Monday through Thursday: Homework will a chance for students to practice skills learned during the school day. Third grade students should not spend more than 45 minutes on homework. However, there is no penalty for not doing homework.
Math: A page to practice skills taught in the lesson of the day.
Reading: Daily Reading Passages with questions and vocabulary
Spelling: Weekly spelling packets and tests on Fridays
Writing: Unfinished projects
Social Studies & Science: Study for tests as needed
Optional Homework Ideas:
This is a general idea of the activities we'll be doing in the classroom. The best thing you can do as a parent is to start a conversation with your child. Ask what he or she is learning in class. Ask to see your child's assignment book or planner in the binder. Ask your child what he or she thinks are areas that are challenging or hard. Then, offer to help your child practice more in order to master the skills. Help your child develop that "growth mindset," and "practice" the thought process of how to be a successful student. Don't just tell your child what to do. These are the years to develop good student skills, which means your child needs to figure out how he or she learns best. If one strategy doesn't work, show your child it's okay to try another strategy, or another, or another.
Math: During class time, we use a variety of resources for math. The district provided curriculum is Go Math! We also use other resources to help students develop their mathematical thinking. After whole class lessons, students work in small groups with me, or independently with a small group, or independently.
At home, students can also practice the daily math lessons using the "grey" pages that follow each lesson in the math books. Students can also access GoMath! through their Clever accounts. Their are support videos and review lessons. In addition, students can practice and learn new math skills in iReady, which they can access through their Clever accounts.
Word problems should be solved using the RDW method.
First, students (R) read the problem and question. Underline key words and facts needed to solve the problem, and circle the question(s).
Second, students (D) draw a picture to represent the problem.
Last, students (W) write an equation to match their drawing and a complete sentence with the answer, using the key or important words from the question.
Students could practice their math facts to develop fluency with flash cards, online games, or dice games. The third and fourth grade teachers agreed the goal is for students to complete 100 addition facts in 5 minutes or less, and then, 100 subtraction facts, 100 multiplication facts, and last, 100 division facts. Every Tuesday and Thursday, students will have a "Fast Facts Quiz," in which they progress through the facts at their own rate. Everyone starts with addition. Ask your child what fact he or she is practicing for the week.
Spelling: In class, students can practice spelling skills for different subjects on Spelling City. They will have time to practice their spelling during the day. However, some students might need more practice, distributed over days. Your child is more likely to remember how to spell words if the practice is spread out. Also, students should be able to use each spelling word in its own sentence that shows the meaning of the word, with at least seven words in a sentence. In class, students will be expected to write complete sentences, using subject area vocabulary.
Writing: We use a Writer's Workshop format for learning and practicing writing skills. Throughout the year, students lear about three main writing genre studies that will last about 10 weeks. During that time, students will focus on narrative, informational, and opinion writing skills taught during whole class mini-lessons or small group instruction time. Talk to your child about what skills he or she is practicing. Studies show that talking about writing ideas first helps a child when they actually sit down to write. Let your children tell you a narrative or story. Ask why they have an opinion. Can they convince you? Ask what new infomation they have learned about a topic, including the main idea and details.
Students also write friendly letters to the Student of the Week. The letters should be in paragraph format. The students also need to edit and revise with a peer, which further develops writing skills. Your child is given class time to complete one letter a week, but some students might need to finish their "final" letters at home or finish coloring pictures to accompany their work.
Poetry: Every Friday, in class, students study about poetry. Students can read and/or write poems. Or, students can memorize and practice reciting poems and post their work on Seesaw for parents to see and reflect on areas for improvement. Some students might need their parents, brothers, sisters, friends, or others to be an audience so they can practice. The students not only need to recite the poems, but use gestures, emotions, rhythm and intonation to convey the meaning of the poems.
Reading/Vocabulary Study: In class, we use a Readers Workshop where students read at their level and meet with me in small groups. Also, students are placed in reading groups, called "Literature Circles," based on interest and reading ability. They read books aloud together, taking turns or in choral. Each student is assigned a different job to complete while reading, such as Vocabulary Wizard or Literary Luminary. Students are given time to read and work on their assigned jobs in class. However, some students might need to spend extra time rereading the passages. In addition, students can practice reading skills at their level in iReady, which they can access through their Clever accounts.
Science or Social Studies: In class, we read and discuss the information presented in the social studies and science books together, which I supplement with other resources. Students might need to re-read the chapters or units we're focusing on at that time. Elevate Science is another resource that students can access through their Clever accounts. There will be times when student might need to work on vocabulary activities, complete projects, and/or study for science tests or social studies tests.