Do you ever wonder how you can help your child learn science? You are not alone. Many parents—especially those who didn't pursue careers in science—may be apprehensive, sometimes even fearful, about this endeavor.
Science is a way of understanding the world, a perspective, and a pattern of thinking that begins in the very early years. That is why parent involvement is so important in a child's science education.
Here are some additional tips:
See science everywhere. Parents can take opportunities to ask "What would happen if …?" questions or present brainteasers to encourage children to be inquisitive and seek out answers. Children need to know that science isn't just a subject, but it is a way of understanding the world around us.
Lead family discussions on science-related topics. Dinnertime might be an ideal time for your family to have discussions about news stories that are science based, like space shuttle missions, severe weather conditions, or new medical breakthroughs.
Do science together. Children, especially elementary-age children, learn better by investigating and experimenting. Simple investigations done together in the home can bolster what your child is learning in the classroom.
Obtain science resources. Follow up science discussions, home experiments, or classroom lessons with books, magazines, CDs, and other resources. Science themes will be reinforced through further exploration, and over time your family will have plenty of resources on which to draw
My goal is to provide authentic, science investigations that lead to discovery of concepts. Understanding those concepts are crucial for expanding future science concepts. I am here to help bridge those gaps when concepts are misunderstood.
Reading effects every aspect of a person's life. I challenge you to try and go one full day without reading anything. It can't be done!
Students must practice reading! As with any skill, to get better, you must practice. To get better at a sport, you must practice. You can not show up at a game and expect to be successful if you don't practice.
The same goes for reading. It must be practiced. The more you read, the better you get at it.
How can you impact your student's reading progress?
I encourage your family to create a family reading time. I know it is hard with all we have going on in our daily lives. Start small. Maybe one 20 minute reading time a week. Then add an extra day as time goes by. Make it a priority. Let your student observe you asking questions and making notes about what you read. Discuss with them why they choose the books they choose and share with them why you choose certain books for yourself.
If your child is still struggling with not knowing their math facts it is imperative that they practice them every night. Just like with anything, the more you practice, the better you get. The more confident they are with their math fluency skills the easier it will be for them as we get into more difficult math.
Below are some simple ways to talk about Math with your child:
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Talk to your child about how adults use math in their everyday lives—grocery shopping, budgeting, balancing a checkbook, and checking clothing sizes, for example.
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Talk about people who use math in their jobs, including builders, architects, engineers, computer professionals, and scientists.
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Point out that even if your child does not plan to pursue a career in which he or she will use math, learning it is still important because math teaches
how to solve problems and how to think logically.
Did you know that your child's online math book has video examples of certain math concepts? If you look in the glossary, and say you want to know more about decimals; then all you have to do is look that word up, click on it, and it should pull up a video teaching about that topic. Try it out sometime. :)
Please know that I am here to help your child in any way that I can at school. I want them to feel successful on their math journey, so please encourage them to practice their math while at home.
Notes from the Teachers
Mrs. Thompson
Mrs. Hackler
Mrs. Thomason
