Name _________________________

Investigators Homework

Week of 12-14-09

As a third grader, you are expected to complete 30 minutes of homework each day.  Listed below are this week’s assignments.  The starred (shown in red online) are the priority assignments for each subject area. Additional assignments listed in each subject area are to be worked on as time permits.  Working diligently for 30 minutes each day, you may not complete every assignment, so start with the starred assignments and include the other assignments as you have time.

Each Friday, please bring to class:

* one assignment of which you are particularly proud and would like to share with our class
This may be a story to read, a math sheet, a science project, etc.
* your homework cover sheet, with each completed assignment initialed by a parent

A Note to Parents:  I appreciate and support parents checking and grading all of their student’s work at home and reviewing incorrect problems.  This is much more helpful to the students than waiting a week to have me look over their work.  Grades are based on whether homework is completed to the student’s best ability and not on amount of correct and incorrect answers.  It is the process of learning that is our focus and that can be reinforced daily as you support your child’s completion of homework. 

Reading  – You MUST read every single night for a minimum of 15 minutes.  Nothing is more important to your reading success at school than your reading at home

• Read a book of your Choice (READ EVERY SINGLE NIGHT) Everyone should be reading a chapter book. What book are you reading? ___________
  

Spelling

 Spelling is nightly. Look at your spelling folder for the particular words to do that night. In addition you can do any of the following practice activities or find one that works well for you.

• Type your word 5 times. Can you type it with your eyes closed?
  
• Try to memorize how to spell your word backwards.
  
• Write each letter of a word on a post it note or other scrap of paper. Them ix up all the letters for all your words and try to put them back together.
  
• Write each word you do not know 5 times
  
• Email me at ophamons@smsd.org with 3 jokes that use your spelling words.
  

   

   

   

I appreciate all of the families who made it out to enjoy all of the great literary displays.

The students work very hard on these books and it means alot to them for you to come out and see them.

Sorry for the lack of pics.  Camera is not working today.  Instead I will share numbers.

76 – The number of books published,

41 – The number of people adults in the room at one time when I counted yesterday.

19 - The number of smiles from students knowing you came to see their books!

Today we had a rare luxury in our fast paced, curriculum driven classroom.  30 minutes of solid reading time.  We have a school term for this — DEAR - Acronym that stand for Drop Everything and Read.  I thought it was beautiful that during this time – the only thing I could hear was the chirping of crickets!

Notice how not even one student looks up from there book?  A sure sign that they have become completely engrossed in their stories.

Does anybody want to share how they can get this kind of all encompassing reading at their homes?  I know it easier at school — I do not have to compete with TV, Xbox, Wii and Computers.  Can this happen at home too?

In an uncharacteristic drift away from my own personal ban on mingling commercial enterprises with school functions – I have volunteered to be a guest reader at the Barnes and Noble located in Oak Park Mall at 11 am.

I will be reading from “Little House in the Big Woods” by Laura Ingalls Wilder – a book we are doing a novel study on during Readers’ Workshop.

Mrs. Gill is reading at 10am.

I hope to see you there.

 Name _________________________

Investigators Homework

Week of 12-07-09

As a third grader, you are expected to complete 30 minutes of homework each day.  Listed below are this week’s assignments.  The starred (shown in red online) are the priority assignments for each subject area. Additional assignments listed in each subject area are to be worked on as time permits.  Working diligently for 30 minutes each day, you may not complete every assignment, so start with the starred assignments and include the other assignments as you have time.

Each Friday, please bring to class:

* one assignment of which you are particularly proud and would like to share with our class
This may be a story to read, a math sheet, a science project, etc.
* your homework cover sheet, with each completed assignment initialed by a parent

A Note to Parents:  I appreciate and support parents checking and grading all of their student’s work at home and reviewing incorrect problems.  This is much more helpful to the students than waiting a week to have me look over their work.  Grades are based on whether homework is completed to the student’s best ability and not on amount of correct and incorrect answers.  It is the process of learning that is our focus and that can be reinforced daily as you support your child’s completion of homework. 

