Parent Guide to Student Success

Grade Level Support for Parents

This information was provided by the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) from their Parent's Guide to Student Success page. Please consider joining our PTA to learn more about how you can become involved with our school and your child's education. More information about the National PTA.

Additional downloadable guides from the National PTA are located below.

Kindergarten

English Language Arts & Literacy

Learning new language skills is a hallmark of kindergarten. Your child will learn about the alphabet and its role in reading. Your child will practice rhyming, matching words with beginning sounds, and blending sounds into words. Practice with these types of activities is a powerful step toward learning to read and spell correctly. The size of your child’s vocabulary is another key factor in his or her ability to read and comprehend books and stories. Your child also will begin to experiment with writing and will be encouraged to use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing letters to share information, ideas, and feelings.

A Sample of What Your Child Will Be Working on in Kindergarten

Naming upper- and lower-case letters, matching those letters with their sounds, and printing them
Comparing the adventures and experiences of characters in familiar stories, such as fairy tales and folktales
Retelling familiar stories and talking about stories read to them using details from the text
Using a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to describe an event, including his or her reaction to what happened
Stating an opinion or preference about a topic or book in writing (e.g., “My favorite book is . . .”)
Taking part in classroom conversations and following rules for discussions (e.g., learning to listen to others and taking turns when speaking)
Speaking clearly to express thoughts, feelings, and ideas, including descriptions of familiar people, places, things, and events
Asking and answering questions about key details in stories or other information read aloud
Understanding and using question words (e.g., who, what, where, when, why, how) in discussions
Learning to recognize, spell, and properly use those little grammatical words that hold the language together (e.g., a, the, to, of, from, I, is, are)

Mathematics

Young children arrive in kindergarten with widely varying knowledge in math. By the end of the year, your child must have some important foundations in place. One of the most important skills your child should develop is the ability to add and subtract small numbers and use addition and subtraction to solve word problems. This will rely on gaining some fundamentals early in the year, such as counting objects to tell how many there are. Addition and subtraction will continue to be a very strong focus in math through 2nd grade.

A Sample of What Your Child Will Be Working on in Kindergarten

Counting objects to tell how many there are
Comparing two groups of objects to tell which group, if either, has more; comparing two written numbers to tell which is greater
Acting out addition and subtraction word problems and drawing diagrams to represent them
Adding with a sum of 10 or less; subtracting from a number 10 or less; and solving addition and subtraction word problems
Adding and subtracting very small numbers quickly and accurately (e.g., 3 + 1)
Correctly naming shapes regardless of orientation or size (e.g., a square oriented as a “diamond” is still a square)

Help Your Child Learn at Home

English Language Arts & Literacy

Read with your child every day, books like Are You My Mother by P.D. Eastman or Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss. Ask your child to explain his or her favorite parts of the story. Share your own ideas. To find more books for your child to read, visit www.corestandards.org/assets/Appendix_B.pdf.
Encourage your child to tell you about his or her day at school. Keep paper, markers, or crayons around the house for your child to write letters or words or draw a picture about his or her day. Have your child describe the picture to you.
Play word games like I Spy, sing songs like Itsy Bitsy Spider, and make silly rhymes together.

Mathematics

Look for “word problems” in real life. Some kindergarten examples might include:

Play “Write the next number.” You write a number, and your child writes the next number.
Ask your child questions that require counting as many as 20 things. For example, ask, “How many books do you have about wild animals?”
Ask your child questions that require comparing numbers. “Who is wearing more bracelets, you or your sister?” (Your child might use matching or counting to find the answer.)

1st Grade

English Language Arts & Literacy

In 1st grade, your child will become a more independent reader and writer. Your child will continue to learn and practice rules for recognizing the sounds that make up words and will be able to sound out more complex words. Such foundational skills are necessary and important components of developing proficient readers with the capacity to comprehend a wide range of materials. Students will learn to think about what they read and talk about the main ideas of simple stories. As they write and speak, 1st graders will learn to use language appropriately; this includes using complete sentences and spelling words with increasing accuracy

