Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Conversation Starters for Parents and Students


One of the most important things that parents can do to ensure their kids are getting the most out of their education is simple — talk to them about what they're learning!

If, as a parent, you're at a loss for how to talk to your child about assignments, or if you're a teacher who could use a few prompts to pass onto your students parents, here is a great list of conversation starters to really get kids thinking about what they're learning.




General Conversation Questions for All Assignments


  • Why do you suppose your teacher assigned this?

  • What skills or content are you practicing in this assignment?

  • How close to mastery of these skills or this content do you think you are?

  • What challenges, if any, are you having?

  • What can you do to overcome these challenges?

  • What can I do to help you overcome these challenges?

  • What can your teacher do to help you overcome these challenges?

  • Is this assignment for a grade or for practice?

  • If for a grade, what grade do you think you should receive for it? Why?



Specific Conversation Questions for Writing Assignments


  • What type of writing were you assigned?

  • What is your main point or idea?

  • How have you tried to develop this idea?

  • Who is your audience?

  • What have you done specifically to address this audience’s needs?

  • With what part of this piece are you most satisfied? Why?

  • With what part of this piece are you least satisfied? Why?

  • Was this writing assigned for a grade or for practice?

  • If for a grade, what grade do you think you should receive for it? Why?




1 comment:

Shelly Terrell said...

Thank you for writing this. I think it is extremely important for parents to communicate with students. Sometimes, parents may feel nervous, though, to tackle some tough issues. Parenting is a tough job! However, you have posted some great ways to starting conversations.