How to Read a Report Card

The purpose of a report card is to communicate about a child's progress across the subject areas.  Most report cards also include an effort, behavior, and personal skills section as well.  Here are some suggestions for making report card time positive and productive.

• Become familiar with the grading system at our school.  
• Make sure you understand the different competencies on the report card.  If it is vague such as "uses time wisely", ask your child's teacher for more details if you don't understand.
• As you look at your child's report card, resist the impulse to jump directly to an area with a lower score.  Find an area with a good grade and focus on that first.  
• Once you've focused on the positive, talk about areas in which your child's grade was lower.  "Tell me how things have been going in science lately".  Start an open conversation about the difficulty your child may be having in that area.
• Together, develop strategies to help in subject areas that are difficult for your child.  Is there a book or website that could help?  If you are not sure, call the teacher for some ideas.
• Last, let your child know that he/she is so much more than just a report card.  Remind them of all the things that make him/her special and important in your family.  

Report cards should not contain any huge surprises about how your child is doing.  Most teachers work to talk with parents if a child is having difficulty. A strong school-home partnership is what makes children succeed!   

Take a break, but bring a book!

Kids look forward to some time away from homework and tests, but summer is not a time to take a break from reading!  When students don't read for three months, their academic skills can easily slip! Three months may not seem like a long time, but by middle school some experts say this down time can put kids up to two years behind!  Reading over the summer not only keeps your child from losing ground, but actually improves skills for the coming year.  Here are some suggestions to keep a book in your child's hands over the summer months:

1.  Visit your local library. They offer free books, audio books, and DVD's that can be borrowed for free!

2.  Bring along a book whenever you leave the house.  Kids can find time to read in the car, at the park, or on the beach!

3.  Don't make reading a punishment.  

4.  Reward reading progress!  Add a shell to a bucket each time your child reads a book and when you've filled it up, do a fun summer activity like making a cool milkshake together!

Have fun reading this summer!

Tracking Print

Tracking print is an important tool a beginning reader must learn.  Tracking print is when you point to each word as you read it aloud.  While reading with your child encourage them to track print as you read aloud or as you're reading together.  Tracking print helps your child learn new words by seeing them and hearing  you read them aloud.  Tracking print also lets you know if your child is paying attention while listening to a read aloud.  Children can track print with their finger, a pencil, or a cool pointer!  Modeling how to track print as you read aloud is important too!

How to read with a beginning reader

• Complete a picture walk BEFORE reading.
• Predict what may happen in the book.
• Model and encourage your child to track print.
• Read a word or sentence and have your child repeat it.
• Take turns reading each page.
• Talk about the story as you read.  What do you think will happen next? What does this story remind you of?
• Read the story again!  Repeated readings build fluency and confidence!

Choosing the Right Books

When reading with your child you want to find the "Goldilocks" of books.  You want a book that's not too hard, not too easy, but one that's just right.  Use these tips to find a book that is just right for your child.  

The Rule of Five

1. Open the book to any page.

2. Read the words on that page.

3. Count the number of words you cannot read.

4. Use your fingers to decide if this is a good book to read. 

one word: ok

two words: still ok

three words: you may need help

four words: tough to read

five words: too hard

Sorting coins by name

Fold a paper into fourths.  Label the sections with the words penny, nickel, dime, and quarter.  Have your child quickly sort all of the coins into the correct sections.

Storytelling on the go!

Take turns adding to a story the two of you make up while riding in the car.  Try to make the story funny or spooky.

One more time with feeling!

When your child as sounded out an unfamiliar word, have him re-read that sentence.  Often kids are so busy figuring out a word they lose the meaning of what they've just read.

Be your child's #1 fan!

Ask your child to read aloud what he or she has written for school.  Be an enthusiastic listener!

Create a writing toolbox

Fill a box with drawing and writing materials.  Find opportunities for your child to write, such as thank you notes, the shopping list, or birthday cards.

Tell family tales

Children love to hear stories about their family.  Talk about a funny thing that happened when you were young.

Write, write, write!

Ask your child to help you write out the grocery list, a thank you note to Grandma, or to keep a journal of special things that happen at home.  Show your child that writing is important and it happens everywhere!

Talk, talk, talk!

Talk with your child every day about school and things going on in their life.  Sprinkle some interesting words into the conversation, and build on words you've talked about in the past.  This will build your child's vocabulary.

I read, you read

Take turns reading aloud at bedtime.  Kids enjoy bedtime stories!  It's a special time with their parents!

Shapes

Point out shapes in the world and discuss them.  If you see a "yield" sign, discuss that it is a triangle and ask your child how many sides would be on 3 yield signs, etc.

Pick books that are at your child's reading level

Help your child pick books that are not too difficult.  The aim is to give your child lots of successful reading experiences.  Reading should be fun!  It's ok to read easy books too!

Measurement

Any time there is a project at home that involves measuring inches or feet, let you child help!  This allows them to understand that the concepts they are learning in school have real world applications.

Be Patient!

When your child is trying to sound out an unfamiliar word, give him or her time to do so.  Remind your child to look closely at the first letter/s of the word or look for something that he/she can recognize about that word.

Take Control of the TV!

It is difficult for reading to compete with TV and video games.  Encourage reading as a free-time activity!

Bake up some math!

Bake with your child.  Read the instructions on the back of the box and allow them to measure ingredients.  Yum!

Conferences!

Don't forget to come to your child's conference!  It is important for home and school to work together as a team to make your child be a happy and successful learner!

Money

You can help your child learn to count money by playing store with them.  Use real coins and let them be the "cashier".

Dig Deeper into the Story!

Ask your child questions about the story you've just read!  Say something like, "Why do you think Clifford did that?" or "What do you think will happen next and why?"

Once is not enough!

Encourage your child to re-read favorite books and poems.  Re-reading helps kids read more quickly and accurately.  That's what we call "fluency"!

Calendar

Talk about the calendar with your child.  Make it exciting by looking forward to special events.  It is fun for them to count the weeks and days until birthdays or to see what day of the week a specific holiday will be on this year.

Don't leave home without it!

Bring a book or magazine along anytime your child has to wait, such as at a doctor's office, etc.  Always try to fit in reading!  Every place is a good place to read!

Math games

There are many games that you probably already have at home that encourage development in math: Yahtzee (basic addition), Connect Four (problem solving), Puzzles (spatial awareness), Card games (have players flip cards and greatest or least number wins), Candyland (make your own cards and use math facts instead of colors), Monopoly (money), Battleship (coordinates), etc.

Bingo For Books!

Thank you for joining us last week to play Bingo for Books!  We were happy to give away almost 300 books for children to add to their little libraries at home!  We talked about how reading 20 minutes per day with your child is an investment worth making!  We hope to make it an annual event!