Classroom Routines And Homework
Lunch Count/Attendance- As the students enter our classroom each morning, their name tag from our Absent Board to the correct section which
indicates their lunch choice: Regular, Alternate, or Brought Lunch. Students arriving to school after 9:00 a.m.
have been asked to stop in the Cafeteria and order lunch with Mrs. McElfresh before coming to the classroom.
Bathroom Breaks- During independent and small group work, students use a special sign language signal to request
a bathroom break. After receiving permission, they place the pass on their desk, and go the restroom.
Water Breaks- Students are welcome to bring in a sealable water bottle daily to keep at their desks. Individuals
are also welcome to use the hallway drinking fountains periodically throughout the day. We take class water breaks immediately
after Recess and Physical Education.
Homework- Homework is assigned regularly in Reading, Spelling/Word Study, and Math with a few exceptions. All
homework is to be turned in at the beginning of the subject it was assigned on the day it is due. The one exception
would be spelling. It will be placed on the students desk the morning it is due so that it can be collected along with
any notes that have been brought in for the teacher. Math homework is to be turned into the Math teacher directly at the start
of that class. Students missing homework assignments are asked to complete the work at recess or at home for the next
school day. After several instances of not completing homework, the parent/guardian will be contacted.
Spelling- Spelling/Word Study homework is distributed in a two-week cycle. Each list consists of approximately eight
pattern words (ex. words with the “ea” spelling), two vocabulary words which also follow the pattern, and two
self-selected words. Students select their two words from a cumulative list of words they are unfamiliar with or which
they frequently misspell. Practice homework assignments are to be completed during the two week cycle and turned in
on the day of the Spelling/Word Study Test.
Additional
Spelling Practice Options
On evenings when spelling homework is assigned,
your child may select any one of the activities listed below for that evening. On the evening before the test, your
child must choose to take with a partner at home (T.W.A.P).
Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check – Look at the word to get a picture of the word in your head. Say the word out loud. Name the letters
in the word. Cover the word with your hand or paper. Write the word very carefully. Check the word letter by letter.
For each word on the list try
one of the following
tasks:
Write smaller
words found in each word (example: they – the, hey, he,)
Write something
that surprised you about the word and something that will help you remember how to spell it.
Write any
other words with the same spelling pattern. Check a resource to make sure you are right. (example: said – pain,
rain, again, train, plain).
Add a letter
or delete a letter to make a new word. (example: her – here or where – here.
Make
a chain of words by changing one letter at a time? (chain example: bat – cat – cap – map –
man –men . . .)
Make a
compound word with any of your words that it is possible. (example: some – somewhere, somehow, sometime)
Make the
words plurals, if possible. (example: adventure – adventures)
Add prefixes
or suffixes to make new words, if possible. (example: enjoy – enjoyment, enjoyed, joyful)
Mix, Fix, Write— Print your neatly on a piece of paper. Cut the letters apart
and mix them up. Make the spelling words one at time, using the cut out letters. Mix and fix each word three times.
Picture Funnies - Draw a funny picture that will help to remember how each words is
spelled.
“Font”abulous - Write each spelling word three different ways – print, cursive,
all capital letters, block letters, bubble letters, etc. Another option is to use a computer to write each word with
three different fonts.
Rainbow Words - Write each spelling word three times, using a different color crayon/marker/colored
pencil to trace the word. As you write the word, say the spelling aloud.
Word Webs – Create word webs to learn more about the origin of the words, their parts of speech and their related words.
Practice Test / T.W.A.P. - Have a parent or someone at home give you a pretest on your words.
Here are some other
ideas for further assistance with spelling
