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Mrs. S. Roberts' Fifth Grade Class |
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FAQFrequently Asked Questions: This page contains answers to common questions of students and parents.
How can I study so that I do my best on a quiz or a test? Start Early! As soon as you have the information to study, begin studying on a regular basis (every night or every morning is fine.) Use a variety of ways to go over tested information. Read the information silently, then try reading it aloud to yourself. Next, answer questions on tested material orally, and finally answer questions in writing. Make sure that you study information using your own words. This is why paraphrasing is so important. If you study information using someone else's words, it won't make sense to you. Don't try to learn it all at once! Rome wasn't built in a day and neither is knowledge! Study test material in little bits; five vocabulary words, 10 math problems, or a couple of concepts at a time. Group your material.... you will remember it better in "clusters" than as single facts. What kinds of quizzes or tests do you use in class? Assessments in my class include observations of student performance, performance tasks, interviews and conferencing with the student, projects, written reports, journal entries, models, and the traditional quizzes and tests. My quizzes and tests consist of multiple choice, matching or short answer, and essay questions. Multiple choice means that you have several possible answers to choose from. There will always be more answers than there are questions. Short answer means that you need to fill in the blank with a missing word or write the answer in a sentence or two. The last part of each test is the essay questions. These questions need to be answered using at least one paragraph. Pictures, charts, or diagrams are helpful, but you will not receive full credit if you don't follow directions. All work turned in for a grade must be completed in cursive. In my class, most students lose points simply because they do not read the directions. Extra credit is not usually offered in my class. Unfortunately, students and parents often expect extra credit. My belief is that if you study well enough, you will not need it. Begin studying the day you start the unit and study a bit each night or morning and you should do well. What are some great web sites that I might want to use at home? Here are some of my favorite websites for math and science! There are about 35 more sites on the Links section of my web site. www.learner.org/jnorth www.monarchwatch.org www.nyphilkids.org www.mathforum.org/ dr.math http://www.marcopolo-education.org/ http://www.billnye.com http://cybersleuth-kids.com/sleuth/Science/ www.factmonster.com What do I do if I want to have lunch with my child? Our class has lunch at 12:20-12:50. If you want to purchase lunch, send in a note with your lunch choice so that we can notify the cafeteria. Otherwise, you are welcome to join your child. Because seating is limited, there is a parent table just for parents and their children. When is graded work sent home? Graded work is sent home in Wednesday envelopes. Make sure you sign it and have your child return it the next day. My child just brought home a low grade. Should I be concerned? It is wise to look at your child's grades over a couple of weeks. If the majority of your child's grades are good, then he or she is doing well. Everyone has a bad day and so one poor grade will not ruin his/her grade average. What can I do to help my child in reading? Third graders need to be exposed to fluent reading. This means that you should read aloud to your child every night. They are not too old for this. Repeated exposure to fluent reading provides a child with the model of what good quality reading sounds like and helps give a child a foundation for their own reading. You can also have your child read aloud to you. Throughout the reading ask who, what, where, when, and how questions to assess comprehension. Children love the closeness that a shared book brings. I have many parents form mother/daughter or father/son book clubs with their children. Providing good quality books is good, but is not enough for third grade. Yes, I check agendas each morning for parent signatures. The agenda is a major communication tool. Agendas are stamped at the end of each day so that you know how yor child's day went. If you don't sign the agenda, then I don't know if you are keeping up with what your child is accomplishing. |
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