THIS WEEK'S HOMEWORK
FOR THE WEEK OF: Oct. 13-17, 2008
**Homework listed is always tentative when posted and subject to change-check daily! :)
| MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY | FRIDAY | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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**HOMEWORK
 | Given Monday through Thursday |
| Consists of review, test prep., skills work, reading, and/or projects |
| Time allotment: 50-60 min. (your child may need a bit more time if he/she is working in an area that is difficult for him/her or your child may not have used class time effectively |
| Weekend homework is given in the event your child has not turned in the week's homework assignment-please sign the sheet and return it Monday with your child's homework |
| Your child may choose (or YOU may choose) to work on a long-term project over the weekend |
| Leopard awards are given for students who complete both class assignments AND homework |
| Students who turn in homework ON TIME receive a mark on our Homework Hall of Fame chart in which they work towards lunch in the classroom with a special ice cream dessert |
| Homework is excused with a parent note. It must be made up the following night or weekend depending on the circumstances |
| The consequence of not having a homework assignment is the loss of a bear ticket |
**If your child is spending more than one hour on his/her homework on a daily basis, please feel free to come talk to me.
Thank you for the support of my homework policy!
RCRC-your child has this info. in his/her binder also.
Use this simple strategy to memorize information. Try it-it works!
Read
Cover
Recite
Check
SNOW DAYS (no school)-
Please have your child do the assigned homework for that evening IF we had school the day before, and your child has written it on his/her assignment sheet. If we have NOT had school the day before or we're into another school closure day, please have your child read for at least 40 min. and record it on their calendar. Do not have your child e-mail me and ask what to do about homework. Obviously, there is no way I can let the entire class know about any changes or updates. Tests are usually rescheduled for later in the week or the following week. If you'd like your child to study for the test anyway or read longer, feel free to enforce that. Your child can always work on math facts, study spelling, study for a test, work on math/edit off homepage of this site, or access Meridian Math.
VACATIONS-
TRAVEL LEARNING …A RESPONSIBILITY
While we encourage students not to miss school, sometimes an opportunity to travel as a family comes along that can not be missed. We understand that an interactive family experience of another culture, environment or setting cannot be duplicated by the school. Alternatively, the interactive, engaged work of the schoolhouse cannot be duplicated on a vacation.
We have had an increasing number of requests for long term assignments for students who are traveling for a length of time and because we cannot duplicate the classroom setting through paperwork, we have put together this packet for parent use while they are traveling.
What we have tried to do is combine the best elements of school and travel so that the child continues to have meaningful learning experiences during the travel experience.
We have put together activities that are not just practice, but bring in new learning, are interactive with the family, and involve a sharing of the experience.
Such activities could include: dictating or keeping a journal, inventing and solving story problems about the trip, collecting free brochures of places visited, sending post cards etc. Many more of these types of activities follow.
As you look through this packet, remember that it’s only a menu…you don’t have to do everything on it. Please select the activities which are age appropriate, fit the type of travel experience, and involve the highest degree of interaction.
Have fun, learn together and make your trip as educational as possible.
A TRAVEL PORTFOLIO OF HOMEWORK IDEAS
FOR
LAKEVIEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
An important rule to follow is that we should try to have every student reading, writing and doing mathematics daily. With this in mind, select appropriate ideas and activities that will help enhance your child’s vacation experience.
