Home Work Help

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Nancy
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Home Work Help

Postby Nancy » Sat Dec 08, 2012 1:14 pm

I'm hoping this is the place for this topic.
Quite a bit on my mind on this one.

I'm trying to remember when I had kids and they had card and stickers for rewards and then after so many stickers they could earn a fun reward; trying to go with that. Then I could find it and put some ideas in it as I get 'em.

Yesterday was better for us.
{I was feeling better as well that helped.}

I like the one week at a time concept.
But being at the end of the quarter now it's grade time...

I agree with whoever said they had to stay on the homework situation with their dson all through high school, our dson was that way as well; smart but would rather play outside in high school than do his schoolwork in the spring especially.

Dd & teacher are now thinking along the lines of schools that have rules if grades are not up no sports participation is the thinking of the parents. Sports should not be a right to life if grades are failing. How ever it is sad that folks had put out $ for the pic. boys & girls club membership shoes etc. then kids fail and can't play.

Teacher and dd are doing the 10 min. on and 10 min. play time as a reward for ten min of homework done; but that does not work very well here. After the first session focus is lost and it fizzles out. But only ten min of T.V. is like whine whine whine to get back to it and more time is spent getting off the ten min. play and back to the studying or assg. sheet of what ever.

The challenge seems to be getting the student to remember home work and then parents [or who ever] try to "help" getting homework assg. etc. thus bailing student from failing and trying to "fix it". So the student learns he does not have to remember home workbook, papers etc.; plus forgetting them does not have to do the work. Dgson seems to be very good at getting out of doing the work.

It seems like teacher did not care until grade time to me; but I'm coming in late to this process so I could be wrong. But it is consequence time for example if spelling is getting a F.

I've been told Dgson will be only here for a mo. so not long term at this point anyway. :roll: Time will tell. Dd helps in class room one morning a week so it there and in excellent communication with the teacher.

Trying to find what works for dgson is a challenge. At the end of the day he helps in the class room putting away chairs. This will end after this mo. to give more time to collect coats, lunch, assg. etc.

He got the reading folder in his bag and here on Fri. but without reading book in it. Ack! Frustration no reading assg. to do for that subject with out the book.

So we moved on to the next subject. Working with what dgdson brought. [His mom had called the teacher and copied spelling from their conversation but we did not have it here.]

Dgson called Thurs. I got the message make sure I do __________ assg. he got home with out ____________ subject after teacher had watched him put it in his back pack! I think this has been happening a lot from what I can see! That day we went back to the school to get it as teacher had found it and called dd and dd called me.

One day he forgets spelling the next reading math. He seems to have an excuse like they did not get it stapled together packet is not ready to come home. I had no way of knowing if it was true or not. [With our kids we just had alternate stuff work books, or some thing for that subject so they did not get out of doing it.]

[I'm seeing a lack of constancy all the way around but that just might be me or is that called life. ]

Observations:
We do better on the days dgd with the other granny,
less distraction.
Using a timer helps.
This teacher is using team work for reading it seems to help some.
Last edited by Nancy on Sun Dec 09, 2012 2:04 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Harriet
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Re: Home Work Help

Postby Harriet » Sat Dec 08, 2012 10:44 pm

Random thoughts

Nancy, when my dmother used to tutor my cousin's son in the afternoons, everything would go beautifully until my ddad came in and then my little cousin couldn't keep his mind on his studies because my ddad would start up conversation, tell him all about new puppies or other dogs, etc. So my mom would completely lose his attention to this more interesting family member! Not that you are tutoring exactly, but beware the interesting family members! LOL! Ask them not to be a distraction.

Although my dd32 somehow just "got it" early on, both ds27 and dd14 took a while to warm up to schoolwork/homework. They have both told me that nothing clicked until they found out they wanted to do it for themselves, and both say an element of competition helped, even competition with themselves to prove something. Dd has also pointed out to me that the less I helped, the better her grades became. Also probably another "make it her own" thing. So except for expectations and nagging (I am very good at those and consider them VITAL ;) ) I may not have personally been all that helpful to my children for homework time. Hmmm.... ...

I have never really given money for grades although I meant to several times and forgot. :oops: So I don't know if it is helpful - it might be. HRH, though, has sometimes done something unexpectedly nice for one of the children after the fact, and told them it was because he was proud of a report card or test grade and noticed their hard work. I think that probably spoke volumes.

John Rosemond had 3 rules for successful homework time in an article at the first of this school year, I believe. Let me see if I remember well enough to paraphrase:
first, give the child a personal homework place
second be ready to help, but set limits on how much (I think he suggested offering to help with the 3 hardest questions per day, which also gets the child to notice and express which things are hard for them)
third, expect it to be finished by a certain time

I would have thought he would say start by a certain time but he thinks finishing by a certain time is more helpful.

Test preparation
The professor who wrote "Where theres a will there's an A", Claude Olney, had these tips for test prep that helped dd32:
1) Don't be afraid to take breaks when studying for a test. He said as you study, you are very likely to remember the first few things you read and the last few before you look away, so taking breaks is fine.
2) Go ahead and snack. In fact, he suggested eating an apple as you studied difficult parts. He said we remember things we learn while smelling or tasting something interesting. Dd14's new high school allows gum, so we had the brainstorm to chew a new-to-her flavor of chewing gum as she studies at home for an important exam. Then she will take a stick of that same unusual flavor to school to chew during the test. Most schools probably aren't too keen on chewing gum. LOL She has mixed results, btw. :) But it gets her thinking about whether she is remembering the info, if nothing else.

