Make the Grade!

Yes, grades are important.  But even more important is that you are doing your personal best!  Everyone's personal best is different, but there are some things that all students can do to help them get the best grades they can.  This page is here to teach you what those things are.

1.  Your teacher offers many Extra Credit Opportunities!  If you choose to do extra credit, the assignment will give you some additional practice.  (And you know what they say about practice, don't you?)  It also shows your teacher and parents that you are willing to work to improve yourself.  Sometimes just doing a little bit of extra credit can even bring your grade up.

2.  Read before you go to sleep every night.  Ask your parents to extend your bedtime 15-20 minutes!  You can choose what to read.  Some people like magazines, and others enjoy books or newspapers.  If you need help finding things to read that interest you, ask your teacher, a parent, or a librarian to help you.  You can borrow books from school, the public library, or even a friend!  Or you can order reading materials through our monthly book order or buy them at the book store.  Your teachers are always telling you to read more.  Do you know why?  Here's the secret:  Just by reading more, you will be a better reader and a smarter student!  It's true!

3.  Memorize the basic math facts.  By now, you should already know ALL of your addition and subtraction facts by heart.  If you don't, now is the time to master them, because this year, you will learn how to multiply and even divide a little!  Right now, you can brush up on addition and subtraction.  Just 10 minutes a day can make a huge difference.  Try practicing every time you get into the car to go to your next game, practice, or class!

When we begin unit 4 in math class, you can start memorizing your multiplication facts.  One of the best ways to remember all the facts is by using fact families.  You can buy sets of flashcards, or ask a parent to make some for you.  There are computer programs and games online that will help you memorize math facts in fun ways.  Some toys card games, and board games will even improve your math skills!  Math doesn't have to be boring.

4. Write more at home.  Most students don't do a whole lot of writing at home.  To increase the amount of time you write, you can start a journal or keep a special notebook of stories, poems, and songs.  You don't even have to show anyone if you don't want to.    You could start leaving friendly notes to your family members, too.  Everyone likes to get "mail"!  Getting a pen pal is a really fun way to do more writing.  Sometimes a relative who lives far away can make the perfect pen pal!  You could even send email instead of a regular letter now that you are learning how to use the keyboard in Computer class.  Last, you can help your parents by writing things for them like shopping lists, telephone messages, or chores.

5.  Reread your Science and Social Studies notes.  Now that you are getting older, you need to learn how to study more on your own, especially in these two classes.  One easy way to study is to bring your notes home and read them over again.  See if you still remember what you wrote, or if some of it was forgotten.  Your brain is pretty incredible, but sometimes it can't remember everything it learns on the first try! 

Think about how you learn a new friend's phone number:  you might need to repeat it or see it over and over again until your brain just knows it.

If you read over your notes, and find something you don't understand, be sure to ask your teacher to explain it to you again.

6.  Pay attention and participate in class.  School can be a really fun place, full of friends to talk to and work with.  Sometimes it's easy to forget that we need to concentrate during lessons so we can learn more!  If you feel yourself thinking about things that are not part of the lesson, try to get more involved.  Volunteer to help the teacher, read aloud, or solve a problem for the class.  Raise your hand and ask a question or make a comment about what you are learning.  The more involved you are, the easier it will be to remember later!