Mandarin Immersion Parents Council

Starr King Elementary School

December 2009

A Place for Everything

Whatever you might think or be told, very few elementary-aged children seem to do homework at a desk in their room. They want to do it where everyone else is (i.e. you, the parent) and it usually happens in the kitchen or the living room. Making a space where homework to be done, homework that’s finished, paper, pencils, pencil sharpeners, erasers and dictionaries live will save endless hours of “I can’t find XXXX!” and let you get down to the actual job of doing the homework. This is often as simple as file folder and a shoebox tucked on a kitchen counter or a bookcase. But get them in the habit of always putting it back so that finding things doesn’t take up all their energy that should go towards homework.

Get a Grip on What Need to be Done

-Have your child count total pages of homework and make a chart showing how many pages he or she needs to do each day.

-Make a checklist that goes on the refrigerator, which you refer to when anything is asked for. “Did you do your homework yet?” should send them straight to the list.

-For other kids, the idea of X pages of homework is overwhelming, so the dad just says “Do as much as you can for 30 minutes.”

– Some teachers assign a weekly homework package, others send home daily worksheets. For weekly homework, one Kindergarten family goes to the library Wednesday for a couple hours. The dad and his son review the homework from the previous week, look at the new package, do a couple of pages and read a couple of books. “It’s been effective and enjoyable, our little routine.”

Be Flexible About When & Where

– One parent realized that mornings were a better time than evenings, so they get up at 6:00 and do homework for a half an hour in the morning when everything is calm and there are no distractions. That leaves after school and evening for fun stuff.
– One family keeps the list of the English spelling works in the car, so that on the way to school each morning she can quiz her daughter. It’s quick  and then it’s done for the day – and it happens 5 times a week. This also works well for times tables. It’s hard for character flash cards as non-Chinese-speaking parents can’t read the pinyin while they’re driving, but if you carpool or have more than one child in the car they can quiz each other.

– Another driving tip: CDs with Chinese songs in the car are a nice way to reinforce Chinese. Ask your teacher for appropriate CD titles.

– Break up the monotony by using different locations and settings. For example, when the weather is good, I often meet my son early at his offsite after school program and have a picnic. We eat, chat for a bit, then start the homework. I know another family outside the school that often goes to the zoo, and then at some point they take a homework break for 45 minutes while they’re there.
– Play games: One first grade family used the flash cards to play a Charade game, though the fun did fade after awhile.

– One family kept all the flash cards in a box, and the daughter was always very proud to take them out and show everyone exactly how many Chinese words she knew.

Getting Them to Do It

No television during the week.

Plan out the number of pages a day so that it’s done during the week, making weekend’s less onerous.

If your child is in the after school program there’s space build in for homework.

One family lets pick a special kids movie on Sunday, which they can’t watch until homework is all finished.

One family faithfully schedules a playdate on Monday, but only if homework is completely done.

Different Kids Need Different Things

– One family mentioned that their boy needed to take an exercise break. He does 10 minutes of homework, then a bunch of jumping jacks, then another 10 minutes.
– Sometimes it’s too hard. So I say, “OK, just do the easy stuff first”. Especially if he’s cranky, then just let them do what’s easy, and hit the hard stuff when they’re in a better mood.
– Praise effort, and celebrate accomplishments/growth/progress.
– My daughter is focused and ready to do her homework the moment she comes home from the after school program.  My son on the other hand wants to play and do homework after dinner.  I find flexibility, especially at this point in their lives, to be productive.

Motor and Sensory Development

Tips from a Kindergarten MI mom who is a pediatric occupational therapist:

For movement and attention

Briefly warm up the hands and wrists before writing

Try a hand fidget (koosh balls, stretch balls, fabric swatches, curly shoe string, etc)

Frequent movement breaks (yoga moves are great for learning about where your limbs are in space and help support upper body strengthening)

Chew toys, gum, dried fruit, hard candy, ice water etc. Mint flavors and aromatherapy (e.g. mint) are alerting.

Seating Options

Foot rest for dangling legs. Feet should be flat  (phonebooks work well).

Back cushion or pillows for support

Lying on the floor on  stomach with a pillow to support chest.

Use a slant board at a desk.

Different size and shape pencils (triangular).

Small crayons or pencils (so only three fingers will fit!).

For kids that have a lot of movement, have them do homes work with a slant board in a rocking chair

Letter/Character Formation

Use index cards to glue, sand, salt or string on paper in desired shape.  Have the student trace the letter/character in the correct stroke formation.

Practice shapes in shaving cream, Kool-Aid powder with water, or corn starch with water.

Mandarin-specific Tips

– Invest in at least two dictionaries, a Chinese-English and an English-Chinese. See the Mandarin Immersion Parents Council website for dictionary names and a lesson on how to use a Chinese dictionary.

– If you get stuck, email your room list, or either of the Mandarin lists. Someone is online and can probably help you.

Online Dictionaries

Recommendations from parent David Lin

Google Translate  – Instant and highly accurate, open editable model, grammar help

http://translate.google.com/#en|zh-CN|

MDBG – The audible sound is indispensable, well paired to the pin-yin, in addition to the numerous English translation selections

http://de.mdbg.net/chindict/chindict.php

Note by the MIPC webmaster Scott Olson:  I also like Yellow Bridge…

http://www.yellowbridge.com/chinese/chinese-dictionary.php

Collected by Beth Weise

weise@well.com