“Homework-champ” blog (5)

SIX COOL TOOLS FOR HOMEWORK-STRUGGLERS

   In  previous blogs, we’ve discussed  how tips from baseball coaches can help  parents  get  their homework-failing kids become better organized and better able to tackle those dreaded after-school assignments. This final blog will provide  the six tools that should  prove particularly useful to kids who aim  to turn from “homework failures” to “homework champs.”

First, the Five W’s.  This is the technique made famous by journalists who are taught to use the ‘five W’s'  when writing their  news stories.  The “w’s,” of course, are  ”who, what, where, when and why” and the answers to those questions , budding reporters are told, absolutely have to appear in the very first paragraph of any news stories they write.

   How does the system work for the budding student?  Well. when he’s reading that long, scary encyclopedia article, for instance, he has to concentrate on writing in his notebook only the answers to these questions and nothing else. That means he might come out with something like this:

WHO–President Harry S. Truman  WHAT–sent US troops   WHERE–to Korea  WHEN–June 1950 WHY–because North Korea was invading South Korea and we were trying to help the South Koreans.

   Of course, any article or chapter usually contains a number of paragraphs that may need to be reduced to the Five W’s (and sometimes the writer has to add ‘HOW’ to the list of questions. ) But in the end, the writer not only has to think hard to do it right but winds up with only a few short “five W’s” he has to remember for test time. 

   Then there’s the CHRONOLOGY.  This tool–which basically means a list of dates arranged in order on a particular subject–tends to work better when the homework involves writing about a person’s life.  If, for instance, the student needs to learn as much as possible about Eisenhower,  he can divide a page into two columns–a narrow one for the important dates and a wide column for the important facts.  His homework for that day, then, would wind up looking like this:

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER–1890–born in Texas; 1915–graduated from West Point;  First World Was–was an instructor in the tank corp; 1922-1941–stationed in the Panama Canal Zone, served as asst. exec. to the asst. Secretary of War, and was in the Philippines;  June 1942–named US commander of European Theatre of Operations;  Nov. 1942–commanded Americans in North African landings. And so, with just as many dates as the writer thinks are the most important events in Eisenhower’s life.  The important thing to stress is that the writer must use as few words as possible. One or two sentences next to each date are usually enough.  (And it doesn’t hurt ot put a star next to the dates the teacher seems to consider most important.)

   These two methods of taking notes as concisely as possible, should cover almost any topic.  But there’s no reason a student can’t become creative and come up with a method he considers more fun.  One possibility:

The comic strip.  The artistic student can turn out actual cartoon characters, but others can use the good old reliable round-head-on-sticks characters. What’s important are the ‘balloons” that represent the character’s speech.  If the cartoon family is discussing Seward’s Folly, for instance, one character might be saying, “You want to buy Alaska from Russia, Mr. Seward? That’s ridiculous.”  The second character explains, through his balloon,  why he fully agrees that the idea of buying Alaska is a bad idea.   But, happily, Mr. Seward himself retorts that the idea makes sense–and puts forth his reasons  in the very few words that can be squeezed inside a small circle. After finishing his ‘comic strip’ the student will  probably never forget just why Mr. Seward purchased Alaska from Russia–and may have enjoyed doing homework for the first time in his life.   (The creative approach might even help math-phobic types, like me, remember what the heck logarithms are all about.)  But two other valuable tools are also available to most students.

   Let’s not forget the ‘search engines’ like Google, for example.  If your kid hasn’t yet learned to put ‘keywords’ into the right box, don’t forget to tell him.  The internet, in fact, is an important source of information to kids as well as adults.  And here’s probably the best source of help of all:

www.NYPL. org.   The New York Public Library has a website that probably provides more help to school-children than any other library system. (But if your state’s library system has a website, by all means check it out as well.) On this Library’s  home page, however,  the struggling student will find  a truly impressive number of useful links.  For younger kids, there’s On-Lion for Kids that provides answers to questions about homework, history, people and places, plus, naturally, lists of  good books they might want to read.  Teen Link also provides homework help as well as links to hotlines, booklists, college and financial aid information,  sports, and special online activities for teens.

 

 

 

1915–graduated from West Point-

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

tthis particular blog will pinpoint the  six tricks that can help your kid start acing the afterschool assignments he’s been failing all term.

The “homework-champ” blog (4)

WHAT ‘ORGANIZER’ MOST HELPS A BASEBALL COACH STAY ON TRACK?