Reading  – You MUST read every single night for a minimum of 15 minutes.  Nothing is more important to your reading success at school than your reading at home

• Read a book of your Choice (READ EVERY SINGLE NIGHT)
  

Spelling

 Spelling is nightly. Look at your spelling folder for the particular words to do that night. In addition you can do any of the following practice activities or find one that works well for you.

• Use your word in a sentence that includes the word snow. Write the sentence down
  
• Try to memorize how to spell your word backwards.
  
• Organize words by their similarities and ask a parent or other partner to figure out what the similarities are. Ask your partner to do the same.
  
• Write each word you do not know 5 times
  
• Call a friend and quiz them on your spelling words and have them do the same with theirs.
  

   

   

   

Math  

• Do the attached Power Drill
  
• 
  
  • Practice you math multiplication facts every single night.
    

  Students will be ready for this on Tuesday Night (Parents – see note below)
  

   

   

Social Studies      

• Take your note about World War II Pearl harbor and the Japanese Internment camps and discuss this with your parents.
  

Science      

• Work on your group project for your animal care committee.
  

Not that I’m predicting anything but…

If you would like a personal e-mail or text message if we are having a snow day, then click on the following link. http://my.textcaster.com/ServePopup.aspx?id=451

You will see a screen that looks like below. Sign up and for free you will get a text message and/or e-mail that tells you that school

]]> http://mrhamons.wordpress.com/2009/12/07/would-you-like-me-to-call-you-if-we-have-a-snow-day-2/feed/ 0 mrhamons http://mrhamons.wordpress.com/2009/12/03/how-to-access-files-written-at-school-at-home/ http://mrhamons.wordpress.com/2009/12/03/how-to-access-files-written-at-school-at-home/#comments Thu, 03 Dec 2009 23:17:59 +0000 mrhamons http://mrhamons.wordpress.com/?p=1001 ]]>

The following screencast will show you how every student has the ability to access their files they save at home and/or save files they have at home onto their school server.

Here  is the video.

 Name _________________________

Investigators Homework

Week of 11-30-09

As a third grader, you are expected to complete 30 minutes of homework each day.  Listed below are this week’s assignments.  The starred (shown in red online) are the priority assignments for each subject area. Additional assignments listed in each subject area are to be worked on as time permits.  Working diligently for 30 minutes each day, you may not complete every assignment, so start with the starred assignments and include the other assignments as you have time.

Each Friday, please bring to class:

* one assignment of which you are particularly proud and would like to share with our class
This may be a story to read, a math sheet, a science project, etc.
* your homework cover sheet, with each completed assignment initialed by a parent

A Note to Parents:  I appreciate and support parents checking and grading all of their student’s work at home and reviewing incorrect problems.  This is much more helpful to the students than waiting a week to have me look over their work.  Grades are based on whether homework is completed to the student’s best ability and not on amount of correct and incorrect answers.  It is the process of learning that is our focus and that can be reinforced daily as you support your child’s completion of homework. 

Reading  – You MUST read every single night for a minimum of 15 minutes.  Nothing is more important to your reading success at school than your reading at home

• Read a book of your Choice (READ EVERY SINGLE NIGHT)
  

Write a review of a book you have read. Type it and send it to ophamons@smsd.org and we will include it on our website. Look at mrhamons.wordpress.com for examples.

A time to be Thankful!

I have so much to be Thankful for this year.

• I am Thankful for all of my parent volunteers in the classroom.  Thanks to the generousity of several parents I have extra teachers available to help enhance your children’s learning almost everyday.  Thank you Mrs. Hernnadez, Mrs, Mercado, Mrs. Doleshal and Mrs. Lippert for helping teach in the classroom.
• I am thankful to all the families who diligently work with their students on their homework and support our classroom’s learning
• I am thankful for generous parents who are always there to enhance our learning by offering to add supplies or games that are related to our learning.
• I am thankful to the students who work hard 5 days a week to learn and think.  You make teaching fun!

THANK YOU!