Another Approach to Success, College and Career Readiness

Here is a link to another researched based viewpoint of how grit influences the success of individuals through their career span. As 21 century educators and parents continue to prepare students for college and career readiness, this idea is still pertinent.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2016/05/25/is-grit-overrted-in-explaining-student-success-harvard-researchers-have-a-new-theory-and-its-not-comforting-at-all/

Grit: A Key to Success

Approaching Common Core State Standards and 21st Century Expectations: What your child may need to succeed?

Excerpt from Title 1 Family Home and School Connection Spring 2012

By 2012 Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated

Staying Focused

If your youngster is like most children, she probably pays attention to things that interest her, but her mind wanders during activities she finds less enjoyable. You can improve her focus with ideas like these:

·        Capture her interest before you give instruc­tions. If she loves football, you might call a "family huddle" to announce what needs to be accomplished today.

·        If music is her thing, try prefacing instructions with a drum roll or by humming one of her favorite tunes.

·         Encourage your youngster to recognize when she's struggling to pay attention. Per­haps she fidgets at her desk or starts thinking about another assignment.  Suggest that she come up with a "fix" for each (looking directly at her teacher, clearing her desk of everything except the assignment she's working on)."

Calendar fun

Calendars are full of learning oppor­tunities. Here are three suggestions:

I. Encourage your youngster to observe the changing weather. Share the saying: "March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb." Then, have him draw a lamb on the calendar on spring-like days and a lion on wintry ones. At the end of the month, are there more "lion" or "lamb" days?

2. Suggest that your child choose a theme every month. Have family members take turns writing something to go with it on each day's calendar square. For example, for a March theme of foods, you would write the name of a food on each day. Other ideas: animals, hobbies.

3. Ask your youngster to mark a field trip or friend's birthday on the calendar and count the days until the event. Or if it's far enough away, let him tell you how many weeks it is. (Divide the num­ber of days by 7.)

An Excerpt from My Fall 2011 Newsletter

....One student shared how he made pizza with his dad. There are so many opportunities to discuss math related topics with your child during this [and other] cooking experiences. You can discuss:

1. Geometry - The shape of the pie/slices/bread, and how the shape may change if it is cut


2. Fractions - The fractional parts that make up the pie. For example, If mom, brother, and sister each get 2 out of 8 slices, what fraction is left for dad?...one fourth


3. Counting - Practice skip counting, multiplication, and division by counting the groups of toppings needed for each slice


4. Estimation - Estimate the amount of grated cheese to cover a slice and how much cheese will be needed t cover the whole pie


5. Temperature - Determine different temperature settings of the baking oven and how that will effect the time it takes to bake


6. Money Math - How much it costs to get his favorite ingredients to make the pie
   

Enjoy making math part of your everyday lives....

Free Everyday Math apps are available February 7-9, 2012 on iTunes at www.mheonline.com/apps.