United in Hardship
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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.
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 10 empty spaces. This is the pretest section.
Pretests are taken Monday. Students are only tested on the first ten words of 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. 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) and the 5 enrichment words at the bottom of the list. If they make a 100% on the pretest, then they study the five enrichment words (high frequency, science, social studies, sight words, etc.) at the bottom of the list.
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!
Vanzant’s Fables Presents . . .
The Cell Phone & the Flat Screen TV
In a lengthy two-story tower worked a construction builder who created the most wonderful homes and restaurants. He was an extremely busy builder, especially during the summer months. Many people needed his help and advice. Since he was so busy he decided to purchase a cell phone. It was a top of the line cell phone indeed which was capable of playing mp3’s checking email, surfing the internet, storing phone numbers. It kept a calendar of all his important meetings, business contacts, and acted as a remote control for his 50” flat screen television.
After a hard days work, the builder returned home to his two-story tower to relax. He clicked his cell phone to turn on the flat screen tv and then tossed it onto the night stand and walked off to grab a bite to eat from the fridge.
“Hello cell phone. How was your day with the builder? Have you been busy?” asked the wide flat screen.
“Oh, extremely busy!” replied the cell phone. “He’s been talking on me all day, scheduling appointments for his next project. Following that he checked fifty emails about how the designs of the buildings were coming along and then calling to yell at his workers who were running behind schedule.”
“Gee, sounds like you had a long day,” remarked the flat screen.
“Yes, I certainly have and he certainly does need my help. In fact, without me, I don’t think he would be a very good builder. I must be the most important piece of technology he has ever had. He needs me more than anything else in the world. After all, I am a top of the line cell phone. Who wouldn’t want something as new and shiny as me?” bragged the cell phone to the flat screen.
“Be careful of what you say,” popped off the flat screen. “I was a new flat screen television that the builder bought only two months before he got you and I also thought I was the most important piece of technology he had ever purchased. But technology changes so fast, so be glad that you’re being used now, because before too long you may not be needed.”
The cell phone sighed. “We shall see about that,” it said in a huff.
The next day was just as busy as the previous one and when the builder returned home he once again clicked on the tv with the cell phone and went to the fridge to make a snack.
“What a day!” said the cell phone exhausted. “First we called to fire a lazy worker and then the builder played my music all day as he worked building the school. My battery is almost empty.”
“Seems like you are just as tired as the builder.” answered the massive flat screen. “Your cover is all covered in dirt and you have scratches on your face where your caller ID shows.”
“Yeah, I guess so. The builder is sometimes careless and rough with me. Sometimes he tosses me into his truck or on the table without care.”
BEEP! BEEP! went the sound of the cell phone warning the builder that his battery was low. Just then a call came from the cell phone. Ring! Ring! Ring!
The builder answered, “Hello?”
It was another business man who was screaming at the builder because he was running behind on a project. The builder pressed the end button and turned off the phone.
“Finally! Some peace. I just think I’ll sit back on the couch and relax, watching my flat screen tv.”
The moral we can learn from this story is that we all have important jobs to do and roles to play, but at the end of the day, another’s may be just as important as yours!
Story Problem of the Week
DIRECTIONS: Copy the story below on a piece of paper. Circle or highlight any key words that help tell you how to solve this problem. Show your work on your paper as to how you came up with your answer. This is due Friday, August , 2009.
Mr. Vanzant ate 187 bananas and Mrs. Bowen ate 137 bananas. How many bananas did they eat in all?
They ate ________ bananas in all.
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