How Is My Sixth Grader Doing in School?: What to Expect and How to Help

If ever there is a time when your child needs an anchor of guidance and support it is during pre-adolescence and early middle school. As much as children want to be independent ("I can handle it myself!"), they still need parents to be the anchor they cling to as they struggle to stay afloat. But how to stay involved while simultaneously helping children grow more independent? How to deal with a middle school system of multiple teachers, tougher rules, and a more aloof administration? How to support homework while not getting into battles? Jennifer Richard Jacobson answers these questions (and many you didn't even realize you had) in How Is My Sixth Grader Doing in School?, a thorough and reassuring guidebook for fretful parents of discombobulated sixth graders. In her extensive chapters on academic basics--such as reading, writing, and math--Jacobson offers information about what your child should be accomplishing and how to help them get there through spontaneous, playful interactions (that are usually not time consuming). For example, a child can learn about percentages by calculating a waiter tip, or finding out what percentage of M&Ms are blue in any given bag. Encourage a child's writing talent by investing in a Market Guide for Young Writers. Jacobson also devotes a full chapter to parent-teacher interactions and includes an assessment guide booklet to evaluate children's skills. --Gail Hudson