Read Online Joe Bruzzese by Parents' Guide to the Middle School Years - Free Book Online Page B
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highlights and marked by significant progress. Considering the academic rigor most kids find in their middle school curriculum, it helps to have a team of teachers who are personally invested in their progress.
Of course, relationships alone wonât make up for missing assignments or not preparing for the weekly math test. At some point your child must step up and take responsibility for putting in the effort necessary to learn and achieve. For kids new to the middle school routine, confronting a full backpack of homework can be overwhelming. Chapter 3 is focused on connecting you and your child with tested and proven strategies for getting things done in the after-school hours. We will look specifically at waysto sort through and organize what needs to be done, so when your child does sit down to begin the evening study routine she feels confident she can complete a list of assignments without taking the entire evening to do it. Letâs look at the ways in which you can help your child complete homework efficiently and effectively.
CHAPTER 3
Getting Ahead in Class
and Staying There
BUILDING STRONG TIES with teachers and connecting with a positive peer group set the stage for your childâs successful middle school experience. After the school day ends, kids face the reality of a full night of studying. Some middle schoolers report spending upward of five hours a night completing assignments and studying for tests. Creating a plan for tackling the rigors of a middle school day begins weeks ahead of ever setting foot on the school campus.
Mind mapping the road ahead
In the weeks leading up to school, find thirty minutes of uninterrupted time to share with your child in
mind mapping
. The goal of this activity is to create a vivid picture of your childâs year-long goals. Ask your child to choose a location for the mind mapping activity. A trip to the park or a favorite restaurant for lunch may set the stage for a productive brainstorming session.
A road map is most useful when you can identify two things: where you are and where you are going. Knowing what you have already accomplished is a valuable step toward achieving a goal. Most teachers, parents, and students focus on where theyâre going, often beginning with the end in mind. However, there is greatvalue in first thinking about where you are now, and
then
setting your sights on where you would like to beâthe goal.
Choose the medium (talking, writing, or drawing) that best fits your childâs personality, then guide him through the following steps:
Step One: Ask your child to think about his experiences as an elementary school student. Brainstorm ideas in the following areas: learning strengths, weaknesses, challenges, interests, and dreams. When your child begins to run out of ideas, ask if it would be OK for you to share any additional ideas.
If the brainstorming format doesnât produce any ideas, consider free-writing for five minutes, in response to the following questions. If talking seems easier than writing, consider recording your childâs ideas on a voice recorder.
1. What do I really enjoy about school? What do I like to learn about?
2. What has been easy for me to learn or do in school? What challenges me?
3. Where would I like to see the greatest change in my academic success?
4. If I could study
anything
at all, and learn about it, what would it be?
The ideas from your conversation, free-writing, or brainstorm will become the road map for defining your childâs year-long goals.
Step Two: Take all of the ideas from step one and suggest that your child choose one of the following activities: write a letter, create a collage, or draw a picture that includes her ideas. Encourageyour middle schooler to post her mind map in a visible location as a continued reminder and source of motivation for achieving dreams and meeting challenges. As new ideas and achievements emerge, your child can add them to the map.
Step
Of course, relationships alone wonât make up for missing assignments or not preparing for the weekly math test. At some point your child must step up and take responsibility for putting in the effort necessary to learn and achieve. For kids new to the middle school routine, confronting a full backpack of homework can be overwhelming. Chapter 3 is focused on connecting you and your child with tested and proven strategies for getting things done in the after-school hours. We will look specifically at waysto sort through and organize what needs to be done, so when your child does sit down to begin the evening study routine she feels confident she can complete a list of assignments without taking the entire evening to do it. Letâs look at the ways in which you can help your child complete homework efficiently and effectively.
CHAPTER 3
Getting Ahead in Class
and Staying There
BUILDING STRONG TIES with teachers and connecting with a positive peer group set the stage for your childâs successful middle school experience. After the school day ends, kids face the reality of a full night of studying. Some middle schoolers report spending upward of five hours a night completing assignments and studying for tests. Creating a plan for tackling the rigors of a middle school day begins weeks ahead of ever setting foot on the school campus.
Mind mapping the road ahead
In the weeks leading up to school, find thirty minutes of uninterrupted time to share with your child in
mind mapping
. The goal of this activity is to create a vivid picture of your childâs year-long goals. Ask your child to choose a location for the mind mapping activity. A trip to the park or a favorite restaurant for lunch may set the stage for a productive brainstorming session.
A road map is most useful when you can identify two things: where you are and where you are going. Knowing what you have already accomplished is a valuable step toward achieving a goal. Most teachers, parents, and students focus on where theyâre going, often beginning with the end in mind. However, there is greatvalue in first thinking about where you are now, and
then
setting your sights on where you would like to beâthe goal.
Choose the medium (talking, writing, or drawing) that best fits your childâs personality, then guide him through the following steps:
Step One: Ask your child to think about his experiences as an elementary school student. Brainstorm ideas in the following areas: learning strengths, weaknesses, challenges, interests, and dreams. When your child begins to run out of ideas, ask if it would be OK for you to share any additional ideas.
If the brainstorming format doesnât produce any ideas, consider free-writing for five minutes, in response to the following questions. If talking seems easier than writing, consider recording your childâs ideas on a voice recorder.
1. What do I really enjoy about school? What do I like to learn about?
2. What has been easy for me to learn or do in school? What challenges me?
3. Where would I like to see the greatest change in my academic success?
4. If I could study
anything
at all, and learn about it, what would it be?
The ideas from your conversation, free-writing, or brainstorm will become the road map for defining your childâs year-long goals.
Step Two: Take all of the ideas from step one and suggest that your child choose one of the following activities: write a letter, create a collage, or draw a picture that includes her ideas. Encourageyour middle schooler to post her mind map in a visible location as a continued reminder and source of motivation for achieving dreams and meeting challenges. As new ideas and achievements emerge, your child can add them to the map.
Step
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