They’re finally here!  I have worked hard to create math assessments for grades 1-6 and reading assessments for grades 1-4 (grades 5 and 6 are coming soon).

I’ve taken the math curriculae from several regions, extracted specific concepts, and created my own Tutorgiant.com assessments.  The math assessments cover all 5 math areas; number sense, geometry, patterning and algebra, measurement, and data and probability.  The reading assessments foucs on reading comprehension skills such as; inferring, asking questions, synthesizing, determining importance, and making connections.

The assessments are a good starting point for parents to get an idea of their child’s weaker subject areas.  I’ve already had some good feedback on the assessments, especially math.  So far, I’ve had quite the response.  Most people have emailed me and said that the assessments were pretty much in line with their child’s report card.

I think that they are a good starting point for parents.  I have still been reminding parents on my radio and tv appearances to look back at that 3rd term report card in order to be aware of their child’s weaker subject areas.  I think that using the report card and my new assessments will help give parents a good picture as to where their child needs help before it’s too late.

admin Uncategorized math assessments, reading assessments

     Wow!  I’m going to have FREE educational assessments on Tutorgiant in a few weeks (just in time for back to school).

     I will have over 30 asssessments.  I will have free math assessments for grade 1, grade 2, grade 3, grade 4, grade 5, and grade 6.  Each grade will have 5 individual assessments.  That is, each grade will have an assessment for each math strand (i.e. numeration, geometry, patterning and algebra, measurement, and data and probability).  The assessments will have from 10 to 25 questions.  I took the essential learning skills and concepts from each math section and focused the questions around them.

     Hopefully, I will also have grammar, spelling and vocabulary, and reading comprehension assessments up and running by September as well.

     This will be a great way for you to see where your child needs help BEFORE school starts.

admin Uncategorized

     The Giver is one of my favourite books to use for a read aloud. This book is perfect for your child to learn how to infer (think critically) and make connections (specifically text to self).

Inferring involves reading the text by asking questions and using background knowledge in order to make conclusions about underlying themes.

     The Giver caters to this reading strategy beautifully.  Your child can become a better reader by using inferring strategies throughout this book.

     Your child should occasionally stop while reading, and say to themself, “I think…”, “Maybe…”, or “I believe…”. You can guide your child by having him/her  think about the setting (where and when this story takes place) and draw conclusions about how the ’society’ in this book treats its citizens (a great intro to concepts found in the book “1984″).  Also, throughout the book, have your child infer what the main character (Jonas) is thinking and what motivates him.  There is quite a bit of room for inferring in The Giver because the book is open to interpretation on so many levels. 

     The Giver is not the type of book that should be read quickly.

     Rather, it is a good book for students to take occasional pauses in order to reflect upon the conditions that people are exposed to and the way that they are ‘governed’ in a society. 

    This theme can also lead to your child learning another reading strategy, ‘making connections“.  You can ask your child (or he/she can tell you periodically), “How is your life similar to that of the main character?” Or, since your know your child’s life history, you can ask,” Do you remember when you…How is that similar to Jonas’ situation?”. 

     A little word of warning though, the book does touch upon themes of puberty.  I wouldn’t avoid the book because of this though (I simply skip the parts when I read it to my class).

     The Giver is one of the best ‘thought provoking’ books for students from ages 10-14 (the age range is my opinion) and it will help your child improve his/her inferring and making connections readings skills.

admin Uncategorized book review, inferring, making connections, the giver

One more week!!! 

I’m highly anticipating the summer break but I already know what’s going to happen come September.  The first few weeks of school are going to be here in no time and most kids will have empty brains!

Parents, instead of having to wait until the November parent-teacher interviews, how about looking at the problem areas now instead of in the fall? 

This 3rd term report card is the perfect ‘tool’ for preventing the ‘November Surprise’.  Okay, I know, it’s the summer time…give the kids a break…let them have fun…

I agree, to a certain extent.  Let’s take a look at this 3rd term report card.  Let’s assume your child received a C+ on one of the math strands (strands meaning Number Sense, Measurement, Geometry, etc…).  Are you just going to wait until September and hope the problem rectifies itself?  I’m not suggesting summer school, no way!  But I am suggesting some kind of help. 

