Conquering Homework Horrors

Tired of the nightly homework horror? Have you reached the point where you would rather walk under a ladder carrying a black cat instead of dealing with your child's homework?
Learn how to turn this nightly battle into something much more manageable. We can help you with the following:

• Dealing with Getting Started on Homework
  • Have a routine in place.  Start homework at the same time each night and have your child sit in the same location.
  • Help get your child started.  Read the directions to them or help model the first few problems to make sure they are off to a nice start.
  • Set an end time.  No matter what, when that time arrives, they are either finished or they get a break and then refocus.
• The Effective Use of Breaks
  • Before you begin your homework, decide on a specific break time.  For example, work hard for 15 minutes, then take a 5 minute break to grab a snack or run around outside. 
  • Be sure to have a clock or a timer nearby.
  • Research shows that breaking up longer assignments allows for students to stay motivated and fresh to apply the knowledge they have learned.
• Organizational Skills
  • If you have ever heard that organization is the key to success, you are on the right track.  If a student is unorganized and doesn’t have a plan in place, then how can we expect them to focus on the content of academics?
  • Make sure students come home prepared with the correct materials and homework. You might use an agenda book or a take home folder where the student writes down their assignments before they leave school.
  • Once the homework is done, make sure they get it back into their backpack so they are ready for school in the morning. There is nothing worse than completing your homework but having nothing to show for it because it is at home.
• Deciding How Much Homework is Appropriate
  • On average, they say to have 10 minutes of homework is equivalent to the grade they are in.  Example, 1^st grade: 10 minutes, 2^nd grade: 20 minutes, 3^rd grade: 30 minutes, etc. this should include some reading time too.
  • For students with special needs that have Individual Education Plans, you may choose to add modification of homework to the plan to make homework time easier for the student at home.  If you are spending hours and hours of homework time and not getting far, be sure to contact the teacher to come up with an appropriate plan for homework. 
• Appropriate Accommodations
  • For students with special needs, it is important to figure out what works best for your child.  That is the key.  Not the class, but the individual child.  It is ok for their homework to look a little different.
  • Again, if you are spending hours on homework, it might be time to revisit the IEP and create some new strategies.

3rd Grade Math

Students are hard at work learning the concept of multiplication!!

Welcome Back!!

I hope you had a wonderful and relaxing summer! I am so excited to be back to school and look forward to working with E.I.P. students this year!
To help your child transition, setting up a routine is very important. A daily schedule for homework time, dinner, and bedtime should be established and followed. Free- reading time before bed, either done independently or with a parent, can be a great way to enjoy a book.  I encourage parents to read with their child to monitor and help with reading comprehension and fluency. After your child reads a page of text, asking questions and having your child find the answers in the text will go a long way to improve comprehension. If your child comes to a word that he or she does not know, ask him to look for a "little word" inside the bigger word. He should look for chunks that he does know in the word to help decode the unknown word.  He should read the words " around the word" to help figure out the meaning of the unknown word, as well.  These are just a few of the strategies that we will work on this year.
This year in class, we will be learning and practicing strategies to help your child become a better reader and writer.
I look forward to a wonderful and educational year.

Summer break, here we come!!!

Well, the school year has come and gone. It has been a great year in Room 307. The students have learned so much and we had such fun. I wish everyone a safe and enjoyable summer. This will be our last week. Remember, the following activities are happening:

Monday- School Talent Show 6:00 pm
Wednesday- 12:30 Early Dismissal
Thursday- Last day of school!! 8:30- Awards Day; 12:30 Early Dismissal

Boosterthon Fun Run !!

Our Boosterthon Epic Adventure has begun! Students brought home their information on Tuesday. This wonderful fund raiser helps to fund and staff our science lab. Mrs. Knobbe and her wonderful team of volunteers provide a rich, educational experience for all the students at Addison. I'm sure our CRCT science scores will reflect the value of this program. Get your pledges and come on out to the Boosterthon Fun Run on May 4. All parents are welcome.

Thanks to all the parents who supplied snacks for us during CRCT testing. We love you!

It's Time to Shine!!!

