Sunset Ridge Families,
Now that the school year is underway, I figured I'd offer a few ways for you to support your children's development of literacy and numeracy. Teaching - and parenting - is a partnership, after all :-)
While reviewing this assessment that we administer in the younger grades, I thought, "That could be a fun thing to do during car rides - "Say car. Now don't say the /k/ sound but replace it with /f/." This website, Reading Rockets, is full of good ideas for teachers and parents.
For math, probably the best thing to do is to focus on mastering math facts because having them mastered opens opportunities for more complex computations and problem-solving. Beyond using Reflex Math, the subscription the PTA has paid for, and asking basic math facts like, "What is 6 times 5?," I'd encourage asking questions that build number sense, like thinking of 6 x 9 as "six times 10 minus 6." When calculating how many kids can sit in our cafeteria, I saw 15 tables that can fit 16 kids each. 10 x 16 = 160 and half of 160 is 80 (I did half because 5 is half of 10), so 240 kids could sit in our cafeteria.
Soon, I hope to solicit your opinions about Reflex Math. Specifically, there are some staff who are advocating for Lexia Core 5. Both are backed by research, both are adaptive (getting more challenging when kids are ready), both can be used at home, and both offer reports that can inform what a child has learned and where they still struggle. The only real difference is that Reflex Math is focused on math facts, and Lexia Core 5 is focused on developing reading skills. So as we think about what we might invest our funds in, or what families want access to at home, your opinion matters!
For me, a strong argument for Lexia Core 5 is that it's connected to the District's goal around literacy development. A strong argument for Reflex Math is that we already send books home to support reading but don't have math homework opportunities, and this is an engaging way to master math facts.
To be continued - there will be a survey coming soon!
Brett
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