The Common Core State Standards for reading are split into two categories: 1) Informational; and 2) Literary. While in grades K – 5 the standards are split 50/50, there has been a shift to have a greater focus on informational texts. What this means is that your child will be expected to read texts of increasing difficulty on a variety of subjects to learn about the world around them.
Key ways to help your child are to ensure that they are reading from a wide range of sources. For example, books (both fiction and non-fiction, newspapers, magazine articles, diaries, speeches, essays, scientific articles and legal documents. By asking simple questions about the text they read you will be able to help increase comprehension. Always encourage your child to look in the text for evidence to questions you ask.
One of the most important things to remember is that children need to cultivate a love of reading, read often, and read for pleasure. For more ideas or information on how this can be accomplished, please contact Nourishing Minds Tutoring for more information.
The Common Core State Standards call for three main types of writing: 1) Narrative; 2) Informational/Explanatory; and 3) Argument.
While narrative writing is still deemed important, it alone will not prepare children for success later in life. There is a shift towards more evidence-based writing with a focus on informing, analysing, and persuading. In order to help support your child it is important to remember that writing needs to be fun. Have your children write stories, plays, how-to-guides, and reports on things that they enjoy. Just as with reading, the key is to write, and write often. Nourishing Minds Tutoring has a unique approach to writing using high quality texts and books for inspiration. Please contact us for more information.
There are several key changes to math in the Common Core State Standards. One of the biggest and most important is the focus on fewer topics. This doesn’t mean less is covered. It means teachers are spending more time teaching children to have a strong foundation in key concepts. These concepts will build on each other year after year. In grades K–2 teachers focus on: Concepts, skills, and problem solving related to addition and subtraction In grades 3–5teaches focus on: Concepts, skills, and problem solving related to multiplication and division of whole numbers and fractions.
Nourishing Minds Tutoring believes that it is important to change existing attitudes about math. Math doesn’t need to be scary or frustrating. By building a strong foundation and understanding key concepts, all children can succeed. We can help build this foundation by providing a curriculum that is fun, engaging, and practical. Please contact us for more information.