There is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task."           - Barack Obama, Inaugural Address, 1/20/09 

CHARACTER ED:         

          MYSTERY READER          
                        

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  Happy Birthday to: ********************************************************************************************************************************************** 

       RELATED ARTS SCHEDULE             

Day 1:  Music, PE, Science Enrichment

Day 2: Spanish, Library

Day 3: PE

 Day 4: Health, Art

Day 5: Music

Day 6: Art, Spanish

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      THE REFERENCE DESK     

        Rhino Reading: This is REQUIRED HOMEWORK for EVERY STUDENT! Each student needs to read a minimum of 150 minutes per week. That is 30 minutes  a night for 5 nights, or any combination that equals 150 minutes. Minutes are to be recorded on the monthly calendar in your homework book. The week's minutes need to be totaled and initialed (by a parent) for each Monday. If you prefer something to hang on the refrigerator, the rhino log is attached to this site. Minutes can be accumulated by silent reading, reading aloud, partner reading, being read to, or any combination.  Students are welcome to read more and if everyone reads 1,000 minutes a month, we are sure to win the school competition. It is important that EVERY STUDENT does his/her share! 

PIZZA HUT BOOK-IT! coupons for a free personal pan pizza will be given for October through March reading minutes. Students need to have read 600 minutes for the month (150 x4) for those. Additional prizes will be awarded for those reading 1,000 minutes a month.

      WORD  WIZARDS:   We use differentiated word work lists in 3D. This is how it works:

1. Students take a pretest (usually Monday) on the regular words for the week plus challenge words. The student will correct the pretest in school in a spelling notebook and bring it home. (I will post the list under "files.")

2. That night, the student will make a list of 10 words he/she will study for the week. The list will be written once in the homework book and once on an index card. A parent MUST check the homework book list for accuracy and initial it. The index card (with the student's name on it) will remain in the classroom.   

3. All "word wizard work" (not work from the spelling workbook) and the weekly spelling test will be based on that personal list of 10 words. 

4. The personal list of 10 words is to be made as follows:

    a. use the regular list words which you got wrong,

    b. if you need more words to make 10 words, use the challenge words, starting with the ones you got wrong,

    c. if you got all the words correct, use all the challenge words (even if you got them right) and add 

        your own choice until you make 10.                    

    d. The "choice" words should be challenging words, used in your regular writing (e.g. beautiful, enormous), on your "words to learn" list, or

        used in our subject areas (e.g. atmosphere, subtraction). There will usually only be two or three to add at most.

5. At the end of each unit (five lists), there will be a unit mastery spelling assessment. This will be on the regular unit words. Challenge words may be used for bonus points.

 ADDITIONAL LINKS:

comic creator

http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/comic/index.html