Homework Procedures
Home/School Notebook
We will use a planner and folder, which will serve to teach your child preparation, organization, responsibility, and provide communication between home and school. The planner and folder will go home every day and should be returned every morning. The folder will contain your child’s homework (spelling list) and any papers going home, and will serve as a place for notes/papers you would like to send/return to school. Please look through the folder carefully. Papers coming home should be removed on a daily basis and kept at home. Thank you for your support!
Planner
The first day of the week we will write in any tests (celebrations) or special events for the week. It is their responsibility to be sure that they have written it down and have collected all necessary items needed to go home. It is also their responsibility to be sure they completed the homework, put all necessary items back in their book bags to return to school, and given you all papers coming home (clean out folder).
Homework - OPTIONAL (no signature in planners this year)
I believe completing and returning homework helps build independence, a sense of responsibility, good study habits, and prepares him/her for the homework he/she will have to complete in later school years, as well as reinforces the skills taught. Your child should complete this work by him/herself – asking questions as needed - under your supervision (please check when they finish and review any incorrect answers), and return it the next school day. Homework should be your child’s best work. If your child needs my help with any math problems, please have them circle the problem number and see me the next day. The homework papers should be placed in the “Homework” section of the folder. If your child forgets his/her math workbook or another assignment they may find a friend or relative to photocopy from (or copy manually). This would be accepted as completed work. However, if the assigned work is not finished (even if they substitute other work) they will need to make up the work, as I believe this is a lesson in responsibility. Please see that your child returns their homework and signed binder daily. Homework in third grade should not exceed 30 minutes. If it is taking longer than this, please discuss this with me. Remember to check our Google Classroom as well.
Homework will be as follows:
*Study Island (reading & math) is always an excellent optional (if not assigned) homework choice to reinforce skills that will be seen on the benchmarks and PSSA.
Reading
Each night (Monday-Friday) your child should read for 15 minutes in a book of his/her choice, do a RAZ session, or do a Study Island session (70% or less). Weekends are optional – left to parent's choice. This could be a book you have from home, the library, or one your child chooses from our library. Please check to be sure the book they choose is a “Good-Fit” book. This means that if there are more than five words on a page that they do not know, it is too difficult. We will be practicing this in school as well. Please be sure to ask your child what they think the most important part was and why as well as what they think the author's message is. Finding the evidence in the book as to where they found the answer to comprehension questions you are asking them is a vital skill.
Your child can also access the reading curriculum (Think Central) website at home to listen to and read the stories we read in class both as a whole group and in our guided reading groups. Click on the link below or go to the PASD website-Quick Links-(2nd from bottom) Think Central - and enter the username and password (first time in you'll need to enter all of the demographic info.)
www-k6.thinkcentral.com/ePC/start.do
Username: lunch pin #
Password: Their Password
Parent Homework Resources:
Comprehension Guide
Strategies Good Readers Use
Math - Workbook problems and Green Light on Reflex
Third grade is a vital year for fact fluency – knowing the fact in three seconds or less. Math fact fluency is just as important as reading fluency. At this point, I want to be sure that they are fluent with their addition and subtraction facts. As we begin to learn multiplication and division, I will want those to eventually be fluent as well. Being fluent in these operations becomes very important as they move on to multi-step problems. Math fluency is being able to automatically know/say the answer without hesitation (just like sight words – and, of, the, etc.) – within three seconds. Please provide flashcards (available at Dollar Tree) for your child at home for 5 minutes a night . Please alternate between addition & subtraction and eventually multiplication & division when taught. Your signature in the homework planner will be evidence of them doing this. I will also be sending home math homework (worksheet or workbook pages) most nights. Your child will have the assignment written in their planners. If your child needs my help with any math problems, please have them circle the problem number and see me the next day.
*Writing multiples of 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9s is ALWAYS an excellent way to practice fluency
*Study Island may also be assigned (70% or less)
Spelling
Your child will be given a pretest containing the words for the cycle on Mondays. They will bring home a paper containing the spelling list with missed words highlighted, which you may keep at home. Spelling tests will be given (on a separate piece of paper) on Fridays. I ask that you practice the spelling words that your child missed on the pretest (should be highlighted on the list). I am including a list of suggested activities they could choose from as well as links. They may turn in their work to me if they would like, however, I will trust that your signature in the planner indicates that they have studied with you at home. Please plan on giving them a quiz (Read the word. State the word in a sentence. Read the word.) every Thursday on all of the words to be sure they are ready for the test. I will have spelling/word work opportunities in class to reinforce their words as well.
*All spelling lists for the year can be found in the "Curriculum" section of this website under "Spelling".
Suggested spelling activities:
Check out these links for suggested spelling review activities:
- Houghton Mifflin Spelling
10 Ways to Study Spelling
10 More Ways to Study Spelling
Spelling City - · Write the words in alphabetical order.
- · Type the words on a keyboard/computer.
- · Under adult supervision write the words in whip cream, sand, peanut butter, shaving cream, sugar, pudding, with sidewalk chalk, wet paint brush on cement, with pipe cleaners, magnetic letters, use ABC pasta, pull apart Twizzlers, Scrabble tiles, string, letter tiles (Scrabble), etc.
- · Write a story or comic strip using all of your spelling words. Underline or highlight your spelling words.
- · Draw a picture to represent each word and write the word inside the picture.
- · Look through a magazine or newspaper to see how many spelling words you can find. Cut out the words you find and glue them on a piece of paper.
* Occasionally, other assignments will be assigned, which will be written down in the planner. This will include upcoming tests, home projects, etc.