Parent Power

Reading and Math Readiness Activities, Grades K-2

Grade 3-5 Homework and Organizational Guidelines

Adequate Sleep is One of the Key Factors in Learning
Tips for a Successful Parent Conference
Setting Goals
Giving and Accepting Compliments

Home Activity Ideas which Promote Reading and Math Readiness, Listening,

and Early Reading - Patty Pontarelli and Joan Osowa

Here are some simple and fun activities that you can do at home with your children which will help reinforce the ideas and concepts that have been introduced in our Early Childhood program.

Consider ways to appropriately modify any of the activities to accommodate your child's interests and skill level.

Go on a letter hunt. See how many toughies such as b, d, p, q, or v your child can find in the newspaper or magazine advertisements or in favorite books.

Say, “Can you tell me something that begins with the same sound as “ball”? Have your child name as many things as he/she can think of. First Graders love a challenge, so after he/she has named a few, say, “I'm sure you can't possibly think of more!” (Extend: write the words)

Make up zany sentences in which every word has the same beginning sound. For example, “Little Laura Lilly liked licking lollipops.” Ask your child to identify the beginning sound. Then ask him/her to make up another sentence with lots of the same sounds. Try this using a different letter. (Extend: write the sentences)

Sing familiar nursery rhymes by changing the first consonant of the words. For example, you might sing “Tonden Tridge is talling town.” Have your child identify the letter you used. (Extend: Have your child change the letter and/or rhyme.)

Have your child write labels for things in his/her room.

Have your child go on a sound walk around your yard or house. What can you hear?

Ask your child to write a letter to a friend or family member.

Play Pass the Rhyme. You say a short word, such as “fin” and your child thinks of a rhyming word such as “tin”. (Extend: write the words)

Have your child make up a rhyme.

Make up questions with one-word answers that have diagraphs (sh, ch, wh, th). For example, “I'm thinking of a word that describes something you put on after your socks and begins with sh” (shoes). Or, I'm thinking of a kind of ape whose name begins with ch” (chimp).

Write a story with as many “magic e” words as possible.

Say a word and have your child tell you how many syllables are in the word. Clap them out. (Extend: Have your child write the word and divide them into syllables.)

Have your child take turns creating a story with you, an older sibling or sitter. Build a single story in which you take turns adding parts.

Have your child make a puppet to go along with a story he/she has read or create a story to go along with the puppet.

Give your child 10 (or more) pennies. Have him/her shake them in his/her hands and drop them on the floor. Make predictions…are there more heads, tails or equal number of heads and tails? (Extend: Create a chart to record predictions and results.)

Have your child tell you all the ways in which numbers are used throughout the day. (Extend: make a list)

Make a chart with numbers 1 to 5 (or more). Have your child search for things around the house that equal each number. Challenge your child with larger numbers!

Give your child a pile of pennies. Ask him/her to organize them so you can count them quickly. Ask, “Is there another way you could arrange them? Which way would be the fastest?”

Your house is full of things to estimate and count. Estimate the number of windows, rugs or books. How many straws in a box? How many boxes or cans in the cupboard. When possible, have your child count to check his/her estimate.

Estimate large numbers such as the number of pennies in a jar, or the number of cotton balls in a bag, etc. Have your child count them by arranging them in groups of ten.

Using toys or stuffed animals, have your child tell a math story.

Give your child a math word problem to solve. (Extend: Have your child predict the answer before solving.)

Pose math word problem riddles. For example, if Sarah is two years younger than Kate, and Kate is the same age as an even number between five and seven, how old is Sarah?

Have your child roll number cubes or dice and add the numbers together by counting on. (Extend: use more than 2 number cubes or dice)

Whenever possible, tell your child to “Double it!” For example, “How many books did you pick up? Double it!”

Ask your child, “How many number sentences with three numbers can you write for the number six, using addition and subtraction?” If your child enjoys this challenge, ask him/her to predict how many sentences he/she could write for larger or smaller numbers.

To access a version of this file in MS Word, CLICK HERE

*Resource: How is My First Grader Doing in School? by Jennifer Richard Jacobson

Grades 3-5 Homework and Organizational Guidelines

Homework Guidelines for Grades 3-5

Students in Grades 3-5 should expect to have homework on most school nights. While no homework is assigned on Friday to be handed in on Monday, students may need to use the weekends to work on individual or class projects. In order to encourage our students to be life-long readers, we expect that all Lower School children will read or be read to each night for twenty minutes.

The following is a guideline for the amount of time which should be spent on homework per grade. The amount of time that each child spends on homework varies with each individual. We know that some students work at a quicker pace than others. If your child routinely spends more time than specified below on assigned homework, please contact his/her classroom teacher.

Grade 3: 45-60 minutes

In addition, 20 minutes reading for pleasure

Grade 4: 45-60 minutes

In addition, 20 minutes reading for pleasure

Grade 5: 45-60 minutes

In addition, 20 minutes reading for pleasure

As much as possible, homework should be completed independently . Parents should expect to help their child determine an appropriate place to work, help assemble materials if needed, and establish time limits. The work, as well as returning it to school, is the responsibility of the student.

Students should ask for clarification of homework directions and procedures in class. If, after an appropriate amount of time, students continue to struggle with an assignment, parents are asked to sign the incomplete work and return it to school the next day. Teachers will then provide further explanation and help as needed.

Absences: If a student is sick, the school nurse and the classroom teacher should be notified. If a child is absent for two days or more, parents should arrange with the classroom teacher to pick-up schoolwork that was missed.

