How Can you Help?
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- Be part of what your child is learning
- Have a work space designated for homework
- Use the communication book
- Look at family schedule and plan accordingly
- Studying for tests and doing projects are NOT a day before only assignment- Do a little each day.
- Allow them to earn something for quality not speed
- Allocate a certain amount of time per subject, your child should not be doing one subject's homework for over an hour.
- If your child becomes frustrated, ask them to do the areas they know. (Write a quick note to the teacher to let her know-so help will be given)
- Let a teacher know if your child is struggling__
Reading
_ Reading should be an enjoyable experience. With this said, it can also be a nightmare. If a text is too difficult, if the content is too dry, or if there are no pictures, many students shut down.
Students at FFES are required to read every night. Most teachers provide a reading journal to document reading.
I have found that I have students who are very excited to tell me when they have finished reading; but when asked a question about the content, they can give me very little information. This is usually the case when the book is either too hard, there was no active reading strategies being used or they are just decoding words and have not absorbed the content. Below are some reading strategies to try.
These are some of the reading strategies:
Students at FFES are required to read every night. Most teachers provide a reading journal to document reading.
I have found that I have students who are very excited to tell me when they have finished reading; but when asked a question about the content, they can give me very little information. This is usually the case when the book is either too hard, there was no active reading strategies being used or they are just decoding words and have not absorbed the content. Below are some reading strategies to try.
These are some of the reading strategies:
Complete an on-going Reader's Response Journal. I will be implementing this method this school year. Info will go home.
Most children are very familiar with movies, video games and television. As they read they should be trying to see what is going on through the words. This idea is also great for writing. When their story is read the reader should be able to formulate a movie in their minds. The more descriptive the better the scene.
WRITING
There are many areas to cover when you discuss writing:
Cursive: Many parents are surprised to see cursive on the report card. Most adults feel the only thing they do in cursive is their signature. I have seen some of my students prefer cursive and never print, for others the struggle is insurmountable. My suggestion is try it. In a positive way see how it goes. If you find the battle is not worth the fight , so be it.
Spacing: I don't know of one student who hasn't heard the term "finger spacing". Well I can tell you that as they get older, their fingers widen. That space could be pretty large and look unusual on a 4th or 5th grade paper. Teach your child to be able to recognize when words are touching. The space between the letters of a word are consistently spaced and then double that between words. The other wonderful trait so many of our young writers do is to go right to the edge of the paper and cram as many letters into that space as possible. Teach them to think about the amount of letters of the final word and would it make more sense to go to the next line. This takes time. It is also helpful to skip a line on the paper. Mark a light pencil "x" on every other line to help, then have them erase it when done writing. This comes in very handy for the massive amount of editing they will be doing.
- legibility
- cursive
- spacing
- grammar
- conventions
- topic generating
- essays
- sequencing
- and more...
Cursive: Many parents are surprised to see cursive on the report card. Most adults feel the only thing they do in cursive is their signature. I have seen some of my students prefer cursive and never print, for others the struggle is insurmountable. My suggestion is try it. In a positive way see how it goes. If you find the battle is not worth the fight , so be it.
Spacing: I don't know of one student who hasn't heard the term "finger spacing". Well I can tell you that as they get older, their fingers widen. That space could be pretty large and look unusual on a 4th or 5th grade paper. Teach your child to be able to recognize when words are touching. The space between the letters of a word are consistently spaced and then double that between words. The other wonderful trait so many of our young writers do is to go right to the edge of the paper and cram as many letters into that space as possible. Teach them to think about the amount of letters of the final word and would it make more sense to go to the next line. This takes time. It is also helpful to skip a line on the paper. Mark a light pencil "x" on every other line to help, then have them erase it when done writing. This comes in very handy for the massive amount of editing they will be doing.