A Sample of What Your Child Will Be Working on in 1st Grade

Using phonics (matching letters and sounds) and word analysis skills to figure out unfamiliar words when reading and writing
Describing characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details
Getting facts and information from different writings
Writing about a topic, supplying some facts, and providing some sense of opening and closing
Participating in shared research and writing projects (e.g., exploring a number of “how-to” books and using them to write a sequence of instructions)
Taking part in conversations about topics and texts being studied by responding to the comments of others and asking questions to clear up any confusion
Describing people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly and with complete sentences
Producing and expanding complete simple and compound statements, questions, commands, and exclamations
Identifying the correct meaning for a word with multiple meanings, based on the sentence or paragraph in which the word is used (e.g., deciding whether the word bat means a flying mammal or a club used in baseball)
Learning to think about finer distinctions in the meanings of near-synonyms (e.g., marching, prancing, strutting, strolling, walking)

Mathematics

In 1st grade, your child will build on last year’s work and gain important new skills. One of the most important outcomes for the year is to improve speed and accuracy adding with a sum of 20 or less and subtracting from a number 20 or less (e.g., 17 – 8). Another important goal in 1st grade is adding with a sum of 100 or less; this will rely on understanding what the digits mean in a number such as 63 (namely, 63 is six tens and three ones). Working with multi-digit addition this year will set the stage for 2nd grade, when your child will be working with three-digit numbers and adding and subtracting with larger numbers.

A Sample of What Your Child Will Be Working on in 1st Grade

Solving addition and subtraction word problems in situations of adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart, and comparing (e.g., a taking from situation would be: “Five apples were on the table. I ate some apples. Then there were three apples. How many apples did I eat?”)
Adding with a sum of 20 or less, and subtracting from a number 20 or less, for example by using strategies based around the number 10 (e.g., to solve 13 – 4, one can start with 13, subtract 3 to reach 10, and then subtract 1 more to reach 9)
Quickly and accurately adding with a sum of 10 or less, and quickly and accurately subtracting from a number 10 or less (e.g., 2 + 5, 7 – 5)
Understanding what the digits mean in two-digit numbers (place value)
Using understanding of place value to add and subtract (e.g., 38 + 5, 29 + 20, 64 + 27, 80 – 50)
Measuring lengths of objects by using a shorter object as a unit of length
Making composite shapes by joining shapes together, and dividing circles and rectangles into halves or fourths

Help Your Child Learn at Home

English Language Arts & Literacy

Encourage your child to read to you books such as Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik. Help him or her sound out difficult words. To find more books for your child to read, visit www.corestandards.org/assets/Appendix_B.pdf.
Act out stories together from books, television, or your child’s imagination.
Pick a “word of the day” each day starting with a different letter. Have your child write the word and look for other things beginning with the same letter.
Visit the library with your child every week. Have your child sign up for a library card.

Mathematics

Look for “word problems” in real life. Some 1st grade examples might include:

If you open a new carton of a dozen eggs, and you use four eggs to cook dinner, close the carton and ask your child how many eggs are left.
While putting away toys into bins, count the number of toys in two bins and ask your child how many more are in one bin compared to the other.
Play the “I’m thinking of a number” game. For example, “I’m thinking of a number that makes 11 when added to 8. What is my number?”

2nd Grade

English Language Arts & Literacy

Students in 2nd grade will gain more skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. They continue to learn and practice rules for matching sounds to letters that make up words, and they learn new concepts — such as words that share the same root (e.g., add and additional) — that help them figure out the meanings of new words. Writing will become an exciting way for your child to use newly learned words and phrases to express ideas. As they write and speak, 2nd graders will be more attentive to the formal and informal uses of English and will spell most words correctly in their writing.

A Sample of What Your Child Will Be Working on in 2nd Grade

Paying close attention to details, including illustrations and graphics, in stories and books to answer who, what, where, when, why, and how questions
Determining the lesson or moral of stories, fables, and folktales
Using text features (e.g., captions, bold print, indexes) to locate key facts or information efficiently
Writing an opinion about a book he or she has read, using important details from the materials to support that opinion
Writing stories that include a short sequence of events and include a clear beginning, middle, and end
Participating in shared research projects (e.g., read books on a single topic to produce a report)
Taking part in conversations by linking his or her comments to the remarks of others and asking and answering questions to gather additional information or deepen understanding of the topic
Retelling key information or ideas from media or books read aloud
Producing, expanding, and rearranging sentences (e.g., “The boy watched the movie”; “The little boy watched the movie”; “The action movie was watched by the little boy”)
Determining the meaning of the new word formed when a known prefix or suffix is added to a known word (happy/unhappy; pain/painful/painless)

