HOW CAN I HELP MY
CHILD AT HOME?
10 Tips to Help your Child with Writing:
1. Read from a variety of sources. Reading and writing are linked – success in one supports success in the other. Read stories, articles,
ads, instructions, etc. to your child and then talk about what you have read.
2. Be a writing role model. Let your child see you writing when possible – letters, work assignments, letters to the editor, email. Help your
child to understand about writing for different purposes like short stories,
poems, letters, etc. Make sure they see all different types of materials such
as books, magazines, newspapers, comic books and illustrated novels.
3. Get children to write on their own. Capturing the day's events on paper
or creating a story or poem is a great way for children to develop their own
writing style. Let them write about their interests – it doesn't matter what the subject is.
4. Encourage your child to write down ideas. A journal or diary is a simple
way for kids to keep track of their thoughts or feelings. They can write about
things that happened at school, on TV, news stories, pictures, sports, and
activities. Journals can be purchased at the dollar store in a variety of sizes
with different covers.
5. Keep writing sessions short. When your child has a writing assignment,
help to schedule brief periods of writing rather than trying to write it in one
go. Help create an outline before putting pen to paper.
6. Cyberspace writing. Encourage your children to write emails to or
instant-message with family and friends. If they have their own email address,
write emails to each other.
7. Computers can be a writer's best friend. Though we all feel that kids may
spend too much time on the computer, there are some great games that help kids
develop their writing skills by allowing them to create their own stories,
books, and practice typing skills.
8. Encourage your child to talk it out. Writing mistakes can often be
easily caught by reading stories out loud.
9. Listen and talk to your children. Help your child talk about what,
where, when, how and why as they are preparing to write about something. If
your child seems stuck, ask what the problem is and talk about it.
10. Play games and do puzzles with your child. Games such as Junior
Scrabble®, word finders or crossword puzzles that involve creating and using
words are a great way to develop word vocabulary. Keep a dictionary handy.
10 Tips to Help your Child with Reading:
1. Keep reading with your child. Kids are never too old to be read to–or let your kids read to you. Read a variety of material – magazines, newspapers, books, poems and comic books.
2. Public libraries today are worlds to explore so try and go regularly.
Your library has great resources – books, computer games, DVDs, CDs, magazines, newspapers and Internet
access. There are also terrific in-house programs such as reading circles for
little ones and homework clubs for older children.
3. Read some of the same books as your child. There are many books that are
loved by people of all ages. Ask your librarian or child's teacher for
suggestions. You can share your thoughts and ideas, and have great
conversations about the characters, stories or topics.
4. Ask your children what they're reading. Ask what it's about and what is
most enjoyable about the book. Ask your child to describe it to you.
5. Tap into interests and hobbies. Kids are more likely to read about what
they find really interesting, like sports or crafts. Don't worry if it's a
comic book, magazine or an illustrated novel, just remember all reading is
good.
6. Find books that relate to TV shows. Let's face it, TV and video games
are part of life now and our kids benefit when we help them learn how to think
about these messages too. You can use this to your advantage–introduce them to books or magazines that relate to their favourite
shows, movies or games.
7. Encourage your older kids to read to younger kids. The older child will
practice reading out loud and the younger child will enjoy being read to.
8. Play games together. Trivia games and board games such as Junior Trivial
Pursuit® or Junior Scrabble® can be a fun way to learn about words and reading.
9. Computers can be reading zones too! Though we all feel that kids may
spend too much time on the computer, there are some great games that help kids
with reading and allow them to create their own stories and books. Look for
"parent approved" on the box in stores and in the library.
10. Give praise. The best motivation comes from your positive feedback.
Whenever your child finishes a reading or writing assignment, ask about what
was read and praise your child's effort.
10 Tips to Help your Child with Math:
1.
Be positive about math!
2.
Let your child know that everyone can
learn math.
3.
Let your child know that you think math
is important and fun.
4.
Point out the ways in which different
family members use math in their jobs and at home. Include your child in everyday
activities that involve math: making purchases, measuring ingredients, counting
out plates and utensils for dinner. When doing math with your child, use
household objects such as measuring cups and containers of various shapes and
sizes.
5.
Be positive about your own math
abilities.
6.
Encourage your child to be persistent
if a problem seems difficult. Treat errors as opportunities to help your child
learn something new.
7.
Praise your child when he or she makes
an effort.
8.
Play games and do puzzles with your
child that involve math.
9.
Do math problems with your child for
fun.
10. Encourage
your child to give explanations. When your child is trying to solve a problem,
ask what he or she is thinking. If
your child seems puzzled, ask him or her to tell you what doesn’t make sense.
HOW CAN I HELP MY CHILD IN FRENCH?
