Frequently Asked Questions
Can my child bring a treat for their birthday?
If your child wishes to bring a snack to share with classmates on their birthday, it should be something that is simple and easy to serve and complete with whatever is necessary such as napkins. It can be served at our regular snack time (10:50, right after recess) or handed out in the last 5 or 10 minutes of the school day. Please let me know in advance if you are sending something in. Please keep in mind that many families are concerned about their children's consumption of sugar and other unhealthy ingredients, and keep the treat to a reasonable size and sugar and fat content.
Can a student read 40 minutes or more one day instead of 20 minutes on two different days?
Yes, I send weekly packets to give families flexibility, in case some days are busier for you than others. You can list the reading under two different dates, or the same date but with an A after one and a B after the other. I do think, though, that in general students should be reading several days a week and not concentrating it all in just one or two days. Obviously, the success of this assignment depends a lot on the family, since I cannot monitor the actual time the students read.
Is this book hard enough for the homework assignment?
I am expecting the students to be able to make interesting (but not necessarily long) comments about the book: Why did the character do what he or she did? What is the character like (not obvious things like appearance but personality, what's important to them, etc.)? How does the character change during the book? What message or lesson can you get from the book? What makes this a good book or how could it be improved? The book the student chooses should be complex enough to give them something interesting to write about, other than just retelling the events (though some of the students may be doing some retelling and summarizing early in the school year.)
How is homework corrected and graded?
Learning Logs - I will check to make sure Learning Logs are completed and return them to students the same day. Often students will briefly share something from their log with the whole class or in a small group. The logs will not be checked for spelling, etc., though I may occasionally talk with individual students about concerns such as making sure they are writing enough, encouraging them to try different styles, etc. Students should leave all the pages in the Log and, if they fill one and start another, they should retain the old one. They may want to use it for later assignments.
Reading logs - I will check to make sure these have been completed and return them. Students are encouraged to retain returned reading logs as well for possible use in a future assignment (such as to write a longer piece about a book they have read.)
Math and other worksheets - Will will correct these together on Friday mornings. Students are responsible for marking corrections on their own work.
Spelling and vocabulary - Students will be tested on Friday on spelling and vocabulary.
NOTE: It is important students bring their own homework in, on time, Friday morning so that we can correct it together and the students can ask questions as needed. I record whether a student has turned in each piece of homework but do not give scores or letter grades. Incomplete homework is not accepted but is returned to students to be completed.
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