A Day in the
3B Classroom
Morning Routine:
The morning will be a very busy time. Each student is expected to complete the following tasks every morning:
1. Enter the classroom quietly.
2. Unpack bookbags, put jackets, lunchboxes, etc. in assigned locker.
3. Give notes, money, etc. to the teacher.
4. Put homework in tray.
5. Copy homework assignments from board into assignment book.
6.
Sharpen pencils (no sharpening after
7. Complete the daily Warm-Up
8.
Quiet talking (whispering) is permitted until
the
Note: It is very important that each student arrive
on time to school each day. The tardy
bell rings at
Lunch Time:
The lunch and recess period for third grade is from
Moving Through the Building:
It is the school policy that classes are to move silently through the building, especially when going to or coming from the cafeteria, library/computer, art, and gym. The 3B students will be expected to:
1. Form a single-file line.
2. Maintain silence in the hallways.
3. Walk at all times in the school building.
Morning Break:
There will be a 20-minute break every morning. During this time, the students will use the bathroom, get drinks, eat their snacks, and be able to socialize/move around the room. Snacks should be healthy--no candy, cookies, cake, soda, etc. Suggestions for snacks may include: fruit, vegetables, crackers, pretzels, nuts, popcorn, fruit roll-ups, etc.
Dismissal/End of the Day:
Like the morning, the afternoon is a very hectic time. At the end of the last class period, students will be expected to complete the following tasks:
1. Make sure all homework assignments additions/corrections are written in the assignment book.
2. Get all books and materials ready to go home.
3. Complete any classroom jobs.
4.
Have a book to read and read silently during
silent reading time (
5. Listen to all end-of-the-day announcements made by Sr. Joyce.
6. Sit quietly and wait to be dismissed.
Homework:
No homework sheet is given in third grade. Children copy their homework from the chalkboard in an assignment book each day. Please check the assignment book on a daily basis. Homework is given every day except Friday. Homework is assigned to give each student the opportunity to practice and to apply skills that are learned during the school day. Homework also teaches time management, and it reinforces the concept of responsibility. Homework also provides daily opportunity for parents to encourage children to succeed in school. All homework requires a parental signature. Occasionally there will be long-term projects to be worked on at home for special units of study. Parents are to encourage and assist, but not complete the work for their child. Therefore, it is very important that homework assignments be taken seriously.
Note: If an absence occurs, a note must be brought
in upon return stating the reason for the absence. It is the student’s responsibility to request
any missed work and to complete it within one week upon return to school. School policy states that a teacher is not
required to provide make-up work, tests, quizzes, etc. for students who have
unexcused absences (example - continual tardiness, truancy, vacations during
regular school days, etc.). No written note is considered an unexcused
absence.
EXAMPLE OF PAPER HEADING:
NAME DATE
SUBJECT
Grading Policies
Grading policies for Social Studies, and Science are as follows:
1. After each unit of study is completed, testing will assess the student’s learning. Chapter or Unit Tests will be announced a week in advance.
2. During the study of a chapter or unit, it is necessary to assess the student’s progress. This will be accomplished by giving quizzes periodically. They will be announced at least one day in advance and will equal three-quarters of a test grade.
3. Certain classwork assignments are graded throughout a unit of study. Each classwork assignment will equal one-half a test grade.
4. Regular weekly homework assignments are graded. Homework grades will equal one-quarter of a test grade.
5. Special long-term projects will be graded and will be equivalent to a test grade.
6. The quarter grade will be determined by taking the average of all assignments, homework, quizzes, and test scores.
a. Oral
b. Writing Skills: The degree to which a student is able to express his/her ideas in the written format. Writing is a primary way to assess a student’s comprehension of previously read texts. Also, the application of grammar skills within the writing will be assessed.
c. Speaking: The degree to which a student can effectively verbalize his or her opinions, ideas, and viewpoints.
d. Listening: The ability of a student to respond to a selection that has been read aloud. Comprehension of read-aloud materials is an important component of this.
