It's Finally the Best Month Ever I don't know about y'all, but I believe we may have just entered the best month of the year. This is when the temperature starts too cool (albeit just slightly), the leaves start to fall (unless you're surrounded by cedars), and Pumpkin Spice practically flows through the streets. OK, for some of you that may have sounded more like a horror film that the blessings of Fall, but work with me. Falcon Frolics Photos Falcon Frolic Photos have been uploaded to our Class Photos page. Check out all the fun we had. There were smiles, falls, hugs, and a few tears. All in all our class showed impeccable sportsmanship, which is what Falcon Frolics is all about. Parent-Teacher Conferences Parent-Teacher conference time slots are now open. You should have received an e-mail with instructions on how to sign up for your slot on Volunteer Spot. Click the Volunteer Spot button to the right for quick access to PT Sign Ups. PT Conferences will run from Wednesday, October 21st to Friday, October 23rd. I have tried to arrange spots to meet the needs of as many schedules as possible. The Great Pencil Challenge For about a week now, I've tasked our students with accepting the Great Pencil Challenge. This event was created by a ingenious 3rd grade teacher from San Antonio to teach students responsibility and material management in an exceedingly fun way. Each student has been awarded an amazingly, wonderful, stupendous pencil, and each has accepted the challenge to keep that pencil in the best condition, for as long as possible. We've also removed all other pencils from view. Ask your students about the Great Pencil Challenge! Neat is Nice Our students have also been working on keeping their desks, papers, and our classroom neat and orderly. A calm clean learning environment helps students focus on the task at hand, and prevents environmental distractions. While this concept can apply to so many facets of our lives, we will be focusing on ensuring papers and assignments don't get lost in the black holes that tend to form in desks. The idea of clean and neat work spaces also carries over to clean and neat assignments. Help us reach our classroom goal of having names, dates, numbers, and our best handwriting on all assignments. Praise and encouragement from the home-front goes a long way in the classroom as well! Helping with Homework "How can/should I help my student with homework?" is a question on a lot of parents minds. While we want our students to do their best we must also be encouraging students to think independently as well as build study and work habits that will benefit them for years to come. There was a short article I read earlier where a parent of two third grade students posed a question about helping with homework, and what works best. Three experts in the educational field came up with some ideas... |
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Education Expert Advice from Peggy Gisler, Ed.S. and Marge Eberts, Ed.S.
Q: My son and daughter are eight-years-old, and both students in third grade. Should I be sitting with them as they do their homework or should I let them work alone and only come to me when they have a problem? Also, how do I go about teaching them study skills?
A: Homework definitely needs to be your student's responsibility. And now is the time to give it to them. Don't sit by your child as they do their work, or you may find yourself sitting by them when they are seniors in high school. The more help you give your students now, the more helpless they will become.
If your student has a problem with their homework, teach them to reread the directions and study any examples of how the work is to be done. If this is not sufficient help, advise them to study textbook explanations of the assignment. Do not jump in to help them until they have taken these steps, and you will have given your students a valuable study skill.
As for teaching your child good study habits, these are lessons necessary for student success throughout their careers. Here are some of the most beneficial methods for instilling good study habits for your students.
Have your children use an assignment notebook so they know what homework is required each day.
Help your children learn how to organize their study time. Each day they should preview the assignments that they have to do and get the tough tasks out of the way first. They should write down the order in which they will do assignments.
Q: My son and daughter are eight-years-old, and both students in third grade. Should I be sitting with them as they do their homework or should I let them work alone and only come to me when they have a problem? Also, how do I go about teaching them study skills?
A: Homework definitely needs to be your student's responsibility. And now is the time to give it to them. Don't sit by your child as they do their work, or you may find yourself sitting by them when they are seniors in high school. The more help you give your students now, the more helpless they will become.
If your student has a problem with their homework, teach them to reread the directions and study any examples of how the work is to be done. If this is not sufficient help, advise them to study textbook explanations of the assignment. Do not jump in to help them until they have taken these steps, and you will have given your students a valuable study skill.
As for teaching your child good study habits, these are lessons necessary for student success throughout their careers. Here are some of the most beneficial methods for instilling good study habits for your students.
Have your children use an assignment notebook so they know what homework is required each day.
Help your children learn how to organize their study time. Each day they should preview the assignments that they have to do and get the tough tasks out of the way first. They should write down the order in which they will do assignments.
- Teach your child to review his work frequently.
- Get your child an organizer, and show them how to use it so that they has a system for organizing all his school papers.
- Have your child use a book bag to transport books and papers.
- Encourage your child to establish a regular time for doing homework.
- Your student should keep old quizzes and tests to prepare for future tests.
- Eliminate distractions such as television and other electronics during homework time.
- Establish a regular place for doing homework.
Homework and the Third-Grader