Maureen Gets Sent Home From School!

Optimistic Outcomes Wins 2009 Teachers’ Choice Award for the Family

Optimistic Outcomes won the coveted award after receiving top marks from a panel of judges. Teachers’ Choice is the only award that requires every judge to be both a teacher and a parent.

This is a prestigious honor for educational products that enhance learning at home. Optimistic Outcomes will be featured in the April 2009 edition of Learning Magazine® which reaches over 150,000 PreK-Grade 6 teachers.

Parental involvement is the key to having a positive outcome for children. We are honored that teachers recommend our product and send us home to help their students’ families.

Homework Session Oppression

Hello Maureen,
My third grader is one of 30 students in her classroom, and she's struggling in math. The teacher knows this but with so many students, one-on-one time isn't happening. We help as much as we can, only to have her in tears halfway through her homework. Other than finding a tutor, are there any ideas to make homework more "fun" for her rather than having her approach each session with the "I can't do it" attitude?
Sincerely,
Math Wrath


Dear Math Wrath,
Your question brings back so many memories of homework struggles with our daughter! You are not alone. It is heartbreaking to see your child so frustrated and know they feel defeated—sometimes before they even begin the task at hand. One important thing that helped me as a mom was to constantly remind myself that struggling in school is not an accurate predictor of future success. The good news is that there are many ways to make the process more interesting and fun for kids and parents. I’ll share a couple of homework ideas from my book Optimistic Outcomes. Remember, something that works one day might not work next week. We parents need a deep tool kit!

Running on Empty

Some kids need a little quiet time after school to regain energy. A noisy day at school is draining for many children. Help him build serenity into his day, and schedule homework after he has had a little time to relax. Here are three tips that will make your child’s study time go more smoothly and help him to learn more readily.

1. Set aside time for homework before your child becomes too tired. Concentration takes energy.
2. The best time to complete homework is in the afternoon or early evening.
3. Have your child complete his homework at a consistent time each day.
   Don’t expect your child to study exactly like you did as a child. If he studies better standing up or sprawled out on the floor, let him. Whatever works for your child is the “best” approach.

What’s Your Function?

Some math worksheets have a mixed variety of functions (operations). Sometimes children don’t notice which symbol is in a particular problem, and they make simple mistakes like adding instead of multiplying. If this is a problem for your child, teach her to color the math functions with highlighters. Use a different color for each function sign. This will give her a

visual cue and remind her to check which function she is supposed to use in each problem. For example, you could highlight:
+ pink
– blue
× green
÷ yellow

Duly Noted

Hi Maureen!
Our third grader is starting to do longer projects that require reading several books and taking notes. The teacher explained the difference between jotting down notes and copying text (plagiarism). This seems hard for him to grasp. any tips on how to help him take notes? It seems like a fundamental skill he's going to need throughout school.
Thanks,
Notable Mom

Dear Notable Mom,

You are absolutely correct. Note-taking is a complex concept to grasp. It is asking kids to do several tasks simultaneously. They need to:

• Read (or listen) to information
• Process that information
• Plan how they want to use the information
• Decide what is important to record
• Rewrite the important information
• Do so in their own words—in legible penmanship
• Keep track of all of their sources to create a bibliography

What adults often see as "fundamental" skills, in reality took each of us years to master. We do this little-by-little, building on previously mastered skills.

There are many different ways to take notes. The “best” way is the method that works for your child. Many middle schools, high schools, and universities use the Cornell Note Taking System. How can you help your child build note-taking skills so that he will be ready? Here are three ideas you can use from a very early age:

Web Master
Word webs are one type of graphic organizer that provide powerful help for students. Webs help the student visually pre-organize his thoughts and ideas around a central topic before writing. There are many types of graphic organizers including sequence charts, time lines, story maps, webs, and Venn diagrams. (Many printable graphic organizers and note taking sheets are provided on the Optimistic Outcomes® CD-ROM)

Column Notes
If your child needs to take notes in class, teach him to make three columns on a piece of paper labeled “Main Points” “Supporting Points” “Questions and Thoughts.” By writing his notes in the appropriate columns, they are already organized into three categories for studying. (Printable note taking sheets are provided on the Optimistic Outcomes® CD-ROM)

TV Time
It is fun to practice taking notes together as you watch a favorite television show. Try several different methods, and ask him which he thought worked best. This will help your child realize that it is his responsibility to determine what works for him.