Grammar:
This is a lifelong goal for most people. Am I using the right tense of the verb? Does my sentence sound correct? My biggest bit of advice on this one is to have the student read aloud what they wrote. Does it sounds correct to them? Do people speak like this? Repeat their sentence to them if they can not hear the error. If they do not notice the error after you have said it, then say the sentence to them the correct way. Have them repeat it aloud and then write it down.
Conventions:
This is paired with legibility. This will be the tool used to assess many writing samples. Using a rubric like this when a student begins the reading and editing process of their writing can make all the difference. To assist without telling them their errors, have the student do the editing using the rubric. Once they are satisfied with their editing, give them a hint ( I see a missing capital letter, what goes at the end of a questions? etc.)
Topic Generating: This has been a very challenging area for many students.
So often this is associated with writing a personal narrative.
A student is usually given a writing prompt "Remember a time when you experienced embarrassment."
I know of students who are unable to tell you what they did this morning, this past weekend etc. I also know that many students struggle with emotions and naming them. These writing prompts do not have little picture icons or helpful cartoons to give the student a visualization of what embarrassed means. Generating an event or moment which caused embarrassment can be nearly impossible for some students. Talking about feelings and emotions regularly, will give your child a more generalized ongoing experience. Take advantage of everyday situations. Make it a teachable moment.
Example: You are in the car with your child/ren and there is a massive traffic jam. People are honking, you are running late, the child/ren are complaining or bickering. Take a DEEP breath:-) Then start asking and telling about how various people are probably feeling . "How do you think that person honking is feeling right now? Why?, "I am going to be late and I can feel my body tensing up, how am I feeling? How do you know?" " I am feeling this way and hearing complaining & bickering, what else could I be feeling?" "Now that you know I could be feeling this way, how do you feel about knowing your complaining and bickering is causing or adding to this feeling?" If your child can not put a word to any of these feelings-help by suggesting 3 possible feelings. "Do you think you might be feeling guilty, excited or cooperative?"
The demand for personal narratives increases as they get older.
I have gone so far as telling a student that if they can't recall a personal moment that relates to the prompt, then make one up. Just be sure it is realistic and you use "I".
Essays:
More than likely the essays your student will encounter will be Personal Narratives. Here are some of the basics.
- Organize and plan your writing (graphic organizer)
- Use "I"
- Grab the reader's attention with a great beginning that hooks them in
- Include only important events (seed idea, focused moment)
- tell the events in order
- write in your own voice
- use juicy words(descriptive, great adjectives)
- keep to the topic
- include dialog if possible
- show don't tell
- Re-read
- Revise/ edit-use writing rubric
- re-write for final draft (if time allows)
- Re-read a 2nd time
Sequencing:
Sequencing is placing pictures, sentences or events in the correct order. It is important to know the order or sequence that events take place in a story. It helps you understand what you read. Look for signal words like first, next, last, before, after and finally to help you figure out the sequence. This is also important for writing.
Having a student follow a set of directions, then make their own is a fun and interesting. There is a great lesson for the making of a peanut butter & jelly sandwich. (You'll have to ask me about that one).
If you need a real simple one, use the every day tasks of the school day, write each on an index card and have your student order them. (wake-up, eat breakfast, brush teeth, feed cat,get backpack, drive to school..)
Another helpful tool is to print a story, enlarge the font, cut out strips of sentences, mix them up and then see if your student can put them in the appropriate sequence.
For recalling story events, have them use a sequencing graphic organizer.
Having a student follow a set of directions, then make their own is a fun and interesting. There is a great lesson for the making of a peanut butter & jelly sandwich. (You'll have to ask me about that one).
If you need a real simple one, use the every day tasks of the school day, write each on an index card and have your student order them. (wake-up, eat breakfast, brush teeth, feed cat,get backpack, drive to school..)
Another helpful tool is to print a story, enlarge the font, cut out strips of sentences, mix them up and then see if your student can put them in the appropriate sequence.
For recalling story events, have them use a sequencing graphic organizer.
