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Dear Parents,
Ten is the golden end of childhood...to exaggerate a little. At ten, children
find comfort in themselves, their teachers, their parents, and even in their
siblings! They relax in their childhood, gathering strength for the impending
storm of adolescence and consolidating their gains from early childhood. You
can see this clearly in the cognitive choices that children make in school.
Tens concentrate, even relish, working on tangible products that display their
competence; book reports, theme reports, beginning research writing, and
scientific documentation.
At ten, children seem to be the most actively receptive as learners of factual
information. This is usually a good time to master the multiplication facts if
they have been a struggle until now. It's an age for state capitals,
presidents, principle products of major nations, exports and imports, poetry,
and speech memorization.
Children know all the rules at ten. Board games and games of strategy are
great favorities and there tends to be mutual agreement rather than endless
arguing about rules. It's a wonderful age to teach or reteach mediation to
children, to introduce problem-solving formats, to teach governmental
structures, and scientific principles. All these will be challenged at eleven,
argued with at twelve, and rebelled against at thirteen. But ten is a great
time for initial introduction and general acceptance, to plant the seeds for
the more formal and more abstract cognitive challenges that lie ahead in
middle school.
Fifth grade is an important transitional year between elementary school and
middle school. To make the most of this experience, please ensure that your
child:
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Arrives prepared for class with proper materials and books s
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Takes responsibility for completing long and short term assignment
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Takes pride in turning in quality work
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Recognizes the importance of proper classroom behavior, self-discipline,
self-control, and respect for others
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Is competent in basic math skills (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and
division)
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Can read for information and pleasure with the ability to identify the main
idea and supporting details
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Has a positive attitude towards school and learning
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Has a quiet place set aside at home for homework and study
Education is a never-ending process. Most important -- your interest,
praise, and encouragement are vital to your child's success in every subject.
There are many ways you can provide opportunities for reinforcing your child's
skills in an enjoyable way.
ACTIVITIES THAT CAN BE DONE ANYTIME
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Playing softball, swimming, music lessons, returning library books, and
household chores. You can have your child record these activities on the
family calendar to help improve time management.
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Keep a diary of the names of places visited and descriptions of interesting
sights while on vacation.
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Encourage your child to get his/her own card in the public library and to
visit there at least once a month.
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Play games such as Boggle, word Yahtzee, or Scrabble.
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Engage your child in writing by encouraging friendly letters, thank-you notes,
grocery lists, telephone messages, and even stories and poems.
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Play educational computer games that teach all subjects including keyboarding.
(Compiled by the LaGrange Elementary School Action Team)
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