1. Houston County Middle School
April 2013 www.houstoncountymiddleschool.com
Short Keep reviewing Steps to better research
Stops Students sometimes stop
reviewing for a test when Your child may think that
they think they have the information knowing how to do Google
down pat. Encourage your tween to searches makes him a good
keep studying even after she feels that researcher. But when he works
she knows the material. It’s natural on a report for school, there’s
to forget a certain amount, so extra more involved than sim-
studying can help her retain as much ply choosing search
information as possible. terms. Share these strat-
In the loop egies for better research.
If you are separated or divorced, try to Use trustworthy
have both parents attend end-of-year websites
activities. You’ll show your child that Government and
you can set aside differences to sup- school websites are often
port him. Agree upon the best way to more reliable than pages created
stay in touch, and share details about by private groups or individuals. Your use a special database. For instance, she
concerts and banquets and to arrange middle grader can find these sites by could direct him to an electronic index of
your middle grader’s transportation. typing site:.gov or site:.edu before his magazine and newspaper articles or a col-
search term. For any site, he should look lection of images from art museums.
Try, try again to see when it was last updated to make
Does your youngster ever feel like quit- sure the information is current. Also, he
Fact-check
ting when she struggles with some- Encourage your tween to find at least
could check out the credentials of site
thing new? Suggest that she pinpoint three sources to verify each fact he’s
authors by doing an online search for
the problem and look for ways to using for his paper. Help him see that a
their names.
improve. For example, if she keeps single sentence may contain several facts
striking out at softball and wants to Ask a librarian to confirm. In the statement “Most of the
quit the team, she could ask her coach Suggest that your child tell the librar- United States’ approximately 300 million
for help on her stance and then prac- ian about his research topic and ask people have one of eight common blood
tice her swing. where he can find the best information. types,” among the things he’d need to
She might steer him toward a particular double-check are the U.S. population
Worth quoting section of the library or show him how to and the number of blood types.
“Sometimes you will never know the
value of a moment until it becomes Assert yourself
a memory.” Theodor Seuss Geisel
Being assertive can help your middle grader feel more confi-
Just for fun dent and communicate effectively with others. Encourage her
to stand up for herself with these tips:
Jesse: “What does
IDK mean?” ■ Explain. Point out that an assertive person says what she
wants firmly but politely. Then, try to find an example. You
Mark: “I don’t
might let her listen in while you call a customer service line
know.”
to resolve an issue, for instance.
Jesse: “No one ■ Practice. Role-playing can make her comfortable with
else does, either!”
being assertive. Ask her to imagine a situation — say, her younger brother going
into her room without permission — and have her think of an assertive response.
She might say, “Hi. I’d appreciate it if you would knock next time.”
© 2013 Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated

2. Middle Years April 2013 • Page 2
Raising a good Then, discuss what would
happen if people broke the laws
citizen (traffic accidents, a messy
neighborhood).
Before long, your tween will be
Stay informed. Good
old enough to get a job and drive
citizens know what’s going on
a car. Here are ways to teach her
in their world. Read the news-
about being a good citizen now so
paper as a family, perhaps at the
she will be prepared later.
breakfast table or in the living
Talk about laws. Your child room after dinner. Share articles
might not realize how many laws that you think your tween can
affect her each day. Pick an aspect of daily life, such as going relate to. For instance, maybe the high school she’ll attend
for a walk, and take turns naming related laws (obey walk is getting a new athletic complex.
signals, don’t litter). Try to introduce new ideas — for
Pitch in. Encourage your middle schooler to help out in
instance, adults pay taxes so sidewalks can be maintained.
the community. She can start with a cause that interests
her. If she feels strongly about animal rights, she might
contact your local chapter of the Humane Society or a
What engineers do pet rescue group to see how she could help.
When your child visits an amusement
park, writes with a mechanical pencil, or
listens to an MP3 player, he’s benefiting Q Learn to think critically
from the work of engineers. Maybe he &
would like to have a hand in future inven-
tions that the world uses! Get him think- A critically tend read that children whotocan think
Recently I
to be more motivated learn.
ing about the possibilities of engineering What is critical thinking, and how can I help my
with these ideas: son work on this skill?
■ Together, Critical thinking includes evaluating informa-
brainstorm tion and drawing conclusions. Your child can do
examples of both with activities at home.
fun or useful For instance, ask him to share his reasoning for or against course requirements
inventions at school. How does he feel about having to take PE or a foreign language? Have
that your fam- him explain why someone else might feel differently. This will help him practice
ily uses (roller considering diverse viewpoints and looking at situations in more than one way.
coasters, ice Also, give him chances to make decisions based on information that he reads.
dispensers). Then, talk about versions Say you receive an offer in the mail to change cable providers. You could ask him
that your tween could picture for the to compare prices and features and tell you which one is the best deal.
future. He might imagine an amusement
park ride with cars that fly above the
track or a refrigerator that dispenses
milk and other drinks. Parent Middle school dating
to
■ If something breaks or doesn’t work
properly, suggest that your middle grader
Parent fany, recently mentioned school dating. I told Tiffany Imet the boy.
My seventh grader, Tif-
that her friend’s parents had
was happy
try to fix or improve it. He could find that her friend is “going out” with a boy. I also said I’m glad they’re supervised
ways to keep his bicycle brakes from At first, I wasn’t sure what that meant, when they spend time together—I don’t
sticking or modify his pocket folders so considering they are only 12 years old. believe kids should go out on actual dates
they hold papers more securely. Tiffany said they don’t actually go out until they are older.
on dates. But they text and talk Then, I explained that I’m
O U R P U R P O S E on the phone, eat lunch always here if Tiffany has
To provide busy parents with practical ideas together in the cafeteria, questions about relation-
that promote school success, parent involvement, and sometimes go to ships or about growing up.
and more effective parenting.
Resources for Educators,
each other’s houses I don’t think she’s inter-
a division of CCH Incorporated for family dinners. ested in dating yet, but
128 N. Royal Avenue • Front Royal, VA 22630
540-636-4280 • rfecustomer@wolterskluwer.com
I took the opportu- sharing her friend’s experi-
www.rfeonline.com nity to share my feel- ence has opened the door
ISSN 1540-5540 ings about middle for future conversations.
© 2013 Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated