Role of Primary Education
The primary education of a child can make or break his or her educational career. It is important to master the foundations in core subjects, but students should also be exposed to the arts and languages.
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The Facts
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Primary education or elementary education takes place in kindergarten through sixth grade at elementary schools. In these grades, children learn the foundational skills in literacy and mathematics necessary to be successful in upper levels of education. Students may also receive instruction in science, social studies, art, music, physical education, technology and world languages.
Significance
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Primary education sets the foundation for learning more difficult academic material. Try to think of a child's educational career as a building. The first four years, kindergarten through third grade, are the foundation and each year after that is another floor. The strength and security of the building depend on how strong that foundation is and conversely, if the foundation is weak, it will not be able to support the elevating floors. Most teachers would agree that students who have trouble in those first years of primary school have a hard time with material from grade four on.
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Function
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In literacy, students should receive phonics instruction in kindergarten through third grade. Phonics help students decode what they read, so that after third grade, they should be able to read most material on their grade level independently. In mathematics, students should learn and master the basics of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Many schools are introducing algebraic concepts in their mathematics instruction to better prepare students for the upper grades.
Considerations
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Successful high school students have successful primary education experiences. One of the best ways for parents to take a role in helping their child be successful in their primary education is to support their children and talk with them about what they learned in school. According to TheParentReport.com, "One of the greatest things a parent can do to reinforce understanding of symbols is to read about and talk about with a child what is in a book and on a page, to point to the pictures and talk about them, and to invest pictures and words with emotional connotations (such as) joy and excitement." Learning can happen anywhere: on the bus, in the car, at the market. A parent can take a few moments a day and sit with her child as she reads. You would be surprised how much this can affect a child's primary learning and lead her to success.
Insights
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With the implementation of No Child Left Behind legislation, a heavy emphasis has been placed on the areas of mathematics and literacy---particularly in the primary grades. Students are tested at grades three, five, eight and 11 to monitor progress. Certain landmarks within those skills should be on a proficient or advanced level. While proficiency or advanced levels are wonderful, many teachers are finding that they are "teaching to the tests" and not educating their students. As a result, funding in other courses such as art, music and technology has diminished. When asked about the role education, particularly primary education should have, Danielle Emanuel, a certified second-grade teacher for a Philadelphia public school and a mother of a 5 year-old said, "Reading and math are important, but I think in order to be a well-rounded student a child has to get more than books and numbers in the classroom. How can you know that you are a great violinist, if there is no music program? How can a kid find inspiration in the arts, if they are not exposed to it---especially as a young child? My child should get Spanish from more than just watching Dora---school should provide more education, than just what's going to be on the state tests, it should prepare them to be citizens of the world."
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