Homework helps students review, practice, and apply information on skills and concepts they learned in class as well as extend learning beyond what was covered at school. Homework may also provide a basic preview of upcoming material. Good study habits, positive attitudes, responsibility, independence, self-discipline, and many more life-long skills can be developed through homework. Homework is the responsibility of the student. Parents may GUIDE his/her child with directions. Please allow your child to take risks and complete his/her homework independently.
Homework (Spelling Journal and Math pages) is to be turned in on Friday only. Students should also read for 15-20 minutes a day at home.
Spelling Overview The goal of our Spelling homework is to increase your child’s spelling skills and to teach the children to use and apply the sounds they have learned to make words, instead of simply memorizing lists of words. Each week we will focus on a specific sound in class, which will correspond with the Spelling List that your child will use to complete their homework. This way they are receiving practice both at home and in class. As we progress into the year, there will be multiple ways to spell each weekly sound. For example, the “long ‘a’ sound” can be spelled “ai,” “ay,” and in the pattern of “a, consonant, e.”
Spelling Tests Each Friday, the children will be tested on the 10 regular words from the Spelling list. They will also be given 5 mystery words, which will not be provided on the Spelling list but will still utilize the target sound for the week. The mystery words will help your child apply phonemic awareness and phonics skills, such as rhyming/word families. For example, if the word “dip” was on the Spelling list, one of the mystery words might be “flip.” Finally, during the Spelling test, they will be asked to write a sentence containing 3 words that use the target sound for the week. The sentence will be worth 5 bonus points - 1 point for using a capital letter at the beginning of the sentence, 1 point for correctly spelling each of the 3 words with the target sound, and 1 point for ending the sentence with the correct punctuation mark (period, question mark, or exclamation point) The sentence will not count against your child’s grade, but will allow them to score up to an additional 5 points.
Important Information For your child'shomework, they are using the 10 words from the Spelling list provided each week. Students will complete 3 spelling activities in their Spelling Journals and 1 reading fluency page sent home in your child’s D.O.T. binder, for a total of 4 spelling activities each week. These activities will be counted as a grade, and if spelling homework is not completed consistently your child’s grade will be negatively affected. Spelling Journals will be due each Friday. Please ensure you are allowing your child to complete as much of the homework independently as possible. You may provide guidance, input, strategies, and check over your child’s work. You should not be writing their words or sentences for them or being the only one reading the fluency passage. With this homework we are not only attempting to provide essential practice with spelling, phonics, phonemic awareness, reading, and writing but also trying to set your child up for success by teaching them routine, responsibility, and independence. At the beginning of the year, you may be providing more guidance and input, but as the year continues, and their skills grow and they become familiar with the routine, we would like to see your child taking over more of the responsibility. Spelling lists will be sent home in the D.O.T. Binders each Friday. If your child’s Spelling list becomes misplaced, the list of words will be available on our class webpage- burnetteh.weebly.com Please ensure each activity is attached to a page in the journal. You may choose to attach the provided fluency passage (Wednesday’s homework), or turn the completed passage in by using the folder in your child’s D.O.T. Binder. If necessary you may staple, tape, or glue activities to a page in the journal. If it is a hands-on activity, you may email me a picture or you may print the picture and glue it into your journal. I will be looking for 4 activities total each Friday for a grade - if I do not see 4, your child will not receive full points.
Nightly Spelling Activities The activities stay the same each week, only the Spelling list and target sound will change. Monday: Write and Rhyme- Write each spelling word from your Spelling list, then come up with and write one rhyming word for each of your spelling words. You should end up with a total of 20 words, the original 10 from the list and one additional rhyming word for each. You may use crayons, markers, chalk, paints, or stamps. You can type the words on the computer and print them out. You can find letters from magazines or the newspaper to spell your words. Be creative; just provide proof that you wrote them. For example, if you write your words with chalk on the sidewalk, take a picture and place it in the spelling journal.
Example: Words from Spelling List Rhyming word
it 1. spit
is 2. his
rib 3. bib
hid 4. slid
did 5. squid
big 6. twig
him 7. swim
fin 8. shin
tip 9. slip
fix 10. mix
Tuesday: Super Sentences- Write each Spelling word in its own sentence.
Wednesday: Read and Highlight- Read the provided fluency passage at least 2 times. Highlight, circle, box, or underline each word with the target sound/spelling for the week. Please make sure you do not use a dark color to highlight, as we need to see which words you marked. You may staple this passage into your Spelling journal, OR use the folder within your child’s D.O.T. Binder to turn in the completed passage.
Thursday: Student Choice- Pick any way to practice your words. Some ideas are: ABC order- Put your words in alphabetical order
Rainbow Words- Write your word in one color. Then trace over it in several different colors. For example:
Build Your Words- Use Legos, pipe cleaners, Play-Doh, blocks, letter magnets or other items to build and spell your words. Parents, please ensure proof of this activity gets attached into the journal.
Sensory Spelling - You can have your child spell their words using sensory materials such as shaving cream, sand, rice, sprinkles, etc. This works best on a cookie sheet, or if it is a wet item like paint, pudding, or slime, you can use a Ziploc bag. Parents, please ensure proof of this activity gets attached into the journal.
Say It Loud- Say your spelling word out loud. Then spell it. *Parents, please have the page labeled “Say it loud” and initial. For example: “have” “h” “a” “v” “e”
Pretty Patterns- Write each spelling word. Use different colors to make patterns. Label the pattern you used. For example: AB pattern - play ; AAB pattern- yellow ; ABB pattern- jumped
Vowels and Consonants- Write each spelling word. Use one color for vowels and a different color for consonants, or put a box around the vowels and a line under the consonants. Practice Test- Have your parent(s) give you a practice Spelling test on words using the target sound for the week. Rewrite any words you miss.
Friday:SPELLING JOURNAL DUE IN CLASS WITH FOUR COMPLETED ACTIVITIES Turn in your Spelling journal and fluency passage for a grade.
A Math homework page will typically come home daily. The page will be 7 to 10 questions practicing the concepts we learned in class. It also allows you to be involved by seeing what your child is learning in class. These pages are to be completed by your child and kept in the D.O.T. binder. I will collect the Math pages from the week for a grade each Friday.
Reading is an important skill that should be practiced daily for around 15-20 minutes. Students can read independently, out loud to you, along with you and you can read aloud to them. Reading plays a vital role in a child's educational success, as it encompasses many different skill sets and is essential across all subject areas.
Click the link to learn more about why reading is important and some great tips to help your child gain the most out of their time reading.