words represent the sounds of spoken words . This is early invented spelling where a child might produce the spelling “ pl ” for “ plan .” At this point in spelling , they are not using the letters that represent all the sounds in a word . This will come later when they write something like “ pln .”
Invented spelling will begin to more accurately represent correct spelling at this point . And parents and teachers will be able to get the gist of what children are writing . Even when children begin to be taught the actual spelling of words , there will still be some invented spelling words interspersed in their writing .
HOW MUCH PROJECT HELP IS TOO MUCH ?
Q
What is the approach that parents should take in helping their children with big school projects ? What is too little , and what is too much ? I ’ d like to know as science projects are coming up soon .
A
— Searching for a Middle Ground
You will find all the education and psychology experts are against helping children too much with projects . This can frustrate parents who see the end result of projects that appear to be done , if not done entirely , by parents . This is especially true when teachers require things that kids can ’ t even do independently due to safety hazards like requiring hot glue gun usage . These projects may get A ’ s while those truly done by students may receive lower grades . And lower grades upset parents who are thinking that their children could be losing out in the race for college .
Nevertheless , if you want your children to be prepared to handle future projects all on their own , your help should be limited to being a project consultant . And you should also support your children by listening to their trouble in completing a project .
The experts say that helping too much limits children ’ s confidence in themselves as well as limits their ability to handle future projects . What is acceptable and helpful for parents to do is teach their
children organizational skills . This includes making a list of what is to be done , a materials list , and a timeline for getting things done . And sometimes , they will need to teach a child to limit the scope of
a project to a manageable one . Another important component of helping with a project is to help their children learn how to manage the stress that projects can gene . #
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