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Performance Tips
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This page is intended to provide tips to students and parents
about various ways to improve the retention of difficult material
or to provide "heads-up" information to prevent the last
minute emergencies of not having the proper materials available.
The importance of the information is not necessarily the
order of presentation - that decision is left to the reader.
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Index
of Articles
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| Discussion
- Flash cards provide an excellent opportunity for detailed
study or review
of subject material such as reading and social studies
vocabulary, English parts
of speech, social studies content, and science. They
may be used for independent study or for review with parents/older
siblings. Flash cards do take time to prepare well but
the benefits of reinforcement and repetition are invaluable.
The following are examples of flash cards in specific
subjects:
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Social
Studies Vocabulary
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English-Parts
of Speech
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Note: Moving
the cursor over a flash card will reveal
the correct answer. Clicking on the card
will take you to a page with additional
flash card examples.
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| Discussion: Multiplication flash cards are
available at any number of stores and should be used
regularly with your student. Although the "multiplication
tables" through "12 X 12" have been a
part of the curriculum at all schools prior to the fifth
grade, it is amazing how few students are comfortable
with and can apply these essential multiplication
facts. The basis of learning most all follow-on
topics in mathematics in the fifth grade is prefaced
on knowing the "times table" through 12. The
summer vacation is a healthy, invigorating, and cleansing
time of the year but unfortunately, multiplication
facts tend to be cleansed also. Obtain and use multiplication
flash cards on a regular basis!
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Question
- How do I measure times table proficiency?
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The answer to this question is simple but exceedingly
difficult to attain. If you are able to wake your student
from a sound sleep and ask him or her - "What's
11 X 12?', and the answer is given without hesitation
or complaint, you have attained the lofty goal of times
table proficiency. Congratulations!
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Note:
Daily times table speed and proficiency
tests will start early in the academic year
and continue until the entire class has
satisfactorily demonstrated proficiency.
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Discussion: Outlining is an efficient and
useful means of studying and retaining written material
from text books. Additionally, it is a skill which if
mastered will provide long-term benefits to the student.
If a student is having difficulties retaining the information
provided in a textbook, the action of outlining the
material greatly assists in its retention for an outline
forces organized and consistent thought. On page 275
of the Social Studies text there is an article, "Organizing
What You Read", which will assist in gaining the
mastery of this "tried and true" method of
academic study.
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Discussion: Home work is probably the most
difficult and controversial subject in any school. The
primary purpose for home work is to reinforce and practice
skills learned in the classroom. It is not given
as punishment for poor performance although students
and parents often think that is what is really intended.
It should be remembered that the teacher must look
at and/or grade all home work submitted times the number
of students in the class. The purpose of this topic
is to provide some thoughts on how best to accomplish
this inevitable burden on student and parent.
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Home
Work Recommendations
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- Establish a goal
for the family which places "Academic
Achievement" as an equal
with other goals which might exist for
the student. Reinforce this goal with praise and
direction which indicates your support for the student's
hard work and achievement equalling that provided
at other events.
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- The Obvious
- do home work at a fixed
time each day, at a location where all
equipment (pencils, pens, books, paper) is available,
permit no distractions
such as TV watching, dog feeding, snacking, etc.
during the alloted period, complete the home work
at one sitting, provide "signed papers"
to parents at beginning or end of home work session,
not in the morning, and when
complete pack the book bag for the next
day so important papers are not lost.
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- The Not So Obvious
- Assist your student with understanding and
comprehension of oral and
written directions, especially those
written directions for long-term projects or reports
(available on this site). Do
NOT do the home work for the student
as there is no guarantee of understanding by the
student. This situation is obvious to the teacher.
When a student
has perfect home work assignments yet is tested
in class and fails, no one benefits, least of all
the student. Assist your student in any way possible
but do NOT do the thinking
for him or her.
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Remember the "7" P's -
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Prior
Poor Planning Promotes Perfectly Poor Performance
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| Discussion: Each week all classwork, homework,
and tests for the previous week are gathered together
and sent home with the student in "Tuesday Folders."
