Ready to Catch Up or Get Ahead? How to Get Back on Track Now!

Ready to Catch Up or Get Ahead? How to Get Back on Track Now!

Even if your school has done a great job with its virtual/hybrid classes during the COVID-19 year, getting real academic progress in a hybrid classroom where the teacher has virtual students as well or while at home can be a challenge. Mom and Dad need to work, the dog is barking, and the baby is crying. It is hard enough to teach every child well with in-school ratios of 25+ students to 1 teacher. Video conferencing, with its distractions and those ratios, can be especially difficult.

Researchers found there was a ‘COVID slide’ by fall 2020 for math. This is similar to the commonly known ‘summer slide’ where the student loses ground on the academic progress made due to no learning for several months. And if we combine a weak spring semester with an inactive summer, you will have a difficult next fall semester on your hands. Don’t let this happen to your child.

In almost all grades, most students made some learning gains in both reading and math since the COVID-19 pandemic started. However, gains in math were lower on average in fall 2020 than prior years, resulting in more students falling behind relative to their prior standing. LINK

If you are wanting your child to get up to grade level or beyond, there are several things you can do to get back on track NOW.

1) Memorize math facts through daily practice. – Download our FREE oral fact sheet cards here.
2) Read daily with your child and emphasize any phonetic rules he or she hasn’t internalized.
c) Find a program that can fill in any specific holes and gaps your child has through daily practice.

A weak foundation from just one year can create struggles in next few years, and if not addressed, into high school and beyond limiting your child’s opportunities.

With low student to teacher ratios of 2:1 and 4:1, Gideon’s individualized, self-paced math and reading programs solidify students’ foundations step-by-step and build confidence through mastery. A solid foundation will propel students through high school and college allowing them to pursue their dreams.

When students have a solid foundation in math and reading, they are more likely to succeed in school and beyond.

The good news is you just need to get started.  Get back on track with Gideon.  Find your location now!

Let's get started.

Contact us today to receive more information about your selected center. That’s one step closer to mastery!

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Grammar and Math Word Problems Tips

Need some help with grammar, math word problems, and standardized testing?  Read through these below.

1) Review the explanation pages in front of each grammar booklet.  Most of what a student needs to know to do a grammar booklet can be found on the inside front cover.  These pages explain and give examples of what the child will encounter.  Unless it is a review booklet – letters: E, J, O, and T – the pages and an explanation video (via QR code on the front cover) will be available.

2) Read the directions and problems slowly several times.  Many times the issue with math word problems is not the math, but the reading.  Children tend to go too fast in general and miss an important detail.  Also, listen to your child read the problem out loud to see if she stumbles with any words.  Make sure they know these math keywords and which operation each is indicating.

Grammar is another place where reading the directions carefully can save a lot of time and effort. They will change often, and many students make errors from simply assuming what they say. Spelling and punctuation are also common errors that can be found by slowing down.

3) Draw a picture or write out the info.  Some problems may become clearer if the picture is drawn.  Area and perimeter problem?  Draw the shape and label the sides.  Shopping and tax problem? Write out the info given in a simple or chart type manner.  Sometimes just reorganizing the words from sentences into pictures or diagrams help clarify what needs to be done.

4) Practice more.  As with all things, practice helps familiarize the student to feel more confident and adept at solving the problem.  Give the problem again with different numbers.  Now reword the problem with the info given in a slightly different order.  Now give harder numbers.  Do several variations to help your child pick out the info and use it correctly. For extensive practice before the next standardized testing, download the previous years’ tests from your state testing agency and practice with those.  We have a few states listed below.

ARKANSAS / FLORIDA / TEXAS / VIRGINIA

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FAQ

FAQs

Here are some answers to the most commonly asked questions about the Gideon Math and Reading program.

 

How long will it be before we see progress?

The key to speedy progress is doing the work EVERY day.  Taking one day off here and there will not make much difference, but taking three days off will slow the momentum.  While you will see some progress in 1-2 months with daily work, vast changes will be apparent after 6-12 months.

 

My child knows how to do this. Why are were starting here?

