Beyond the Bell

Tips and activities to build strong reading, writing, and literacy skills at home.

ACPS students use high-quality literacy materials designed to build strong readers, writers, and communicators.

• Grades K–5: Open Court Reading
• Grades 6–12: HMH Into Literature

These resources provide students with rich reading and writing experiences while building the skills, vocabulary, and knowledge they need to grow as readers and writers.

No matter your child's grade level, ask what they are currently reading, writing, or learning about in English/Language Arts—you don't have to have read the text yourself to start a conversation!

K–5 Families: Look for the Home Connection!

Each week, families of students using Open Court Reading can receive a Home Connection Newsletter highlighting what students are learning in areas such as phonics, vocabulary, literature, and writing.

Use the Home Connection as a conversation starter at home! Ask your child about a new sound, word, story, topic, or writing skill they are learning that week.

Be on the lookout for the Home Connection from your child's teacher throughout the school year!

A new school year is a great time to build reading into your family's routine. The key is finding what, when, and where works for your child!

📚 Let choice lead the way. Encourage your child to read about things that interest them. Books, graphic novels, magazines, news articles, biographies, how-to guides, and other texts all provide opportunities to read and learn.

⏰ Find a time that works. Reading doesn't have to happen at the same time for every family. Try reading before bed, after school, while waiting for an activity to begin, or listening to an audiobook during a car ride.

🏠 Make reading easy to reach. Keep books and other reading materials in places where your child can easily find them—by the bed, in the car, or in a favorite spot at home.

👨‍👩‍👧 Let them see you read, too! Children of all ages notice what the adults around them do. Share something interesting you read, recommend a book or article, or spend a few minutes reading alongside each other.

💬 Talk about it. Reading doesn't have to end when you close the book. Ask what your child found interesting, surprising, funny, confusing, or worth sharing.

Remember: Building a reading habit doesn't have to be complicated. Start with something your child enjoys and make reading a regular part of everyday life!

Put your vocabulary skills to the test! One player chooses a secret word from something they are reading but doesn't tell anyone what it is. Give clues one at a time while the other players try to guess the word.

For example, if your word is enormous:

• It describes how big something is.
• It means the opposite of tiny.
• A similar word is huge.
• It starts with the letter E.

How many clues did your family need to guess the word?

💡 Need a Clue?

Not sure what clues to give? Try one of these:

• “It starts with the sound _____.”
• “It has _____ syllables.”
• “It's a noun/verb/adjective.”
• “It means something similar to _____.”
• “It means the opposite of _____.”
• “It has the prefix/suffix _____.”
• “A word part in this word means _____.”
• “You might use this word when talking about _____.”
• “The author used this word to describe _____.”
• “In the sentence, this word helps us understand _____.”

🧠 Make It Your Own!

There are lots of ways to play—try one of these variations or create your own!

• Start with sounds and word parts: Give clues about the word's beginning or ending sound, number of syllables, letters, or familiar word parts.
• Use what you know: Give clues about what the word means, what it looks like, what it does, or where you might find it.
• Build your vocabulary: Use synonyms, antonyms, prefixes, suffixes, roots, or context clues to describe your word.
• Add a challenge: Choose three words that players are not allowed to say while giving clues.
• Keep score: Earn more points for guessing the word with fewer clues!

💬 Talk About Words!

After the word is revealed, talk about what it means and think of other ways you could use it. Challenge each other to use the word in a new sentence—or see who can spot it again in something else you read!

This year, ACPS students are learning with new, high-quality math instructional materials aligned to the Virginia Standards of Learning:

• Grades K–5: Kiddom Virginia Math
• Grades 6–8, Algebra I, Geometry & Algebra II: Mathspace Virginia

These new resources are designed to help students go beyond simply getting the right answer. Students will be asked to think critically, solve problems, make connections, use different strategies and models, and—most importantly—explain and justify their mathematical thinking.

That means math may sometimes look or sound different than you remember! Your child may be asked:

• How do you know?
• Can you explain your thinking?
• Can you show another way?
• Why does your strategy work?
• Does your answer make sense? How do you know?

Be on the Lookout!

As students and teachers begin using these new resources, be on the lookout for information from your child's teacher about what students are learning and ways you can support that learning at home.

And remember—you don't have to know exactly how your child was taught to solve a problem to help with math! Try asking: “Can you show me how you learned to solve it?”

Giving your child an opportunity to explain their strategy and reasoning helps reinforce the kind of mathematical thinking they are developing at school.

Back-to-school routines are full of math—no matter your age! From getting ready in the morning to packing lunch, checking the calendar, and shopping for school supplies, everyday moments provide opportunities to notice numbers, solve problems, and talk about math.

Try asking questions like...

🎒 Getting Ready

• How many things do you need to put in your backpack?
• Do you have more pencils or crayons? How many more?
• If you need 2 pencils each day for 5 days, how many will you need?
• A backpack costs $60 and is 25% off. How much will you save? What will you pay?

⏰ Watching the Clock

• How many minutes until it's time to leave?
• We need to leave in 15 minutes. What time will that be?
• If you leave home at 7:18 and arrive at school at 7:47, how long is your trip?
• What fraction or percent of your day do you spend at school?