Mathematics

In 2nd grade, your child will build on last year’s work and gain important new skills. One of the most important outcomes for the year is to add and subtract two-digit numbers quickly and accurately (e.g., 77 – 28). Another important goal in 2nd grade is to understand what the digits mean in a three-digit number such as 463 (namely, 463 is four hundreds, six tens, and three ones). Your child also will build expertise with solving addition and subtraction word problems. Mastering addition and subtraction at the 2nd grade level is important so that your child will not have to review and repeat this material in 3rd grade, when the study of multiplication, division, and fractions will start.

A Sample of What Your Child Will Be Working on in 2nd Grade

Solving challenging addition and subtraction word problems with one or two steps (e.g., a “one-step” problem would be: “Lucy has 23 fewer apples than Julie. Julie has 47 apples. How many apples does Lucy have?”)
Quickly and accurately adding with a sum of 20 or less (e.g., 11 + 8); quickly and accurately subtracting from a number 20 or less (e.g., 16 – 9); and knowing all sums of one-digit numbers from memory by the end of the year
Understanding what the digits mean in three-digit numbers (place value)
Using understanding of place value to add and subtract three-digit numbers (e.g., 811 – 367); adding and subtracting two-digit numbers quickly and accurately (e.g., 77 – 28)
Measuring and estimating length in standard units
Solving addition and subtraction word problems involving length (e.g., “The pen is 2 cm longer than the pencil. If the pencil is 7 cm long, how long is the pen?”)
Building, drawing, and analyzing 2-D and 3-D shapes to develop foundations for area, volume, and geometry in later grades

Help Your Child Learn at Home

English Language Arts & Literacy

Read at home every day and assist your child by reading every other paragraph. Encourage your child to read to younger siblings, cousins, or other children you know. To find recommendations of books for your child to read, visit www.corestandards.org/assets/Appendix_B.pdf.
Have your child write a thank you note or letter to family members or friends.
Ask your librarian to suggest books about people or places that are important to your child or family that you can read together. Encourage your child to explain what he or she has just read.

Mathematics

Look for “word problems” in real life. Some 2nd grade examples might include:

When saving for a purchase, compare the cost of the item to the amount of money you have; then ask your child to determine how much more money he or she needs to buy the item.
When measuring your child’s height, ask how many inches he or she has grown since the very first measurement.
Play “draw the shape.” For example, ask your child to draw a hexagon with one side longer than the others, or ask him or her to shade in a quarter of a rectangle.

3rd Grade

English Language Arts & Literacy

Third grade is a pivotal year for your child. Learning to read with fluency and confidence will serve as a foundation for the reading demands in later grades. By practicing with learning-to-read strategies, your child will reliably be able to make sense of multisyllable words in books. He or she will come to appreciate that words have meanings that are not literal (e.g., a piece of cake) and have relationships to other words (e.g., company and companion). Recognizing and understanding words will help your child read increasingly challenging stories and books and build knowledge about the world around him or her. By the end of the year, your child also will be writing clear sentences and paragraphs on a range of topics, drawing on an expanding vocabulary.

A Sample of What Your Child Will Be Working on in 3rd Grade

Reading closely to find main ideas and supporting details in a story
Describing the logical connection between particular sentences and paragraphs in stories (e.g., first, second, third; cause and effect)
Comparing the most important points and key details presented in two books on the same topic
Writing opinions or explanations that group related information and develop topics with facts and details
Writing stories that establish a situation and include details and clear sequences of events that describe the actions, thoughts, and feelings of characters
Independently conducting short research projects that build knowledge about various topics
Asking and answering questions about information he or she hears from a speaker or while participating in classroom discussions, offering appropriate elaboration and detail that build on what others have said
Reading stories and poems aloud fluently, without pausing to figure out what each word means
Distinguishing the literal and nonliteral meanings of words, such as something’s fishy and cold shoulder
Spelling correctly and consulting dictionaries to clarify meanings of words

Mathematics

In 3rd grade, your child will learn important new ideas and gain important new skills. One of the most important topics this year is multiplication and division. Another is fractions. Multiplication, division, and fractions are the building blocks for many life skills that students will learn in later grades, such as percentages. Students also need to master these topics to be ready for algebra and advanced math, so it is essential to get a good start with these topics in 3rd grade.

