Homework Basics

Homework in third grade is designed to reinforce what we’ve learned in class. It is not usually graded based on the number correct or incorrect. I do check it for completeness. We use homework as a guide for what has truly been mastered by each child.

Each day, Monday through Thursday, the students write down their homework on their weekly organizer. Sometimes students are asked to take assignments home if they did not complete them in class. These unfinished in-class assignments should also be written down on the weekly organizer. Homework is not assigned over the weekend. Each Monday, a study planner is given out. It will be on the back of their weekly organizer. This planner outlines exactly what to study each night, what activity to complete to study the material, and how much time to spend on each activity. Learning to study is a very important part of third grade. The study planners will help immensely with learning to study and with mastering third grade material.

*** Please don't remove work papers from the work folder. If you take something out to go over it with your child, be sure to put it back. Papers can stay at home when they are in the Wednesday folder.***

Homework Without Tears

Most homework assignments should be able to be completed by your child with minimal help. However, every once in a while there is an assignment that is overwhelming to a child - maybe because directions were misunderstood, or possibly because the child doesn't understand the material. If you run into this situation, please just put the work back in the work folder undone, write me a note or email me about the situation. It is not worth it to reduce everyone in the house to tears to get a homework assignment done. This situation should not happen on a daily or even weekly basis. It might happen once or twice during the year. If you are experiencing extreme frustration over homework on a consistent basis, or if you're frequently spending more than an hour on homework, please contact me so we can come up with some solutions.

Homework in third grade is designed to be completed in thirty minutes. I assign written homework that should take about 15 minutes to complete. Studying for tests, quizzes, and doing flashcards should take another 15 minutes. Try using a timer to mark 15 minute blocks of time. Tell your child if they get half of their homework finished (and it's quality work) in 15 minutes, they can play for 15 minutes after the timer goes off. Then, reset the timer for 15 minutes of play or TV time. Continue doing 15 minutes of work and 15 minutes of play until homework is completed. When written homework has been completed, take 15 - 20 minutes to study using the study planner. If you have a "dawdler," use the timer as an incentive. If they finish with time to spare (while doing quality work), let them turn the extra minutes saved into a reward - special time with you, computer or gameboy time, etc.

Reading Comprehension

Improving reading comprehension is a major part of what we learn in third grade. The strategies we use in class are noticing, predicting and guessing, picturing, connecting, and figuring it out. These terms come from Constructing Meaning, by Nancy Boyles.

Connecting	Finding something that is connected to my life, to another book, to things in the world.
Noticing	Picking up on the small clues in words and pictures that the author leaves. Noticing is also about knowing when you've gotten lost and you no longer understand what you're reading.
Picturing	Making pictures in your head from the author's words and descriptions.
Wondering	Asking yourself questions such as - What might happen next? How will the story end? Why did the author write this? What else do I want to know about this topic?
Guessing/Predicting	Asking yourself questions such as - What might happen next? How will the story end? What is the author trying to tell me?
Figuring It Out	Fitting all the pieces together to understand the author's message. This usually happens at or near the end of the book or passage.

When you're reading a book, use the following reading comprehension guide to help you remember what you read.

Reading Comprehension Guide

Book Report For AR Credit

Helping with Homework

As a parent, you want to do all you can to help your child. The best way to help them with homework is to let them do what they can on their own, and assist from there. Studying for tests, quizzes, and math facts is where they will need the most help. Most third graders do not, at this point in their education, have independent study skills. They need someone to quiz them and help them master the material. An average of 15 minutes per night should be devoted to studying for tests and quizzes. Use the study planner each week!

Writing/Editing Papers

Sometimes students are asked to edit papers and complete a final draft for homework. That means check the paper carefully for punctuation, spelling, and capitalization errors. Encourage your child to do as much of this on their own as they can. You can point out errors that they don't notice or that are beyond their skill level - quotation marks for example. The final draft should have a title, paragraphs should be indented, and at the end of the paper it should say "By Student's Name." Final drafts can be typed or hand-written. You may type the paper for your child if they will sit with you and dictate what you should type. Don't worry if a typed story or paper looks very short. This is very common. Most papers/stories that your child will be doing for homework will not be longer than one page hand-written.