   Most days are pretty chaotic for the typical baseball coach.  Soon as he gets in, he’s  dealing with highly demanding people– players, staff members, bosses, would-be bosses and any passing stranger who pokes a head into the office and has a problem that needs an immediate fix.   And what tools help him turn chaos into some semblance of order?  Well, oddly enough, first and foremost is usually his bulletin board.  A nice big non-tech bulletin board where he can post schedules, plans for the day,  lineups,  warnings, and any special notices he thinks his players need to read.  Which is why he’s likely to greet an irate visitor with, “Did you check the bulletin board yet, you idiot?”

    Well, if it makes sense for a baseball coach, it makes equal sense to a harried parent working with one or two stubborn, bad-tempered and ‘wish I were anyplace but here’  kids. who hate homework, hate their teachers and, at the moment, really hate their ‘coach.’  (Well, okay, at least it’s a way to start getting things in order.)

    For one thing,  like most ‘failing’ kids, yours is probably working and studying in the messiest spot in the house, right?   Or maybe it starts out fairly neat but after a while–perhaps because your kid starts tossing badly scribbled and crumpled sheets around–it soon starts looking like a tornado jus swept through. Which helps explain why  your hard-working kid so often is going to lose his list of instructions,  his most valuable textbook,  his relatively clean sheet of paper and, possibly, the homework he actually got to finish. 

   That’s where the bulletin board comes in. it’s hard to lose  a really large board, especially if it’s hung on the largest wall in the bedroom.  On this  large board, your kid can not only post the actual assignment–using post-its or colored ink to emphasize key phrases and due dates–but all his preliminary notes and the page numbers of essential source books .  He can  also actually pin up the finished homework pages themselves so that half the pages don’t wind up under the bed or flushed down the toilet.

   Another important advantage of the bulletin board?  One section can be used as a calendar where important notices from the teacher–such as test dates, field trips,  the day that all-important book report is due–so that anyone can quickly see what’s coming up.  And that ‘anyone’, of course, includes  the parent-coach who occasionally comes by to see how the board is coming along.

   Naturally,  a baseball coach has other tools,  of course.  For example, he always has his warm-up period, which calms the players down and gives him time to breathe himself.  For parents, a good warm-up substitute is a nice yellow-lined pad,  otherwise known as the rough draft pad.  If your irritable kid is ordered to start his homework on that pad–writing anything and everything on his given subject and crossing out anything he wants to–it gets him started and works off nervous energy. Then, once he calms down, he can look over the rough draft–and transfer at least some of it, neatly and cleanly, to his white pad.  If nothing else, it means the work he turns in won’t be quite as messy as in the past.

   Then, too, there’s  another essential  tool the coach can turn to when things turn hectic: The rules of the game! He can start a potentially bad session by explaining, once again, how the damned game is played. So the next blog will discuss a few of the ‘rules’ that  help a player cut out some of his bad moves and concentrate on two or three vastly better ways to ‘do homework’ more efficiently.

The “Homework-Champ” Blog (3)

WHY DOING HOMEWORK AND PLAYING BASEBALL ARE PRACTICALLY IDENTICAL  

   I sense a certain amount of skepticism.  I can almost hear you saying,  ‘Look,  since doing homework is usually a colossal pain in the backside and playing baseball is almost always fun–why bother to pretend they’ve got anything in common?  My kid won’t believe it for a second.”

    Maybe.  But here’s your argument.  “Okay, while you keep insisting playing baseball is fun–(and you can substitute any other sport here, like soccer or basketball )–you’ve got to admit the sport has its downside, too. I mean, how much fun are warmups? Endless criticisms from the coach? Nasty sneers from your friends? Punishments for breaking those stupid rules?  Bench sitting? The occasional black eye or twisted ankle?”

   In other words, becoming a champ in any sport takes time, effort,  endless repetitions, tons of  sweat and plenty of pain.  Pretty much what you can expect when trying to become a homework champ, too.  So–the two clearly have their similarities. 

    And they have  have other things in common as well.   In both cases,  for instance,  the ‘player’  usually discovers  that those around him seem to have all sorts of unfair advantaages.   In baseball, the competition may seem to be bigger, stronger,  and better coordinated than he is. Quite often, they also have (a) an older brother who taught them the game while they were still in diapers and (b) parents who can afford expensive equipment and even baseball camps.   In homework? The other kids in class seem to be smarter, neater, better organized, and they often have (a) brilliant older sisters who  gives them pointers on how to ace a book report and (b) parents who DON’T constantly nag them, call them cretins, and wonder out loud if they have ADD.

