october 5, 2026

be a sideline schoolwork coach

Remember when you quizzed your child for weekly math tests? How about those nights you helped your child study facts? Well, now that your student is older, your role in schoolwork looks different—but is no less important. Instead of being an active participant, consider yourself a sideline coach.

To support success with schoolwork:

Encourage your teen to work independently. But stay nearby for questions, review, or organizational help.
Make it clear that school is your teen's full-time job. It comes before daily chores, an outside job or other activities. Help your teen plan time accordingly.
Encourage your student to ask teachers about work that is unclear or confusing.
Don’t hesitate to contact teachers yourself if you have questions about things like expectations, curricula and grading systems.
Ask your teen specific questions about assignments. “Do you have homework today?” is too general and may bring a one-word answer. Specific questions like, “What reading do you have for history tonight?” will help your student focus on the work ahead.

teach your teen to 'Study read'

“Study reading” is a process that helps students focus as they read nonfiction texts. It also helps them remember more.

Teach your teen these steps for effective study reading:

Get a feeling for the topic. Your teen should read the chapter title and all subtitles. Your teen should then check out any charts, graphs or pictures. Next your teen can flip to the end of the chapter and read any study questions.
Skim the material. Have your teen start by reading the introduction or first paragraph. Next, your teen should read the first sentence of every following paragraph. Finally, your student should read the summary or last paragraph, and consider how this material relates to previously learned material.
Read the chapter by sections. Many books give each subsection a heading. After reading a subsection, your teen can take notes about it. Your teen can also look for key words in bold-faced type and make flashcards for reviewing these terms.
Sum up the material after a careful reading. Encourage your teen to answer these questions: What are the main points of this material? What are the supporting details that back up the main points? What conclusions do I reach after reading this material?
Answer any study questions provided. Your teen should also consider what questions the teacher might ask about material. This is also a good time to review the vocabulary flash cards made earlier.
Listen attentively in class. Because of the study reading, your teen should already have a grasp on a lot of what the teacher is going to talk about. With this kind of preparation, your student can be an active listener and ask thoughtful questions.

haev your teen keep a time log

Do you ever find yourself wondering if your teen ever learned to tell time? Some students are always late. They often stay up all night to finish big projects the night before they are due.

Luckily, it’s never too late for your teen to learn how to manage time. But it will take a big dose of help from you.

Give your teen a big calendar (on paper or in an app) with plenty of space to write. Each day, have your student list all the things that must be done for school. Then, have your teen guess how long it will take to finish each task.

After completing each job on the list, your teen should make a note of how long it actually took to do it. The next time there's a similar assignment, your teen can look back over those notes. If the last English paper took four hours, for example, your teen will know to allow at least that long to write this one.

help your teen practice thinking strategies

For success in school, students need to do more than memorize information. It's the thinking they do about the material that really leads to learning. Practice these thinking strategies together and encourage your teen to use them while doing assignments:

Answer six questions. When reading, your teen should keep these questions in mind: who, what, when, where, why and how. Answering them will give your teen a basic understanding of the material. It can also help when it's time to create an outline.
Evaluate information. Many assignments require your teen to understand the difference between significant ideas and details. Have your teen consider this sentence: "Jim's tears fell on his blue shirt as he walked up to the house." Which is more important, the fact that Jim had a blue shirt on or that he was crying?
Compare and contrast. Your teen should think about how things are alike and how they are different. Practicing this skill will help with several subjects. To help, ask questions like, "How are a cat and a tiger alike? How are they different?"

ask questions that promote conversation

When you talk with your teen about school, ask for details that will spark an in-depth conversation. Avoid questions your teen can answer with one word, like, “How was were your classes today?” Your teen will probably just answer, “Fine.” Instead, try, “Tell me about something that caught your attention in one of your classes today.”

Show you are listening by repeating some of your teen's words in your response. If your student says, “I couldn’t believe what happened in science,” say, “I’m interested in hearing more about this unbelievable occurrence.”

research, outlines & drafts help teens with writing tasks

Some school writing, such as taking notes, can be done quickly. But most writing should be done carefully. Your teen can be more successful, and avoid feeling overwhelmed, by following a writing plan. Have your student follow these steps:

Find out what is expected. How long should the writing be? How much research is needed? Should the assignment be written in a formal or conversational style?
Break the assignment down into steps. Working backward from the final due date, your teen should assign a deadline for each step.
Brainstorm ideas. After creating a list of ideas, your teen can choose the one that seems to fit the assignment best.
Do the necessary research.
Make an outline. Your teen should choose the material that fits the theme best and put the rest aside.
Write a first draft. Your teen should concentrate on getting ideas down on paper or into the computer. This is not the time to worry about mechanics, such as sentence structure.
Revise into a second draft. Now your teen can refine ideas and organization, and pay close attention to mechanics.
Proofread to create a final draft. Make sure your teen checks carefully for errors.

the popre process helps teens prepare for essay exams

Studying for in-class writings and essay tests can be a challenge. Have your teen try the PORPE process before the next big test. The letters in PORPE stand for:

Predict. Your teen should figure out essay questions the teacher might ask. They should focus on the most important ideas in the chapter. Have your teen consult the class notes. Most teachers will tell students what the test will cover.
Organize. Have your teen write down information needed to answer the possible essay questions, then think about how to organize it. For example, most essays should begin with a main idea or thesis statement. Then your teen can support it with specific details.
Rehearse. Encourage your teen to make flash cards with key points for answers to different questions. Help your student review them over several days so the ideas stick.
Practice. Now, your teen should try writing some answers to the possible test questions.
Evaluate. Have your teen look over the essay answers. Are they accurate? Are they well organized? How could they be improved?

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