Parents: Obviously, the more you know about what your children are doing in school, the easier it will be for you to help them to do their best. In addition, you will be able to praise them for their very real accomplishments, which makes for a win-win situation. Look over the following list of New Year’s Resolutions and find a few that would help you to have a good picture of how your children are doing in school:
- Chat daily with your children about school. This will give you an idea about how the school is going for your child. Reluctance to talk about school might be an indication of problems.
- Look over younger children’s work each day. It is best to do this with your children. If their papers are bleeding with red marks almost every day, it is time for a chat with their teacher.
- Ask your older children to show you their schoolwork and note the grades and any comments made by the teacher.
- Use the school/teacher’s web pages to find out exactly what is being studied. In some schools, teachers put online homework assignments, class participation points, and quiz and test scores online.
- Get teachers’ email addresses as this is a great way to communicate with them.
- Go to all parent-teacher conferences that are scheduled during the year and listen carefully to what a teacher says about how the children are doing.
- Read your children’s report cards carefully. Look at attendance and conduct.
- Talk with a teacher or school counselor for other kinds of information about your child’s performance, such as test scores and teacher observations.
- Remember that when you get to know the teachers in informal situations, you can do nothing but improve your relationship with them when you are dealing with situations affecting your children
- Attending events at your children’s school gives you the opportunity to meet other parents. This can help you gain more information about the school and your children’s teachers and classes.
- Using Technology to Build Vocabulary
Question: My child, a sixth-grader, loves technology. She also has a weak vocabulary. Are there any ways to combine building vocabulary and technology? –Multitasker
answer: It is very important for children to have a good vocabulary. Academic success depends on the ability to understand what is read. Having a good vocabulary is one of the keys to comprehending material, especially new material.
Most children have sufficient everyday vocabulary to communicate easily with others. However, the language of textbooks and classroom work is a far more difficult vocabulary to acquire, as it involves language not ordinarily used in daily conversation. Fortunately, there are ways to expand your daughter’s vocabulary that involve technology.
You might start by having her explore word games. This way she could be having fun and at the same time expanding her vocabulary. Your daughter might search with you online for vocabulary games. Make sure appropriate websites are chosen.
One site that you might consider looking at is vocabulary.com. It has a fun quiz that older elementary students can use to improve their vocabulary online. The quiz gives four potential meanings for a vocabulary word, and students select the one they think fits. It’s ideal for elementary students because it provides a hint for students who have no idea what a word is.
Another great tool that will help your child immediately look up a word she does not recognize in her reading is online reference tools. She will be more likely to use this type of tool rather than a print dictionary. Many of these tools are free. Explore several with your daughter. Some can be mounted on the browser toolbar for ease of usage.
Because students who have the best vocabularies are those who have acquired it through reading widely, encourage your daughter to read books that appeal to her online. Many e-books have dictionary help that offers not only the definition of a word but also its pronunciation.
Your child should also begin to use the vocabulary help that is offered on many websites. For example, there is a word wizard that pops up when students are reading Scholastic News online. It is also possible for her to hear the articles being read.
Finally, for your child to increase her vocabulary, encourage her to listen to the audio narration of books, especially those that will let her have access to dictionary definitions of words that she might not know. And it would be wise to ask her teachers about websites that the child can use to increase her vocabulary. They are likely to have some excellent suggestions.
One Way to Improve Messy Handwriting
Question: My son does well in second grade. However, his handwriting is still very messy. He can’t seem to stay on the lines – writing either above or below them with many words. How can we help him write neater? –Messy Writing
Answer: Actually, there is a relatively simple trick that could help him. You could have him use paper with raised or bold lines. Just search for it online, and you will find many choices. Or you can make your own lined paper with glue or bold colored lines that will indicate where he should be writing.
Parents should send questions and comments to dearteacher@dearteacher.com.