At the beginning of each week, each student will receive a newsletter. Those who have completed all classwork/homework that I have assigned will have their name written in red on the newsletter and those who have not completed all classwork/homework that I have assigned will receive a list of incomplete work attached to their newsletter. If the work is not turned in within two weeks from the date it was assigned, a grade of zero will occur. A study check will be given for work that is one week late. At least five points are deducted for work turned in late.
Grading System for Grades 1 - 3: Grades 4 - 8
A score of 93 –100 equals E Excellent A
85 – 92 G Good B
77 – 84 S Satisfactory C
70 – 76 I Improvement Needed D
0 – 69 U Unsatisfactory E
In third grade, most children get better at reading, writing, speaking, and listening. All students read and write every day. They start to move from “learning to read” to “reading to learn.”
Your child…
·
Reads many kinds of children’s books.
·
Reads for fun, information, and understanding.
·
Uses different ways of reading—sounding out words, getting information
from the story, and personal knowledge—to understand stories and learn new
words.
·
Understands the themes or main ideas in what he or she reads.
·
Have a daily family reading time.
Take turns reading out loud every day.
·
Talk about family and community events.
·
Ask your child to read wherever you go—in the car, grocery store, and
park.
·
Renew your child’s library card.
Visit the library often to check out books.
·
Carefully choose the TV programs your child watches. Watch and talk about TV programs together.
·
Use good listening skills. Show
your child how to politely listen, watch, and take turns while speaking.
·
Give books and magazine subscriptions as gifts.
Your child…
·
Puts together thoughts and information for writing.
·
Uses correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and
sentence structure in final work.
·
Includes main ideas, background details, and words that describe in
written work.
·
Corrects and rewrites work as necessary.
HOW YOU AS A
PARENT CAN HELP
·
Provide a place. It’s important
for a child to have a good place to write—a desk or table with a smooth, flat
surface and good lighting.
·
Materials. Provide plenty of
paper—lined and unlined—and things to write with, including pens, pencils, and
crayons.
·
Allow time. Help your child
spend time thinking about a writing project or exercise. Good writers do a great deal of
thinking. Your child may dawdle, sharpen
a pencil, get papers ready, or look up the spelling of a word. Be patient—your child may be thinking.
·
Respond. Do respond to the ideas
your child expresses verbally or in writing.
Make it clear that you are interested in the true function of writing
which is to convey ideas. This means
focusing on “what” the child has written, not “how” it was written. It’s usually wise to ignore minor errors,
particularly at the stage when your child is just getting ideas together. Then have your child review what was written
and edit.
·
Don’t you write it! Don’t write
a paper for your child that will be turned in as his/her work. Never rewrite a child’s work. Meeting a writing deadline, taking
responsibility for the finished product, and feeling ownership of it are
important parts of writing well.
·
Make it real. Your child needs
to do real writing. It’s more important
for the child to write a letter to a relative than it is to write a one-line
note on a greeting card.
·
Note-taking. Encourage your
child to take notes on trips or outings and to describe what was seen.
·
Brainstorm. Talk with your child
as much as possible about his/her impressions and encourage the child to
describe people and events to you.
·
Keep a journal. This is
excellent writing practice as well as a good outlet for venting feelings. Encourage your child to write about things
that happen at home and school, about people he likes or dislikes and why,
things to remember or things the child wants to do. Especially encourage your child to write
about personal feelings. Don’t read
your child’s journal unless you have his/her permission.
·
Use games. There are numerous
games and puzzles that help a child to increase vocabulary and make the child
more fluent in speaking and writing.
·
Encourage copying. If a child
likes a particular song, suggest learning the words by writing them
down—replaying the song on your stereo/tape player or jotting down the words
whenever the song is played on a radio program.
Also encourage copying favorite poems or quotations from books and
plays. (For school reports, etc.,
copying is not allowed unless written in quotes and source is cited. These assignments must be written in the
child’s own words.)