1. Check in your child's take home folder every night for homework papers.

2. Find a quiet, uninterrupted area with supplies of pencils, erasers, and crayons for your child to work.

3. Give your child any assistance needed and always check their work.

4. Never do the homework for your child.

5. Homework is for learning, not evaluation.

6. Sign your child's homework, so I know that you had a part in it.

7. Your child's homework always includes reading of magazines, library books, etc. Have your child read to you and take the time to read to your child.

On Mondays, your child will receive a list of spelling words and word wall words. Please review these words with your child throughout the week. Have your child practice writing them and saying them. A good technique to use is to say, "look, cover, remember, write, check". Repeat this as many times as necessary. If your child needs to be challenged, give him/her dictated sentences to practice writing.

"School-Home Connection" sheets will be sent home on Fridays. These contain the next week's vocabulary words. These are words that will appear in their guided reading and your child needs to be able to identify them. Once you have completed some of the activities and practiced the words with your child, send the sheet in. Keep the words and continue to review the old words as you get new words. On Fridays, everyone who has turned in their "School-Home Connection" will receive an extra star to go towards getting a prize from the treasure box.

Every week, we will read a paper book that corresponds with the vocabulary words. On Friday, your child may take the book home in a bag, color one page, and sign his/her name at the bottom of that page. When your child is able to read the book easily to you, send the book and bag back before the following Friday.

We will be frequently building words with letters. After we do this activity in class, your child will take a worksheet home that has the letters listed on the top. When these come home, sit down with your child and have them cut the letters apart and show you the words they can make with the letters. You can also make words from the letters and see if your child can read them. Each set of letters will make a "secret" word when all the letters are used. Your child will want to know if you can figure out the "secret" word.

Every day except for the last day of the week, your child will bring home a worksheet from the lesson that we did that day. In class, we would have filled out part A, your child needs to complete part B. At first, your child may need a lot of help with this. Eventually, they should be able to do it on their own, but please still check their work. Also, have him/her to continue to practice the concepts that you see appear on the homework sheets.

Occasionally, I may send home other homework assignments that may relate to our current theme in science, social studies, and/or health. Please be aware that this could happen at any time and check the newsletter weekly for these assignments.