To provide an effective education, it is important to create a daily schedule that works best for your student. Some students work best in the morning, while other students work best in the afternoon. Children need structure and guidance, so it is imperative to the learning process that you put a schedule in place. Do not leave your children's work schedule up to them; this will likely lead to late assignments and poor scores. Young students lack the maturity to stay motivated with schoolwork on their own. They need parents to keep them on track. Developing a schedule is one of the tools that will lead to success.
Parents, your children need you to be available for help, yet encourage independence. Go through lesson material and examples with your students; next, allow them to complete the problems. Refer them back to the lesson if they struggle answering some of the problems. Once the assignment is complete, have your students go back through the problems. Make sure they understand why they some problems were marked as incorrect.
Remember, you are not limited to the curriculum. Feel free to incorporate other activities into the school day. For example, journal writing enhances creative thinking and writing skills. Take frequent trips to the library and encourage free reading, but be careful not to choose books beyond your child's reading level. If your child stumbles on more than five words per 100 words, the book is too difficult and will likely cause frustration. Instead, choose books that are just below your child's reading level in order to build confidence. Books within your child's reading level will build vocabulary and comprehension.
If you know your child's Lexile range, you can go to the Lexile site to generate a list of books that are appropriate for your child. To find out what your child's Lexile range is, sign up for the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) test by calling your Academy Services Representative.
Most importantly, have fun! Teaching elementary students can be a rewarding and amazing process. Through your teaching experience, you'll learn patience and even a lesson or two about yourself too. Remember that elementary aged students can also do distance learning. With a few teaching tips, your young learners can be off and learning successfully!