levels, have you ever wondered how to stave off those summer learning losses?