1.
Make vocabulary flash cards and play
some games with your child.
2.
Encourage your child to teach you, or a
sibling, what they have been learning.
3.
Encourage your child to attend French
club (day/time to be announced). They can
come for extra help, play French games, read French books, and listen to French
CD's, and make some French crafts.
4.
Ask your child to watch one French
television program or read a French book each week.
5.
The public library offers books with
tape or CD. Sign a few out and have your
child follow along with the book and listening to how words are pronounced.
6.
Talk about the benefits of learning a
language and encourage your child to do their best.
Bring French
into Your Home
o Including
some French in you everyday home life early on will show your child how much
you value learning a second language. Parents can learn French too - it can be
fun and enriching for the whole family! Activities need not be expensive or
elaborate. Just use your imagination and you will be able to add to the list
below in no time.
o Use labels
from can and food packages to make a collage or collect them in a scrapbook.
They won’t realize they are learning vocabulary, spelling, and sorting.
o Play I Spy
in French. Prepare for the game by printing on cards the French names for
objects in a particular room of the house. Don’t know the name of an object?
Let your child know it’s OK not to know something. Make a point of finding out
the word you didn’t know from an older sibling, a teacher, a visual dictionary
or an English/French dictionary.
o Have your
child label as many objects in your house as possible. In making the labels
don’t forget to include the article “le” or “la” so that your child can learn
if the noun is masculine or feminine.
o On a long
car ride play “Guess the sentence” Your child will say a word, sentence or
phrase in French while the parents try to guess what is said. You will soon
discover you can figure out the meaning even if you don’t know every word.
o Introduce
older students to board and computer games in French. Scrabble, Monopoly, and
Clue are some of the many board games available.
o Music can be
a marvelous motivator. Play a French tape or CD. Listening to songs and singing
along develop both aural and oral skills. Repetition gives children the
opportunity to pronounce sounds that do not exist in the English language.
Music also provides a window into French culture.
o Family
sing-a-longs can be great fun while driving or sitting by the fireplace or
campfire.
o Check out
local French television and radio listings.
o Many videos
are available including the ever popular Disney collection
o Check out a
French library book
o Subscribe to
a French newspaper or magazine.
o Hire a French-speaking
baby sitter.
o Check your
local directory for Francophone clubs including sports clubs. They often have
planned activities and entertainers which may be of interest to your child.
o Travel to a
French speaking destination.
o French
summer camp is a wonderful way to have fun in the sun while practicing language
skills
How to help your French Immersion
student with Reading
The more fluent a student is in his/her
own language, the easier it is to learn another. Read aloud to your child every
day. Read books in your own language if English is your second language. Do not
worry if you do not speak French; you can instill a love of literature in your
child regardless of the language in which you read. By fostering enthusiasm,
and motivating your child to seek out books independently, you are laying the
ground work for positive attitudes that are essential to life long learning in
French or in English. It is important that your child’s first language be as
rich as possible; you have the ability to provide that enrichment at home.
Besides reading to your child often, let them see you reading and using books
frequently. You can help your child’s reading development by:
o reading
books with repetitive words and phrases.
o finding
stories and poems about everyday experiences which are easily related to their
own lives and can be easily discussed.
o reading
materials that are just plain fun, like riddles, silly rhymes etc.
o encouraging
active participation in reading by asking for their opinion, talking about the
pictures, predicting what may happen next, are the events in the story true or
factual (fiction or non-fiction), have the student retell the story to another
person, draw a picture of their favorite part of the story.
o finding
stories on audio tape. Have an older sibling tape a story which can be listened
to over and over again.
o playing word
games. For example, find rhyming words.
o don’t stop
reading to or with your child once they can read. It’s a great way to spend
some time together!
o if you have
concerns about your child’s reading development discuss your concerns with
their teacher.
A Quick Mini lesson on pronunciation
Trying to
help your child in their reading or pronunciation of French words? Here is a quick lesson:
o
while there are significant differences
between the sounds of the vowels in the two languages, the consonants are
essentially the same
o qu sounds like k (not like kw as in quick)
o th is pronounced t
o ch is pronounced like the English sh
o i is pronounced like the long English e (bee)
o y sounds like yes event at the end of a word
o ou in French always sounds like group (not out)
o oy and oi sound like the wa in water
o au and eau have the long o sound (so)
o ez has the long a sound (way)
o accents change the sounds of vowels; e sounds much like the short English e (deck) while é sounds has the long a sound (hay)
o stress falls on the last sounded syllable (ami sounds like am-ee)
o when a word begins with a vowel (or a silent h), it is usually joined with the last consonant of the preceding word- it will sound as though your child is reading one word instead of two.
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