November 2012Issue 2

Volume 21

The The Child AdvocateChild Advocate

Helping Children Succeed in School

Math: Analyzing Data and Finding Solutions

Supporting Science Learning

Parent/Teacher Conferences Help Create Better Educational Experiences

Making History Relevant to Students

Reading: Learning to Read and Reading to Learn

Writing: Teaching Students to Think and Express Themselves

Efficient and Effective StudyingThe Child Advocate is published online every month from September through May by the Washington State PTA, 2003 65th Avenue West, Tacoma, WA 98466-6215, (253) 565-2153. Contributors are welcome. Call the State PTA office for guidelines. Whenever PTA is used it also refers to PTSA. PTA is a registered trademark of the National Congress of Parents and Teachers.

Novella Fraser, Washington State PTA PresidentBill Williams, Washington State PTA Executive Director

Karen Fisker-Andersen, Editor

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Contents

Website: www.wastatepta.org

Email: wapta@wastatepta.org

Phone: (253) 565-2153 or

1-800-562-3804

Fax: (253) 565-7753

a Washington State PTA parent involvement publication

Washington State PTA

2003 65th Avenue West

Tacoma, WA 98466-6215

Child AdvocateThe VISION: “Making every child’s potential a reality.”

MISSION: PTA is:n A powerful voice for all children,n A relevant resource for families and communities, andn A strong advocate for the well-being and education of every child.

The Washington State PTA accomplishes the mission of PTA by• Speaking on behalf of children and youth in the schools, in the community, and before governmental bodies and other organizations that make decisions affecting children; • Supporting parents* in developing skills to raise, protect and advocate for their children; • Encouraging parent*, teacher, student and community involvement; • Promoting opportunities for positive outcomes for children; and • Being a financially stable, well-managed organization that promotes diversity, provides quality service, models best practices and values its members and employees.

*Parent may include adults who play an important role in a child’s family life since other adults (grandparents, aunts, uncles, or guardians) may carry the primary responsibility for a child’s health, welfare, education and safety.

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You won’t want to miss out on this very special celebration. Plan ahead to attend!

An inspiring weekend with a variety of training opportunities, engaging keynote speakers, and

plenty of fun!

Attend WSPTA’s 100th

Annual Convention

May 3-5, 2013Bellevue Hyatt Hotel

(located next to Bellevue Square)

Photo: 37th Annual WSPTA Convention, (Tacoma, May 2, 1950) Courtesy of the Tacoma Public Library, Northwest Room

Photo courtesy of University of Puget Sound

Math: Analyzing Data and Finding Solutions

The Child Advocate, November 2012 3

Math teaches students to analyze data and find solutions. Compe-tence in math opens the door to many opportunities for success in col-lege, leading to good paying jobs. Not only are these skills sought after in the workplace, but they are nearly as important in our society as being able to read.

Overcoming Obstacles

For some children, math may evoke anxiety or a fear of failure. Some of these students may have struggled with understanding math in the past; others are influenced by their parents’ negative attitudes toward the sub-ject. Math anxiety is not uncommon, but there are so many opportunities today to get extra help that most children can overcome their struggles in learning and understanding math.

Math instruction in today’s classroom is more likely to involve coopera-tive group efforts than in the past. Students, who have a unique insight into what their peers may not understand, can sometimes explain things more effectively to struggling students than teachers.

In addition to getting help from students in math groups, other resources for help include: teachers, professional centers that specialize in tutoring students in math, a variety of Internet resources, DVDs to use on your television, and computer software designed to help students understand math concepts.

For parents who had problems with math when they were students, make an effort to learn alongside your students. An optimistic approach to-wards learning math may help your students who have acquired some of your math anxiety. Set high expectations for youself and your students to learn math competence together.

Technology Helps

Technology aids math students in many ways. For younger students, there are many different math games can be purchased to play on com-puters. For older students, textbooks may contain a link to an online help resource that provides hours of instructional tutorials and a variety of practice problems that students can complete and correct online.

These sites are ideal for students who don’t yet understand new concepts and need extra instruction or practice. Help your students find and utilize these online resources.

Helping with Math Homework

All students have their own style of learning. Some students learn new math concepts best using manipulatives such as buttons, beans, candies or cubes. Talk to your children’s teachers about your students’ learning styles and how you can support your students at home.

