Learning Support Strategies Home and School

Learning support strategies @ home and school

Learning Support Strategies for Homework that

could be useful:

Spelling:

The more you use your senses to experience the words, the more the words can be understood.

 Look at words (letters in the word) and discuss their meanings by putting them in sentences

 See, Say it, Feel: Make use of sand, textures, write on their skin, draw the picture of the word

 Play Bingo, Snap, Line games (Matching the word)

 Novel Spelling Test – The child calls out the word and it can be written down. Afterwards the child can have the pen to mark the words.

 Write, Cover, Copy: Write the spelling word, fold paper (cover it) and then the learner tries to remember the word.

The same strategies can be used with older children by using: opposites, synonyms, antonyms, verbs, nouns etc.

Writing:

 Think, Plan, Write, Revise, Write

 Punctuation: Put their attention on sentences starting with capital letters and ending with full stops. Names are always written by making use of capital letters. (Give them these tips to remember).

 Use spelling strategies (mentioned above)

Reading:

 When you have a child with a reader think about new and difficult words.

 Write words on flashcards and “teach” new words by explaining what they mean, use them in a sentence, draw them or show pictures to promote an understanding of that word.

 Read and Question strategy: The text can be read for the learner and then you ask them questions OR they can read the text and ask you the question and then they check if it is right or wrong.

 Buddy up with a stronger child in the house.

 Use text in different ways: Could put up words on the wall to look at OR name objects in the house eg. put a sign on the door, cupboard, chair and label them.

 Older children: Can use a story map

Comprehension:

 Let them 1st read the questions of the passage

 Then let them read the passage

 Thirdly, they read the questions again and maybe they will already know some of the answers.

 Could be done first by the care giver and then secondly by the child OR the other way around.

Numeracy:

 Use any objects to help with counting and sums (plus, minus, divide and tables)

 Can use words like adding (plus), take away (minus), share (divide) and groups (tables or multiplication)

 Can use things like we have two feet plus my two feet gives you how many?

 When doing multiplication use for instance fingers for 5 x table and get some of the other children to help and join in the activity.

 Take away can be demonstrated by using having 5 sweets and eating 2. How much do we have left?

 With dividing we can show or ask how we are going to share this apple for instance. We have 6 pieces and we are 3 children. How much will each child get?

 Measuring can be done by showing how we cook or what a litre of milk looks like and what a kilogram is. We can also look at a ruler and that there are centimeters.

 Word sums = Could explain it by showing them the problem in a concrete manner.

 Could use paper money and play “shop”

 Look in a TV guide to understand time, link certain times with certain activities.

 Can make use of a Number Card by looking for the numbers

Using Learning Support in a playful way:

 Building towers with blocks (putting same colours or shapes together) OR building puzzles (different sizes 9, 24 piece etc.); playing school-school, Pretend- dressing up and going out to “buy” a list of things for the house

 Counting games: pairs of shoes, pens, pencils, books, plates, forks and other concrete objects, Snakes and Ladders, domino’s, Checkers (for critical thinking), Uno & Rummy with cards.

 What’s under the towel?: Conceal a variety of objects with a towel. Open it up and give the children a few seconds to “memorize”. Cover it up and sees who remembers.

 Spot the difference: Can get two pictures that looks the same with slight changes. Great activity for developing memory.

 Listening games: Giving a few instructions (Use their name) Kathy ...

1. Go to the table
2. Fetch the spoon
3. Give me the spoon
4. Sit down at the table

 Playing rhyming games “Bell, tell and .... well”

 Using different colours of pencils or crayons when trying to memorize facts.

 Promote language by using words such as : “The road was a bumpy road”. Another word for bumpy could be – rough, rocky, wild etc.

 Making stories interesting by starting a story and asking “What could happen next?”; “What time of the day is it?”; How many people was there? Children can also “retell” a story in their own words.

 Talking or pointing out things like up/down; next to; under/over; on top/bottom; left/right; soft/hard; tall/short; big/small.

 Writing: Let it be fun – Keep an evening where you are going to play a Silent game and each of you can only talk by writing down what you want to say. We will not look at spelling.

 Listening games such as “Simon says ... wave your arm” but replacing the name with the child’s name.

 “Passing on the message” game: Sitting in a circle and whispering a word in the first person’s ear and continue until the last person gets that word of sentence.

Notes by Elmarie Moss