Parent Resources

Ideas for students entering:

Kindergarten: Read to your child 15 minutes each day one of the following: James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl; Wizard of Oz by Frank L. Baum; The Real Mother Goose by Blanche Fisher Wright; Stuart LIttle by E.B. White. Have your child draw a picture to illustrate what they have heard read to them. 
Practice counting 1-25 and identify numbers 1-25. 

First Grade: Have your child read, or you read to/with them, some of the following: *Aesop's Fables by Aesop; The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter; The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne; Jack and the Beanstalk by Carol Ottolenghi. Ask questions such as: What is the name of the book we read? Who are the major characters in the book? What is the setting (where does most of the action take place)? What is the plot of the story? If you could change the end of the story, how would you re-write it? Ready poetry such as "At the Seaside" by Robert Louis Stevenson or "Hoppity" by A. A. Milne. (see Documents for math practice ideas)

Second Grade: Have your child read (or read to them): Charlotte's Web by E. B. White; The Emperor's New Clothes by Hans Christian Anderson; The Tiger, The Brahman, and The Jackal by J. York and Jill Dublin; Theseus and the Minotaur by James Ford. Have them write a short report to summarize their reading. Have them memorize a poem such as: "Bed in Summer" or "The Land of Nod" by R.L. Stevenson. (see Documents for math practice ideas)

Third Grade: Read books such as: American Tall Tales by Mary Pope Osborne; Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren; The Boxcar Children Mystery series; Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift. In a notebook, have them write a summary of each chapter as they read. Make a list of unfamiliar words and look up definitions. Have them create a quiz about each chapter as they read. Write a "Book Review" as if they were a literature critic. Have then memorize the "Preamble to the Constitution" and the "Preamble to the Declaration of Independence". Practice speed and automaticity in addition and subtraction. Memorize mutliplication facts. Visit www.mathplayground.com to practice 3rd grade math concepts.

Fourth Grade: Read books such as: The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis; Treasure Island by R.L. Stevenson; LIttle House in the Big Woods by L. Wilder; A Little Princess by F. H. Burnett. Have them keep a reading notebook and summarize each chapter as they read. Make a list of unfamiliar words and learn their meanings. Write a letter to a character in the book. Pick a character and write journal entries "as them". Have them memorize poems such as: "A Song of Enchantment" by Walter de la Mare and "All Day Long" by Carl Sandburg. Go to one of the following wbesites to practice 4th grade level math skills: www.aaamath.com ; www.abcya.com ; www.mmussbaum.com and use flash cards to stay fresh on all basic math facts!

Fifth/Sixth Grade: Read books such as: The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett; The Adventures of Don Quixote by Argentina Palacios; The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain; LIttle Women by Louisa May Alcott.
Keep a reading notebook. Summarize chapters as they read. Make predictions about what might happen in the next chapter. Describe the setting of the book. Write a new ending to the story. Brush up on all math facts so they can "ace" timed math tests. Work a few word problems and logic puzzles. www.learninggamesforkids.com/logic_games.html