   Still, while the two activities may be kissing cousins, they do have some major differences.   You will have to admit to your kid that:

   1) Playing a sport isn’t always mandatory but, sorry kid–doing your homework is.

   2)Frankly, becoming a champ in your favorite sport may be out of your reach–hey, let’s be realistic here–but  becoming the king or queen of homework is always a possibility. (Yes, even if you have two left feet and the ‘eye’ of a nearsighted wombat, you can dazzle your teacher–at least occasionally.)

   3)And most imprtant of all–once you learn  how to do homework correctly, you can use your knowledge to help you succeed later on in the real world.  On the other hand–learning to hit a ball thrown at your head will very rarely come in handy when you start your grownup career.  (On a personal note: I’ve worked in offices, restaurants, schools and libraries and have never felt the need to throw an object at anyone’s head.   Well,  maybe once or twice, but it definitely wouldn’t have helped the situation.)  

    To sum up, then, since doing homework is so similar to playing baseball,  it makes all the sense in the world to pretend you’re a baseball coach, for a while,  and use some of the sport’s rules–and equipment–to help turn your ‘failing’ kid into a homework champ.    So–while waiting for the next blog, ask  yourself: what’s the most important piece of baseball equipment you can provide for your kid? Hint: sorry, but it’s not the bat.

The “homework-champ” blog (2)

TURNING YOUR KID INTO A ‘HOMEWORK-CHAMP’

   Okay,  my last blog persuaded you that your kid definitely needs to improve his poor homework skills if he’s going to do better in school, not only this term but, more importantly, in his upcoming classes.  But your kid still insists that he’s doing the best he can.  Besides, as he makes abundantly clear, to him “It’s only homework, folks. So–who cares?”

    It’s your turn, then, to let him know why he’d better improve.  And here’s your argument.

    “Listen, kid, pay attention. “Doing homework” in grade school is going to be called “doing research” in high school, college and, most likely, in whatever career you go into. So doing homework isn’t a waste of time–it helps you develop the study skills you’re absolutely going to need later on!

      What skills? Well, skills like ‘looking for answers to scarily difficult questions’, for instance, and doing it in a matter of hours. Or studying an imformation-packed chapter in your history book and figuring out which of those dozens of facts you definitely need to remember. Or reading an exciting  biography and a) condensing it into one or two written pages or b) even into a short speech that won’t put your class to sleep. Or taking a controversial subject like, say, our country’s immigration laws–and not only explaining why they’re hard to enforce but giving both the pro and con opinions of people who want changes–complete  with  sourcs–and then giving your own opinion.

   That’s just a sampling.  And clearly, you’re going to have to learn study skills like those–and a few others as well–if you want to start studying smarter, start learning faster, start impressing your teacher, start getting better grades–and, if you’re wondering,  keep your parents from grounding you!

    In other words, kid,  starting now you’re going to become a ‘homework champ’ and make your parents proud.  Or else!”

    Well, a speech like that should definitely get your kid’s attention.   Of course,  he’ll probably have a few questions himself about now.  Just for starters, he’ll probably want to know what you mean, exactly, when you say he’s going to become a ‘homework champ.’  Which is your cue to tell him, “Maybe you haven’t noticed, kid, but doing homework is a lot like playing baseball.”

    Uh, huh. Of course it is. And my next blog  will explain why doing homework and playing baseball are practically identical.

 

 

 

  

The ‘homework-champ’ blog (l)

   HOME-WORK. WHY IT’S YOUR KID’S MOST IMPORTANT SUBJECT

       And no,  that’s not a joke.  We’re talking about middle-graders, of course, who’ve already learned the basics: how to read simple chapter books and  work with simple numbers; how to sit quietly,  pass short notes to their friend  and  avoid getting into too many wrestling matches. Now it’s time to get onto the tougher subjects. And that, like it or not, means more–and tougher–homework.

     Why give kids homework at all?  Several reasons.  For one thing, no matter how long they make the school days,  there’s rarely enough time to cram in everything that needs to be taught.   Then, too, educators have long since known that students tend to remember facts better if  they’ve been looked up, thought about, and written down  enough times so they finally start to make sense.   And, of course, there’s the matter of bragging rights.  World leaders love to brag about how hard their young subjects work in schools.  (Unfortunately for our president, he has to admit that, these days,  our kids only average about  a measly one hour of homework a day.  Countries like Russia, Japan and Germany, where kids may toil four to six extra hours a day, may sneer at us but at least we usually do great in the Olympics.)

