GenParenting

Parenting resources for all who love and care for children

Let’s Talk Math Strategies

 

Let’s Talk Math Strategies

My second-grade students are asked to fluently add and subtract within 100 when using strategies based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction per CCSS 2 NBT.5. Was that a mouthful? It’s a lot of words to explain how one can use different place value strategies when adding and subtracting two-and-three-digit numbers. This approach is a big departure from the kind of math I was taught when I was my students’ age.

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How to Help Our Children Enjoy Reading at Home

How to Help Our Children Enjoy Reading at Home

When our children are small, they are eager learners and love to hear us read stories at bedtime.  Many will fight with us to read just one more story. When our children start elementary school, they will learn to read. Some will struggle with learning vowels sounds, memorizing sight words, summarizing what they just read, or applying new concepts to the story. When working with primary grade students, here are some tips on how to make learning fun when practicing reading with your children at home:

  • Continue to read with your children each night and take turns reading to each other.
  • Let your children select the book that you will read. Many children want to read beyond their reading ability or below their reading ability. Let them enjoy that opportunity after they practice reading their assigned book.
  • Make reading fun by incorporating an art project. Some children like to act out the stories and they cut out characters and act out the story while you both take turns reading.
  • Some children love to illustrate the story and write summary sentences about what they read under the story.
  • Other children prefer to rewrite the story and create their own unique ending.
  • Get a journal for your reader and let them create new chapters or stories about their favorite characters.
  • Children love to create songs and write poems based on a story.
  • Reinforce learning skills by having the children sound out the words and use relaxation skills when they become frustrated. Some children prefer memorizing words instead of sounding them out.

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Helping Our High School Students Prepare for College

Helping Our High School Students Prepare for College

As we complete another year of primarily remote learning, our high school students continue to thrive. Many of our graduating seniors have been accepted to four-year colleges with a full year of early learning college credits. These students showcase their talents by participating in college and career events at the school as they interview with board members for future careers and college goals.

Celebrate Achievement

This celebration of achievements prepares our students for the essential skills and educational requirements they will need to complete their college and career goals. As we consider next steps with all of our middle and high school students, we are striving to fully engage them in student led parent-teacher conferences throughout their school years. [Read more…]

Understanding Our Children’s Preferred Learning Styles for Academic Success

Understanding Our Children’s Preferred Learning Styles for Academic Success

When I tutor students in the Goggle classroom, I listen and watch them carefully as they describe how they prefer to learn when reading and writing. For example, one student may describe how she gains lots of information about a story by looking at the pictures in the story first. Another student may want to write down his answer about what he just read before summarizing the story in two sentences. A third student may prefer drawing pictures or acting out the story before discussing or writing a story.

Most teachers consider students’ various learning styles when working with individual students. Below are five primary learning styles described in Data Driven Differentiation in the Standards-Based Classroom by Gayle H. Gregory and Lin Kuzmich:

  1. Linguistic learners like to write, play word games, learn vocabulary, debate, and create jokes.
  2. Musical learners love to sing, create tunes and rhymes, and make a song as part of a solution.
  3. Logical/mathematical learners problem solve through abstract reasoning with numbers, formulas, patterns, puzzles, and data.
  4. Visual/spatial learners draw pictures, solutions, and models with color and media.
  5. Body/kinesthetic learners use gestures, actions, and act out to demonstrate learning.

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Parenting Children on the Autism Spectrum

Parenting Children on the Autism Spectrum

Having a child on the autism spectrum generally has a major impact on any family. In these difficult times that require us to shelter in place, the impact is likely to be more extensive. Families with such challenges may already tend to isolate themselves out of concern over their child’s tendency toward inappropriate behavior. Below are a few suggestions to enhance improvement of family life.

Consider the Natural and Required Tendency toward Isolation

This tendency toward isolation occurs even when families realize the importance of social engagement. However, isolation is likely to be even more of a challenge when everyone is expected to isolate themselves. To enhance success, begin by reaching out to extended family and friends or peers from school who are familiar and can be trusted. Any form of communication such as the phone, text, or face time should be considered. Messaging applications like Zoom or Google Hangouts might be utilized. [Read more…]