If your children are struggling with math, be patient. Use examples from the book to help them learn the concepts of their homework assign-ments, but don’t do your children’s homework for them.

Sometimes students get frustrated when they don’t know how to start a problem. Teach them to draw pictures and graphs if that helps them analyze the problem. Sometimes this helps students determine what data in the problem is useful and relevant and what processes are needed to solve the problem. Students should always show their work when solving problems, label their answers and check their solutions to make sure they are reasonable.

It is usually not a good idea to check every problem in a children’s home-work assignment because they learn to depend on you instead of rely on themselves to make sure they do the work correctly. If your students are having difficulty with their math assignments, ask that they circle spe-cific answers that they want to you to check. This will provide a balance

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that allows them to be responsible for their own work and also be able to access their parents as a resource.

Other Things Parents Can Do

n Have fun with math. Play board games that involve math or using money, such as Monopoly, or games that involve counting or using strategy. Bake cookies and ask kids to double or halve the recipe. If your students enjoy baseball, show them how to figure out batting averages. Encourage lemonade stands to give children practice count-ing money and making change. Take your children to the grocery store and compare prices with them. Provide ways that show your children that math is useful and relevant.

n Provide an allowance. This will give your children experience budget-ing money. Let your children figure out what school clothes they’d like to buy and help them learn how to budget their funds so they can purchase the things they’d like to. Help them make choices to get the most out of their money.

n Point how out math is used in the real world. Show your children how math is used in the work place in various jobs.

What PTAs Can Do

n Organize Family Math Nights. Help promote fun math games while building family and school relationships.

n Organize an after-school math team. Find out if there are any math competitions students from your school could participate in. Show kids that math can be fun too! n

a Washington State PTA parent involvement magazine

Supporting Science LearningChildren are natural scientists. They are curious about the world around them and often inquire about the things they see and observe.

What Parents Can Do

At Homen At home, parents can perform some simple experiments

with their kids. Ideas for science experiments are found on the Internet and in books at the local library.

n Take apart old electronics so your children can see how they work.

n On a clear night, go outside with your kids and look at the stars. Point out the different constellations you recognize.

n Plant a garden in your backyard. n Encourage television shows on science-related topics. n Buy gifts that encourage exploration and discovery, such as chem-

istry sets, telescopes, and electronic kits.

In the Communityn Go to science museums, zoos and aquariums in your community. n Check out books on science from the library on science. n Go on nature walks and study the plants. Try to identify the birds

you see. n Encourage your children in science coursework at school. Find

out what they are learning. Encourage them to further explore these topics.

What PTAs Can Do

PTAs can support science education in their school communities by hosting a science fair/festival, starting a robotics club or an after school science club, arranging for science-related assemblies and field trips and coordinating “scientists in the classroom” visits for kids to learn first hand what it is like to be a scientist. n

5The Child Advocate, November 2012

Parent/teacher conferences are an important tool in establishing successful partnerships between home and school. Even if your students are older or are doing well in school, parents should participate in these con-ferences to get connected with what students are doing at school and how you can support them at home.

Before the conference, ask your student how he feels about the class, his classmates, and if there is anything that is concerning him. Write a list of your questions so you don’t forget to ask them at the conference. You may be interested in finding how well your student is par-ticipating in class discussions, how he is getting along with others, how well he pays attention to directions, what his strengths and weaknesses are, if your student is keeping up academically with his peers and what you can do at home to support him in his schoolwork.

When you arrive for the conference, listen to what the teacher has to say without interrupting or being defensive. If there is anything you need clarification on, be sure to ask. When you leave the conference, be sure to make an action plan with the teacher to address any problems. This plan should include what you will do, what the teacher will do and what the student will do. It should also include a means to see how progress is being made on the particular problem. This may include another conference after a period of time. Be sure to thank the teacher for working with you and helping your child succeed in school.

After the conference talk to your student about what was discussed and what needs some attention. If an action plan was made during the conference, explain it to your student so she knows what is expected of her. Write a thank you note to the teacher and summarize the action plan that was discussed. Work diligently to meet your goals in support-ing your student and supervise to make sure your student is also doing what is expected of her. Follow up in the weeks and months following the conference to make sure the desired results are taking place. n

Parent/Teacher Conferences HelpCreate Better Educational Experiences

Students often don’t appreciate history, why they should learn it, or how it is relevant to their lives. However, history is an essential educational endeavor that has many benefits to students. Not only does it help students have a better grasp of their country’s heritage, it helps them appreciate the rights they enjoy and respect their civic duties as citizens of the United States. In addition, it helps students understand the world better and how their nation fits into the global picture. In many ways, one can’t truly understand current events without being a student of history. With a greater understanding of history, students are able to make better decisions and formulate more informed opinions regarding events in their nation and world.

