Elementary (K-6th) Articles

End of the school year

By Christina E. | 5/15/2013 7:32 PM CST |

The end of the school year is coming very fast! We need to ensure that our children and students are readily prepared for the tests that are coming. Through extra vocabulary practice, increased reading times, as well as checking for reading comprehension is very important. It's also important to start thinking about next year. If this had some rough spots, that could be avoided next year. We need to work together! If you child was specifically having issues in one subject area, we could take the summer time and ensure that they are more comfortable and even advanced in that subject area. Contact...

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Get Those Wiggles Out!

By Jessica M. | 5/10/2013 12:44 PM CST |

When working with children (especially 7 and below) it can be vital to their memory retention to take a break every thirty minutes.

I have had great success with my younger students who become stir crazy after half an hour of reading by leaving the study are and going outside or in a space where we wont bother others and doing some physical activities.

Since time is a concern it is important to only do this for ten minutes or so.

Sometimes we run and play tag, or we will do some jumping jacks, or just do some silly dancing.

When the student returns they are feeling a little more refreshed,...

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Is Summer School for You?

By Jeff S. | 4/27/2013 8:38 PM CST |

May is a busy month for schools. Standardized tests, field trips, and graduation planning takes center stage. Teachers meet with parents of struggling students as well as those who would benefit from summer enrichment classes to discuss summer school enrollment. This article will help parents/ guardians decide whether or not to enroll their child(ren) in summer school.

A "Bad Rap"

The words “summer school” tend to stir negative thoughts. Many parents and students falsely believe that going to summer school is a bad thing. Some cite teasing as a reason for not sending their child to summer...

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One of my fourth graders got published!

By Shaun M. | 4/26/2013 12:56 PM CST |

With obvious pride, I'm happy to post that one of my home-school students got published in the Magazine of Santa Clarita. Her article appears in the May 2013 edition, and discusses why she prefers the one-on-one instruction to a more traditional classroom setting. I'm unable to post it on this blog, but you can view and read it by clicking the following link: https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-tAfJm3GfIEc/UXq6QhJFvuI/AAAAAAAAFAI/iqxvuVnTxf8/w624-h765/IMG_20130425_170311.jpg

If you live in or near the Savannah area and are interested in either full-time private teaching or tutoring in specific...

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Homeschooling: Getting Started, part 4

By Jeff S. | 4/15/2013 10:22 AM CST |

The last article of this series taught readers how to create academic standards – based unit and lesson plans. The key to writing useful lesson and unit plans is creating clear goal and objective statements. This article teaches readers the similarities and differences between the two statements and gives three tips for creating clear, content – relevant goals and objectives.

Similarities and Differences

Both types of statements must relate to a manageable piece of content. Goals and objectives suffer when they encompass too much content. An example of a goal statement that is too large is,...

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Homeschooling: Getting Started, part 3

By Jeff S. | 4/1/2013 12:34 PM CST |

The first two articles in this series covered how to prepare to home school your child(ren). If you’re following along, you’re probably asking yourself the most logical question: how do I know what to teach every day and how do I teach it? The simple answer is, “By pre-planning using unit and daily lesson plans.” This article explains unit and lesson plans, why they’re important to home schooling parents, and how to write each of these plans.

What are unit and lesson plans?

In part two of this series, I defined curriculum as “what is taught”. While that’s true, this definition can also be...

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Homeschooling: Getting started, part 2

By Jeff S. | 3/23/2013 7:16 PM CST |

In the first article of this series, I reviewed the steps that parents should take to make sure their child(ren) transition smoothly and legally from traditional schools to home schooling. This includes: researching and submitting necessary state department of education paperwork, creating a school year and school day schedule, choosing subjects and books/ materials, and setting learning goals. What’s next? This article explains how to plan each subject along with projects, quizzes, and tests to ensure your home school is successful.

1. Create a curriculum calendar.This is not the same as...

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Homeschooling: Getting started, part 1

By Jeff S. | 3/23/2013 7:12 PM CST |

Parents consider home schooling their child(ren) for a number of reasons. Some may be dissatisfied with the curriculum offered by local public and private schools. Others may travel a lot and want their children to experience other countries and cultures. Whatever your reason for considering home schooling, this series of articles will teach you basic steps to take to begin home schooling your child(ren). Today’s article teaches you six important first steps to ensuring a successful and legal transition from traditional school settings to home school.

1. Review state home schooling laws.The...

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Advice to my younger self- the student

By Lisa B. | 3/19/2013 8:54 PM CST |

IF I could go back in time and give my younger self some advice on how to be a better student, be more successful in school, life, etc, I would definitely tell myself that being involved in everything comes at a cost. It is better to find a few things that you like to do, do them well and often, than feeling stressed because there is so much on your plate at one time. Being a 'Jack of all Trades' it is natural for me to dip my toes in different waters- all at the same time, but that does not mean that I can give 100% to any of them at that time.

While I was able to get good grades (A- average)...

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Who likes History? Why is it important?

By Emily N. | 3/13/2013 1:12 PM CST |

History is all about studying the past. But, haven't we always been taught to "look towards the future"? Yes, but we also need to know the mistakes that have been made historically to look towards the future. So how do we determine what important historical information we need to know? Well...that's definitely a debatable topic. However, knowing the challenges those before us faced is a significant place to start!

As I learn so many interesting things I am amazed by how I now look at past and current issues. Making sure our youth understand the importance of how we became the greatest...

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