Sample Assignment

Prior to their arrival, I hang chart paper on a wall the parents will be facing. I give the parents paper and very short pencils. Then I ask the parents to read and follow the directions on the chart paper. The idea here is to have the parents refocus as they look up and down - just
like their kids will be doing all year long.

Here's an example of the directions:

1	2	3	4	5
^*	$#$	)))	@	%*
bing	trop	bripple	zog	hypp

 

Der Prnts,

Ech simbl ubuv karspondz to a numbr. Plez kmplet the problmz belo az qwikle az posibl.

Kan u red this?

Then I explain the point of this exercise:

It’s not so easy, is it? This is what it is like for your children. The symbols and names for numbers, as we know them, are arbitrary. A “four” could just as easily be a “zog” to your child. The letters don’t make much more sense than the numbers do.

Today we are all embarking on a wonderful journey through all these amazing unknowns. With your support your child will learn many wonderful things, like how to read . . . and then, how to read to learn about something else.