Homework
April Homework - Spelling w/ Reading and Math Log
Students will have homework every night - Monday through Friday.
Spelling homework:
spell/write/study words at least one different way Monday - Thursday. The four different methods are due in the homework folder on Fridays. A variety of ways is listed in the homework folder already. This will help your student be prepared for our weekly spelling test that we have every Friday.
Reading homework:
Your student should be reading at least 20 minutes each night, Monday through Friday. They have a log in their homework folder to keep track of how many minutes they read and have an adult initial. This log must be turned in every Friday morning so I can verify what has been completed for the week.
Students can read to themselves or read aloud to others. If they are reading aloud to an adult having the adult ask reading comprehension questions is great practice!
Math homework:
Students should be practicing math facts for at least 10 minutes each night, Monday through Friday. This is to be tracked on the same log as the reading time and also be initialed.
We are going to be concentrating a lot on multiplication this year but your student should first have mastered addition and subtraction before learning multiplication.
Other homework:
Other homework will be assigned on a nightly basis. This will not occur every night but when it does it will be written in the agenda. Any homework given out daily must be completed and turned in the next day.
TIPS on learning multiplication facts:
1. Make a set of multiplication flash cards with your child. Do not include the answers on the cards.
2. Work with one set of multiplication facts at a time (2x1, 2x2, 2x3, 2x4 etc.).
3. Next, work with the set of multiplication facts that has 2 as a second factor (1x2, 2x2, 3x2, 4x2 etc.) Remind your child that these facts are equivalent to addition doubles.
4. In the next session, work with the 5x tables. Start with 5 as the first factor (5x1, 5x2, 5x3) and then tackle 5 as the second factor (1x5, 2x5, 3x5).
5. For some children, it helps to recognize patterns when they exist within each set of multiplication facts.
6. To help your child with her 4x tables, you can teach her the "double and then double again" approach. For example: 4x3=12 because double 3 is 6 and double again is 12; 4x4=16 because double 4 is 8 and double again is 16, and so on.
7. To help your child with his 9x tables, you can teach him the -1 approach. For example: 2x9 = 18 because 2-1 is 1 and 9-1 is 8; put them together and you get 18. Similarly, 3x9 = 27 because 3-1 is 2 and 9-2 is 7; put them together and you get 27. And again, 4x9 = 36 because 4-1 is 3 and 9-3 is 6; put them together and you get 36. And one more time: 5x9 = 45 because 5-1 is 4 and 9-4 is 5; put them together and you get 45.
When your child doesn't know a fact, don't tell her the answer -- answers that come easily are not retained. Instead, show her how to find the answer. For example, if she doesn't know 3x4, have her draw three parallel horizontal lines and four parallel vertical lines. Then have her count the intersections to get the answers.
