Want to enrich your child’s education, but unsure of how to engage? Fear not! Valuable academic lessons do not require hours of painstaking prep and a formal classroom setting to pull off. We’ve compiled three engaging ways for parents to reinforce fundamental middle school concepts with their children in an hour or less. BAKE A CAKE Concepts Review: Fractions and Reading Comprehension This is one of our favorite fraction review exercises because it’s applicable to real life, requires minimal planning, and is simply delicious. Choose a recipe that requires measuring ingredients in varying capacities, like ¼ cup or ⅔ TBSP. We love baking recipes like this Hershey’s “Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Cake because it utilizes unique fraction measures for dry and wet ingredients, without requiring parents to purchase a fortune’s worth of items they will never use again. Allow your child to take the reins to test their reading comprehension skills, taking care to correct them only when necessary. Your young one will love measuring the vanilla extract and baking powder while watching a positively scrumptious dessert come to life. The best part? The lesson only lasts as long as the prep and bake time, will a tasty reward for all of your child’s hard work! Extra Credit: Have your child double or halve the measurements in the recipe in order to practice multiplying and dividing fractions. COUPON SHOPPING Concepts Review: Percent and Decimal Conversions, Price Discounts and Mark-Ups, Unit Price You know those pesky coupon booklets with which local grocery stores spam your mailbox? Turns out they are perfect for practicing percentage and decimal conversions. Cut out 5-10 discount coupons and ask your child to calculate the new price when the discount is applied. You can also have them calculate the original price by using the discount percent and new discount price. For bulk items like 24-cans of soda, challenge your little one to calculate the unit price of a single can using the discounted price. Then, compare like items and ask them which is the better buy based on the unit price. Not only will this exercise prime your child to shop wisely, you will also have a helper when it comes to finding weekly savings! Extra Credit: Ask your child to calculate the unit price for the original and discounted prices. Also, have them convert every percent discount into a decimal. CURRENT EVENTS Concepts Review: Reading Comprehension, Information Synthesis, Vocabulary Ask your child to summarize a current news article about a topic that he or she finds interesting. Have them summarize it for you verbally by answering “The 5 W’s: Who? Where? What? When? Why? and How?” Ensure that they keep a running list of new words and phrases as they read, and task them with using a dictionary to find and record their meaning. Before you know it, not only will your child strengthen their ability to process what they read, they will be versed on current events as well! Extra Credit: Have your child write new sentences using the vocabulary words they define from their article.
What is Common Core Math? States used to be able to set academic standards for math, which varied greatly from state to state. With Common Core Standards public schools must follow guidelines, or standards. Common Core Math is based on concepts and skills that a student must apply in order to solve real-world math problems. These standards have been implemented from kindergarten through high school (K-12) in more than 42 states. They serve as benchmarks to determine how prepared students are for life in college and in the workforce. The ultimate goal is to make U.S. students more adept at solving real-world problems and be more competitive in the workforce. How is Common Core different from Traditional Math? Common Core Standards require students to use reasoning in real-life situations, whereas traditional math was equation and calculation based. With Common Core math, students must have a solid understanding of the concepts involved in reaching their answers. With traditional math, the student could simply remember tables and memorize answers. Traditional math is about getting the correct answer, whereas Common Core math requires students to demonstrate their deeper knowledge and ability on how they arrived to the correct answer. What is the best way to transition a student into Common Core when they are used to traditional math? Since students must demonstrate a greater and deeper understanding of math concepts used in real-world situations, there is more pressure on them to actually understand the concepts rather than memorizing the answer and coming up with the correct solution. They must now demonstrate their understanding of methods used in reaching the correct answer. This has become a challenge for students and teachers and puts more pressure on them. School books are aligned to these current standards but students still have difficulty applying what they have learned in the real-world problem sections. The best way to transition a student into Common Core math standards is by hiring a professional tutor who is educated in these standards. Contact Elite Home Tutoring for questions or information concerning Common Core Math: www.elitehometutoring.com
