When Teachnet Contributor, Chantal Latour, sat down to personalize her students’ report cards, something was missing. The list of report card comments that used as starters and had spent years compiling was gone.
Chantal explained her situation to the members of the Teacher-2-Teacher forum and was overwhelmed with responses. Nearly 300 adjectives and phrases are available here for your use.
As one contributor points out, remember: “My main advice about report card comments is to tell the truth.”
- Is a good citizen
- Is learning to share and listen.
- Is becoming more dependable during work periods.
- Is developing a better attitude toward ___ grade.
- Is showing interest and enthusiasm for the things we do.
- Is learning to occupy his time constructively.
- Wants responsibilities and follows through.
- Can be very helpful and dependable in the classroom.
- Always uses her time wisely.
- Has strengthened her skills in ___.
- Has great potential and works toward achieving it.
- Working to full capability.
- Is strong in _____.
- Is learning to be a better listener.
- Is learning to be careful, cooperative, and fair.
- Is continuing to grow in independence.
- Enthusiastic about participating.
- Gaining more self-confidence.
- Has a pleasant personality.
- Has earned a very fine report card.
- Has improved steadily.
- Is learning to listen to directions more carefully.
- Now accepts responsiblity well.
- _____’s work habits are improving.
- Has been consitently progressing.
- Has shown a good attitude about trying to improve in ___.
- The following suggestions might improve his ____.
- I am hoping this recent interest and improvement will continue.
- Seems eager to improve.
- Has shown strong growth in ____.
- Is cooperative and happy.
- Volunteers often.
- Is willing to take part in all classroom activities.
- Works well with her neighbors.
- _____’s attitude toward school is excellent.
- Has the ability to follow directions.
- Hand work is beautifully done.
- Learns new vocabulary quickly.
- Has a sense of humor and enjoys the stories we read.
- Is a steadfast, conscientious worker.
- Is very helpful about clean-up work around the room.
- Anxious to please.
- Brings fine contributions.
- Has a pleasant disposition.
- Works well.
- Is hard-working.
- Is pleasant and friendly.
- Needs to increase speed and comprehension in reading.
- Needs to apply skills to all written work.
- Gets along well with other children.
- Your constant cooperation and help are appreciated.
- Has shown an encouraging desire to better herself in ___.
- Making steady progress academically.
- Quality of work is improving.
- Responds well.
- Is maintaining grade-level achievements.
- Works well in groups, planning and carrying out activities.
- Seems to be more aware of activities in the classroom.
- Takes an active part in discussions pertinent to ___.
- Accepts responsiblity.
- Extremely conscientious.
- Bubbles over with enthusiasm.
- Has a sense of humor we all enjoy.
- Has an excellent attitude.
- Work in the areas of ____ has been extremely good.
- Is an enthusiastic worker during the ____ period.
- Needs to work democratically with others in groups.
- Possible for ___ to exceed grade expectations.
- Grasps new ideas readily.
- Needs to develop a better sense of responsiblity.
- Enthusiasitic about work in general.
- Performs well in everthing he undertakes.
- Unusually mature.
- Seeks information.
- Mature vocabulary.
- Doing strong work in all areas.
- Is a clear thinker.
- Excels in writing original stories and poems.
- Is a good student who appears to be a deep thinker.
- Reads extensively.
- Has good organization of thoughts.
- Has a vast background knowledge of ___.
- Is a very fine and serious student and excels in ___.
- Rate of achievement makes it difficult for ___ to keep up with the class.
- Must improve work habits if ___ is to gain the fundamentals needed for ___ grade work.
- _____’s academic success leaves much to be desired.
- Handwriting needs to be improved.
- Cooperative, well mannered.
- Is a very happy, well-adjusted child, but ___.
- Makes friends quickly and is well liked by classmates.
- Cries easily.
- Good worker and attentive listener.
- Good adjustment.
- Good attitude.
- Capable of achieving a higher average in areas of ____.
- Has difficulty retaining process of addition, etc.
- Is inconsistent in his efforts, especially in ___.
- Sacrificing accuracy for unnecessary speed in his written work.
- Needs to listen to directions.
