Homework

Hello Families,

I hope everyone is enjoying their day. I am pleased to report that my family and friends have all checked in and are safe after hurricane Irma. There was a lot of destruction at my childhood home but everyone is safe which is what matters.

I wanted to give you a quick update about students' homework.

• Students will write all their homework in their agenda. 
• Students will ALWAYS have nightly reading homework
• Students will write "study notes" for Social Studies/Science every day, however this does not mean students need to do this everyday. It is a reminder for students that they should be studying in preparation for upcoming tests. It is up to you and your child how much time will be devoted to this activity. Study guides are located in their notebooks and have the test dates written on them. Just remember that the end of unit tests will hold them accountable for their studying. 
• We started Word Study today but students will not start switching until next week. Students are learning the routines of Word Study and what is expected in school and at home. Their words this week are commonly misspelled 3rd grade words and will be sorted based on how many syllables they have. Students will write "practice words" daily in their agenda, but it is up to you and your child how they study. It is important that they practice their sort AND how to spell their words. They can use their word study notebook to write in any work that they do at home. Students will be tested every Friday on their words. 
• For MY math class, students will be given their homework sheet on Monday and will be expected to turn it in on Friday. Half of their homework sheet will have the new content being taught and the other half will review math they should already know. If your child doesn't understand some of the problems on the "new content" side, it is because we have not officially gone over it in class. Tell them to wait to complete those problems until later in the week. Students should also go on Reflex twice during the week. 

While it seems like students are getting a lot of homework, I am trying to give students more freedom as to when they complete it. I understand we are busy during the week so I am hoping you and your child can come up with a schedule that works for them. Please keep in mind that homework should not take more than an hour to complete. If it is taking longer, please contact me so we can come up with a solution. 

As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns! Have a great week :-)

Mrs. Martinson