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Re: Home Work Help

Postby Cowinkie » Sun Dec 09, 2012 10:23 pm

I will post some suggestions tomorrow. My migraine is getting in the way.
Nancy.... Can you give me an idea how much home work your DBS has on average each day?
Live boldly, take risk, no regrets...Jillian Michaels

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Nancy
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Re: Home Work Help

Postby Nancy » Sun Dec 09, 2012 10:49 pm

DGS has at least three subjects each day. He's a 3rd. grader.
Maybe 45 min. of home work he does here.
Reading daily 5 pages in a book they are reading for class.
It is hard to gauge b/c this teacher does stuff for the week that seems to be the trend these days.
[Spelling that he does not remember.]
A math packet if we get three pages done a day on it and some at home he can finish his week's work.
Writing assg. he had to edit and spell check three pages over the weekend.

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Re: Home Work Help

Postby Nancy » Thu Dec 13, 2012 3:30 pm

Home work update with some good news!
dgson did not get any zeros on his report card he is in 4th grade not third I was mistaken oops! The focus on it is helping.

Tip of the day to get dgson to work on his work I spent time in the same room watching him on my exercise bike and we said how much can you get done in this amount of time it takes me 15 - 20 min. for my session to do 4 mi.

So in that time he got 2 of the three pages copied for a final draft of the story for school yea for that work done.

So he has a list to check before coming home at his desk now and spelling home and it conquering the "big word" for this week American!

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Nancy
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Re: Home Work Help

Postby Nancy » Tue Dec 18, 2012 12:31 am

Dgson remembered the 2 subjects of home work today and got those done so he could go to the bball practice yea! Felt like a success but not so much home work this week b/c it's after a big assg. in writing and after report card and just before holiday break but we will take what ever good news we can get right?!

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Re: Home Work Help

Postby Cowinkie » Thu Mar 21, 2013 2:57 pm

Hey Nancy....

The site that Harriet suggested looks like fun. :D

Here are my thoughts...

Its been my experience that most kids who have trouble with times tables don't really understand the concept of multiplying. Silly as it seems, now a days the teachers just breeze by this part. Perhaps that is what is happening with you dgs.

Here's what I suggest. Get a bunch of pennies...dry beans work as well. Take the pennies and say "i'm going to multply 3x2 by using these pennies.

Make sure you "say" the questions to your dgs and make him touch and count them. You need to explain or "define" what a group is...don't assume he knows.

Then make two piles of pennies 3 times XX XX XX How many group? (count them) 3
How many in a group? (count them) 2
what is the total numbers of the pennies all together? 6
(Count them)
Thats right..... 3 x 2 is 6

Scoop up all the pennies back into the big pile.
Then say...
"SHOW ME" ....3 x 2 and see if he can repeat it. If he gets it right say...OK you can keep those pennies ;-)

Then repeat the process several times. The "show me" is improtant because it reinforces to you that your dgs understands the concept.

If he can do it try 2 x 3 using the same process. "See it, say it and do it" allows a kid to use all of his learning sensories.

For me this is the missing component when learning how to do adding, subtracting multiplying and division. Kids are taught how to do the function, but they have no idea what it means.

Computer games are great reinforcers, but it leaves out the physical touching part for a kid. And for some students that is key to understanding. Think this way....you can watch a video on how to do something, but until you physically start doing it you don't always get it right. You go back think about what you've just done, mentally make adjustments and try again.

Plus, with physically touching the pennies, the nerve endings on your fingers are directly linked to the learning part of your brain. And...fact...brain muscles have memories. Just ask any professional athlete. Its why they practice certain skills over and over again. Then when the time comes the brain remembers, the skill is naturally there Think of this...the reason you can ride a bike even if you haven't been on one for years is because your brain and muscles remember what to do.

Hope this helps...
Live boldly, take risk, no regrets...Jillian Michaels

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Nancy
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Re: Home Work Help

Postby Nancy » Thu Mar 21, 2013 4:10 pm

Thanks Cowinkie I'll give it a go!

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Re: Home Work Help

Postby Cowinkie » Thu Mar 21, 2013 6:12 pm

Nancy .....
If you find this works for your dgd you can take the "3's" and make flash cards. Start easy, just do up to five.
3x1, 3x2, 3x3, 3x4, 3x5, and then reverse.. 1x3,2x3 etc

Shuffle the cards and have dgd pick one. Then say "show me". Have some type of reward for every one he gets right. Once he can do all the cards without missing take the cards, shuffle the cards, pull one out and have him write the answer.

Some kids can write math facts faster than they can say them. I was one of these kids.

Let me know how this is going. If you don't see progress in a week... Actually it should t take that long, it could be your dgs may have a processing problem.
Live boldly, take risk, no regrets...Jillian Michaels

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Nancy
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Re: Home Work Help

Postby Nancy » Thu Mar 21, 2013 7:07 pm

Today's work is range median & mode had to look up mode! :roll: thank goodness for google! LOL! :mrgreen:
Mode: The number that appears most in a set of numbers.


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