•  On Sep, 14, 2018
•  Mary Keating

Read the text twice with your child. The first reading is for decoding. The second is for comprehension. A learner-reader cannot be expected to decode and comprehend well on one reading.

•  On Aug, 30, 2018
•  Mary Keating

Maths and Science, TIMSS Looking over the Maths and Science, TIMSS Reports for 2011 — They give us the long range view of student progress. TIMSS stands for Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study.  Discussion of the Report can be found at: http://www.acola.org.au Call science what it is! It’s not so hard! Overall improvement There’s […]

•  On Aug, 19, 2018
•  Mary Keating

We can’t have the next generation saying, “Oh, sorry, I can’t take any notes because I haven’t got my iPad”.

•  On Aug, 05, 2018
•  Mary Keating

A further 13% of 4th graders in Australia scored at the Low Benchmark. So 20% are reading at or below the Low Benchmark. Influencing these results is the rate of tiredness and hunger on arrival at school.

•  On Aug, 03, 2018
•  Mary Keating

Good readers can skim and scan for general ideas but they must learn to read carefully for detail.

•  On Jul, 08, 2018
•  Mary Keating

Think of a hamburger. The bread on the bottom is the introduction. The bread at the top is your conclusion. The meat, the salad and the cheese are the paragraphs in between.

•  On Jun, 29, 2018
•  Mary Keating

The child may make a sigh at the end of the reading task with a “Thank goodness that’s over” type of expression. That’s the moment to praise. That’s the moment of achievement.

•  On Apr, 29, 2018
•  Mary Keating

We have known for a long time that Prep and Grade 1 children use the word ‘because’ but can’t spell it correctly. I still believe that this 7-letter word should not be on Prep and Grade 1 spelling lists.

•  On Mar, 08, 2018
•  Mary Keating

Teaching Fraction Basics is a post to help parents and other non-teachers of children in Middle Primary School.

•  On Feb, 27, 2018
•  Mary Keating

Anyone can teach division to Middle Primary School children. Methods have changed a bit over the years but they are not necessarily better. We can’t tell if they are better until we see results over time.