Big Thanks to the Parents
I’d like to thank everyone for donating to & participating in our 1st quarter activities. Our class had a great parent turn-out for the beach sweep. Big thanks to those that donated food for the community feast. I hope everyone received their dishes/containers back. If you are missing an item, let me know & I’ll hunt it down. Our next field trip is this Friday. Glad to see some of you will be able to make this trip. Last year was extremely cold, so layer up just in case.
This year seems to be running fast. The 1st nine weeks is always the toughest for the students to transition into 3rd grade from 2nd. They’ve come a long way, becoming more independent and responsible. The 2nd & 3rd quarter is where you will see your child make the most growth, especially now that they have grasped the vibe of how things flow and where items belong.
I’d like to thank all of you for being supportive and helping your child with the homework assignments & catch-up material. Thank you for volunteering in class. Thank you for being active in your child’s learning and attending the outings we take. I am well aware that those days you donate take away from a paycheck which, in these economic times, mean more than ever. The BSE staff do all in our power for your children, but learning doesn’t cease at 2:55. It’s never-ending, following them at home throughout the week and sometimes weekends.
There is a lot of pressure put upon our youth to do well in this global market and the goals to meet are perpetually getting higher. What I’m driving at is . . . without a home-school support system we all fail. Understand that your child is my future just as much as he or she is yours. The joint effort will equal great success for the student and a prosperous future. So once again, thank you.
Fantastic 5 Quiz & Spelling Test Info
Fantastic 5
Q: What is it?
A: A paper with 4 lessons, each lesson has 5 problems. It is a summary of math skills covering 2nd (at the beginning of the year) & 3rd grade.
Q: How does it work?
A: This is our morning work. Students are responsible for completing 5 problems a day. We only work on one lesson per day. After announcements we check our work. Those that are not finished, complete in the hallway while the rest of us review problems via the board/mimio. Students are called to the board (volunteer or no) to work out problems. Students explain how they solved the problem as they walk us through the steps.
Q: Do they have to show their work?
A: YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They must show their work in order to receive full credit on all problems. For instance, BIlly Bob comes up with the correct answer for a story problem, but doesn’t write out how he got that answer. Billy Bob gets half credit. This may not sound like much, but there are only 10 problems per quiz. Miss one and that’s a B.
Q: Extra Credit?
A: Yes. Some are worth one point, some two depending on difficulty or multiple step problems.
Q: Are questions on Fantastic 5 sheets the same as the quizzes?
A: No, but they are similar. Names and/or numbers will be changed.
Q: Who grades the 4 lessons while reviewing steps?
A: The students grade their own. They check it if correct, self correct if not, and as always must write down the steps as shown on the board with a red ink pen. If they simply check it correct, it might not always be so. We inform them and sometimes redirect them to make these corrections, but they are in third grade now. It’s their job to take care of themselves and their own work.
Spelling
Each student has a manilla folder that is cut into thirds. Inside the folder is a spelling paper. Unfold the first flap and 15 spelling words are exposed. The middle flap consists of 15 empty spaces. This is the pretest section.
Pretests are taken Monday. Students take a test on all of the words on the list. Students grade their own list. If they spell a word correctly they make a check mark next to the number of that word. If they miss a word, then the student(s) will highlight that word on their list, as well as highlighting the number on the final test. The highlighted word becomes one of the spelling words for the week.
Yes, each student has their own personal spelling list. They will test on the word(s) missed from the pretest (if any). If they make a 100% on the pretest, then they do not have any words to study for the week, nor do they take Friday’s test.
The third flap is the final test section and consists of 15 spaces. After the pretest students are instructed to cross out all spaces for the words they already know (alleviates confusion) leaving only the spaces for their words to know.
Mr. V grades Friday’s test.
Questions or concerns , leave me a comment and I’ll get back to you asap. Thank you and good luck kids!
Classroom Supplies
Homework planners can be picked up at the beginning of school at BSE.
* As a bonus a hand sized dictionary is recommended (found at any dollar store). This is handy in the sense that once a student learns a word (whether spelling, vocabulary, writing, or other) he or she can highlight it. As the school year goes on, they can flip through their dictionary to see all the words they have learned. It serves as a helpful quick reference to those that might have forgotten a word previously learned. By highlighting, it helps eliminate search time.
Gym shoes are also required for days we attend PE.
Homework: What to Expect
1. Every Night: read for 20 minutes and fill out your reading log. To print your own reading log copy, click on the words reading log (above).
*You will earn a one school week (4 night) homework (HW) pass in reading once the entire front of the reading log is completely filled out.
2. On Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday: Practice Spelling Words. You will have a maximum of 15 spelling words. These three assignment will be collected every Friday. Some weeks we may only have two nights for spelling.
3. Tuesdays & Thursdays: Math or Reading games from our blog. Some nights I will assign a site for you to visit, other nights you will choose one. You will need to leave me a comment on our class blog about your score and what you learned, liked, or thought was tricky.
4. Due Every Friday: Math Story Problem of the Week. This will be a post at the top of our class blog. We will check this Friday in class. If you do not have a computer at home or internet access, then you can copy the story problem during free time Monday- Thursday.
5. Book Reports: You will be assigned a book to read and given a story map to help you create a report about the story, the characters, and the events that took place. You will also need to tell the genre of the story and whether your book was meant to entertain, persuade, inform, or explain. Book reports will be worth 5% of your overall grade in reading. You will not have a book report every week.
6. EOG Math & Reading: To start the year we will have one night (Monday) to complete a Math worksheet and one night (Wednesday) for a Reading assignment. You will be expected to highlight important math and reading words on these worksheets. As the year progresses we will have more of these to practice. Don’t worry, they’ll get easier the more you do it (just like riding a bike, swimming, or surfing).
7. From time to time we may have science homework, such as tracking the phases of the moon at night or bringing in recycled materials for a project.
You will write all assignments in your homework planner. Parents or Guardians should check your planner each night to make sure you are completing your homework. They need to sign the planner page, so Mr. V knows they aware of your assignments and when assignments are due.
** Homework MUST be handed in on time in order to count for your points towards the PBS trip. It is YOUR responsibility to turn assignments in on time; not mom’s, dad’s, grandma’s, grandpa’s, or the aliens that do it for you.
Hand all assignments in on time and earn 5 points. 1 or 2 late assignments will get you 3 points. Miss more than two assignments and you earn zero points. The choice is yours kids.