A Sample of What Your Child Will Be Working on in 3rd Grade

Multiplying and dividing up to 10 × 10 quickly and accurately, including knowing the times tables from memory
Solving word problems using addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division
Beginning to multiply numbers with more than one digit (e.g., multiplying 9 × 80)
Understanding fractions and relating them to the familiar system of whole numbers (e.g., recognizing that 3 ⁄1 and 3 are the same number)
Measuring and estimating weights and liquid volumes, and solving word problems involving these quantities
Reasoning about shapes (e.g., all squares are rectangles but not all rectangles are squares)
Finding areas of shapes, and relating area to multiplication (e.g., why is the number of square feet for a 9-foot by 7-foot room given by the product 9 × 7?)

Help Your Child Learn at Home

English Language Arts & Literacy

Make reading for fun a part of your child’s daily routine. Set aside quiet time, with no phones, computers, or other distractions, when your child can read for pleasure, books such as Amos & Boris by William Steig or The Fire Cat by Esther Averill. To find more books for your child to read, visit www.corestandards.org/assets/Appendix_B.pdf.
Encourage your child to find a picture from a newspaper or magazine, cut it out, paste it on paper, and write a story about it.
Start a family vocabulary box or jar. Have everyone write down new words they discover, add them to the box, and use the words in conversation.

Mathematics

Look for “word problems” in real life. Some 3rd grade examples might include:

Notice those everyday occasions when you find yourself using your times tables — such as to determine how many days there are in four weeks. Ask your child for the answer.
Involve your child when you notice yourself using division to “work backward” in the times tables — such as determining how many candies each child will get if 36 candies are shared equally among nine children at a party, or determining how many six-inch lengths can be cut from a string 18 inches long.

4th Grade

English Language Arts & Literacy

Building the stamina and skills to read challenging fiction, nonfiction, and other materials is fundamental in 4th grade. Your child will continue to learn about the world as well as build vocabulary skills by reading more complicated stories and poems from different cultures and a range of books on history, science, art, and music. Fourth grade students also will make important strides in their ability to explain plainly and in detail what a book says — both explicitly and what is implied from its details. By 4th grade, your child will be writing effective summaries, book reports, and descriptions of characters or events that use correct grammar and punctuation.

A Sample of What Your Child Will Be Working on in 4th Grade

Describing the basic elements of stories — such as characters, events, and settings — by drawing on specific details in the text
Paying close attention to key features of informational books and articles: these include understanding the main and supporting ideas; being able to compare and contrast information; and explaining how the author uses facts, details, and evidence to support particular points
Comparing ideas, characters, events, and settings in stories and myths from different cultures
Writing summaries or opinions about topics supported with a set of well-organized facts, details, and examples
Independently conducting short research projects on different aspects of a topic using evidence from books and the Internet
Paraphrasing and responding to information presented in discussions, such as comparing and contrasting ideas and analyzing evidence that speakers use to support particular points
Reporting orally on a topic or telling a story with enough facts and details
Writing complete sentences with correct capitalization and spelling
Relating words that are common in reading to words with similar meanings (synonyms) and to their opposites (antonyms)

Mathematics

In 4th grade, your child will gain important new skills while continuing to build on what he or she learned the previous year. One of the main areas studied in 4th grade is arithmetic and applying it to solve problems. This is an important life skill, and your child should make significant strides in this area during the year. Your child will also build knowledge and skills with fractions to prepare for mastering this topic in 5th and 6th grades. These skills will help ensure your child is ready for algebra and advanced math.

