Homelearning

Term 3 WEEK 3

Well done to those who handed their homelearning in early last week!

Maths

Complete your maths worksheets. Remember to ask me if you have any questions BEFORE Friday morning. There will also be tasks set on Mathletics, or you could spend some time on the games on Google Classroom, or the ones featured below.

Spelling

Complete your spelling tasks and learn your spelling words. We will begin having spelling tests on Friday's. The words you will be tested on will contain your focus spelling pattern/sound, but may not be on the list I give you. You will, therefore, need to make sure you explore other words with that spelling pattern/sound. The following information may give you some hints on how to learn your words. The biggest thing is to use the words you learn.

Five Guidelines for Learning to Spell and
Three Ways to Practice Spelling

Adapted from Susan Jones, M. Ed. 11/98

1. Practice makes permanent.
   Did somebody tell you practice made perfect? That's only if you're practicing it right. Each time you spell a word wrong, you're 'practicing' the wrong spelling. So, if you're not sure how to spell the word, find out, *then* practice that spelling. Keep an ongoing notebook of words, so you've got your own personal dictionary and you can see your progress. Start small, though!!! 
2. Don't try to learn all the words at once. Even if you learn them all in one sitting, practice them a few at a time. Find out what works best for you -- it may be one or two words or as many as three or four. Then, add another word to your list, or start on different ones. Each time you learn another word, go back and practice the ones you learned before it, because, after all, practice makes permanent. 
3. Review and review some more!. If you already know some of the words on your list, practice them once or twice each before you start tackling the ones you don't know yet. It's a good confidence booster (and besides, practice makes permanent!). 
4. Practice spelling as if you expect to spell those words right when you're writing. There's more to learning to spell than passing a spelling test. There are lots of ways to get from guessing to knowing what to write down on a test, AND spelling words right when you're writing sentences and paragraphs. You want to train your hands to write the correct letters in the right order when you think a certain word. Use the "six ways to practice spelling" listed here. 
5. Use the words you've practiced. That's the point to learning them, anyway. Have a list of words you're learning handy, in a notebook, and you can look them up to make sure you're spelling them right. Besides, using them is practicing them, and practice...

1. "Trace, Copy and Recall" 

Make a chart with 3 or four spelling words you want to learn under the headings "trace", "copy" and "recall".  
Fold over the "recall" part so that only the first two columns show.

Then:

• Say the word to yourself.
• Trace it in the first column, saying the letters as you trace,and say the word again. You might put a little rhythm into it. ( "WORD . W - pause - O - pause R-D - WORD!).
• Go to the second column, say the word, and write it the same way. 
• Then, while the rhythm and the sound and the feeling are fresh in your mind, flip the paper over and say the word and spell it out -- the same way, saying each letter (because, after all, practice makes permanent).
• If it's a hard word, put it on the list more than once. 

After you've done all the words this way a few times, start doing them two or three at a time, and when you feel like you know them, do the list again -- but skip the tracing, or, when you're feeling VERY confident, skip the tracing and the copying both.


2. Reverse chaining by letter 

• Say the word, then write it out, saying each letter (see number one about putting rhythm into it). S-E-P-A-R-A-T-E 
• Skip a line and say it and write it again -- minus the last syllable. Say the last syllable and spell it out loud, but don't write it. S-E-P-A-______________
• Continue until you aren't writing anything -- but still say the spelling out loud. 
• Go back to the top. Read the word, then spell it out loud. 
• Fold the page over so you can't see the whole word. Say the word, spell it, and add the last syllable. 
• Fold the page back again. Say the word, spell it, and add the last two syllables. 
• Continue until you spell the whole word. 
• GO BACK AND CHECK -- make sure you didn't leave out any letters!

3. Practice using the words in short phrases. 

If separate is the word, see if you can think of 5 *different* phrases with the word and write them out. Let's see... separate rooms, separate cars, separate houses, A Separate Peace... Or, try to use 20 of your words in the same story. Get silly -- have fun with the words! 

Olympics tasks

Continue to work through your Olympics tasks (one per week).

Hands of Christ

Continue working on your Hands of Christ tasks. Please send photos of your work towards it where possible so we can mark off your achievements.

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SPELLING CITY

Enter your spelling words into Spelling City to help you learn them.

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EXTRA MATHS

Maths is one of our big focuses this term.  If you feel you would like some extra practice, check out the following links:

Math Cats Problem Solving:


Fraction Games:


Sumdog:

(Passwords are glued in their homelearning books)

Basic Facts practice:

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TYPING PRACTICE GAMES

With the increased use of computers in the classroom, it is becoming more important for the students to learn to touch type.  These games are fun and engaging.  Some old fashioned "Keep your fingers on your home keys" might be needed.

Typing Games:

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SENIOR SYNDICATE HOMELEARNING EXPECATIONS

• Home learning will come home on a Monday and will be marked on a Friday.
• Students who do not return their home learning on a Friday will need to complete work during their lunch time with Mrs Watson.
• If students do not understand the home learning that has been set, they need to go and see their teacher as soon as possible.
• Home learning tasks set will be maintenance, practice, or research work for the classroom programme, they will not be new learning.
• Home learning books and any reading books sent home, need to be kept in the plastic A4 folder purchased in the stationery pack.

Thank you for your support.

Mrs Lark and Mrs O’Connor ☺