Socialization of School Age Children:
Peer Acceptance and Rejection

Developmentally Appropriate Programs. ERIC Digest.

Elementary Education in Public Schools

Grade Level Issues (K-5) in Public Schools

Differentiation of Instruction in Elementary Education Teaching the Way Your Child Learns

Eric Digest: (excerpt) ... if teachers want to maximize their students' individual potential, they will have to attend to the differences.

Many times, there are educational concepts that parents are unfamiliar with, simply because we are not a part of the profession. Differentiation in Instruction is an example of one of those concepts that most of us have been unaware of. Nothing affects our children's educational development more directly than the methodology employed in their instruction. In elementary education especially, we believe that teaching methods have a dramatic impact upon our children's immediate and long term academic experience.

In the Eric Digest article, Differentiation of Instruction in the Elementary Grades Carol Ann Tomlinson writes, " At its most basic level, differentiation consists of the efforts of teachers to respond to variance among learners in the classroom. Whenever a teacher reaches out to an individual or small group to vary his or her teaching in order to create the best learning experience possible, that teacher is differentiating instruction." She goes on to explain that, "In most elementary classrooms, some students struggle with learning, others perform well beyond grade-level expectations, and the rest fit somewhere in between. Within each of these categories of students, individuals also learn in a variety of ways and have different interests. To meet the needs of a diverse student population, many teachers differentiate instruction."

We urge parents of elementary age children to familiarize themselves with the concept of Differentiation in Instruction, and to explore the teaching methods that are applied in your child's classrooms, especially with children that are having difficulties with primary learning curriculums. Observe your child to see if you can determine whether or not they seem to grasp materials better verbally, visually, interactively, etc., and finally, share those observation and concerns with your child's teacher. Ask how material is generally presented to the class and by all means, drop in on your child during the school day to get a first hand view of the teacher's level of interaction with the students. For more information on Differentiation in Instruction, see Eric Digest: Differentiation of Instruction in the Elementary Grades.

North Dakota State University Department of Education

First Grade: Ready or Not?

(excerpt) The National Association of Elementary School Principals has recommended standards for primary grades which are very similar to those outlined by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. The similar recommendations include:

	Schools should be ready for the child and not expect the child to be ready for the school. Early childhood programs must be based on the ways children learn, not on how adults prefer to teach.
	Since young children learn best through their senses by doing, learning should be the outcome of hands-on experience, especially play.
	Children should be assigned to classes as close to the research-based recommended class sizes as possible: ratios of 2 adults:20 children for 3- to 5-year-olds and 2 adults:24 children for 6- to 8-year-olds.
	Children should be assessed by observation, not tested for success or failure. Letter grades should not be used.
	Children will learn more quickly if they have actively experienced the process of learning -- in other words, if they have been read to, have acted out what they have learned, have touched the objects described, have seen some of the places or people described, and so forth.

Think about the following questions and how your child is progressing. Remember, no child should be expected to accomplish all of these items perfectly before first grade.

Can your child:

	Be away from you all day without being upset?
	Pay attention to a short story when it is read and answer questions about it?
	Create things with paper, colors, scissors, markers and glue? (It is not important to stay in the lines!)
	Tie a knot, bow or scarf?
	Repeat simple messages?
	Remember instructions and carry out two or three tasks after being told once?
	Put a simple puzzle together?
	Draw a picture of a person which includes the head, body, arms and legs?
	Draw or copy shapes?
	Visit comfortably with people outside the family?
	Tell his/her phone number, address, birthday?
	Identify several colors?
	Try to write or copy letters and numbers?
	Admit he/she doesn't know or needs help?

More: Assessing your Child, Supporting Your Child

Curriculum . Technology Quarterly:
Focus on Differentiated Instruction - Q&A
(excerpt) Although most teachers probably have an intuitive awareness of why differentiated instruction matters, not all practice it well. Admittedly, learning to adapt instruction to meet the needs of diverse learners requires administrative support and practice time. No one, it seems, would object to so worthwhile an effort. Yet many teachers fear that teaching to standards may require standardized instruction--reversing a century of research on how children learn.

Chicago Tribune.com:
The pressure of . . . kindergarten?
(excerpt) In some schools, kindergarten is growing more and more academically focused--particularly on early reading. The pressure to perform academically is trickling down from above, many experts say, because of new state and federal academic standards. (excerpt) But pushing all kindergartners onto the academic treadmill, turning kindergarten into an academic boot camp for 1st grade, can set many kids up for failure before they've even begun.

Kidsource Online:
The Shifting Kindergarten Curriculum: Current Influences On the Curriculum
(excerpt) Few would argue that what is now taught and expected to be learned in many kindergartens is profoundly different from what it was two decades ago. The shift from play- and group adjustment-oriented settings to kindergarten classrooms characterized by direct teaching of discrete skills and specific expectations for achievement is being reinforced by recent calls for reform of public education (Elkind, 1986).

Kidsource Online:
Escalating Kindergarten Curriculum -
(excerpt) The practice of kindergarten retention is increasing dramatically. In some districts, as many as 60% of kindergartners are judged to be unready for first grade. These children are provided with alternative programming: developmental kindergarten (followed by regular kindergarten), transition or pre-first grade, or the repeating of kindergarten.

National PTA.org:
Is My Child Ready for Kindergarten?
(excerpt) Parents often have some anxiety around their children entering school for the first time. Although today many children attend preschool, which often prepares them for the routines and learning environment of kindergarten, parents still may anguish over whether their children will meet the expectations of kindergarten.