Scandia Elementary School

100 Broadway Street, Travis AFB, CA 94535
TEL: 707-437-4691 and FAX: 707-437-9234

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Title I

Ways to Help Your Child Succeed in School!

Homework Made Easy

For children ages 9 - 11

A homework chart can show your child exactly what he needs to do and when he needs to do it.

What You Need

• Poster board or large sheet of sturdy paper
• Marker, pen, or pencil
• Ruler
• Clock

What to Do

Help your child create a homework chart like the following out of a large piece of sturdy paper:

Depending on how many subjects your child has, he may be able to put three or four weeks on each sheet of paper.

After school each day, have your child put a check mark in each box in which there is a homework assignment.  Circle the check when you have seen that the homework is completed.

Tell your child to try to figure out how long it will take him to complete each homework assignment so that he will be able to schedule his time.

Help your child attach a colored marker or pen to the chart so that it is always handy.

You might try to use a laminated chart and just fill in the blanks, then you don't have to remake a new chart each month.  Try your local school supply store.  

For children ages 7 - 9

Show your child that reading has value in everyday life.

What You Need

• Map of your area
• Bus, plane and/or train schedules for your area

What to Do

• Help your child use a map to mark a route to a special place, such as his school, the football stadium, the mall or his grandmother's house.  Help him to figure out the distance to the place.
• Next, give him a bus, plane, or train schedule and have him find departure and arrival times and the rates.  Have him figure out how long the trip takes and how much it costs.

Children need to learn that reading is not just something they do in school - it is important in all parts of their lives.

For children ages 5 - 7

Reading is the single most important way for your child to develop the knowledge needed to become successful in school.

What You Need

• Children's books that your child can read
• Books of riddles, tongue twisters and silly rhymes

What to Do

• Read with your child.  Take turns, with you reading one page or paragraph and your child reading the next.  You might also read the parts of different characters in a story.  Be enthusiastic about reading.  Read the story with expression.  Make it more interesting by talking as the characters would talk, making sound effects and using facial expressions and gestures.  Encourage your child to do the same.
• Help your child to read new words by having him use what he knows about letters and the sounds they make to sound out the words.
• If he is unsure of the meaning of a word, help him to use the surrounding words or sentences to figure it out.  If this doesn't help, just tell him what the word means and keep reading.
• Buy a children's dictionary - if possible, one  that has pictures next to the words.  Then start eh "let's look it up" habit. 

When reading is a regular part of family life, parents and families send their children a message that it is important, enjoyable and a great way to learn.

Ways to encourage your child to read....

• Read aloud to your child often.  Start reading to your child when he is a baby and keep reading as he grows up.  As you read, talk with your child. Encourage him to ask questions and to talk about the story.  Ask him to predict what will come next.
• Encourage your child to read on her own.  Children who spend at least 30 minutes a day reading for fun develop the skills o be be better readers at school.
• Set aside quiet time for family reading.  Some families even enjoy reading aloud to each other, with each family member choosing a book, story, poem, or article to read to the others.
• visit the library often.  Begin making weekly trips to the library when your child is very young.  See that your child gets his own library card as soon as possible.
• Buy a children's dictionary and start the "let's look it up" habit.
• Make writing materials, such as crayons, pencils and paper, available. 
• Ask family members and friends to consider giving your child books and magazine subscriptions as gifts for birthdays or other special occasions.  Se aside a special place for your child to keep her own library of books.
• Get help for your child if he has a reading problem.  If you think that your child needs extra help, ask his teachers about special services, such as after-school or summer reading programs.  Also ask teachers or your local librarian for names of community organizations and local literacy volunteer groups that offer tutoring services.
• If you are uncomfortable your your reading ability, look for family or adult reading programs in your community.  Your librarian can help you locate such programs.  Friends and relatives can also read to your child, and volunteers are available in many communities to do the same. 

Helping children become and remain readers is the single most important thing that parents and families can do to help their children succeed in school and in life.