WRITING
| Describe and illustrate your favorite museum, person, or place visited. Other examples to choose from might include a favorite restaurant, meal, type of transportation, etc. |
| Write or draw pictures of all the foods you had for one meal. Then put them in order of most favorite (number 1) to least favorite (last number). |
| Write and/or illustrate your favorite day in sequence, using sequence words such as “first, next and last”. (Include as many events as you can.) |
| Keep postcards from the places you visit. Use them to illustrate your journal or as a separate writing topic. |
| Do you need to send a letter or a postcard to a friend or relative? Describe your trip in descriptive terms. Practice addressing the envelope, too. |
| Clip pictures and article from local newspapers published in the area you are visiting. |
| Produce a video showing highlights of the trip. Write the script, add music. Incorporate information gained on the trip. Share this with the class. |
| Make a log of different road signs along the way. |
| Write a description or draw a picture of an interesting person you saw or met. |
| Keep a travel diary of each day that you were away. |
| Each day you are gone, learn one new vocabulary word. List these words on the last page of your diary. |
| Take a library book with you and read for 30 minutes each day. |
| Write a friendly letter or postcard to your class. |
| Purchase two or three postcards of places you have visited. Write a brief (3 or 4 sentence) summary about each one. |
| Write a letter to yourself before the trip predicting the expectations and feelings you might have during the trip. Open the letter when you get home to see if you fulfilled your expectations. |
| Write a play based on the diary you kept. Choose classmates to act out the other lead roles such as Dad, Mom, etc. Use travel brochures and pictures as props besides the murals or backdrops you’ve drawn. |
| Write a story based on the postcards sent home daily to tell family or classmates what’s going on during your trip. |
| Collect some brochure for activities you have done or would like to do. Tell why each activity sounds fun for visitors. |
| Keep a journal or diary. Each day write a brief summary about what you did that day. |
| Write and send 3 postcards to your class. Our address is: |
Lakeview Elementary
10400 N.E. 68th Street
Kirkland, WA. 98033
READING
| Read the daily newspaper or magazines from the city and or country you are visiting. |
| Take some books with you to read when you are flying on the plane or waiting in line. |
| Read something daily for at least 20 minutes either out loud or to yourself. |
| Read as many signs as you can when you are driving around or taking a subway or train. |
| Read information at a museum that you visit. |
| Go to a local library and read some interesting books. |
| Read your journal if you keep one. |
MATH
| Invent and solve story problems about your trip. |
| Estimate the number of minutes that pass from the time you enter a restaurant until the time you leave. Try this at several restaurants, fast-food as well as fine dining. Which meals and restaurant seem to take longer? Are you getting closed on your estimates as you practice this important skill? |
| Work on your facts drills: addition and subtraction for younger grades and multiplication and division for intermediate students. |
| Make flash cards for +, -, x, - |
| Ask a restaurant for a free menu. Practice ordering from the menu and with play money pay for the meal, make change, etc. |
| Follow route on map and figure mileage. |
| Keep a log of how much money you spend on your trip. |
| Compute the mileage that you travel. What is the total number of miles? BONUS!! What is the total number of kilometers? |
| Practice your math facts in a strange place. Choose a place that you would never expect to be when practicing facts and do it there. |
OTHER
| Collect brochures and information on places of interest. |
| Make a collection of souvenirs to share when you describe your trip. |
| Create a piece of artwork to describe something about your trip, i.e., a natural resource you saw, something about the ethnicity of a place you visited, etc. |
| Keep a weather chart during your trip. Record weather, including conditions, temperature, sunrise and sunset each day. |
| Draw a map of the place you visit. This may be a physical map or a political map. Add at least 5 details to your map. Be sure you put a compass rose and map key on your map! |
| Get a map or maps. Using a pencil first, trace your route of travel from Redmond to your destination. Be sure to include all side trips. Later cover the pencil tracing with felt marker. If you fly to your destination, try getting a state or city map and chart your travels within the city or state. |
| Draw a cartoon strip illustrating your events in your diary. |
| Memorize a poem that you came across during your travels. Recite it to your family. |
| Find out about local food. Look at restaurant menus if you go out for a meal. See if you can spot meal choices that we do not have in our local area. Write them down. Describe what they are. |
| Find some interesting facts about the place you are visiting. Ask people who live there. Make a list of the facts. |
**WEEKLY ORAL SHARING-remember, the night
before your child's sharing, he/she is to spend part of homework time locating
the item and practicing the presentation. This will begin in October.
You will receive a parent letter explaining the requirements more fully.
**VOCABULARY WORDS- for a different means of studying-try making yourself flashcards with word on one side/definition on other, or go to puzzlemaker.com and create a word puzzle to help you with your words. It's also fun to study with a friend!
**WEEKEND HOMEWORK-for those students who do not complete the week's assigned homework. If credit is to be given, missing work must be turned in the following Monday with the homework sheet signed by parents.
**SPELLING-the weekly spelling practice will usually be posted the Friday before. I encourage your child to practice the week's sentences/words on a daily basis.
**RCRC-you child can use this effective strategy to memorize information in preparation for a test, spelling words, vocabulary words, and monthly poem.
R=read
C=cover
R=recite
C=check
**MONTHLY POEM-this is a great assignment to work on if your child has any extra homework time. I do assign their poems many times throughout the month. Many children find it helpful to practice beyond those assigned times