Here’s my suggestion.  Again, let’s say your child did poorly in number sense in grade 5 math.  As an experienced, certified teacher, I would suggest your child spend a few hours a week reviewing grade 5 number sense, AND previewing grade 6 number sense.

Keep all that math fresh in his (or her) head.  When September comes around, he’ll have a better grip on his grade 5 math, and definately some understanding of grade 6, even before it is taught.

I look at it this way.  Imagine you just went to the doctor and he said that you gained 15 pounds and your health has been comprimised.  Okay.  What are you going to do between now and the next doctor appointment?  Hopefully you are going to  to drop those 15 pounds, right?  Or you’ll at least try to drop them.  You probably won’t just say to yourself, “I’m just going to enjoy myself and wait for the next appointment.”

I’ve made these recommendations in the past to parents and for those who have followed it, their children clearly benefited.

Good luck!

admin Uncategorized Math, report card, summer

What does the word ‘homework’ mean to you? I’m sure it means something quite different to your child.

But seriously, what does it mean to you? I’ve heard some parents say, “here we go again,”, “why do I have to spend my time helping my child with homework when he should be learning this stuff in school,”, and “it’s good for him, it helps develop discipline,”.
Regardless of what you think, it’s part of the education system that is often unavoidable (that is, if you want to avoid it). At Tutorgiant, we believe that sometimes homework is quite beneficial, and for many kids, it’s rather necessary. Yes, sometimes homework can be just ‘work’ to keep kids busy, but we believe that in the United States, most (if not all) teachers realize this and are giving homework that reinforces what’s been taught in the classroom.

Now, how do you go about tackling homework when it’s a problem? Well, let’s face it. If your kid is motivated, then homework won’t be a problem. On the other hand, if your child would rather play sports or video games (which I think in moderation has its benefits) rather than do homework, you’ve got a problem.

Of course we’ve all heard about making contracts with your kids. I know several parents who swear by it while others said it doesn’t work. Fair enough, what works for some may not work for others. So what does work for the unmotivated kid?

I’m going to shock you by saying this (and I know that I’ll get quite a bit of backlash for this one)…here it goes…

BRIBE THEM

That’s it. I can hear the e-mails coming in. Okay, before some of you tell me that I know nothing about psychology (wait a minute…I have my B.A. in motivational psychology and my Master’s Degree in Learning Theory) let’s look at this more clearly.

I remember having a discussion with my cousin about how children shouldn’t be bribed…”they should want to achieve goals for their intrinsic value”…”what kind of society are we going to have if everyone only did things for rewards” she pointed out.

While I respect what she said, and agree to some extent…it doesn’t work that way. Without going into human evolution and Pavlovian Conditioning, I’ll make sense of it in simpler terms.

Why do you go to work?

Think about it. Okay, some people may say that they love what they do, and I believe them. But think about this…perhaps your child doesn’t love what he/she does! (that is…go to school). You have had a choice, he/she hasn’t.

If you won the lottery, would you still do what you do for a living? Honestly, I’m sure there are many people who wouldn’t. Why? You know the answer.

Finally, why do most people go to work? Does everyone love what they do? I doubt it! They go to get the reward, the positive reinforcer, the paycheck. (Or some would say that they go to work because they avoid the “punishment” of not getting a paycheck).

Well, why can’t your child, who may not like his/her work, get motivated to get a ‘paycheck’. I’m referring to a toy, a trip, a new game (I’m obviously referring to a tangible reward that is appropriate for your child). I’ve seen this and I’ve seen it a lot! Meaningful rewards that are in reach of your child’s abilities will not spoil your child nor will they create a lack of responsibility.

On the contrary, your child will see that hard work pays off!!!!

If a kid isn’t intrinsically motivated, then why not motivate him/her extrinsically? I was generally intrinsically motivated in school. I remember going through a tough time in early high school. My parents offered me ‘items of my choice’ if I got higher grades. I remember working my tail off! It worked. It also gave me the confidence to do well later on in high school.

Think about it. I hope it works for you.

admin Uncategorized Homework, motivation, studying