Frequently Asked Questions: This page contains answers to common questions of
students and parents.
- How well should my 1st grader be able to read by the end of the year?
- How can I help at home?
- What math things can I help with at home?
- Is it OK if my child adds on his/her fingers?
- What help can I give my child in spelling?
- Is there more my child can do at home?
How well should my 1st grader be able to read by the end of the year?
Your child should be at level 16 or above by the end of the year. There is
a jump between levels 12 and 14. At level 14, children need to read
fluently, which means they will be timed. Please make sure your child
studies the sight words that I send home each week so that s/he will be able
to recognize words fast enough to stay on grade level.
How can I help at home?
You can help your child practice their reading words, do homework and read,
read, read! Read the Friday poems, take trips to the library for books you
read to your child or things for him/her to read to you. The more fun you
make sight words and spelling words, the better! Have your child spell their
spelling words using movements or have your child organize them into rhyming
sets and spell the part that's alike. When words rhyme, the first part is
called the onset (in "like" the onset is l). The second chunk is called the
rime(in "like" it's the ike part). Have your child identify the rime to help
him/her spell all the words that have that chunk.
What math things can I help with at home?
We'll learn to count change, such as pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters.
So help your child by having him/her count out change that just has pennies.
Next have your child count out pennies and nickels. S/He should always start
with the coin that has the most money first, nickels in this case. When s/he
is good at that, have your child count out pennies, nickels, and dimes. This
is something to spend a short time on, but do it often so it comes naturally.
Also, we'll learn about telling time on the hour (o'clocks) and on the half
hour (:30s). Then,measuring by volume (such as measuring cups), length
(using a ruler or tape measure) are important skills we cover. Your child
will learn them much better if you reinforce these ideas at home. And we
also need to learn to know our adding and subtracting facts by heart. So,
if you review flash cards at home, it's a great help now and also for their
future grades.
Is it OK if my child adds on his/her fingers?
It's a stage of adding, so it's OK to start there. Later, your child will
need to learn to add and subtract in his/her head. By the end of the year,
your child should memorize adding and subtracting facts to 20.
What help can I give my child in spelling?
Help your child study the spelling words each week. You can also do this by
giving your child an actual spelling test at home. If your child gets any
words wrong, have him/her try just that word again and help them learn their
vowel sounds. Take a closer look at rhyming words and have your child try
to spell other words besides the ones on the list to see how well they know
the whole rhyming family. Last of all, point out endings that might be
tricky to your child.
Is there more my child can do at home?
At Randall, we have a website you can go to at home on your computer
that has an internet connection. The website is called Education
City. At the beginning of the year, I send home our password so you
can help your child play the educational games. If you misplace it,
just send in a request for that information and I'll send it home.