Schoolfamily.com blog entries from Connie McCarthy

Improve Subtraction Skills With a Fun Pennies Game

Connie McCarthy — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:35:12 +0100

An interesting yet easy game to enrich “mental math” subtraction skills is “Penny Hide and Seek.” It uses visual and hands-on practice to help young children quickly and easily remember simple subtraction facts. This aligns with Common Core State Standards, and can be played just about anywhere!

You will need:

Five pennies
A paper plate

A Fun “Mental Math” Addition Game for Summer (or Anytime)

Connie McCarthy — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 13:02:06 +0100

Summer is a great time to practice improving “mental math” skills through games. The "Counting On" game is a great activity that uses visual, auditory, and hands-on techniques to help your child instantly solve addition within the numbers 1-10. This falls neatly in line with Common Core State Standards, and can be played indoors or outdoors, rain or shine!

10 Important End-of-Year Questions for Your Child’s Teacher

Connie McCarthy — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 13:34:16 +0100

End-of-the-year progress reports usually come home on the last day of school This often leaves parents with unanswered questions about what the report really means. Parents may wonder just how well prepared their young child is for the next grade level. Before the end of school, parents should ask the teacher some important questions about their child’s yearlong prog Read more...

Fun Educational Games To Play When Traveling

Connie McCarthy — Tue, 28 May 2013 16:47:00 +0100

Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer, and a time when many families start traveling. Although there are plenty of electronic devices and mobile movies to keep young ones occupied while traveling, try alternating some short and simple educational games to keep thinking skills sharp.

Below are five simple games to try. “In the Basket” and “N Read more...

An Easy Way To Improve Math Fluency: Count Backward

Connie McCarthy — Tue, 21 May 2013 14:13:31 +0100

Parents are well aware of the importance of reading fluency. However, early math fluency is equally crucial. Simply put, math fluency means fast and automatic retrieval of math facts from memory.

For young students it should be as simple as knowing the number that comes “right after,” or the one that comes “right before.” For example, if a c Read more...

Don’t Let Language Confuse Young Math Students

Connie McCarthy — Tue, 14 May 2013 15:25:27 +0100

When teaching the value of double-digit numbers in my classroom, I noticed that my students often became confused with 11, 12, and the rest of the -teen numbers. This was a puzzle to me, and I was determined to solve it. After research and applying what I know about how young students learn, I realized this was not a numbers problem—it was a language problem!

In va Read more...

More New Words for Your Child’s Word Bank

Connie McCarthy — Tue, 07 May 2013 13:49:45 +0100

This month’s words for your child’s word bank involve consonant blends and consonant digraphs. Simply put, consonant blends consist of two or three consonants used together in words, where each letter sound is distinct, such as the “p” and “l” in the word “play” or “str” in the word “street.” Consonant d Read more...

Do a “Reading Survey” With Your Child

Connie McCarthy — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 19:20:24 +0100

There is a strategy that teachers use in classrooms to identify various interests in student reading. It’s a concept that parents can easily incorporate at home called a “Reading Survey.”

Teachers use a Reading Survey to discover what really interests a student. We want Read more...

Help Good Readers Become Good Writers, Part 2

Connie McCarthy — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 14:04:56 +0100

In “Help Good Readers Become Good Writers, Part 1,” I explained the “six traits of writing” that many school districts use to teach young authors. This week’s focus is on the three types of writing most required by Common Core State Standards in the early grades. They are:

Opinion writing (explain and defend an opinion)
Informati Read more...

Help Good Readers Become Good Writers, Part 1

Connie McCarthy — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 18:08:01 +0100

Being a good reader does not automatically make your young child a good writer. Like reading, writing is a learned skill, and there are simple ways to help her learn to write well.

Many school districts across the country base writing instruction on the &l Read more...

3 Strategies To Build Strong Reading Skills

Connie McCarthy — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 17:08:21 +0100

When a young student starts to read, it’s a very exciting time for parents! But progressing from a beginning reader to a good reader takes time, practice, and knowing and using certain strategies.

Here is a list of three simple strategies to practice with your child that will promote good reading.

1. Have her use the pictures in a story mu Read more...

New Words To Add to Your Child’s Word Bank

Connie McCarthy — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 14:56:20 +0100

Last month I provided a list of 30 common sight words, along with directions on how to build a word bank. As promised, here is a new word list. These words are called “word family words,” or phonograms, formed with one short vowel word chunk, and different beginning sounds.

Adding words like these to the bank will help your child hear and see patterns i Read more...

Celebrate Spring With Stories and Common Core Activities

Connie McCarthy — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 18:12:34 +0100

Warm weather is coming, and seasonal books, with fun and easy connecting activities, are a great way to celebrate with your young child. A variety of springtime books are readily available at your local library or on an e-reader. Here are tw Read more...

A Fun Memory Game To Help Build Confidence

Connie McCarthy — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 14:12:13 +0100

Does your child have difficulty remembering school lessons, homework assignments, spelling words, etc.? Her memory is probably just fine, and you can help her it prove to herself by teaching her how to play a fun memory game.

Children are typically much better at this game than adults. Once your child understands the game, he can challenge any adult in the family, and wil Read more...

An Easy Game To Help Kids Practice Important Math Skills

Connie McCarthy — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 13:12:55 +0100

Games are an easy and fun way to practice important Common Core math skills. A good math skill for kindergarten and 1st grade students to know is different ways to get sums of numbers from 3 to 10.

Here is a simple, hands-on activity to help your young student practice and remember different addition combinations up to 10.

You’ll need:

A package of lar Read more...

Start a “Word a Day” Bank in Your Family

Connie McCarthy — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 17:33:06 +0100

Here’s a simple and fun way to help your child become an awesome reader: Build a family “word of the day” bank.

Halfway through the school year is a perfect time to start this because it builds on skills early elementary students have already learned.

Below is a list of 30 words, one for each day in March. These can be used in any order. The faster y Read more...

Celebrate Dr. Seuss' Birthday With Great Books

Connie McCarthy — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 17:15:50 +0100

Looking for a reason to make this coming weekend memorable for your child? Celebrate Dr. Seuss! March 2 is Dr. Seuss’ birthday. Random House and the National Education Association (NEA) are urging adults to take time to participate in Read Across America on March 1 (the day is marked on the school day closest to March 2) and read to a child. In addition, many elementary school Read more...

Improve Math Skills With a Deck of Cards

Connie McCarthy — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 16:51:09 +0100

Looking for a quick, fun activity to help young students improve math skills? Start with a deck of playing cards!

Here is a simple, engaging, and fun game to increase your child’s mental math ability. Children in kindergarten through 2nd grade in particular enjoy this game.

Right Before and Right After

This game can be played with two to four Read more...

Improving Reading Fluency With Nonsense Words

Connie McCarthy — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 15:49:43 +0100

Parents of students in kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade may be aware of using “nonsense” words in teaching phonics and reading. Many school districts are using Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS), a data-based program comprised of procedures and assessments for early literacy and reading skills for kindergarten through grade 6. An important Read more...

Sick Day Books For Early Readers Help Make Connections

Connie McCarthy — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 15:47:38 +0100

So your young elementary student is down with the flu, or a really bad cold.

SchoolFamily.com has an excellent article, Make School Sick Days Less Stressful, that offers wise advice in dealing with childhood sick days.

I thought I would chip in with a list of wonderful age-appropriate books that would help your child make some great Common Core “Self-to- Read more...