Help you children to be interested in history by encouraging them to read good historical fiction, visit historical sites when you vacation and in your own community, and watch history documentaries on television. Take some time to research your family heritage.

Encourage your children to read the newspaper or watch the television news. Discuss current events with your children at mealtimes. Help your children research and collect information on current topics. Together with your stu-dents, make observations and formulate ideas regarding what factors may have lead to certain problems that exist in the world today. Draw some conclusions on what our society can learn

from issues that exist today in the nation and around the world. n

Making History Relevant to Students

a Washington State PTA parent involvement magazine6

Most parents recognize reading as one of the most important skills their children will learn dur-ing their school years. However, some parents have misconceptions about how children should learn to read. Some may suggest that reading is something the schools should teach without parental participation, and others may feel that children should learn how to read before entering school, and even if doing so involves teaching their children before they are ready. Neither of these scenarios is best for kids. When it comes to reading, children learn best when teachers and parents work together at a natural pace for the student without the presence of anxiety or tension.

In fact, children start the process of learning to read simply by hearing their parents talk and having their parents read to them when they are babies and tod-dlers. Children enjoy the physical closeness to their parents while being read to. They also enjoy listening to the expressive voices of their parents. Toddlers should be encouraged to touch and feel the book, turn the pages and determine how long you spend reading to them.

Most libraries have a story time for preschoolers. This is a great experience for kids and for parents to get out of the house during the day or in the evening to enjoy other kids and expose children to the won-der of reading.

Learning to Read

Set aside time every day for reading. Turn off the television, the radio, and the phone, and read to your children. When they are older, have them read to you.

Encourage young children to be interested in ABC books and make a game out of guessing the letter. Later, when your children know their letters, make a game out of guessing the sound the letter makes. These games can help students decode words using sounds, which works well with auditory learners. Students who are more visual in their learning style will benefit from games that encourage kids to memorize whole words by sight. Be creative in doing this, but be sure to keep it fun and low key. Most children learn to read using a combi-nation of sounding out letters and memorizing words or figuring out words based on pictures and context.

When your children are reading to you, try not to correct every single mistake. Instead, correct the mistakes that affect the understanding of the story, and help your students sound out words that they are having

difficulty on. Praise your children for their efforts. Remember that just like when they were learning to walk and talk, learning to read doesn’t happen overnight. Be patient. Avoid comparing your children’s progress with other children. They all will learn when they are ready.

Books on tape are especially helpful to emerging readers. Tapes help stu-dents enjoy the story and learn that reading can be pleasurable. They can read along with the tape or read the book to themselves after they have listened to the tape. Both are very helpful in developing reading skills and building vocabulary.

Reading:Learning to Read and Reading to Learn

7The Child Advocate, November 2012

Students need to know how to think and express themselves in written form. To aid students in developing this important skill, encourage read-ing and conversation at home. Parents can initiate conversations that cause their children to think, analyze and respond. The actual writing process can be broken down into four steps: researching, organizing, writing and rewriting.

Researching a topic is often easier for students by using the Internet, but

Writing: Teaching Students to Think and Express Themselves

encourage them to consider whether or not the Internet sources they use are reliable. Other sources for research are books, magazine articles, newspaper articles, and interviews.

Learning to organize ideas is another key element in learning to write. To organize their ideas, students should brainstorm their ideas and then write an outline before they begin writ-ing. This skill is often called pre-writing.

When writing, students should write an introduction or thesis statement, followed by supporting information or arguments, and end with a conclusion. Show your students how to use a dictionary and thesaurus if they don’t already use them.

All good writing involves proofreading, editing and rewriting. It typically takes several edits for student’s essays to reach the final drafts. Encourage your students to allow extra time for

editing. Often after putting a piece aside for a day or two, students are able to see things that need editing that they didn’t notice before.