A Sample of What Your Child Will Be Working on in 4th Grade

Using whole-number arithmetic to solve word problems, including problems with remainders and problems with measurements
Adding and subtracting whole numbers quickly and accurately (numbers up to 1 million)
Multiplying and dividing multi-digit numbers in simple cases (e.g., multiplying 1,638 × 7 or 24 × 17, and dividing 6,966 by 6)
Understanding and applying equivalent fractions (e.g., recognizing that 1 ⁄4 is less than 3 ⁄8 because 2 ⁄8 is less than 3 ⁄8)
Adding, subtracting, and multiplying fractions in simple cases (such as 2 3 ⁄4 − 1 1 ⁄4 or 3 × 5 ⁄8), and solving related word problems
Understanding simple decimals in terms of fractions (e.g., rewriting 0.62 as 62⁄100)
Measuring angles and finding unknown angles in a diagram

Help Your Child Learn at Home

English Language Arts & Literacy

Urge your child to use logical arguments to defend his or her opinion. If your child wants a raise in allowance, ask him or her to research commonsense allowance systems and, based on that research, explain reasons why, supported by facts and details.
Talk about the news together. Pick one story in the news, read it together, and discuss with your child what it means.
Keep books, magazines, and newspapers at home. Make sure your child sees you reading.

Mathematics

Look for “word problems” in real life. Some 4th grade examples might include:

Ask your child to compare numbers using phrases like “times as much.” For example, if the family cat weighs 8 lbs. and the family dog weighs 56 lbs., how many times as much does the dog weigh?
Ask your child to help you compare fractional amounts — for example, if one recipe calls for 2 ⁄3 of a cup of oil, but another recipe calls for 3 ⁄4 of a cup of oil, which recipe calls for more oil? (In 5th grade, your child will learn ways to determine just how much more oil.)

5th Grade

English Language Arts & Literacy

In 5th grade, your child will read widely and deeply from a range of high-quality, increasingly challenging fiction and nonfiction from diverse cultures and time periods. Building knowledge about subjects through research projects and responding analytically to literary and informational sources will be key to your child’s continuing success. Your child will write stories or essays that are several paragraphs long. By devoting significant time and effort to producing numerous written pieces over short and extended timeframes throughout the year, he or she also will gain control over many conventions of grammar, usage, and punctuation as well as learn ways to make himself or herself understood.

A Sample of What Your Child Will Be Working on in 5th Grade

Summarizing the key details of stories, dramas, poems, and nonfiction materials, including their themes or main ideas
Identifying and judging evidence that supports particular ideas in an author’s argument to change a reader’s point of view
Integrating information from several print and digital sources to answer questions and solve problems
Writing opinions that offer reasoned arguments and provide facts and examples that are logically grouped to support the writer’s point of view
Writing stories, real or imaginary, that unfold naturally and developing the plot with dialogue, description, and effective pacing of the action
Coming to classroom discussions prepared, then engaging fully and thoughtfully with others (e.g., contributing accurate, relevant information; elaborating on the remarks of others; synthesizing ideas)
Reporting on a topic or presenting an opinion with his or her own words, a logical sequence of ideas, sufficient facts and details, and formal English when appropriate
Expanding, combining, and reducing sentences to improve meaning, interest, and style of writing
Building knowledge of academic words with an emphasis on those that signal a contrast in ideas or logical relationships, such as on the other hand, similarly, and therefore
Producing writing on the computer

Mathematics

Fifth grade is a milestone and a pivot point for students. The classroom focus on arithmetic during the elementary grades will develop into a more formal study of algebra in middle school. To be ready for algebra, students must have an understanding of fractional arithmetic, in part because even simple equations cannot be solved without fractions. Because of this, whole-number arithmetic comes mostly to a close in 5th grade, while multiplying and dividing fractions becomes a major focus.

A Sample of What Your Child Will Be Working on in 5th Grade

Adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators (e.g., 21 ⁄4 – 11 ⁄3), and solving word problems of this kind
Multiplying fractions; dividing fractions in simple cases; and solving related word problems (e.g., finding the area of a rectangle with fractional side lengths; determining how many 1 ⁄3-cup servings are in 2 cups of raisins; determining the size of a share if 9 people share a 50-pound sack of rice equally or if 3 people share 1 ⁄2 pound of chocolate equally)
Generalizing the place-value system to include decimals, and calculating with decimals to the hundredths place (two places after the decimal)
Multiplying whole numbers quickly and accurately, for example 1,638 × 753, and dividing whole numbers in simple cases, such as dividing 6,971 by 63
Understanding the concept of volume, and solving word problems that involve volume
Graphing points in the coordinate plane (two dimensions) to solve problems
Analyzing mathematical patterns and relationships

Help Your Child Learn at Home

English Language Arts & Literacy

Invite your child to read his or her writing out loud to other family members. Ask questions about your child’s word choices and ideas.
Discuss your family stories and history. Encourage your child to ask relatives questions about their lives. Put the information together in an album or brainstorm different ways to tell family tales, such as poems or short stories.
Go to a play or musical with your child. Discuss the way the actors bring the words to life.

