Curriculum Corner
Homework Tips, Reading Strategies, Common Core Standards and more...
Homework is an important part of your child's day. It helps reinforce skills learned throughout the school day and gives your child quiet time to practice these skills independently. Sometimes establishing a good homework routine may present some challenges. Here are some strategies that you can try with your child at home.
Get a calendar. Use the calendar to schedule due dates, test days, and any other things that might interrupt with homework time. Pick an area that's quiet, well-lit, and has all the supplies your child will need to complete their homework. If they need anything like a pencil or a sharpener, then get it for them. Do not make them get it themselves. Set a time for your child to start doing homework. This could be as soon as they get home, they could have a snack and start afterwards, or you can let them watch a TV program, have a snack, then get down to business. Whatever you decide, make sure you stick to this time every day. Help them while they're working on homework. Stay in the same room, and work on something quiet yourself; that way your child knows that it's quiet time, and if they need help they won't wander around getting distracted while they're trying to find you. Check their homework. After they have finished the homework, go over it, then have them put it in their folder/ backpack. Make sure they do this before the next day when school starts or they may forget to bring their homework. Remember to do the same routine everyday. Consistency is key! |
How Can Families Increase the Student's Oral Reading Fluency?Reading is one of the most important components of language learning and education. It forms the basis for learning how to read – only to learn from what we read. While most children gain the fundamentals of reading by the time they are in second grade, not every child develops the ability to read fluently. Reading fluency is more or less a skill that enables the reader to read quickly, accurately, and with expression.
If your child is struggling to read fluently, there are many strategies you can use at home to support this critical, lifelong skill. Don’t worry! Any child who struggles with reading fluency can improve with practice, attention, and consistent feedback. Here are a few simple ways to get your kids reading pages and pages of text with absolute confidence. 1. Model fluent reading One of the best ways to improve a child’s reading fluency is to model it for him. Let the child see and hear what fluent reading should sound like. Make sure you include plenty of expressions and emotion while reading and model proper phrasing and pacing. Then ask your child to read the same passage in the same style or manner as you did. 2. Stopwatch readings Another strategy that works for improving reading speed, which is also a major part of fluency, is asking your child to read a given passage in a set time frame. Here’s how it’s done: Set a stopwatch for one minute, and have your child read a passage with as few errors as possible. Notice where your child stops or breaks his fluency and work on improving those areas. Perhaps there was a word he couldn’t pronounce. Ask him to repeatedly pronounce the word after learning the meaning. Then once again, ask your child to read the passage with the timer set to one minute. This time the reading should be faster! The one minute read works because it is a manageable chunk of time and your child will be able to practice several repeated reads in a row without losing focus or interest. This is a skill that ill be practiced in the classroom as well. 3. Re-read favorite stories Always encourage your child to re-read favorite books. Some parents or teachers discourage children from reading the same books again and again in an attempt to expose them to new information. The more accustomed to reading a particular book your child is, the more fluent he becomes at reading it. This gives them the confidence, accuracy, and speed needed to read fluently without focusing on just reading and instead more on comprehending and mimicking expressions. 4. Encourage your child them to read more often while keeping speed, accuracy, and expression in mind. Modeling positive reading behavior sets the tone for reading across the board! . |
What Common Core Standards are covered in Second Grade?The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are a clear set of shared goals and expectations for the knowledge and skills students need in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics at each grade level. Follow the links below to learn more about the CCSS for Second Grade. There are also links for the NC Standards for Social Studies and Science.
|