Organizational Strategies for Grades 3-5

The following tools are in use in all Grade 3-5 classrooms to help students successfully organize their home studies:

Assignment Book: Students purchase standard RHS assignments books at the beginning of each year. Students are expected to use their assignment book throughout the year and write down all homework assignments given in class. This is the first place students should check when they are ready to complete nightly homework.

Homework Chart: Each classroom teacher maintains a homework chart in the front of the classroom. The teacher records homework assignments in general terms as a reminder to students. Students are expected to listen carefully during class to the expectations for each assignment and to record important details in their personal assignment notebooks. The homework chart will also list long-term assignment and project deadlines.

Homework Folders: Students should maintain a two-pocket homework folder throughout the year. These folders are used to carry work to and from school. The left side of the folder is marked HOME. Papers going home for students and parents are kept in the left pocket. The right pocket is marked SCHOOL. Students should place homework assignments, notes from parents, or other papers intended to be given to the teacher each day on this side.

To access a version of this file in MS Word, CLICK HERE

Adequate Sleep is One of the Key Factors in Learning

by Barbara Kines
Teaching K-8

Good parents spare no effort to ensure their children's school success. When kids are having difficulties, many parents sacrifice for private tutors and purchase expensive taped lessons. Others struggle over homework with their children, or contact the family doctor for diagnosis and advice.

Your life style. If that's you I'm talking about, you're to be commended for your vigilance, but before you throw money at the problem, or decide that medication will solve it, take a look at your life style.

If we can step back and try to be objective about what's going on in a family, we may be able to improve our children's performance without heroic measures.

A great deal is being written and said about sleep deprivation, and teachers at every level will tell you that on Monday mornings, instead of being rested and reinvigorated from the weekend, many students have heads on desks, bleary eyes and dragging footsteps.

No one feels like listening, participating or learning when he or she is totally worn out. As a result, our tired kids—and their parents, too—perform far below their potential.

In a recent Walking magazine article, Timothy Gower wrote of the 40-hour sleep-deprivation experiment in which he participated in order to write about how he felt.

"Sleep debt." He writes of a "sleep debt" when adults don't get the eight to eight-and-a-half hours that the average person needs, a debt that may take $50 billion from our economy every year in sleep-related accidents alone. He quotes a researcher who found that after long periods of wakefulness, speed and accuracy of arithmetic calculations deteriorated with every hour of sleep missed, and that losing sleep actually diminished the ability to learn. And we're just talking about adults!

In need of a nap. No one needs to tell you how cross kids get when they're tired. We often hear mothers and offspring wrangling in the supermarket aisles when it's so obvious that at least one of them—and maybe both—needs a nap.

The basic basic is whether or not your children are getting enough rest. Before you take extreme measures to improve their school performance, you may want to take a look at your family's routines and see if they're getting adequate sleep.

Barbara Kines is a former teacher of kindergarten-primary grades. She is a Teaching Editor of Teaching K-8 and lives in Lutherville, MD.

Tips for a Successful Parent Conference

The Lower School teachers have put together these ideas to help make your parent conference a productive meeting:

Please make every effort to have both parents meet with the teacher. Children need to hear the strong message your support sends. When both mom and dad take time out of their busy schedule to hear about school progress, it signals to the child that the work they do is important. Our teachers will make every effort to arrange an early morning conference should that be more convenient for you
Prepare for the conference before you arrive. Tell your child that you will be meeting with her teacher. Write down questions that you both have about school progress. Be ready to share those with the classroom teacher at the beginning of the conference.
Be on time! Parent conference days are always run on a tight schedule and there never seems to enough time! Don't be offended if some teachers use a timer as reminder of time limits. Sometimes it's the only way we can be assured of keeping to the schedule. If you find that you have unresolved issues at the conclusion of your conference, plan with the teacher a convenient time to meet again.
Please remember that this is a time to talk about your child. Please don't ask us to comment about another child or teacher in the school. Our special subject teachers are available for conferencing during this time as well so please stop by and share your insights with them.
Teachers are most interested in finding out what your goals for your child are this school year. Sharing this important information early in the school year benefits everyone!
Don't leave the conference without knowing what the teacher's expectations of your child in terms of homework, projects, neatness, and nightly reading. Clarify just how much support you should be giving at home.

Our parent conferences are an opportunity for both you and your child's teacher to get a better perspective on your child's academic and emotional growth. It's one of the most important ways we can continue to build the partnership which provides the best educational experience for your children.

Setting Goals

The first twenty years of life are spent in a sort of training: learning the discipline it takes to live independently. You can't have self-discipline without training; you can't train without setting goals. Practice is the key, so put the whole family into training for something you can all do together, like a hike. The family will learn together that commitment, practice, acceptance of limitations, and encouragement all help in learning the self-discipline required to reach a goal. After you have completed training and have taken the hike together, be sure to celebrate. You might want to talk afterward about another goal to set and accomplish together.

From 365 Ways to Help Your Child Grow by Sheila Ellison and Barbara Barnett, Sourcebooks Inc., 1996

Giving and Accepting Compliments

Teach your children to look for good things in other people: a nice outfit, pretty smile, job well done, etc. Everyone appreciates it when they receive a nice compliment. Sit down with your child and think of a compliment they could give a teacher, sibling, parent, or friend. Encourage them to say that nice thought to somebody and report back to you how that person responded. When receiving a compliment, the response should always be "Thank you very much." It's rude to make up excuses about yourself, or say negative things back. Accept the compliment graciously with a big smile.

From 365 Ways to Help Your Child Grow by Sheila Ellison and Barbara Barnett, Sourcebooks Inc., 1996

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