There is a large difference between knowing a concept and mastery of it. At Gideon we require mastery before further advancement in order to avoid having holes in the foundation. A child may be able to perform an operation or read a sentence, but he needs to be able to do it with speed, fluency, and without hesitation or doubt. A comfortable starting point ensures that your child will see success and progress early and helps ease in the discipline of daily Gideon homework. While you may only be concerned with the child’s grade level work, we want your child’s foundation to be solid and firm. Both math and reading build upon skills learned in previous years. How can we gain mastery of the new concepts without addressing any previous problems? Long division is terribly tedious if vertical subtraction is not mastered. With patience and discipline, your child will achieve his goals.

 

 

Why are we repeating this booklet?

In sports and piano, practice really does make perfect.  Gideon work is no different! MATH DRILL: Mastery is shown with speed and accuracy.  If the time and mistake standards are not met on the test, the booklet is repeated.  Oral facts drill every day is best. MATH WORD PROBLEMS: Repetition is based on the total number of mistakes in the booklet. READING: For young learners in Codebusters or Word Builders, the booklets are repeated until the child knows the letter name and sound or can read the word without help  For all other booklets, repetition is done at a later time for any booklet with a mistake count too high. GRAMMAR: Repetition is based on the number of mistakes and is common due to the large number of rules and small details.  This tends to be a more difficult subject for most students.

 

 

What is a typical Gideon center experience for my child?

Young Learners will have a specific appointment time and will sit at a table with a student to teacher ratio of no more than 2:1.  They are given extra attention for their oral reading and focusing needs.  Independent Learners can drop in at any convenient time and will sit at a table with a student to instructor ratio of no more than 4:1.  (Some centers may have appointments for Independent Learners.)  Remember that all students are doing work specific to their starting point and performance unlike school where everyone in a grade does the same thing at the same time. MATH: Students will do an oral facts warm-up (unless still in Beginning Math) upon arrival.  Then they will complete four new pages either in the math drill booklet or its test that will be timed, graded, and corrected.  Afterwards, one page of math word problems will be completed.  All pages in this booklet will be graded once the booklet is finished.  New concepts will be explained, and once all corrections are completed, students will be sent home with enough work for daily homework until the next class. READING: Students will do four new pages in their reading booklet, and later Young Learner students will orally read a storybook if they are in Word Builders while Independent Learners may be doing grammar.  All pages in the reading and grammar booklets will be graded once the booklet is completed.  New concepts will be explained, and once all corrections are completed, students will be sent home with enough work for daily homework until the next class.

 

Why do I need to home grade my child’s math work?

Homegrading is quick and easy with our answer keys and gives your child the immediate feedback to learn from mistakes by doing corrections while the problems are still fresh.  Students tend to be more focused and accurate knowing their work will be graded afterwards.  Also, this is a good way to monitor and show interest in your child’s Gideon progress.

 

What is the best way to do Gideon work at home?

Setting aside the same time each day will help create the ‘Gideon habit’ and avoid arguments about when to do it.  Remove any distractions such as TV, pets, siblings, or friends.  Many children do best in the morning when they are fresh, but it may be less stressful to do it later in the day during the school year.  Decide on a routine that works best for your family and stick with it each day!

 

How should I handle resistance?

Many children at some point will resist doing extra work using excuses such as, “None of my friends have to do this!” , “I already have good grades!” , or “This is boring!”  We have heard them all!  First and foremost, remember YOU are the parent, and therefore, YOU are in charge.  Do not forget it!  Would you allow your child to decide whether he can have candy for dinner or if he should stay up until 3 a.m. each night?  Hopefully not, and do not let Gideon be any different. Rewards can help ease the Gideon lifestyle into place.  Small, immediate rewards are nice for good work and attitude, and larger, long-term ones help promote a good work ethic. When a child refuses to do work, our advice is to create an immediate penalty such as taking something away he enjoys such as TV or video game time. Gideon must come before play.  Do not give empty threats.  You must be willing to follow through with any penalties. Remember that ultimately, this hard work will pay off - no matter what he says!

 

 

I only want to challenge my child. Why can’t she work in algebra?

First of all, the Gideon program wants to promote a strong math foundation for your child.  Without mastery learning, it is difficult for most children to retain any advanced concepts.  The foundation must be solid for long-term math success.  If you are not going to master a concept, the child is not going to remember it.

 

 

https://youtu.be/mk_JiwIjzXU