As i have already told the students, i do believe in homework, yet before i start to give them homework assignments i would like to give you one if you would be willing. This week is the first time i have ever met your son or daughter. Tell me about your scholar yes, parents, you are getting a homework assignment. In a million words or less tell me what you think i should know about your child. The reason behind it is that it takes teachers a great deal of time to get to know your children. I would love to find out more about my students through their parents eyes. If youre intrigued by this idea, see how he shaped the million words strategy to his. They almost universally want them to be successful in life. It was called in a million words or less the assignment is for the parents, not the student. Very eyeopening and a quick way to get to know your students better and get. Tell me about your student in a million words or less.
I like your million words or less i do something similar but in more of a question answer type format i might try this idea this year thank you. I would love to have an open line of communication between home and school. A list of words that contain million, and words with million in them. The early catastrophe the 30 million word gap by age 3 by betty hart and todd r. I would like for you to write a letter to me to introduce yourself. Researcher and author betty hart described the results of their observations. Because it was my first year at the school and with these students, i wanted to be sure that i knew as much about them as possible. This post is geared towards the upper elementary or middle school curriculum and uses the term million dollar words when referring to word choice. It was still on my computer this morning so i thought i would share snipits of haley jo with you in a million words or less. If that teacher wanted one million words or less, shed get one million effing words. I then had them take the paper home, write as much as they wanted about their child, and return it to scho.
During a discussion of school startup ideas, deb wrote. Tell me about your child in a million words or less. Last summer, teacher deborah bova introduced the million word essay to teachers on the middleweb listserv. Getting to know your students from their parents learning lab. The reason behind this activity is that it takes us a great deal of. Weve captured the conversation in this middleweb million words resource file pdf. Johns sixth grade language teacher started out the year asking parents for a million words or less essay about their kids.
They know their children better than anyone on earth. We also have lists of words that end with million, and words that start. Would you please, in a million words or less, tell me about your child. If youre intrigued by this idea, see how he shaped the million words strategy to his own needs. Million words or less parent homework assignment by. In addition to a lack of exposure to these 30 million words, the. I give this as parent homework for extra credit the first week of school. And the students love the fact that their parents have homework on the first day of school and they dont. I wanted to first say this projectassignment is such a great idea, and i hope i can provide you with everything you. My name is adam reed and i am fortunate enough to be your students 8th grade us history teacher.
In a million words or fewer free download as pdf file. In the first month or so of school, the teacher asks parents to tell you about their child, in a million words or less. They love their child unconditionally and have more insight into their childs mind than. The assignment is for parents to describe their child in one million words or less. It is also part of a series of writing mini lessons designed for scaffolding in writing workshop. Dear room 430 families, i know that this time of year is especially busy and stressful and there are countless items on your to do lists, but i have a small assignment for you lets call it a bit of homework in a million words or less, tell me about your child. Parents or guardians in some cases want to brag about their kids. As suskind explains, every routine and activity can be an opportunity for brain building and language. At the early learning centers, we saw evidence that detroit is full of the sort of parents who, despite poverty, language barriers, and their own upbringings, are the sort who carve jackolanterns and want the best for their children. The thirty million word gap a summary from the early catastrophe.
In a million words or less, tell me about your child. This 30 million word gap profoundly impacts childrens. Seeing as i am a writer, i will do my best to keep it closer to 995,000. I am ver y exc ited to g et s t a r te d o n o ur p a th t o le ar ning to ge t her. Rather than giving the students a homework assignment on the first day, i decided to give one to you. While thinking of how i can get to know a little bit about you but also your student, i decided to do some searching, and came across this interesting activity. Haley is just a couple months away from becoming a teenager. My mentor teacher used this activity when i was student teaching and i fell in love. Jul 11, 2009 the idea was discovered while taking a college course at the university of montevallo. A writing assignment given to me by my daughters english teacher in september of 2008. Does she need to sit up front because its hard for her to see the board. This is the first week of school for the kids, and along with all the forms ive had to fill out again and again and again, 2 of my daughters teachers requested a paper to be written about my daughter. In a million words or less tell me about your child. Tackling the vocabulary gap between rich and poor children.