Mathematics

Look for “word problems” in real life. Some 5th grade examples might include:

Doing arithmetic with decimals, for example when balancing a checkbook.
Multiplying with fractions — for example, if you used about 2 ⁄3 of a 3 ⁄4-cup measure of vegetable stock, then how much stock did you use? About how much is left?
Using the length, width, and depth of a garden plot to determine how many bags of garden soil to buy.

6th Grade

English Language Arts & Literacy

In 6th grade, students apply skills they learned in earlier grades to make sense of longer, more challenging books and articles. That includes learning about how authors try to influence readers and find reasons to support their ideas. Focusing on how authors make their points and support their arguments with evidence and reasoning helps 6th grade students sharpen their ability to write and speak with more clarity and coherence. Students also will expand their vocabularies and use new words in their stories, reports, and essays. To meet these literacy goals, students must devote significant attention to precise details in their reading and when writing.

A Sample of What Your Child Will Be Working on in 6th Grade

Analyzing how chapters of a book, scenes of a play, or stanzas of a poem fit into the overall structure of the piece and contribute to the development of ideas or themes
Gaining knowledge from materials that make extensive use of elaborate diagrams and data to convey information and illustrate concepts
Evaluating the argument and specific claims in written materials or a speech, and distinguishing claims that are supported by reasons and evidence from claims that are not
Presenting claims and findings to others orally, sequencing ideas logically, and accentuating main ideas or themes
Writing arguments that provide clear reasons and relevant evidence, using credible sources
Writing brief reports that examine a topic, have a clear focus, and include relevant facts, details, and quotations
Conducting short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and sharpening the focus based on the research findings
Reviewing and paraphrasing key ideas and multiple perspectives of a speaker
Recognizing variations from standard English in his or her own and others’ writing and speaking, and using this knowledge to improve language use
Determining the correct meaning of a word based on the context in which it is used (e.g., the rest of the sentence or paragraph; a word’s position or function in a sentence)

Mathematics

The skills and understanding that your child will gain during 6th grade are among the most important foundations for college and career readiness. These include working with ratios and rates and working with variables and variable expressions — the building blocks of algebra. Many of this year’s topics will remain a major emphasis throughout the middle school years and into high school.

A Sample of What Your Child Will Be Working on in 6th Grade

Understanding ratios and rates, and solving problems involving proportional relationships (e.g., if it took 7 hours to mow 4 lawns, then at that rate, how many lawns could be mowed in 35 hours? At what rate were lawns being mowed?)
Dividing fractions and solving related word problems (e.g., how wide is a rectangular strip of land with length 3 ⁄4 mile and area 1 ⁄2 square mile?)
Using positive and negative numbers together to describe quantities; understanding the ordering and absolute values of positive and negative numbers
Working with variables and expressions by generalizing the way numbers work (e.g., when adding numbers, the order doesn’t matter, so x + y = y + x; likewise, properties of addition and multiplication can be used to rewrite 24x + 18y as 6(4x + 3y), or y + y + y as 3y)
Understanding the process of solving simple equations
Writing equations to solve word problems and describe relationships between quantities (e.g., the distance D traveled by a train in time T might be expressed by an equation D = 85T, where D is in miles and T is in hours)
Reasoning about relationships between shapes to determine area, surface area, and volume

Help Your Child Learn at Home

English Language Arts & Literacy

Listen with your child to a television reporter, politician, or other speaker. Ask your child to tell you the speaker’s main points. Was the speaker trying to convince the audience of something? How?
Visit a library or book store together and ask the librarian or bookseller to recommend young adult books, such as Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor. To find more books for your child to read, visit www.corestandards.org/assets/Appendix_B.pdf.
Invite your child to participate in an adult gathering, such as a meal with friends, to practice listening skills and making conversation.
Encourage your child to learn at the library or on the Internet what life in your community was like 100 years ago. Have your child write a story, poem, or play about that time.