The purpose of this exercise is to
provide parents a weekly progress report on their student.
Parents are requested to review the work with their
student, make any comments
that they feel are applicable, and as a minimum - sign
and date - the papers prior to their return
to the teacher on Wednesday.
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Problems: In an ideal world where there are no
distractions, no conflicting requirements, and no memory
lapses, the weekly routine of reviewing "signed
papers" means that parents will know exactly
what their student is doing and be able to predict with
some accuracy, the grades for each nine week quarter.
Unfortunately, we do not live in an ideal world and
that in combination with some student's penchant for
removing unfavorable papers, failure to provide the
papers at a time when it is convenient to review, and
lastly, falsifying reviews, requires a more formal means
of ensuring that this important feedback is being received
by both parents and teacher. The teacher must assume
that if the parent's signature is on the "signed
papers" then any teacher notes or annotated poor
performance have been reviewed with the student.
There should be no surprises at report card or mid-term
review.
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"Signed
Papers" Recommendations
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- As "Signed Papers"
are provided to the student every
Tuesday, establish a formal routine
which ensures that you get the papers as soon
after school as is possible, prior to
the student's perusal of these papers.
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- If it is not convenient to review the papers
on Tuesday evening, let the
teacher know that you are holding them
in order to complete a more thorough review.
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- As the teacher spends considerable time putting
together the weekly packets of "Signed Papers",
it is not reasonable to expect all good performance
to be indicated on individual papers. However,
if poor performance or a trend
is noted by the teacher, it is important to address
the issue with your student and to indicate
by a note to the teacher that you are aware of potential
problems and are working on solutions.
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Discussion: It may or may not come as a surprise
to students and parents that not all graded work is equally weighted in the final subject grade. As illustrated below, each subject is unique
in how the final grade for that subject is determined.
The percentages provided have been developed over several
years and generally indicate the emphasis and importance
of the graded work accomplished in each subject.
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Subject
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Grade
Computation Formula
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Social Studies
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Grade =
50% Tests + 30% Projects + 20% HomeWork
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Spelling
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Grade =
75% Tests + 25% HomeWork
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Reading
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Grade =
50% Tests + 30% Projects + 20% HomeWork
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English
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Grade = 50%
Tests + 30% Projects + 20% HomeWork
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Mathematics
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Grade =
50% Tests + 30% Projects + 20% HomeWork
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Science
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Grade =
50% Tests + 30% Projects + 20% HomeWork
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Religion
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Grade =
50% Tests + 30% Projects + 20% HomeWork
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Notes/Comments
on Grades
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- As the time
available for homework and study is
limited, as it invariably is, use
the above percentages to assist in time
allocation and concentration of effort.
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- A review of the computational formulas for grades
indicates that the major contributor
to the student's overall grade in a subject
is his or her work in class,
neither assisted nor aided by outside influences.
Parents wishing to assist their student in improving
grades should be guided
by this emphasis.
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- In some instances, a homework
or project assignment will be given a grade
percentage which is higher
than indicated in the formula. These
occurrences will be clearly
indicated on the homework or project
assignment instruction sheet.
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- Over my years of experience teaching I have
been forced to deemphasize
the grade percentage
for work done outside the class room, i.e,, book
reports, social studies projects, etc, for it is
content and not cosmetic skills that
I wish to evaluate. I believe that outside
work is important for the student as it develops
the skills necessary for advanced assignments in
future grades. However, my experience indicates
that the major difference
in homework and projects submitted is cosmetic
in nature. It is not
my desire to base overall subject performance on
computer enhancement capability or willingness
for others to do the work for the student.
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- Review tests
are given in Science and Social
Studies. These tests are given in conjunction
with the major test for the subject. Review tests
primarily test subject areas that were poorly understood
on the previous major test. A simple review
of a corrected prior major test is all
that is required to do well
in review tests.
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