Organize, Organizing, Organization and Organized
One of the best skills for anyone of any age is to be organized. It is extremely important for a student to have all their materials organized in a way that makes them easily accessible.
Help your student with the organization of the work area at home. Make sure paper, pens, pencils, erasers and binders are in good working order. I often have students come with a very battered binder. Their statements are usually the same – I can make it last a few more weeks. In those few more weeks, assignments can be lost and irreplaceable hand outs and worksheets can be lost. A binder in good working order is necessary. Check your student’s backpack!
Using an agenda or planner is another vital skill. Your student should enter homework, planned learning work and all activities. The planner should be one that includes everything that is happening in a student’s life. Knowing when events might interfere with homework and learning is important so a student can plan how to get all of it done.
Families have been using family calendar apps on their phones. This is another very valuable tool. This way, everyone in the family knows what is happening. It helps parents plan transportation for their students.