- Never completes assignments in the allotted time.
- Fails to finish independent assignments.
- Would improve if he developed a greater interest in ___.
- Comprehends well, but needs to work more quickly.
- Needs to be urged.
- Can follow directions.
- Enjoys listening to poetry.
- Enjoys listening to stories.
- Listens carefully.
- Evaluates what he/she hears
- Phonics – (is able to distinguish, has difficulty distinguishing) sounds in words
- Now knows and is able to use _____ consonant and vowel sounds
- Confuses the sounds ___ and ___
- Is able to blend short words using the vowel(s) _____ with /without assistance
- Is learning to attack words independently
- Uses the phonics skills to attack new words
- Reading is (smooth, jerky, hesitant, rapid, irregular, or fluent)
- Comprehends what he/she reads
- Is interested in books and reading
- Can read to follow directions
- Can now recognize ____ sight words
- Reads for pleasure
- Needs lots of repetition and practice in order to retain reading vocabulary
- Is still confusing words which look alike
- Is beginning to read words in groups (phrases)
- Reading is becoming (not yet becoming) automatic
- Enjoys discussing the stories
- Has had difficulty with learning ______ so in the coming term we will focus on ______.
- Speaks in good sentences
- Speaks clearly
- Has difficulty using (pronouns, verbs) correctly
- Enjoys dramatization
- Enjoys participation in conversation and discussion
- Expresses ideas clearly
- Has a good oral vocabulary
- Takes turns talking
- Speaks with confidence to the group
- Uses punctuation correctly
- Is able to place periods and question marks correctly
- Uses colorful words
- Uses (complex, simple) sentences
- Is now able to write a complete sentence independently
- Participates in group story telling (composition)
- Can write an original story of (one or two sentences, of a few sentences)
- Puts words in the appropriate order
- Is able to read his sentences back
- Shows self confidence in writing
- Can compose several related sentences
- Is building a good spelling vocabulary
- Uses his individual dictionary to find unfamiliar words
- Enjoys learning to spell new words
- Is able to learn to spell words easily
- Sometimes reverses letters in a word
- Has difficulty remembering the spelling of non-phonetic words
- Is helped by using hand or body motions to remember spelling
- When printing, often reverses letters, such as __, __, etc.
- Has good (poor) fine-motor skills
- Is able to print on the lines
- Spaces letters and words correctly
- Some printing is excellent but is often untidy in daily assignments
- Enjoys doing neat careful work
- Can work with numbers up to ___ with understanding
- Understands the signs +, -, = and uses them to make number statements
- Understands and uses basic facts of addition and subtraction to ____
- Reverses some numbers still
- Understands place value up to _____
- Can use manipulatives to add and subtract
- Can use manipulatives to show place value to _____
- Understands money (pennies, dimes, nickels)
- Relies heavily on concrete objects
- Knows the basic shapes
- Can count to ______
- Is able to create graphs using simple data
- Understands several methods of graphing
- Is beginning to memorize the number facts
- Is friendly and cooperative
- Cooperates well
- Helps others
- Has a sense of humor
- Has a good attitude towards school
- Is working well in all subjects
- Lacks independence / Is gaining independence
- Is too easily distracted
- Is becoming more self-reliant
- Is an attentive student
- All work is neatly and accurately done
- Is a polite conscientious pupil
- Is working above grade level in _________.
- Works too slowly
- Does not complete assignments in the allotted time
- Seems unable to finish required work
- Does colorful and interesting art work
- Is especially good at ______
- Requires too much supervision.
- Please encourage him to do things on his own.
- Should be encouraged to _____
- Needs frequent encouragement
- Is maturing
- Is learning to concentrate
- Is learning to listen carefully
- Is gaining self-confidence
- Often completes work early
- Is very thoughtful
- Takes pride in work well done
- Is eager to learn
- Makes little effort when not under direct supervision
- Often seems tired at school
- Is not very appreciative of the value of ( time, courtesy, sharing, neatness, accuracy)
- Shows initiative; thinks things through for himself/herself
- If a child is having difficulty – say so! Say what you have tried already to help him/her, and what you are going to do differently in the term to come to help the child.