Mathematics

Look for “word problems” in real life. Some 6th grade examples might include:

Determining the average speed of a family trip, based on the distance traveled and the time taken; or estimating the time that a trip will take, given the distance and an estimate of the average speed. (Examples can also come from the news — for example, a swimmer crossing the English Channel or a space probe traveling to another planet.)
Finding the surface area of the walls and ceiling in a room to determine the cost of painting the room.

7th Grade

English Language Arts & Literacy

In 7th grade, your child will analyze, define, compare, and evaluate ideas when reading, writing, speaking, and listening. He or she will continue to analyze how themes in fiction and nonfiction develop over the course of a book or article. Readings will include classic and contemporary pieces that represent diverse perspectives. In particular, 7th grade students’ ability to cite specific evidence when offering an interpretation of a text matures. They use relevant evidence when supporting their own points in writing and speaking, making their reasoning clear to readers or listeners or constructively evaluating others’ use of evidence. This ability will help your child in every facet of his or her studies.

A Sample of What Your Child Will Be Working on in 7th Grade

Citing several sources of specific evidence from a piece when offering an oral or written analysis of a book, essay, article, or play
Analyzing works of fiction to see how events advance the plot and how setting shapes the characters
Determining an author’s point of view or purpose in a nonfiction work and analyzing how the author takes a position different from other authors
Organizing and focusing his or her own writing, including supporting statements and conclusions with evidence and showing that the evidence is accurate and reliable
Conducting research in response to a specific question by drawing on evidence from several credible literary or informational sources to support an analysis or reflection
Avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citations (e.g., footnotes, bibliography)
Evaluating a speaker’s key points and reasoning, asking questions, and stating his or her own wellsupported ideas in discussions
Presenting claims and findings to others emphasizing main points, making eye contact, speaking loudly enough, pronouncing words clearly, and using formal English when the situation calls for it
Using common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to defining the meaning of a word (e.g., semi-, semiannual, semicircle

Mathematics

In 7th grade, your child will grow in skill and understanding as he or she continues the previous grade’s work in proportional relationships, equations, and positive and negative numbers. These topics will remain a major emphasis throughout the middle school years and into high school. A good command of rates and proportional relationships, including percentages, is also an important life skill.

A Sample of What Your Child Will Be Working on in 7th Grade

Analyzing proportional relationships (e.g., by graphing in the coordinate plane), and distinguishing proportional relationships from other kinds of mathematical relationships (e.g., buying 10 times as many items will cost you 10 times as much, but taking 10 times as many aspirin will not lower your fever 10 times as much)
Solving percent problems (e.g., tax, tips, and markups and markdowns)
Adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing positive and negative numbers, and solving related word problems
Solving word problems that have a combination of whole numbers, fractions, and decimals (e.g., a woman making $25 per hour receives a 10% raise; she will make an additional 1 ⁄10 of her salary an hour, or $2.50, for a new salary of $27.50)
Solving equations such as 1 ⁄2 (x – 3) = 3 ⁄4 quickly and accurately, and writing equations of this kind to solve word problems (e.g., “I knocked over a carton of milk, and 3 cups were spilled before I set the carton upright again. When I poured out the remaining milk equally into two measuring cups, there was 3 ⁄4 of a cup of milk in each one. How much milk was originally in the carton?”)
Solving problems involving scale drawings
Using statistics to draw inferences and make comparisons (e.g., deciding which candidate is likely to win an election based on a survey

Help Your Child Learn at Home

English Language Arts & Literacy

Visit a local art museum together. Take time to closely observe the details of the paintings or other art objects and talk about what you see there.
Have your child help plan a family outing, using the Internet or library to research a place he or she is interested in.
Ask your child who his or her favorite authors are. Why does your child like their books? What ideas does the author write about? Who are his or her favorite characters? Why? To find recommendations of books for your child to read, visit www.corestandards.org/assets/Appendix_B.pdf.