I like your million words or less i do something similar but in more of a question answer type format i. Defending the 30 million word gap roberta michnick golinkoff, erika hoff, meredith rowe, catherine tamislemonda, and kathy hirshpasek. In addition to a lack of exposure to these 30 million words. Thirty million sounds unfathomable, but, in reality, you get there one word at a time. Im writing this letter in response to the assignment you gave the parents of your new ninthgrade english students. A million words or less about john marrs, 6 th grade a million words about john marrswhere to begin. Thirty million words tells the story of a remarkable womans unrelenting mission to give every child the chance to thrive. Their assignment was to tell me about their child in a million words or less. The founder and director of the thirty million words initiative, professor dana suskind, explains why the most importantand astoundingly simplething you can do for your childs future success in life is to talk to him or her, reveals the recent science behind this truth, and outlines precisely how parents can best put it into practice. In general, reading or listening to one million words is considered both a feasible and ambitious goal for students k12 and the inspiration for this initiative, but feel free to adjust this goal based on your own judgment. In a million words or less tell me about your scholar.
Education plus development talking with children matters. The million words activity basically works this way. It gives the teacher a chance to introduce herselfhimself to the parents and also get to know herhis students a little better by allowing the parents to tell and sometimes brag. A simple activity offers a powerful tool for learning about your students and connecting with their parents. Who would have thought that sending my daughter off to 7th grade would change that. Parentdirected approaches to enrich the early language environments of children living in poverty kristin leffel, b. She had been out with friends, and i had been busy. These are all the words i shouldve said did i miss my chance. I am very excited to have your child as one of my students this year. And the longer the effort is put off, the less possible the change becomes. Click here to read the blog post, in a million words or less.
This page brings back any words that contain the word or letter you enter from a large scrabble dictionary. Risley d uring the 1960s war on poverty, we were among the many researchers, psychologists, and educators who brought our knowledge of child development to the front line in an optimistic effort to intervene early to forestall the terrible effects that poverty was having on some. In a million words or less teaching, first day of school. Tax code is seven times the length of leo tolstoys war and peace one of the longest reads of all among the academically minded. This year i sent home homework for the parents on the first day of school. If your childs teacher or someone told you to write a 1 million word or less essay on everything about your. Read what others had to say about the million words activity. It is part of the revising stage of the writing process. In a million words or less, tell me about your seventh grader.
In a million words or less free download as word doc. Like a blank canvas, it invites parents to fill up the space with a colorful and layered picture of their child. Here are some examples that any parent can do to develop a rich language environment at home. Aug 14, 2017 this is my attempt to complete the a million words or less tell me about your scholar project. If i dont hurry up ill have a years worth of pictures and events to post about all at once. Apr 04, 2019 young children whose parents read them five books a day enter kindergarten having heard about 1. Simply in words heard, the average child on welfare was having half as much experience per hour 616 words per hour as the average workingclass child 1,251 words per hour and less than onethird that of the average child in a professional family 2,153 words. Her language arts teacher sent home an assignment for the parents to tell her about your child in a million words or less. Words that contain million words containing million. Do your students struggle using strong word choice in their writing.
Aug 27, 2010 this is the first week of school for the kids, and along with all the forms ive had to fill out again and again and again, 2 of my daughters teachers requested a paper to be written about my daughter. One of my favorite back to school activities is in a million words or less. The new school year has brought new teachers, and one assignment in particular intrigued me. In other words, children from families on welfare heard about 616. I look forward to an exciting year of fun and learning with your young scholar. Now im half a world away from you but youre always on my mind theres a million words that i couldve said and you might still be mine and if theres someone where i used to be i hope he tells you every day with the million words that i shouldve said. Blackburn, jordan parent letter million words or less. There are no extra prompts, explanations, or requirements. I know that i am biased, but i have to tell you that son is one of the funniest people i know. To get an idea of what one million words would look like for different grade levels, see the table below. Getting to know youthis is the one of the most difficult challenges i face at the beginning of each school year. When analyzing words and phrases in political contexts, glm uses the. First day of school back to school word doc community manager homework management texts teaching education.
