Homework Helper

Academic resources to help support learning at home

A child is holding an adult's hand while walking down a sidewalk.

Your support matters!

By fostering a positive attitude towards school and providing support at home, you can help your child develop confidence in their academic abilities. Your encouragement now will help them thrive in the future!

Math

Engage with Math at Home: Incorporate math in daily activities, such as cooking (measuring ingredients), shopping (calculating costs), and playing games that involve strategy.

Encourage a Growth Mindset: Remind your child that making mistakes is part of learning. Celebrate their effort and persistence.

Practice Regularly: Use workbooks, online resources, or educational apps for extra practice, especially with challenging concepts.

Communicate with Teachers: Stay in touch with your child's teacher to understand specific areas where your child may need additional support or enrichment.

Math Activities and Resources

Our school uses the Everyday Math curriculum. You might not see the same kind of math homework you may have had growing up!

Watch for the Unit Guides to come home in your child's backpack throughout the year. These are helpful resources for you to know the learning goals of each unit, how they're being taught, ideas for helping your child understand them at home, and activities to try.

You can lots of helpful math resources, games, tutorials, and more for families at the Everyday Math website.

A girl works to solve a complicated multiplication multi-step problem on the board.

Reading

What is "Structured Literacy"?

Gage Elementary teaches "Structured Literacy." This is the term used to describe the combination of skill areas necessary for successful reading. According to the Minnesota Department of Education, Structured Literacy encompasses "the provision of systemic, explicit, sequential, and diagnostic instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and oral language development, and reading comprehension."

You can learn more about these literacy components and find resources for families from our state's Department of Education website.

How can families help?

By creating a supportive reading environment and encouraging engagement with books, you can help your student develop strong reading skills and a lifelong love of literature!

Read together! Take turns reading aloud. This can enhance comprehension and make reading a fun, shared activity.

Discuss books: Talk about what you read together. Ask open-ended questions like:

  • What was your favorite part? Why?

  • How do you think the character felt when...?

  • What do you think will happen next? What makes you think that?

Make connections: When kids make connections between new information and things they already know, it helps the learning last. Help them relate stories to their own (and your own) experiences or current events, deepening their understanding.

A girl is reading a book on a table at school

Writing Resources

By fostering a supportive and engaging writing environment, you can help your fourth grader develop confidence in their writing abilities and encourage a lifelong love for expressing themselves through words!

Encourage regular writing practice: There are lots of opportunities to show your child the importance and usefulness of writing.

  • Try setting aside a daily writing time, even if it's just for 10-15 minutes. Consistency helps build habits.

  • Encourage different types of writing, such as stories, poems, notes or letters, or journal entries, to keep things interesting.

Encourage sharing and collaboration: Set aside time for your child to share their writing with you or loved ones. Celebrate their efforts and provide constructive feedback.

Write a shopping list together, send each other on scavenger hunts with written clues, or send messages to loved ones. Write a story or a poem together, taking turns adding sentences or ideas. This can be a fun memory-making activity!