Mathematics

Look for “word problems” in real life. Some 7th grade examples might include:

Figuring the amount of a 15% tip or determining what percentage of weekly income goes to pay taxes.
Using a scale diagram in a manual or a newspaper article to determine lengths, areas, distances, or other measures.
For a long-term project, help your child choose a stock and follow its value on the stock market using the newspaper or the Internet. Have your child calculate the stock’s percent increase or decrease each month.

8th Grade

English Language Arts & Literacy

To prepare for bigger challenges in high school, 8th grade students must grapple with major works of fiction and nonfiction that extend across cultures and centuries. As they work diligently to understand precisely what an author or speaker is saying, students also must learn to question an author’s or speaker’s assumptions and assess the accuracy of his or her claims. They also must be able to report findings from their own research and analysis of sources in a clear manner.

A Sample of What Your Child Will Be Working on in 8th Grade

Citing the evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what is explicitly stated and/or implied from a book, article, poem, or play
Analyzing where materials on the same topic disagree on matters of fact, interpretation, or point of view
Learning how authors support their ideas through word choice, sentence and paragraph structure, and other methods
Building writing around strong central ideas or points of view; supporting the ideas with sound reasoning and evidence, precise word choices, smooth transitions, and different sentence structures
Planning and conducting research projects that include several steps and use many credible and documented print and digital sources
Analyzing the purpose of information presented in diverse media (e.g., print, TV, web) and evaluating its social, political, or commercial motives
Presenting findings and claims to others, emphasizing key points with relevant evidence and sound reasoning, adapting speech to the audience and the formality of the setting, and responding to questions and comments with relevant observations and ideas
Using strong, active verbs to create a clear picture for the reader (e.g., walk, skip, meander, lurch, limp)
Interpreting figures of speech (e.g., irony, puns) and developing a large vocabulary of general academic words and phrases

Mathematics

In 8th grade, your child will learn a number of skills and ideas that he or she must know and understand to be ready for college and career. Your child will continue to learn how to write and reason with algebraic expressions. Your child also will make a thorough study of linear equations with one and two variables. Building on previous work with relationships between quantities, your child will be introduced to the idea of a mathematical function. And your child will prepare for high school geometry by understanding congruence (same shape and size) and similarity of geometric figures.

A Sample of What Your Child Will Be Working on in 8th Grade

Understanding slope, and relating linear equations in two variables to lines in the coordinate plane
Solving linear equations (e.g., –x + 5(x + 1 ⁄3) = 2x – 8); solving pairs of linear equations (e.g., x + 6y = –1 and 2x – 2y = 12); and writing equations to solve related word problems
Understanding functions as rules that assign a unique output number to each input number; using linear functions to model relationships
Analyzing statistical relationships by using a bestfit line (a straight line that models an association between two quantities)
Working with positive and negative exponents, square root and cube root symbols, and scientific notation (e.g., evaluating √36 + 64; estimating world population as 7 x 109 )
Understanding congruence and similarity using physical models, transparencies, or geometry software (e.g., given two congruent figures, show how to obtain one from the other by a sequence of rotations, translations, and/or reflections)
Understanding and applying the Pythagorean Theorem (a2 + b2 = c2 ) to solve problems

Help Your Child Learn at Home

English Language Arts & Literacy

Make time in everyone’s busy schedule for family discussions about things going on around the world. Weekends can be a chance for everyone to catch up.
Visit the campus of a local college with your teen. Begin talking about college early. What does he or she expect from college? What high school courses will your child need to pass to prepare for college?
Make sure to keep books and magazines around the house that your child will enjoy reading and learning from. For a list of book recommendations, visit www.corestandards.org/assets/Appendix_B.pdf.

Mathematics

Ask your child to share with you any work he or she is doing in math class that strikes him or her as interesting. Some possibilities might include:

Solving interesting problems involving cylinders and spheres, such as figuring out how much water fits inside a garden hose, or how many earths would fit inside the sun.
Analyzing data with a scatterplot, for example to decide whether exercise and obesity are related.
Solving “just for fun” algebra puzzles, such as: “I’m thinking of two numbers. The difference between the numbers is 40. Twice the smaller number is 20 more than the larger number. What are my numbers?”