CRCT is here!! This is our students' time to celebrate all of their hard work. We will begin testing on Wednesday at 8:00am. Please remember that students need to get plenty of rest and eat a healthy protein breakfast. The testing schedule is as follows:
Wednesday- Reading
Thursday- English/Language Arts
Friday- Math
Monday- Science
Tuesday- Social Studies

We want to say thank you to all parents who have volunteered to bring in snacks for the week. We would also like to say thank you to Mrs. Schneider and Mrs. Garduque, our Junior Achievement volunteers.

Happy Spring Break!!!

I hope everyone has a restful and safe week off. CRCT will be right around the corner upon our return. I am sending home a review packet that students can work on over the break. This will help refresh the skills we learned this year. I am also encouraging the studetns to bring home their textbooks. In case they forget, the online versions are posted on my blog. Usernames and passwords are inside your child's agenda. Have a great break!!

Online CRCT Practice

Please be aware that there is a link to the Georgia Online Assessment System on the Addison homepage. It can be found on the left under Resources. Your student has their username and password written in their agenda. This is good practice for the upcoming CRCT which will begin on Wednesday, April 18.

Support Our Partners in Education

Week of 3-5

I hope everyone had a restful weekend. Just a reminder that book reports are due on Friday, March 9. Can't wait to see them. Please come and visit the book fair this week. The funds raised will provide our school with many great resources. Have you noticed the new behavior system that we've been using? Class Dojo has been in use for the past couple of weeks. It recognizes positive behavior as it happens and I can reward the student in real time with points. This positive reinforcement is very motivating for the students. We can see the class total of positive and negative points and can identify areas that need improvement. Oftentimes, we receive points as a class for things such as lining up quietly. We can also receive negative points as a class if we're too noisy. I will be sending your child's weekly report via email for you to view. It will include the total individual points earned as well as those earned by the class. I've heard positive responses from several of you. I hope you love it as much as I do.

What's Happening in Room 307

Wow! I can't believe how fast time is passing. We have been so busy digging our way through the curriculum. In math, we have moved beyond our geometry unit and are beginning our study of fractions and decimals. We will add and subtract decimals and fractions as well as mixed numbers. We will understand equivalent fractions and use them in problem solving situations. In science, we are investigating forces and motion and simple machines. We have several labs scheduled where we will experience hands-on applications of the concepts to be learned. After traveling through colonial America, we are approaching conflict with Britain and the causes, events, and results of the revolutionary War. Hold on tight!! It's gonna be a wild ride.

Science Lab Needs!!

We are gearing up for our study of sound/light/force and motion. We have planned a visit to the science lab next week. We are in need of some supplies in order to complete our project. Please send in the following items if possible. We appreciate your help.

Needed donations

combs

glass bottles with a narrow opening

plastic Easter eggs

coffee cans

small metal cans

pie tins

oatmeal containers

clay pots

straws

shoe boxes

 

Thursday night is the Addison Annual International Festival. This is always a fun time with lots of good food. Hope to see you there!

Week of 1-16-12

We have had a very busy week. We began our unit on colonial America. We created 3-D maps of Jamestown and Roanoke settlements and are learning all about life in the thirteen original colonies. We assessed Chapter 11 which was division with 2-digit divisors. We will be moving into our geometry unit next week. We are finishing our "How-To" writing as we learn about the features of informational writing.

Well, the students are begging- and I mean begging- me to go back to the other reading log. So, in response to their pitiful pleading, I have decided that next week we will go back to the original form. Hey, sometimes things work and sometimes they don't. I will have the students transfer their other reading to this form so it will count for this nine weeks.

Spelling will resume next week as well since we're back to a five day week. Have a great weekend.

Happy New Year 2012!!

Welcome back to all. I hope you enjoyed your break. The students came back ready to work this past week. We have much to do and little time until CRCT. This semester will be packed full. We are finishing division this week and will be moving into the goemetry unit. This will include 2 and 3 dimensional shapes, angles, coordinates, lines, etc. In our literacy block, we are focusing on reading and writing non-fiction. Learning to read to find information is a critical skill.  We are beginning our study of colonial America as we continue through history. In science, we will learn about force and motion, light and sound.

Remember there is no school on Monday. Report cards will come home on Thursday. Please remember to sign your child's agenda each night so you are aware of school happenings.  The reading log has changed for this quarter. Students need to write a 2 sentence summary of what they read and parent signature is needed. Remember, this reading log translates into a reading grade.