Due Date: Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Family Speech:
Practice the character speech for Monday, October 31. Say it (Don’t read it!) in front of as many people as you. Mirrors also work, and so do dogs, cats, stuffed animals, tape recorders and many other things! Here is a repeat of the directions for the speech and note cards:
Include (one card for each topic): Who My Character Is (include book and author) in a stunning introduction, A Short Retell of the Book (Think of 8 key points—Main characters, setting, problem, event #1, event #2 (next), event #3 (then), event #4 (finally), Ending ), Other Things (I Want to Share About My Character), What I Like Best About My Character (I’ve provided 4 note cards for the task). You may pretend you’re this character during your speech. Be prepared to share your character and listen to others on Monday, October 31. Your note cards are due. I’ll return them to you for you to practice at home. This will count as the first speech for the year.
*Students will be scored on:
1. Having a beginning (Grab our interest!!), middle, and an ending …the more interesting the better!
2. Using correct grammar.
3. Use descriptive language.
4. Giving the audience eye contact and appropriate body gestures.
5. Speaking loud enough for the audience to hear.
6. Use your voice as a tool in storytelling.
5. Keeping the body from fidgeting.
Writing and working on speeches together encourages your child to see you having fun, and allows you an opportunity to spend time with your child while he/she learns.
Reading: (In school we are working on establishing strategies that readers use. This week we’ve worked with retelling (8 key points as listed above for the speech for better understanding of the book.) and tuning into interesting words that students might want to use in their writing.
Language arts homework, “Thunder and Lightning” (3rd grade reading level) and “Boxes, Books and More” (2nd grade reading level) are similar in format and skills to the Oregon third grade reading assessment. It will benefit your child greatly to complete it each week. PLEASE feel free to help your child with it, even on some of the reading, if necessary. I tried to give your child the story at the reading level that will benefit him/her the most.
Keep building up the reading time for this month from 20 to 30 minutes each day. Don’t forget to help your child remember to bring the RAH (Read at Home) folder back to school each day. If you don’t have time to read one evening, please still sign the card with 0 minutes written in. That’s ok once in awhile!
Math: We’re working on counting by 2’s, 3’s, 4’s, 10’s, and 5’s right now.
* Your child needs to continue working on memorizing the addition and subtraction facts. There is a link on our Blog, “Online Flashcards” that is fun for students to use to build up their computational fluency. Help with this would be appreciated.
• Students should have turned in their completed array cards that were handed out two Fridays ago. They are to be returned to school in a baggie with their names on them. If your child has returned them, they will be checked off in my grade book and sent back home.
• Continue playing two games, Multiplication Pairs and Count and Compare with the array cards. The directions were sent home last week in the homework packet.
