Buckle up, this is a long one!

I've received notice that we will not have school tomorrow. Please have the kids begin Spelling City and read for at least 20 minutes. Maybe make some flash cards with the spelling words. The kids could sort them by endings/suffixes or make sententes for the words. 

You guys could also make flash cards for the addition facts. We have many kids who have not mastered the addition facts (according to out Fast Fact computer game). While they may be doing well getting90+ in 5 minutes, they are not making gains. We do have 2 boys who are now practicing the subtraction facts in class! Yeah!

Now is the time when the kids need to start transitioning to more independent work and expectations. 3rd grade is VERY VERY independent! While we will continue learnig in center groups, what's really more important will be how much work each individual student completes within that center's time frame. 

Writing! Oh my, writing! Time to step this up too! This is my most dreaded activity, the same way it is for the kids. I really need your help from home! If writing has no purpose for the kids then they don't want to do it! Here are some ideas:

1. Begin with writing notes to your child, or have family members send letters or emails to them. Encourage the kids to write/email them back. Be specific, remind the kids to tell what they did, how they felt, where they were...

2. After special or dreadful activities, show your child how to begin a journal. Write your experience, your feelings, the good and the bad. Then on the next page encourage your child to tell how they felt! Maybe glue tickets, pictures taken, maps, postcards, or even let them draw a picture in the journal. This is something you'll treasure when they leave for college, and something they'll treasure when they are our ages.

3. Simply practice penmanship! Their writing needs to begin to fit into the lines of notebook paper. They hate this, but as many of you have mentioned, some of their writing is hard to read. You should see the mad looks they get when I say I can't read their writing (lol and I am pretty good at decifering gibberish too!). I'd like to start teaching cursive in March, but worry that I can't read their print so why try?! 

4. Make their own comics. Read the Sunday Funnies, or Sunday Comics together. Ask them to make the next square of the cartoon or have them then create a 3-5 event comic strip. They can write the words that the characters say (captions). 

Hope you take at least 1 of these ideas to enhance your child's skills. 

Peace! 

G