Can the words “homework” and “focus” truly coincide in the same sentence without a nuclear meltdown? As a blogger and mom of three, I think this theory is probable. Having scoured the internet and begged friends, teachers and experts for their suggestions: these are a few of the tried and tested methods that bring relief to the homework issues in my home. School is not Finished when the Bell Rings Just as a forty hour work week can stretch into sixty hours, students need to understand that their work is not finished until the job is completed, and not when the bus arrives. There can be exceptions, for example; baseball practice, orchestra concerts and dance recitals. But be intentional about scheduling a time to get the work done. Set an early morning alarm to work on those math problems that were missed while partying late celebrating Grandma’s birthday. Understand the Subject Matter Most educators are willing to meet by appointment before or after school hours to assist students with difficult subjects. It’s a crazy idea, almost like it’s their job and desire to assist with learning. Tutors specific to the area of study are an amazing help. They are devoted to the student’s needs and don’t have the time limitations that teachers often have. Take a Break Sitting in a controlled environment all day, students need a 15-30 minute break to stretch their legs and eat a healthy snack before sitting down to focus on schoolwork again. If studies journey into a long session of concentration, take a short break for the brain and body. Set a Timer, Set a Goal Set a 5-20 minute timer and set a goal, for instance, state a number of problems to complete or sentences to structure in the allotted amount of time. It’s amazing how much focus can be found when a challenge is presented. Homework can be a daunting, often (feeling) endless task. With a timer set, there is a limit to the work and possible reward of a break between timer settings until the work is completed. Develop an Atmosphere Conducive to Learning Kitchens often become the afternoon hub in a home. Instead, have a designated area for homework only. Where students can escape if noises and distractions become an issue. A desk in a bedroom or office perhaps? Have all supplies at the ready. In work areas or desks have rulers, pencils, calculators and healthy snacks all within arms reach. Time will not be wasted tracking down supplies. Above All, NO SCREENS! Sorry to blow that ship out of the water, but it’s nearly impossible to do a complex math problem or write an essay with the TV blaring in the background. social media, gaming and “research” online, should be set aside for post-study hours. Come on who are we kidding? Everyone knows these things can easily suck us into a time vortex for which there is no escape. Save screen time for a reward, don’t allow it as a distraction. Hopefully this article helped you find a least a few methods of respite from your homework monsters With some simple changes, focus can be painlessly redirected toward homework and peace restored.
Math can be difficult enough, let alone finding a way to make it fun. http://www.elitehometutoring.com/ compiled a list of 10 Fun Math games and the best part, they’re free! If flash cards aren’t intriguing and practicing linear slopes doesn’t create excitement- but the skills need to be sharpened beyond what homework provides-a fresh fun angle might be what’s needed. When math becomes fun through timed courses, blasting through alien slime and “chomping” through a Pac-Man style maze; games like Minecraft and Halo no longer replace study time. Let’s face it, staring at a sheet of paper hardly holds a light to the glamorous lights and sounds of the gaming world. Math games not only intrigue more sensory centers in the brain, they engage the mind to learn beyond memorization. The fun math websites listed below are tried and tested by real students and caregivers: 1) At http://www.coolmath-games.com/0-unlucky-robber, students can learn geometric angles, timing and spacial reasoning as they race through a climbing obstacle with the goal of finding treasure in the game “Unlucky Robber”. 2) Young learners can choose the level of difficulty as they play “Math Match” at http://www.abcya.com/math_match.htm. With options from addition to division this fun memory card style game has an exciting ten second bonus round at the completion of every series. 3) Fractions mean fueling up an asteroid blasting rocket as you race across the universe in the game “Space Fractions” on http://www.funbrain.com/brain/Adventure/SpaceFractions/index.html. 4) Move over Angry Birds, this astronaut worm is hurled through space by a slingshot aimed at the subtraction solutions in this game of accuracy and timing. Watch out for the asteroids that will knock you off course! http://www.funbrain.com/brain/Adventure/SlingShot/index.html 5) Symmetry is so much more fun and creative in the gorgeously displayed jigsaw puzzles at http://www.mathsisfun.com/puzzles/jigsaw-puzzles-index.html 6) Math isn’t fun if you don’t know the words, learn math words and a few more in “Hangman”. http://www.mathsisfun.com/games/hangman-game-with-math-words.html 7) Multiplying large sums is no longer daunting confusion in this lattice multiplication game. This fun game of multiplication lends an awesome tool that students will use throughout their education. http://www.coolmath4kids.com/times-tables/times-tables-lesson-lattice-multiplication-1.html 8) Linear equations have never been so fun as they are in the game or rescuing Zogs. These little Zogs have more patience than a classroom setting when it comes to hanging on until the answer is correct! http://www.mathplayground.com/SaveTheZogs/SaveTheZogs.html 9) Practice percentages, multiplication and real world math as you travel through “Math at the Mall”; http://www.mathplayground.com/mathatthemall2.html. 10) Explore the broad range of math games for every student from kindergarten to pre-calculus at http://www.mathplayground.com/. If these math games still don’t aid in your learning process, we can help! Contact Elite Home Tutoring and get on track with a custom plan to get the results you want through one of our credentialed tutors in your area. Please visit: http://www.elitehometutoring.com/ and our concierge service will locate a tutor near you.
