Homework Humdrum

As we previously discussed at Open House, first grade is a huge transitional grade with increased academic demands, challenges and accomplishments. Another area of adjustment is that of homework. In kindergarten, children are assigned little if any homework. However, in first grade the level of homework starts slowly and builds significantly. Most first grade students are expected to read 20 minutes every night as well as complete practice to mastery work for a multitude of subjects (vocabulary, math, phonics, writing, spelling, social studies and science).

After sitting in a classroom all day learning new concepts, your child may come home less than enthusiastic to sit down and work some more on homework assignments. Really, can you blame them? Regardless if you believe in homework or not...more than likely this is just the beginning of many, many years of homework assignments and homework hum drums! The good news is - as a parent and your child's first and forever teacher you can help set the tone for homework.

Model Positive Attitudes

Even if you do not understand "why" your child has to do a particular assignment or project it's important that you model a positive attitude towards homework. This is the first year of many years of homework assignments including college. The foundation you lay NOW will serve your child well in the future. If you encounter problems at home, contact the teacher and set up conference to discuss various options. Do not wait until everyone is frustrated.

Set Up A Specific Work Area

Establish a quiet area where your child is expected to work on their homework or projects. Make sure your child has scissors, glue, crayons, erasers and sharp pencils available to them. Be consistent with time and expectations.

Chunk It

Remember, we are building stamina. Do not wait until the last minute to complete homework or projects. Your child will think more clearly and have a better learning experience if you chunk homework into smaller sessions with "brain breaks" included. A sure fire way to ignite a meltdown is to expect your child to finish homework all at one sitting the night before it is due!

Work Together

Homework can actually be a pleasant time of bonding and communicating with your child. Remember to focus on what your child is doing properly and praise their accomplishments. If your child is struggling with an assignment break it down into smaller components or mini-lessons. You may want to share an experience from your childhood regarding a time that you struggled with homework and how you pressed on until you finally mastered it. Let your child know you will be there to help them until they do "get it" - support is key. Doing the assignment for them is not key.

Communicate

If your child is struggling with a particular assignment or project it is important to communicate this to their teacher. Creating a highly stressful environment seldom helps. Your child's teacher may need to differentiate the lesson, pull together additional resources or manipulatives to better assist your child in understanding a concept. What ever you do, try to maintain a positive tone and attitude when working with your child.

Again, do not do the work for your child. Your child will learn much more by doing homework for themselves. Additionally, working through a difficult time and finally succeeding builds self-esteem and academic confidence. Moreover, you will not be in the classroom taking tests for your child - so let's set them up to work independently for success and good grades.

Remember, this is training ground for the future. Teach your child how to handle homework in a proactive manner. Set reasonable expectations, be consistent and be a good role model. We all have aspects of our jobs or lives that are not necessarily fun (or we simply may not want to do) but, we have to knuckle down and get the job done! Consider this training for strong work ethics in the future.

Explore the Common Core

We are hearing about it all over the news, at school functions, teachers are talking about it and taking trainings on how to implement it. So, just what is the Common Core and how does it apply to your child?

On this blog, we will explore the Common Core as it applies to parents. Common Core is a well defined set of educational expectations which apply to K-12 grades. They are academic standards for each and every grade. The Common Core applies to English Language Arts, Math, Writing, Social Studies and Science. The Common Core is scientific, research based and has been built upon national and global data. These standards are aligned to vital information that students need to know to be successful in college as well as the workplace.

The main goal of the Common Core is make certain that administrators, teachers, parents and students are all on the same page so to speak. The Common Core has a timeline for implementation through completion. Over the course of a few years, the Common Core should be fully operational in each state across the United States. That way if a student has to relocate to a new school in a new state they will pick up right where left off. Hopefully, this will close learning gaps that students may develop when they move around and one school has already taught a concept that the previous school has not. I experienced this as a child myself. We moved 16 times before I entered middle school. Every school that I enrolled in was at a different place mathematically. This resulted in gaps. I remember being placed in remedial math classes every time I entered a new school. Talk about self confidence issues. Once I entered college, I was required to take almost every math class they offered including pre-algebra, intermediate algebra, college algebra, liberal arts math, statistics and so on and so on! I felt as if I would NEVER get done with math. This math "drowning" resulted in a hate-love relationship with math. It is absolutely not my favorite subject. However, these experiences certainly gave me full understanding as well as a heart of compassion for children who struggle academically.