🍎 Lunch Time

• How many items are in your lunchbox? How could you sort them?
• If 8 crackers are shared equally between two people, how many does each person get?
• If lunch costs $3.25 each day, about how much will it cost for five days? What about a month?
• Which is the better buy: 12 granola bars for $5.40 or 18 for $7.20? How do you know?

📅 Looking at the Calendar

• How many school days are there this week?
• How many days until Friday?
• If there are 20 school days this month and 5 have passed, how many are left?
• What fraction or percent of the school week has passed by the end of Wednesday?

💡 Keep the Conversation Going!

Don't stop when your child finds an answer. Ask “How did you figure that out?”, “How do you know?”, or “Can you find another way?” Talking about how they solved the problem helps build mathematical thinking!

Make it fit your family: Change the numbers or the question to make the math simpler or more challenging for your child.

Math is all around you! Choose a number you see during your day—a bus number, classroom number, price, page number, house number, or number on the clock. Now, see how many different ways your family can make that number!

For example, if your number is 24:

• 24 = 20 + 4
• 24 = 30 − 6
• 24 = 6 × 4
• 24 = 48 ÷ 2
• 24 = 12 + 12

🧠 Make It Your Own!

There are lots of ways to play—try one of these variations or create your own!

• Go bigger—or smaller! Adjust the size of the number to fit your child. Try single-digit numbers, larger multi-digit numbers, or anything in between.
• Start with objects: Draw 24 things, build 24 with blocks or other objects, count out 24 items, or arrange 24 objects in different ways.
• Add a challenge: Use a variety of operations—addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division.
• Challenge yourself even more: Try fractions, decimals, exponents, or a combination of operations.
• Make it a family competition: Who can find the most different ways to make the number?

💬 Talk About Your Thinking!

Don't just compare answers—compare strategies! Ask each other: “How did you make the number?” or “Can you find a completely different way?” You might be surprised by how many ways there are to represent the same number!

If your child is an English learner, you may receive a WIDA ACCESS Individual Student Report showing their English language proficiency scores.

WIDA scores help teachers and families understand how students are developing the English they need to learn and communicate at school. Students receive scores in four language areas:

• 👂 Listening — understanding spoken English
• 🗣️ Speaking — communicating ideas orally
• 📖 Reading — understanding written English
• ✏️ Writing — communicating ideas in writing

Scores range from 1.0 to 6.0 and represent a continuum of English language development. A higher number reflects greater independence in using academic English.

💡 Looking at the Scores

Rather than focusing on a single number, look at your child's whole language profile. It is common for students to have different strengths in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Ask your child's teacher:

• Where has my child shown growth?
• What are my child's current language strengths?
• Which language skills are they working to develop next?
• What can we practice at home?

Remember, learning a language takes time. WIDA scores give teachers and families information they can use to celebrate growth and identify the next steps in your child's English language development.

Building English language skills can happen through everyday conversations! Try a game of Would You Rather? during dinner, in the car, or while waiting for an activity.

Ask a question with two choices—but don't stop with the answer. The fun begins when everyone has to explain why!

Would you rather...

• 🍕 Eat pizza every day for a week OR never eat pizza again?
• 🐬 Be able to breathe underwater OR fly through the air?
• 📚 Read the book OR watch the movie?
• 🏫 Have a four-day school week with longer days OR a five-day week with shorter days?
• 💰 Receive $100 today OR $10 every week for a year?

After someone chooses, ask:

• “Why did you choose that?”
• “What makes your choice better?”
• “Can you give me an example?”
• “What might be a disadvantage of your choice?”
• “What would make you change your mind?”

Then switch roles and let your child ask you a question!

⭐ Family Challenge: Don't settle for “because I like it!” See who can give the most convincing explanation.

✔ Read together every day—even 15–20 minutes makes a difference.

✔ Encourage your child to talk about their day by asking open-ended questions.

✔ Help your child develop independence by letting them practice packing their backpack, organizing materials, and taking responsibility for personal belongings.

✔ Check your child's backpack, planner, and school communication regularly.

✔ Maintain a positive attitude about school—your excitement helps build your child's confidence.

✔ Reach out to your child's teacher early if you have questions or concerns.

✔ Celebrate effort, perseverance, and growth—not just grades.

✔ Remember that adjusting to a new school year takes time. Give your child (and yourself!) grace during the first few weeks.

Did you know that every ACPS elementary school has a Title I Parent Resource Center? Families can access games, books, activities, and other materials to make learning at home engaging and fun. Any elementary student enrolled in Amherst County Public Schools has access to these resources!

Resources support a variety of skills and grade levels and may include:

• literacy and math games
• thematic backpacks with books and activities
• leveled books
• hands-on learning materials
• activities families can enjoy together

Contact your child's elementary school to learn how you can access Parent Resource Center materials.

Stop by the Title I Parent Resource Center at your child’s school for games, activities, and tools you can use together. You can also visit the ACPS Title I webpage to explore even more resources.