How Can I Help My Child Succeed?
Many of you have asked about helping your child at home. Teachers greatly appreciate and encourage parents to do so. Here is a list of things you can do at home with your child:
1) Visit the public library regularly.
Visit the public library regularly and help your child choose books that interest him/her. If your child is most interested in non-fiction or informational books, have your child also choose one that is fiction (a story), and vice versa so he or she is exposed to a variety of texts.
2) Read a chapter book with your child each night.
Read a chapter or two a night. Alternate reading, for example, you read a page, then your child reads a page. This way your child is practicing fluency, and also listening to a fluent reader pronounce words. Discuss the events in the book and ask your child questions. Allow him/her to ask you questions as well. Take turns predicting what will happen next and get excited about the story! The more you treat reading time like an adventure, the less reluctant your child will be to read. He or she will look forward to reading time.
3) Practice spelling words each day.
Time is precious and no one understands that more than a teacher. Practicing spelling words can be time consuming and boring. Try practing words in the car, on the way to your child's after school activities, or to appointments. Waiting rooms and the dinner table are perfect places to study. Make a game out of it and make it fun. Try beginning with five or six words a day and work up to the 20 words by Friday morning. Give your child an incentive for spelling words correctly. Believe me, it works!
4) Practice vocabulary words each day.
Robust Vocabulary time in class is a favorite activity among my students. We make a game out of learning these often difficult words and students are given the opportunity to either provide examples that relate to them, or act out the word. At home, encourage your child to use these words correctly in a sentence. Allow them to hear you use these words as well. To enhance reading skills, vocabulary is extremely important. Also encourage your child to learn a new word each day and use it all day. You will be pleased at the results!
5) Check your child's planner and your child's teacher's website each day.
Every day, teachers write your child's homework assignments on the board yet so often, parents are surprised to learn their child has missing homework assignments! As part of the class routine, students are to write their homework assignments in his/her planner each day. The planner is then supposed to go into your child's backpack for you to review and initial. Homework is also listed regularly on this website, and a copy of the weekly reading log is also provided.
6) Check your child's homework.
It's never a good idea to ask your child if he or she has finished their homework because the answer will most likely ALWAYS be "yes." Check it over. If you are reading a chapter book together each night, this will be simple. My reading logs have a line after each day for a parent signature. Typically, those students whose parents check and sign each night's reading log have the most success in reading.
7) Get a head start on the reading story.
Harcourt's Story Town is online and can be accessed on this website under the link: "Your 5th Grade Textbooks." Simply enter the sign-in and password provided for the textbook and from there, you will have access to your child's reading story. Occassionally we take a break from the textbook and read a chapter book. This information will be communicated to you under the link: "Class News."
8) For more information, check out these websites:
Top 10 Ways to Help your child succeed