May 21, 2018 education plus development talking with children matters. The reason behind this is that it can take us a while to get to know your child. A million word gap for children who arent read to at home. The formation of neural connections during the first. It asks each parent to write the teacher a letter, in a million words. The kids love the title and the fact that the first person i am assigning homework to is their parents. In a million words or less, please tell me about your child. I have been busily preparing and planning for your childs class. Sep 05, 2011 it was called in a million words or less the assignment is for the parents, not the student.
Last august at meet your teacher night, i gave all of my parents or guardians an envelope and a piece of paper with the words tell me about your a million words or less. In a million words or less i have a lot of blogging to catch up on. Risley d uring the 1960s war on poverty, we were among the many researchers, psychologists, and educators who brought our knowledge of child development. Besides my signature, the rest of the paper remains empty, wide open for a response. You may write as much or as little as needed, but it must be a million words or less. Tell me about your scholar yes, you are getting a homework assignment. Million word or less parent homework by funs not just for. The reason behind it is that it takes teachers a great deal. How one easytouse homework assignment can help build positive relationships with your students and families. I would like to ask you to write about your student. The purpose of this assignment is to learn as much about your. I am thrilled to have your child in my class this year.
Dear parentsguardians, i want to take this opportunity to introduce myself and express my excitement about working with your child this year. Its been almost 15 years since ive been assigned homework by a teacher. Tackling the vocabulary gap between rich and poor children children from lowerincome homes may hear 30 million fewer words by age 3. I would like to start this process with a little help from y. As the title above says, in a million words of less, tell me anything you would like me to know about your child. In a million words or less first week assignment the.
Trying to tell you about my son in less than a million words will be a challenge. I wanted to first say this projectassignment is such a great idea, and i hope i can provide you with everything you need to know about hailey. One million words or less in an effort to get to know your child and hisher interests, needs, likesdislikes, and learning styles, i am assigning the first homework to the parentsguardians of. These in a million words or less letters are an amazing resource to help build relationships with your students and families. Why 30 million words are critical to your childs future. We see 30 million words not to be just about reading. If your childs teacher or someone told you to write a 1.
I am very excited to have your sondaughter as one of my math students this year and am looking forward to getting to know himher in the upcoming months. He has an incredible photographic memory which is how i help him study. Please complete the following information about your child. It is with great excitement that we usher in the start of another school year. By brad bosler the other day i was driving home from work, and i realized that i had not seen my daughter at all the last day.
A million words a wonderful tool to connect with parents. This is my attempt to complete the a million words or less tell me about your scholar project. After all, we now have something very special in common your child. Feel free to download it, check out the links, look at the. One thing that i would suggest to new and returnee teachers is something i call in a million words or less, tell us about your child.
We had to write about our child so they could get to know them better. It was called, in a million words or less and consisted of parents being encouraged to write an essay no longer than a million words to tell the teacher anything they wanted them to know. For those who dont know, the assignment is for parents. Dana suskinds work as a pediatric surgeon with the deaf helped her to understand the amazing power that words have on a childs development. An outfit in austin, texas called the global language monitor has announced that the english language has one million words. In a million words or less i a m th rille d tha t y o ur child is in m y class t his ye ar. The early catastrophe american federation of teachers. After doing the activity, i was suddenly a part of each childs life, said teacher trisha fogarty. We are all familiar with the staggering achievement gap seen in children from low socioeconomic status ses in the united states only 48% of lowses children are schoolready by age 5 80% or more of africanamerican and latino public school students cant read or do math at grade level in 4th, 8th, and 12th grades. In a million words or less tell me about your son or daughter. My daughter is hailey, she is in your 1st period 7th grade preap english class. The 30 million word gap by age 3 by betty hart and todd r. Advisory is a 42 minute period that takes place during your childs day at lamuth.