CURRICULUM GUIDE FOR S.C. TEACHER CADET COURSE | EXPERIENCING EDUCATION, TENTH EDITION
Theme I: Experiencing Learning
Unit 3: Growth and Development
Parenting Elementary-Aged Children
Background philosophy and research: Parents are ultimately the ones responsible for
their children’s education. When parents are involved in their children’s studies, children learn
immeasurably better. The value of parental support has been demonstrated by dozens of
studies. The home and family background have more influence on achievement than the
schools. Parental attention can even help raise IQ in younger children. Laissez-faire parents
might find themselves dealing with passive children who lack a productive work ethic. Learning
is not always easy.
Reading
Writing
• Help children build a small home library.
• Make reading books an enjoyable experience.
• Read to children frequently in a designated time period every day (e.g. after
supper, before bedtime).
• Explain words that children might not know.
• Ask children questions to help them connect the story to their own lives.
• Encourage children to talk about books they read (discuss their favorite parts or
retell the story in their own words).
• Read many kinds of books, with characters similar and dissimilar to those in the
children’s lives.
• Reread favorite books.
• Include stimulating books as presents to children.
• Review newspaper stories and television newscasts with children.
• Have children use the “read, react, remember” method such as SQ3R (Survey,
Question, Read, Recite, Review) or PQRST (Preview, Question, Read, State,
Test).
• Have children read headings, questions, summaries, and picture captions.
• Set purposes for reading. Use teacher or text questions, or make up questions and
have your child answer them.
• Train children to read with an active mind, looking for answers and comparing
answers to predictions made before reading.
• Have children look away from the assignment after each section and state the
ideas in his/her own words.
• Listen to children read aloud to you.
• Introduce children to technology that makes reading fun (e.g. educational
television shows, computer software programs, read-along books with sound
effects, and dramatic readers).
• Assist children with reviews by having them recall important facts and ideas, even
weeks after an assignment.
• Encourage children to write notes and cards to relatives and friends.
• Write notes and letters to children to model written communication.
• Seek pen pals for children, especially those who live in a very different geographic
area.
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