Parent Resources
Suggested Guidelines for
Parental Involvement in Homework
You are encouraged to...
- Ask your child about what he or she is studying in school
- Ask your child to show you any homework assignments
- Assist your child in organizing homework materials
- Help your child formulate a plan for completing homework
- Provide an appropriate space for your child to do his or her work
You may, if you wish...
- Help your child interpret assignment directions
- Proofread your child's work, pointing out errors
- Read aloud required reading to your child
- Give practice quizzes to your child to help prepare for assessments
- Help your child brainstorm ideas for papers or projects
- Praise your child for completing homework
You should not...
- Complete assignments for your child
- Allow your child to sacrifice sleep to complete homework
Study Strategies
Every family has its own idea of what good or bad grades are. Some families require a C, some insist on an A, some are only happy with an F, and sometimes it depends on the subject matter. A teacher's job is to present material, maintain a standard of achievement, and to let you know how well your child measured up to that standard. This is done through grades.
If your child is not getting the grades you hope for, he/she can improve the grade by studying more. This is the fastest and only way to solve the problem. Insisting that a student study more is the parent's responsibility. Below are some ways in which a student can study more. While your child may be doing some of these, he/she can supplement his/her study habits with the other methods.
- Put in more study time at home.
- Study correctly at home. For example:
- Concentrate
- Correctly make and use flashcards
- No music or TV
- No multi-tasking
- Learn it; do not only put in the time
- Set a reasonable, attainable goal and reach it
- Study every school night
- Do not goof off
- Come to class as early as possible every day
- Begin studying right away upon entering class
- Write down what is said in class - listening is not always enough
- Discuss and practice the material with the teacher as much as possible
- Avoid all socializing in class, i.e., don't talk or respond to others unless it is class work
- Concentrate on everything the teacher says
- If something is not clear, ask the teacher
- Try to come up with examples of what is being taught
- Study during class breaks
- Do not wait for class to be over
- After class, clear up any questions with the teacher
- Do quality, neat work on all assignments; always do a little more than what is necessary
- Think about the material outside of class
- Use online resources
- Decide to enjoy the subject
Don't Forget - The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Students
- Neat work is expected (legible handwriting & no crinkled papers)
- MLA Heading (Student name, Teacher name, Period, Date) on all papers
- Title at the top center of the page, naming the assignment
- No spiral notebook rip-out pages (smooth-edged binder paper only)
- Restate the question in your answer, using academic language, and never beginning with a pronoun
- Use only blue or black ink or pencil on all assignments; red is only used for correction
- Carefully read and follow all directions