Supporting Your 6th Grader
HELPING YOUR CHILD WITH
ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS, STUDY
SKILLS, AND NAVIGATING ONLINE
RESOURCES
M R . G A U D E T , 6 TH G R A D E A S S I S T A N T P R I N C I P A L
M S . E V E R I T T , 6 TH G R A D E S C H O O L C O U N S E L O R
M S . L O N G , 6 TH G R A D E M A T H T E A C H E R , P I X A R T E A M
Agenda
 Organizational Skills for your student
 Study Skills for your student
 DDMS website
 Parent Portal
 Blackboard
Organizational Skills
 Organization is not a “one size fits all” concept
 6 different classes = up to 6 different organizational
methods
 Physical organization
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Backpack
Lockers
Binders
Folders
 Mental organization
 Agendas
 Time management
Organizational Skills – How to Help at Home
 Encourage “check-ups” – regular time to go through
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binder/bookbag/folders to reorganize
Encourage new methods & tweak old ones
Practice, practice, practice
Review your child’s agenda regularly & consistently –
compare against other sources of information (teacher
websites)
Communicate with your child
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“What do you feel is/isn’t working?”
“How do you feel you’re doing with organization?”
 Communicate with your child’s teachers
 Step in when help is needed!
Study Skills
 Students struggle to be more independent in middle
school and are more reluctant to ask for help.
 Middle School = more homework
 So many ways to study!
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Flash cards (paper or online)
Re-reading notes
Graphic organizers
Reworking problems
Summarizing
Memorizing
Study Skills – How to Help
 Provide an appropriate time & place to study.
 Monitor homework completion.
 Ask to see agenda & completed HW assignments regularly
 Help your child develop an organizational system.
 Help your child break down larger assignments.
 Reduce anxiety, reinforce time management skills, reduce
procrastination
 Communicate with your child’s teachers.
 Focus on the process, not the content.
 Reflect on what works – and what doesn’t.
Helpful Tips
 Give your child some choices/options
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Where to complete homework & study
When to complete homework & study
 Balance “hovering” with “independence”
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Ask your child “What’s your plan?”; help them modify if needed, but
try not to control the situation.
Tell your child “Show me what you’ve done” and “Show me what else
you need to do” at various intervals.
 Consistency, consistency, consistency
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Try to keep the structure and schedule the same – but they get (some
of) the independence during their work time.
 Step in when needed
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You know your child best.
Ask “How can I help?” – try not to jump in and start “fixing” things
Organizational & Study Skills - Resources
 www.scholastic.com
 www.psychologytoday.com
 www.pbisworks.com
 www.greatschools.org
 www.schoolfamily.com
 www.youtube.com
DDMS Website
 http://davisdrivems.wcpss.net
 General school info
 Links to Parent Portal
 Blackboard
 Teacher email address
DDMS Website
6th Grade Website
DDMS Website – 6th Grade Website
DDMS Website – 6th Grade Website
Teacher
email
addresses
DDMS Website – 6th Grade Website
Links to
the Team
Blackboard
websites
Pixar Team Website
Teacher Websites/Blackboard
 Students do NOT need a username/password to
browse (except for Math – they need their login)
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Username = Student ID/lunch number
Password = Student ID/lunch number –OR – last name
 Allows you to see what your student is learning
 Often a great source for extra practice
 Teachers update
 Daily
 Weekly
Parent Portal
 http://wcpss.powerschool.com