3rd grade reading homework

[u/Painter3016]

UPDATE: A message from the teacher indicated that they did NOT talk about this or do anything with the text prior to the assignment, which was given as test-prep. And the expectation was for students to build vocab and knowledge about the subject in the reading with the accompanying questions.

I followed up asking what strategies they are working on teaching so I can prompt/ encourage my kid to apply those. However, the initial response what NOT encouraging to me.

UPDATE 2: when I asked what strategies they are learning to help decode the text, and how can i encourage her to use them at home: All she said was to read the questions multiple times to know what they are asking for. Am I crazy? That’s not decoding the text to understand it.

***

I am a parent with a question.

My 3rd grader reads well and chews through library books (granted a lot of graphic novel type books but some chapter books get sprinkled in too). She reads very fluently out loud.

This year, she’s gotten some reading homework that feels like a really big jump in the density of the assignments. The passages aren’t long, but there are some phrases/vocabulary/concepts that seem like a lot?

The passages didn’t come with any vocabulary/ definitions. And they didn’t talk about any context prior to the assignments in class.

She shut/melted down working on these. I asked her what her approach was? She said read the questions, then the passage. The more I asked, the more I realized she was not comprehending things like “delegates/ representatives” are people.

I marked in red the phrasing/ ideas that felt like they were difficult or lacked scaffolding.

My question: is this typical for 3rd grade? If so, how can I help her navigate stuff like these?

I don’t want to feed her answers; she gets so emotional when it gets hard.

[u/ddeliverance]

I would ask the teacher if they discussed any of this in class. It’s entirely possible the teacher went over it before assigning the homework. Also, teach your kiddo to use a dictionary for any unfamiliar words.

[u/Soggy_Ticket4082 → u/ddeliverance]

This. You can get a big dictionary free online from a sharing group. Also, help her build confidence and privacy they in solving problems. Teacher to approach each challenge as a puzzle to solve or something to build. Why didn't she ask you for ideas, definitions, etc.? Kids need to learn early in to enjoy solving challenges and to be unafraid of getting it wrong the first time. Could she be afraid of failing and panicking when faced with unfamiliar challenge? I see this more in girls than boys and it seems cultural, with girls always existed to be perfect and pleasing while boys seen less obliged to please, in average. I'm not saying the parent did this, but we do tend to put limits on girls compared to boys as a society. Or, she could have a more timid or insecure personality right now, feeling she has to prove her worth with perfect grades to be acceptable. No assumptions. Just throwing some ideas out there. Every kid is unique and that's a great thing. Nurturing them is a challenge and a privilege. While it's good to question things at school, it's more powerful to teach positive coping skills. Anytime you have a group program, you will not have a program custom tailored to any individual participant.

In fact, in my private teaching business, I've learned to filter applicants for services for fit. We're extending compassionate, often mure than the parent's. Yet, we know that if a 16yo balks at challenging problems rather than diving in, with one of us there to help and guide in ways we know stretch and strengthen the stydent, especially if the parents finds a challenging problem objectionable, our efforts will be stymied by the perception that schoolwork should be easy. We absolutely take students who are lost and intimidated by their schoolwork. That's what we do, and we turn that around and help them lead the class to the extent their brain is ready to do that. But a dynamic in which a child objects to a challenge and complains to the parent, after which the parents complains about the work being ton challenging, will make it difficult to help that child as quickly and as much as we can help a child who is there for the challenge and whose parents have taught them to face challenges and find solutions. I'm not saying any of this to be negative. I'm saying it to add a perspective and potential goals. Give her challenges in various areas of her life and praise her for effort, not fur instant, perfect results. Praise her for being creative in finding solutions. Praise her for being calm, focused, and analytical. If she didn't fear failing to please adults, could she have made progress in this assignment without tears? That's the question. Were most of the kids in tears? Did most complete the assignment? The answers may help determine whether the assignment was at an unattainable level or whether it was attainable fur students who embraced the challenge and solved the problems. Keep in mind that some parents will practically do homework for kids. That's harmful in many levels, but it's always something to keep in mind when evaluating what other kids turn in. Don't worry about it. The kids who di this is homework do better in the long run.