Other tips for developing your student’s writing skills:n Encourage your children to write thank you notes, write to pen pals,

and write in journals regularly.n Offer assistance when your students ask you. Provide constructive

feedback, making sure that plenty of encouragement is offered a well as suggestions for improvement. n

Even after your children learn to read, they still enjoy hearing stories read to them. Choose stories that have exciting plots that may be too dif-ficult for them to read to themselves.

If your children come across a word they don’t know when reading silently, encourage them to look at pictures to see if they can figure out the word, look at the context of the word within the sentence for some clue, or sound the word out. If they still can’t figure out the word, encourage them to come to you for help.

Reading for Pleasure

Once your children learn how to read, keeping them reading is some-times a challenge. Try to find books and magazines that interest your students and are at their reading levels. Often librarians or sales clerks at your local bookstore can give you some ideas on what books your students might be interested in. Other parents may also have some ideas on what their students are enjoying.

Students may enjoy reading the same favorite books over and over again. Don’t discourage them from doing this because it is helping them to gain confidence, speed, and fluency. Magazines or the newspaper are also potential sources of reading, especially for children who aren’t drawn to fantasy or fiction, but enjoy factual information instead. Whether it is the sports section, the comics section or a novel, the important thing is that they are reading something that is pleasurable to them.

Reading to Learn

Good reading comprehension skills are essential for students to learn from reading. To develop good reading comprehension skills, start by talking to your kids about the stories you read to them. Ask them what they liked or didn’t like about the story, what they think would have hap-pened to the characters after the story was over, and ask about the moti-vations of the characters that caused them to act in they way they did.

Other suggestions for developing reading comprehension skills:n Have your children read a newspaper article of their choice and ask

them to summarize the facts for you. Ask them about their opinions on the topic of the article.

n Reading textbooks involves focus and concentration. Many students benefit by first skimming over the chapter headlines, graphs, charts, pictures, and the summaries and vocabulary lists; then reading slowly though the chapter; followed by another quick skim again on key points and vocabulary.

n Outlining is another way students can learn from reading their textbooks. Have your students take each chapter and write an outline with headlines, subheads, and listing important facts, key points, and definitions. Your students can then take a few minutes each day to review their outlines to help them remember what they read.

Any support you can provide in helping your students become good readers will pay off in the long run, just be sure to keep your involve-ment positive and fun! Happy reading! n

ageable pieces and assign a due date for each piece.

n Practice to understand. With every class the goal of learn-ing is more than just memorizing; the goal is to understand the material and know how to apply it. Make sure your students have this in mind when they are studying. Even after the assign-ments are completed, your students may need to assign them-selves more problems until they understand the process involved in solving the problems.

n Utilize learning styles when studying. Students who are auditory learners have better results speaking aloud when review-ing and recalling information; visual learners often have the best results when studying pictures and graphs, highlighting material, and reviewing written notes and materials; and tactile/kinesthet-ic learners often have most success when they are moving so they should be encouraged to pace, squeeze a stress ball, or be active in other ways while they are studying.

n Use techniques to recall information. Help your children remember material by encouraging them to use flash cards, develop memory cues such as remembering the first letter in each word to help them recall an important list, and encourage them to write down difficult formulas when a math test is handed out and it is still fresh from studying.

n Improve test taking skills. Students should try to anticipate test questions and make a practice test for themselves. This will help them see how well they know and understand the material. n

a Washington State PTA parent involvement magazine8

Efficient and Effective StudyingStudents who learn good study habits often have more success in school than those students who may be naturally gifted, but without good study habits. Here are some points to share with your students in helping them develop good study habits:

n Listen carefully in class. Listening is more than just hearing. It’s paying attention and trying to grasp a full understanding of the material presented.

n Take good class notes. Notes should include key points. They don’t need to be complete sentences, but it’s best if stu-dents review their class notes every evening so they can clear up any ambiguity in their notes when it’s still fresh in their minds.

n Make a study plan. Students should schedule study time into their calendars every day. Make sure they plan out how they will accomplish their work during that time. Have them check off a list as they complete items. Generally they should begin with their more difficult subjects or the more difficult assignments and save the easier tasks as the last items to complete each day.

n Get organized. Provide a location for your students to study that is equipped with the supplies they need. Purchase an assign-ment notebook for them to keep track of their assignments for each class and the due dates. It is helpful if their notebooks also contain a calendar so they can plan ahead.

n Plan ahead. Be sure your students know to plan ahead to study for tests and to work on projects. Break down projects into man-