Multiplication

In our class, we use the One-Minute Developmental Drill multiplication program. We do a quiz each Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Each day we add a new fact. We start with 2x1 and add a fact each day until we get to 2x10. The "fact of the day" is about 40% of the quiz. The remaining 60% is review. Two minutes are given for each quiz. After 2x10 there will be a graded test over the 2's. We will continue in this way all the way through the 9's. It is important to focus on the fact of the day, but equally important to review facts previously learned. Don't let them lose what they've worked hard to master!

We also work to maintain the addition and subtraction facts that your child has learned in first and second grade. On Mondays, we do an addition quiz. On Fridays, a subtraction quiz. These are not graded unless specifically noted on the weekly organizer.

Most children will not learn the multiplication facts by work at school alone. Time must be spent at home memorizing the facts for them to be successful. Multiplication is a major foundation for math in later grades. You should have a set of multiplication flash cards at home. The flash cards will help your child memorize these facts more readily. Use the study planner to practice math facts daily. He or she should work towards answering a flashcard in less than two seconds. Since it may take several days to commit some facts to memory, be patient with your child. Children will not learn all facts at the same rate.

Here are some helpful hints when using flash cards:

Use a small deck of 12-15 cards to work at one time.
Only 2-4 of these cards should be new or hard.
Practice consists of saying the whole problem and the answer without hesitation.
When an error or hesitation is made - give the correct answer immediately, have your child repeat the problem and answer, put the card back 2-4 spaces from the front
Continue with the deck until a "cold" run-through goes three times through without hesitations
Create room for 2-4 new cards to learn by setting aside the oldest 2-4 cards in a review stack.
Practice the review stack every 4-5 sessions. Practice until once through without hesitation.

www.flylady.net

This website has very helpful information about organizing our homes and our time. There is specific information for kids, and great information for families as a whole. Being organized and having homework routines are THE most important things in helping your child develop good study habits for life. Check it out!

Activities for Studying

Vocabulary read the word out loud and ask for the definition read the definition out loud and ask for the correct word make a copy of the vocabulary words, cut apart the definitions and words into strips - match them up type up a practice quiz and have your child complete it

Spelling ask for the correct spelling out loud give a practice test and have your child write down the correct spellings - very important!

go to our spelling textbook webpage for practice make word cards and do spelling sorts - directions for sorts are in the work folders

Math Facts use the links on our webpage play math war - use the answers to the problems to determine who has bigger number use the information above in the multiplication section of this page to do flashcards

Social Studies & Science make an outline of the chapter using chapter headings make a list of vocabulary words and definitions and have your child match them up a study sheet will be given before each chapter test - ask questions orally make a practice test using the study sheet and have your child complete it

Study Hints

1. Use the term "study time" rather than "homework." Study time implies that the student uses a regularly scheduled time period in which to complete homework assignments due the next day or to study even when there is no assignment immediately due.

2. Use a weekly schedule to block off the appropriate amount of study time. Plan the schedule with your child, taking into account recurring commitments such as sports, clubs, lessons, and church activities. Use one family calendar where children can see what their schedule is every day - and what other family members' commitments are.

3. Stick to the agreed-upon schedule. Reinforce the concept that study time will be used whether or not specific homework has been assigned. If no homework has been assigned, here are some suggestions for using your time. Review for upcoming tests and quizzes, review spelling words, reread lessons in your text books, read AR books, organize school materials, review addition, subtraction, or multiplication facts, read ahead in the textbook, correct past errors on assignments, make study sheets, go to our class webpage and try some of the educational links.

4. Evaluate your study plan every once in a while. What is working well? What needs to be changed? Have things changed in the family that we should take into account? Make any changes needed. Remember, it takes two weeks to make a habit and six weeks to break one.

5. Have a regular study place. The best place to study is away from distractions. Avoid studying with the TV on, with music on, when eating, near a telephone, in busy areas of the house. Make sure your study place is well lighted and that your child has the supplies they need to complete their homework.

6. Be organized. Keep all of your supplies handy in your study place. This is why each student has a work folder. If you take work papers out of your child's work folder, make sure to return them. Only papers that are in the Wednesday folder can be left at home. All work folder papers need to stay in the folder until we take them out at school. Do help your child keep their folder neat and organized. If there are drawings, school announcements, or other things that don't belong in the work folder, help your child weed through these items. When in doubt, leave it in the folder!

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