- Never say the child is having problems without giving a possible solution you are going to try and what has already been tried.
- This shows you are doing everything in your power to change the situation.
- _____ has matured nicely this year, academically and socially.
- He/She assumes responsibility well and has a find attitude.
- He/She still needs strengthening in the concept of long division.
- Thanks for the help I know you have given her.
- There has been a noticeable improvement in _____’s study habits this reporting period, which is very encouraging.
- Please continue during the summer with ___________ review and as many reading experiences as possible.
- ___________ would benefit from reading many library books this summer.
- He needs to improve his reading speed and comprehension if he is to have success in the ________ grade.
- If ___________ will put forth in the future the effort he has shown in the past two reporting periods, he will receive a great deal from his schooling.
- With __________’s ability to apply herself to each task, she should receive much satisfaction from her school experiences.
- _____________ continued to blossom as the year progressed.
- _______________’s oral reading is very expressive and her oral reporting is excellent.
- Thank you for your interest in _____________’s attitude.
- Although he has had some difficulty adjusting to our room and various duties, he usually tries to cooperate.
- _____________ has had some problems adjusting to our room, as you know from my reports to you.
- Many of her difficulties occur on the playground and she then carries a poor attitude in the classroom.
- This hurts her academically.
- She is capable of much better work.
- I’m sorry I didn’t get to meet you this year.
- __________has made nice progress this reporting period.
- He is maturing nicely and I hope this continues.
- Although _____________’s growth in social maturity is continuing, it is not consistent.
- She still needs guidance and support from both you and me.
- Thanks for your cooperation.
- _____________ is a wonderful girl and I’m happy to have had her in my room.
- she has made many fine contributions to our class and is an inspiration to her classmates.
- With ____’s friendly, cooperative attitude, she will always be a pleasant addition to any class.
- I have enjoyed the association I have had _____________.
- His friendly, sincere way has made him a very popular member of the ___ grade.
- Regardless of how busy _________ is, he still has time to do something nice for someone. For this reason, he is one of the best-liked members of my class.
- I enjoyed having _____________ in my class.
- She is a sweet and cooperative child.
- _____________ is a pleasant, conscientious student.
- He is self-confident and has excellent manners.
- It has been a pleasure to have him in my class.
- I enjoyed having _____________ in my room.
- She assumes responsibility well, excels on the playground and is well liked by her peers.
- She’s helped to make my year a pleasant one.
- She is a big help in seeing that our room looks clean and pleasant.
- She has been most cooperative and only needs strengthening in social studies skills to bring her up to ____ grade level.
- ___________ is a fine citizen and takes a keen interest in school.
- I hope you enjoy your new home!
- __________ takes a keen interest in all work and is most agreeable and a willing worker. It has been wonderful having her in my room.
- Exhibits excellent attitude
- Possesses good self discipline
- Respectful of others
- Works independently on assignments
- Exhibits creativity
- Does good work
- Always cooperative
- Classroom attitude shows improvement
- Pleasant student to work with
- Quality of work has improved
- Hard worker
- Participates well in class
- A pleasure to have around
- Experiences difficulty following directions-when unsure needs to ask for questions
- Needs to actively participate in classroom discussion
- Needs better study skills
- Requires incentives
- Low quiz/test scores
- Assignments/Homework incomplete/late
- Needs to pay attention in class
- Disruptive in class
- Needs to improve classroom attitude
- Excessive tardiness
- Excessive absences
- Failure to turn in make up work
- A conference is requested
- This subject modified/ leveled according to ability
- Does not work up to his/her ability
- Student will be retained in current grade next year. Please contact the school to arrange a conference.
- Subject has been taught but no grade issued
- Makes careless errors
- Difficulty understanding the material
- Does not know math facts well
- Interrupts others
- Gets upset easily
- Work is not neat
- Disorganized
- Needs to proofread work
- Does not form letters correctly
- Assignments are not neat
- Excessive talking
- Needs to spend time on task
- Does not put enough time into assignment
- Needs to improve self discipline
- Needs to improve respect for others
Thank you. I like this list and I know I’m going to use it.