WINTER BREAK VOLUNTARY HOMEWORK

The following is a list of activities that third grade students may do during this vacation on the winter break of 2012. The ideal goal is to work more than 15 days days. However, it is okay to work fewer days.

Get a notebook or use your binder to collect all the work you will do on separate sheets of paper. Parents should sign the work done each day. The first day of school, Monday, January 7, give all the work done to Mr. Flores in exchange for a toy.

The main goal of doing these activities is to maintain or improve each student's skill levels on fluency and comprehension. It is an opportunity to write neater and faster in print and cursive. Therefore, it is important that the student do each activity carefully.

The reading activities are easy to follow. Make a copy of a story, copy it, select a few words that are and answer the questions. According to the reading level and the writing skills of each student, the activities must take no more than few minutes each. If a student takes too much time, it is recommended that someone work closely with him or her.

Please, choose some of the activities suggested below, and try to do these as well as possible.

Each of the twelve days pick one reading comprehension story from the list, copy it, read it for fluency, and answer the questions. Then, underline no more than five words that are unknown to you, look for them in the dictionary, and copy them on a piece of paper.
Review one story of the ones we have read. Read along with the recorded voice, answer the six questions about the story, and review the vocabulary from the vocabulary pages. Copy the words five times, and copy the sentences twice.
Practice the cursive exercises. Make sure you do the movements correctly. Work patiently trying to do it right instead of trying to do it fast.
Keep a journal to record what you do every day. In the journal write the information that answer the questions who, where, when, how, and why. Also, include a line or two about how that makes you feel. For instance:

Math Homework

In third grade we have learned to add, subtract, multiply, and divide. In order to improve your skills in these operations, it is important to practice daily. Here, you can select what you need to work on and practice until you become proficient. In the math section you can find fun exercises that can help you practice.
You can get a notebook or paper and organize your work by writing your name and date on each paper. Keep your work organized by writing your name and date on each page. On the first day of school in January, show your work to Mr. Flores and you will get a prize.

Work on your basic facts first. It is important to memorize them. Practice addition and subtraction first. Then, apply these facts to do problems with two and three digits.

Practice the timetables using these steps:
First, practice one timetable each day and review it briefly the next day.
Second, write the timetable five to ten times and repeat it until you can say it from memory. Read it in order several times, then read it backwards. Practice to develop speed.
Third, play with dice to practice the facts randomly. Throw two dice and count the dots, then multiply the number for whatever timetable you are working.
Finally make up some easy sproblems with two or three digits. For instance
52 X 8=, 234 X 9=, OR 910X7=.

Thanks,

Mr. Flores