Now back to the Common Core...

In my first blog we discussed higher order thinking and Mastery Learning (Bloom's Taxonomy). The Common Core uses higher order thinking skills and strategies as a cornerstone of the expectations. It is no longer good enough to just simply memorize, recall and regurgitate information. Students will be required to demonstrate that they have fully grasped and understood a concept that has been taught. Teachers are required to teach accordingly so students can achieve that.

Does this mean that curriculums based and written on State Bench Marks and Standards are useless? No, the Common Core builds upon them. We just want to make sure that all of our bases are covered. Teacher resources, trainings, books and Internet resources are readily available to ensure that administrators, teachers and interventionist are ready for these changes.

Parents play and equally important role by helping their children to understand how important it is to fully participate and listen during teaching instruction time. Also, by helping your child develop good study habits and following though with projects and homework designed to help your child better understand and re-explain concepts that they have learned. This is why it is important to NOT do the projects or homework FOR your child, instead guide them along the path of learning. Tests are designed to demonstrate that students fully understand and have mastered skills. It only hinders their progression if you complete the work for them. If your child is struggling in a specific area or with a concept speak with the teacher before they fall too far behind. Partner with the teacher in helping your child to succeed.

Parents can become team members in their child's education by visiting the following link for more detailed information regarding the Common Core.

http://www.pta.org/4446.htm

Welcome Firsties 2012-2013

Welcome to first grade! I bet you are wondering what your little scholar will be learning this year. Foundationally, first grade is a huge academic milestone. Your child will be expected to sit and focus longer than they have in grades prior to this. Therefore, our first task will be to build stamina.

In addition to reading, writing and math your child will learn problem solving strategies, critical thinking skills, reading comprehension, inferencing, sequencing, main topic and details. Likewise, in writing they will learn different types of writing including acrostic poetry, writing opinions, narrative writing, persuasive writing and much more. Math concepts are taken to new levels well beyond the basics of ordering numbers and basic counting skills.Learning math vocabulary is another very important skills for firsties.

With so much to learn, you may be wondering if your child is up to the challenges of the state benchmarks and common core. In order to answer this question, lets consider Mastery Learning, which was built upon the concepts of Benjamen Bloom, an educational psychologist who observed and studied how children learn best. He developed a well known theory called Bloom's Taxonomy.

His theory encourages higher cognitive thinking in children. The peacock pictured above explains the different levels involved in this theory, as well as what those levels encompass. The most basic cognitive skills start with remembering and moving to students being able to create for themselves. We will use this model in most areas of learning this year. I will supply parents with materials to participate and reinforce higher thinking skills at home as well. This model helps all students - from those struggling to those who may be considered gifted. It is a wonderful model to base differentiated (individual) lesson plans on and really encourages children to go beyond the basics of who, what, when, where, and why questions and to dive deeper in discovery. I will provide parents with a packet of how to ask questions which require children to feel more challenged in exploring the topics and concepts that they are learning about! 

 Your child will have much to learn this year. In reading they will study identify setting, characters, main idea and details and much more.Students will be able to recognize different genres. They will take a tremendous leap in writing as they learn more about grammar and usage. Math soars to a new level as students recognize new math symbols, explore math rich vocabulary, word problems and solving strategies become more complex, we explore measuring, time and money and much more. Firsties will be immersed in science, at COTI will take it a step farther and learn the basics of marine science as well. Social studies move beyond the home, school and community into the understanding of United States, countries and globes.

Yes, first grade is time of great learning and growth not only academically, but socially too.We will build class community and school spirit. It is important for parents to understand that we are a team. After all, you were and are your child's first and forever teacher on this educational journey. Please help your child appreciate their educational opportunities and help them build good study habits and healthy attitudes. It is the first step of many years of learning how to be successful in school and life.

I look forward to working with you and your child. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have. Remember, we have no limits!