Homework Tips (In grades 3-8 please check your child's planner nightly.)

• Make sure your child has a quiet, well-lit place to do homework.
  Avoid having your child do homework with the television on or in places with other distractions, such as people coming and going.
• Make sure the materials your child needs, such as paper, pencils and a dictionary, are available.
  Ask your child if special materials will be needed for some projects and get them in advance.
• Help your child with time management.
  Establish a set time each day for doing homework. Don't let your child leave homework until just before bedtime. Think about using a weekend morning or afternoon for working on big projects, especially if the project involves getting together with classmates.
• Be positive about homework.
  Tell your child how important school is. The attitude you express about homework will be the attitude your child acquires.
• When your child does homework, you do homework.
  Show your child that the skills they are learning are related to things you do as an adult. If your child is reading, you read too. If your child is doing math, balance your checkbook.
• When your child asks for help, provide guidance, not answers.
  Giving answers means your child will not learn the material. Too much help teaches your child that when the going gets rough, someone will do the work for him or her.
• When the teacher asks that you play a role in homework, do it.
  Cooperate with the teacher. It shows your child that the school and home are a team. Follow the directions given by the teacher.
• If homework is meant to be done by your child alone, stay away.
  Too much parent involvement can prevent homework from having some positive effects. Homework  is a great way for kids to develop independent, lifelong learning skills.
• Stay informed.
  Talk with your child's teacher. Make sure you know the purpose of homework and what your child's class rules are.
• Help your child figure out what is hard homework and what is easy homework.
  Have your child do the hard work first. This will mean he will be most alert when facing the biggest challenges. Easy material will seem to go fast when fatigue begins to set in.
• Watch your child for signs of failure and frustration.
  Let your child take a short break if she is having trouble keeping her mind on an assignment.
• Reward progress in homework.
  If your child has been successful in homework completion and is working hard, celebrate that success with a special event  (e.g., pizza, a walk, a trip to the park) to reinforce the positive effort.
   

Reading

• Have your child read aloud to you every night.
• Choose a quiet place, free from distractions, for your child to do his nightly reading assignments.
• As your child reads, point out spelling and sound patterns such as cat, pat, hat.
• When your child reads aloud to you and makes a mistake, point out the words she has missed and help her to read the word correctly.
• After your child has stopped to correct a word he has read, have him go back and reread the entire sentence from the beginning to make sure he understands what the sentence is saying.
• Ask your child to tell you in her own words what happened in a story.
• To check your child's understanding of what he is reading, occasionally pause and ask your child questions about the characters and events in the story.
• Ask your child why she thinks a character acted in a certain way and ask your child to support her answer  with information from the story.
• Before getting to the end of a story, ask your child what he thinks will happen next and why.
   

Accelerated Reader
The Accelerated Reader program at Dyer School is an incentive-based computer program.  The students read from a large variety of books then take a computerized test to check comprehension.  They earn points by answering questions correctly.  At the end of the school year they may redeem their points for prizes.  This is a great motivation  for your child to read independently. They may take tests in the library or in their classrooms. 

The Importance of Family Meal Times
With the increasing pace of life and activities, family mealtime is no longer common in many homes. Between the kids various sports, classes, and activities, and the parental jobs and duties, there may be the excuse “we have no time for a home cooked meal.” Make Time! Meal time is important for you and your family. A study reported in the Archive of Family Medicine, found family dinners promoted healthful eating patterns. These patterns include eating more fruits and vegetables, fiber, vitamins and minerals, and less fried foods, soda, saturated and trans fats.
Here are a few reasons to prepare and eat family meals:

Families eating meals together has many far-reaching benefits. Make mealtime a priority, plan for the meals with shopping lists and menu’s. Get the kids involved. Choose a regular mealtime, and make it fun.