4) Reread directions and passages.  Many children will rush through stories and barely glance at directions.  If your student seems to be moving too quickly based on the length of passage, have her reread the passage aloud to you.  First, it ensures that the passage was read and not skimmed. Second, it will help you identify any words that she does not know. If she stumbles while reading them, have her look them up in a dictionary.  Simply slowing down and/or rereading will solve MOST comprehension issues.

5) Watch the details!  We cannot express enough how many mistakes are made due to incorrect spelling – even when the word is on the page or lack of a period or needed capital letter.  Generally, it is your child’s responsibility to complete this work independent of parent involvement in order to build a strong foundation.  So while we do not want you to point out specific mistakes for your child to fix, we recommend you tell your student to review his work and ensure that:

• each sentence has a capital letter and ending punctuation
• spelling is correct with legible handwriting.

We are developing independent learners and want them to review and correct their own mistakes as you will not always be available to help them.

2) Do the Gideon homework each day.  Make Gideon a priority before scheduling TV time or other activities. Each subject should only take about 15 minutes or less per day. Gideon works best when the booklets are done at home five days and at the center two days each week.  Gideon is very much like piano practice.  Your child’s progress depends on this daily routine.  Taking days off on a regular basis will hamper advancement.  The recommended number of pages is clearly marked on the cover for each booklet.  Please ensure the work has actually been done.  Be consistent!

3) Listen to your child read letter names/sounds or their oral reading lists.  Young reading students in Codebusters or Word Builders will need your attention while they are learning letter names and sounds or sounding out words. If they say the letter or word incorrectly, do not immediately give the correct answer.  Instead, simply ask them to try again a few times before helping them with an answer.  This gives your child the immediate feedback to learn from mistakes by doing corrections while the words are still fresh.  Also, have your child reread aloud the storybooks sent home that were done in previous classes.  These are books your child can read and comprehend all by themselves!

7) Communicate any concerns with your center director.  We are excited to work with your student!  Feel free at anytime to call or email questions about your child’s progress.  Are you struggling to get the work done each day? Read #8 below, and/or talk to your director about adding an extra weekly center visit (for an extra charge).

10) Create a Gideon lifestyle.  Every day we have breakfast is a day we do Gideon right afterwards.  Find a good time to do Gideon that is unlikely to interfere with other activities.  In the summer, we recommend mornings to avoid afternoon fatigue from the heat.

Create if-then statements.  If Gideon is not done, then we cannot watch TV or play with friends.  Prioritize it above other activities that will not impact your child's long term goals.  While sleep is more important than Gideon as it is essential to good health, should baseball be?  Will baseball abilities be critical in adulthood?  Sports are great fun and exercise, but do not let their schedules limit your student's education.

6) Be patient with new concepts and/or repetitions of booklets. Repetition, if necessary, is so important to prepare for more advanced learning as well as standardized testing.  While mastering a skill, sometimes extra practice is needed.  Does anyone become proficient scoring soccer goals during the first practice?  Likely not! Phonics and spelling should be treated the same way.  Mastering a skill with confidence is different than simply understanding how to do it.  While you may become frustrated if your child struggles to make mistake standards, remember we are solidifying the foundation of this ‘house’.  We cannot build the second floor if the first is not finished.  The entire structure could collapse later.  To help speed things along, ensure you child is rereading passages or word lists and checking over the details as mentioned in the previous post.

Some students may want to stop the program when the work becomes more challenging.  This is the most important time to encourage and persevere. It is better to learn and master new topics at Gideon to stay a step ahead with no school grades or pressure.