Learning Partners -- Let's Succeed in School!

Source

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement

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At Home

• Ask questions about things your children are learning and doing, and encourage them to give you lengthy answers.

• Keep books, magazines, and newspapers available. Use them yourself to show you value learning, too.

• Have paper, pencils, crayons, and washable markers handy. This encourages children to practice writing.

• Watch TV with your children, and talk with them about the things you like and don't like about the shows. Be sure to limit viewing time.

• Have a special place for studying that is quiet and free of distractions.

• Expect your children to succeed in school. Encourage them with praise for hard work and a job well done.

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At School

• Share information with teachers so that both you and they know what is happening in school and at home.

• Tell teachers what they need to know about your child. Make special needs known immediately.

• Work as a partner with the teacher to help your child want to learn, gain self-confidence, and succeed in school.

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Activities for Success

What Do You Hear?

Listening is a skill that young children need to succeed in school.

1. Make up a story. You make up one sentence, and then your child makes up one sentence. Repeat until you're ready to end it.

2. With a group, all but one person close their eyes. The person with eyes open makes a sound (with keys, paper, a spoon tapping a glass) that everyone else tries to guess.

3. Clap your hands to tap out a rhythm. Have your child listen and then clap that same rhythm back to you.

Where Did I Put That?

Being organized will help a child control his or her learning activities. This will increase your child's self-confidence.

1. Turn a cardboard box (big enough for notebooks) into a special school box to hold all school things when your child comes home. The box would keep homework, books, supplies, hats, gloves, and other things needed for the next school day.

2. Have your child decorate the box with pictures, words, or artwork and his or her name to make it his own. Each child in the family can have a separate box.
   
   

A Daily Family Routine

The goal is to encourage children to be self-reliant while having structure and rules. Family members can provide the structure and work together to set the rules.

1. Assign chores and household tasks.

2. Encourage good health habits (proper rest and exercise, nutrition, and regular meal schedules).

3. Eat meals together.

4. Have a firm bedtime.

How Much Time Will It Take?

1. Choose a big assignment to talk about, such as a research project. Write down the steps needed to complete the job.

2. Work backwards from when the project is due. Estimate how long each step will take and decide when that step must be started to meet the deadline. Put start and finish dates next to these steps.

3. Arrange the steps of the assignment on a calendar or homework chart.

Resources

U.S. Department of Education
Richard W. Riley
Secretary

Office of Educational Research and Improvement
Sharon P. Robinson
Assistant Secretary

National Institute on Student Achievement, Curriculum, and Assessment

National Institute on the Education of At-Risk Students,

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