    But the most vital reason for giving kids homework?   In a few years, ‘doing homework “  turns into “doing research.”   Here, smart study skills are absolutely essential for getting good grades.  Which means that, if your kid is getting ‘F’s'  in homework now–he or she may well  be in real trouble in high school and college!

    HOW DO YOU KNOW YOUR KID IS ‘FAILING’ HOMEWORK?

     Well,  one sure sign is getting that note from the teacher–the one pointing out that little Colin is a) consistently turning in  late, poorly -done or incomplete work;  or b) rarely if ever turns turns in any of his daily assignments for a variety of  interesting but implausible reasons.   Another sign? when you check little Colin’s homework yourself,  you  see for yourself that it seems on the sloppy side and that  at least some of his answers look wrong to you.   True, you can excuse the poor kid because, hey, everyone knows that teachers give too much homework to their already overworked students.    You can even go into the class on parent-teachers day and argue the  point yourself.   If so, you’re making one giant mistake.   Because, as already noted,  pretty soon your little darling will be asked to do, not homework, but research.  Which means that things will be getting much tougher in a few short years.  And let’s face it, high school teachers tend to be a lot more difficult to deal with than middle-grade teachers. As for college teachers–they rarely even talk to parents without a court order.

     In other words,  the time to start fixing the problem is right now.  In upcoming blogs, then,  I’ll be talking about how to help your kids improve their study skills so that they become–in effect–real homework champs.

THE HOMEWORK BLOG (1)

    CHAPTER ONE– HOMEWORK–WHY IT’S YOUR KID’S MOST IMPORTANT SUBJECT

   And no, that’s not a joke.  We’re talking about middle-grade kids, of course, who’ve already learned the basics: easy reading; easy writing; adding and subtracting; how to sit quietly, pass really simple notes to their friends, and not get into too many wrestling matches.  Now it’s time to get onto the tougher subjects. And that,  like it or not,  means more–and tougher–homework.

   Why homework? Three main reasons.  First, no matter how long they make the school days, somehow the days just never get long enough to cram in everything that educators currently believe needs to be taught. (Happily, latin–once an essential–has been dropped from most schools.)

   Second, for bragging right.  World leaders normally like to brag about how hard their young subjects work in school. Unfortunately for our president, he has to admit that, these days, our kids only average an hour of homework a day.  (Countries like Russia, Japan, and Germany may sneer at us but we do shine at the Olympics.)

   Finally–and most importantly–educators have long known that students tend to remember facts better if they’ve looked them up;  thought about them;  written them down  enough times so that they finally start making sense.  And now they’re zerooing in on the two most important facts of all.

   A) In a few years, “doing homework” turns into “doing research”…where smart study skills are absolutly esential for getting good grades.

   B) So if your kid is getting ‘F’s  in homework now–chances are,  he or she will be in real trouble in high school and college!

  HOW DO YOU KNOW YOUR KID IS  ‘FAILING’ HOMEWORK? 

      Well, one sure sign is getting that note from the teacher–the one pointing out that little Colin is (a)consistentently turning in messy, poorly-done or incomplete work; (b) is consistently turning his swork several days late; or (c) rarely if ever turns in any of his daily assingments for a variety of  interesting but implausible reasons.

   Another sign? When you check little Colin’s homework yourself,  you can see for yourself that it seems on the sloppy or incomplete side and that at least some of the answers look wrong to you.  (Here you can excuse the kid because bad handwriting runs in the family;  frankly, the teacher gives way tooo much homework to already over-worked kids;  and, for all you know, they’ve  not only changed how they teach arithmetic these days but possibly  rewritten the social studies textbooks as well.)

   Then,  of course, you can ask to see your kid’s homework assignments after they’ve been turned in and you you notice that that teacher has written such comments as ‘messy’,  ‘incomplete,’ “D” or “do this over’ on many of them. Or, when you show up in Colin’s class, the teacher tells you in person that your little darling is doing fairly well in the classroom but in totally failing in most, or all, of his after-school assignments.

   You can argue with her if you want to but bear in mind–things get tougher later on.  High school teachers tend to be a lot more difficult to deal with and college teachers rarely even talk to parents without a court order.

   In other words, the time to fix your kid’s homework problem is right now.