Study Area

1.    Choose a study location for your children which is free from noise and other distractions.

2.    Provide a table or desk in the room with enough space for writing.

3.    Select chairs that are comfortable and lights that are bright enough for studying. A 100 watt bulb is recommended.

4.    Check the temperature of the room. If the room is too hot or too cold, concentration could be affected. As a rule of thumb, having the room on the cooler side is better than on the warmer side.

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Study Tools

Keep the following supplies handy:

pencils

pens

paper

ruler

scissors

tape

crayons/markers

pencil sharpener

stapler/staples

erasers 

glue 

construction paper

dictionary

thesaurus

atlas

encyclopedia

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Family Schedule

The family should spend time together during the week. Here are some ideas that can be beneficial.

1.    Plan a night with the television off and do something together. Work a puzzle, play a game, go shopping, go to a movie, go out to eat, do a craft, etc.

2.    Eat together and make mealtimes meaningful. Share events of the day such as what was learned in school or an unusual happening. Also discuss any new words that were heard or found while reading. Use these words in sentences and record them in a family word book, or display them on the refrigerator for future discussions.

3.    Record the week's events on the Family Schedule.

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Television

1.    Once a week, review the TV listings with your family.

2.    Help your child choose appropriate programs such as the Discovery Channel, information programs, and documentaries.

3.    Try to watch the programs with your child and discuss them.

4.    Look for any new words to discuss.

5.    Encourage further reading about the subjects of some of the programs. Direct your child to encyclopedias, maps, or other information books.

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Homework Schedule

Help your child complete his/her homework schedule by making a chart like the example, and follow the steps below:

Time Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

____ _______ _______ ________ ________ ______

____ _______ _______ ________ ________ ______

____ _______ _______ ________ ________ ______

1.    Record dinnertime and bedtime.

2.    Check the family schedule and mark the times when the family events will take place.

3.    Record after school activities such as Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, sports events, instrument lessons, dance lessons, etc.

4.    Enter "TV" in the time slots set aside for television viewing.

5.    Look for an hour block of time that is available at the same time each day and mark it for studying. Study time should be scheduled for at least four days during the week. It is recommended that Monday through Thursday are the best days to study.

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Assignments

These are recommendations for helping your child complete homework assignments:

1.    Check with your child's teacher on what kind of homework to expect and maintain regular contact.

2.    Schedule study time at the same time each day so that your child will get into the habit of studying.

3.    Sit down before study time and go over all assignments with your child. Ask if help is needed in understanding directions or gathering materials.

4.    Stay near your child, but not in the same room. Study time should be a time when the whole family reads or works quietly.

5.    If your child calls for help, DON'T DO IT FOR HIM/HER. Ask your child to reread the question or paragraph and explain to you what is to be done in his/her own words. Often this will be all that is needed for the child to answer the question.

6.    If rereading does not help, explain how the question can be answered. However, if you cannot help your child, have him/her call a friend from class or suggest the teacher explain it the next day.

7.    Watch for signs of frustration. If your child becomes frustrated, put the assignment away for awhile and return later.

8.    Check your child's work for neatness, spelling, sentence fragments, and organization. It is not necessary to check all the answers. Just a spot check will do.

9.    Provide a wide variety of reading materials at home. Children learn by example. Seeing you read can motivate your child to feel that reading is important.

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Textbook Chapters

The following formula will help your child better understand and remember the information in textbook chapters. This formula is calledSQ3R which stands for Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review.

1.    Survey. In this step, the child looks at the title, the headings, the pictures, the boldface print, and reads the first and last paragraph in the chapter.

2.    Question. In this step, the child reads the questions that are to be answered before reading the chapter. Also, the child should turn all the headings into questions before reading the sections. The questions can be written down so the child can remember what the question was.

3.    Read. Now the child reads the chapter section by section, looking for answers to the questions.

4.    Recite. This is where the child looks away from the book and tries to answer the questions. This step helps the child remember what was read.

5.    Review. In this final step, the child looks back to see if the answers are correct. Also, rereading the chapter is included in this step. Rereading is another way to review, especially when getting ready for a test.

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Studying for a Test

The following steps can help your child do his/her best on tests:

1.    Find out when the test will be given.

2.    Encourage your child to study some each day. Waiting till the night before the test will only "cram" the information into your child's head. Right after the test, the information will be forgotten.

3.    Tell your child to reread the chapter the test covers. If the teacher gave questions to study or if there are any questions at the end of the chapter, your child should try to answer them.

4.    Make sure your child studies all charts, maps, and graphs in the chapter.

5.    Have your child review the meanings of the important words. They are usually in boldface print or in italics.

6.    Encourage your child to write down the important ideas or draw pictures of them.

7.    Ask your child if he/she would like you to ask questions about the chapter or give words to define. Often, this type of review will help your child remember better.

8.    Be sure your child gets a good night's sleep before the test and a good breakfast in the morning