Reading

• It seems obvious, but the best way for your child to improve reading skills is to read, read, and read some more.  More specifically, it is important for your child to read material at his/her independent level.  Independently reading material above this level is too hard and causes frustration and reduced interest in reading.  Reading material below this level is too easy and does not provide your child with enough of a challenge with vocabulary or comprehension.
  
• To find out your child's reading range, check with your child's teacher for the results of the most recent STAR test.  Then you can look at the AR Quiz list to find books in that range.  
  
• Another thing to keep in mind is that your child should read material that is interesting to them.  Books are available on almost any topic from the library and bookstores.  Sometimes, finding a book that will "hook" your child makes all the difference.  
  
• Read with your child.  Even in later years of elementary school, your child will probably enjoy sharing a book with you.  Find a great novel that you loved as a child, a classic, or an exciting new release.   This is a great way to involve your child in books that are above his/her independent reading level, develop vocabulary, and encourage a love of reading.
  
• Talk about reading with your child.  Share what you've read, whether it's a book, a magazine, newspaper, website...whatever.  The important thing is that your child sees you as a reader and knows that you view reading as important and enjoyable.
  
• Ask your child questions about what he or she is reading or watching at school or home.  Try to ask higher-level questions which involve comprehension instead of yes/no or detail-based questions.  An example from Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing:  How does Peter feel about his brother Fudge?  Why do you think this?  
  
• If your children struggle with comprehension, ask them to summarize what they've read when finished with a page or chapter.  Encourage them to self-check as they read by asking questions to make sure they're understanding.  If they can't explain what they've read, they need to go back and reread.  

        Another strategy to improve comprehension is to take quick notes during or after reading.  They can record their ideas on sticky notes throughout the book, or on a homemade bookmark, by page or section.  Reviewing these notes before a test or AR quiz can help refresh their memory.  This is especially helpful for students who are making the transition into chapter books or moving into longer chapter books.        

Writing     

Even with modern technology, written communication is vital in today's society.  Being able to write clearly, on topic, and with correct mechanics (grammar, punctuation, and spelling) is essential in school and in life.

Again, the best way to become a writer is to write.  Writing doesn't have to take the form of school assignments, though.  Writing can involve letters, journals, emails, lists, directions, and more.  Encourage your child to keep a journal or diary, even if it's not daily.  Consider allowing your child to start a web log or blog to communicate with friends and family.  This is a great way to make writing seem effortless and fun for your child.

Look over assignments that come home to see the difficulties your child is having in writing.  Pick one or two and encourage your child to focus on these areas when writing.  

Remind your children that when they think they think they are finished with their writing is when the real work actually begins.  At that point it's time to proofread.  This means

Revise.  Go back and reread to make sure the writing is clear and strong.  Are there any areas that are confusing?  Try to rewrite to make them clearer.  Say your ideas out loud to make sure they make sense.

         Did you use interesting words (we call them power words!), action verbs, description, and a variety of sentence patterns?  If not, try to find places to add words or make changes to make your writing stronger.

          Does the piece flow from beginning to middle to end?  If not, try drawing arrows to move sentences or paragraphs.  Or cut the piece apart and tape it back together in a better order and then recopy.  

Edit.  Make sure the piece has correct punctuation and spelling.

           Reread the piece quietly out loud, only pausing at commas and stopping for a breath at periods.  When you hear a group of words that form a complete thought, make sure you put a period, exclamation mark or question mark.  When you pause, see if you need a comma.  Remember to follow comma rules.  

 Make sure all sentences begin with a capital letter and end with . , !, or ? .  

 Make sure to put quotation marks around any exact words someone said.  

When checking spelling, try reading the piece word for word from END TO
 BEGINNING .  This allows your brain to focus on the spelling of the words in
isolation, and not get distracted by the ideas in the piece.   

Spelling

The more different opportunities students have to practice spelling, the better.  Many children learn better by doing hands-on activities.   Here are some activities your child can do to reinforce correct spelling.

spelling activities (Excel format)

spelling activities (PDF-requires Adobe Reader)

See-Say-Cover-Write-Check
Provide your child with a list of words.  Have her look at the first word carefully and say the word aloud.  Then she should cover the word and write the word while spelling it aloud quietly to herself.  Then she should check her spelling of the word against the original list.  This is a great way to practice spelling words.

Math

There are many ways to help your child improve in math.

Make sure to look over your child's math homework to see areas where your child is doing well, and areas where your child is experiencing difficulty.  Try to address problem concepts right away.  Always review tests and quizzes and have your child redo the areas of difficulty to make sure he or she understands those concepts.

One thing that can help your child experience success in math is mastery of basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts.  There are links on the Math and Links pages to help you practice. 

One way to help with those "tricky" facts that your child has trouble memorizing is to play "Facts Around the House".  This is a method where you post troublesome facts on cards in various places around the house.  Your child will see the facts repeatedly.  Then, when he has difficulty remembering 7x8, he can think "refrigerator" (or wherever the fact is posted) and have an association to job his memory. 

Study Skills

Encourage your child to review vocabulary and notes periodically, rather than waiting until the night before the test.  Go over any items missed on homework or tests to ensure understanding.  Play a quiz game to review concepts.  Ask your child to explain to you what they learned in class from time to time.   Utilize study guides provided for review.  Also, pay close attention to quiz and test dates listed on the back of the weekly newsletter or found on the newsletter page of this site.

Organization

By the time children are in fourth grade, it is usually a reasonable expectation that they will be responsible for their own school materials, books, and papers.  It is important that they develop an organized approach to school work and projects to help them be successful and productive in later years.  

Make sure your child has a place for all school items and that they are expected to return items to that place after each use.  Clean out all graded papers from the Home Folder each day, and remove papers from math, science, and social studies folders following each test.  Post a copy of our special schedule so you know the days for gym shoes, library books, recorders, etc. 

Ultimately, your child is responsible for keeping track of materials, assignments, and deadlines.  Your support with this effort will be very important.  Organization and responsibility are important lessons for students to learn which will help them throughout their lives.