Windsor Intermediate Center
3rd Grade Survival Guide
2013-2014
A guide for students and their parents to be successful in the
third grade. Please keep this guide handy as you may
need to refer to it throughout the year.
Table of Contents
Summatives ………………………………………..
/ Page 2Questions to Ask Your Child When Reading ……..
/ Pages 3-4Math ………………………………………………….
/ Pages 5-6Definitions ofProperties
Left to Right Addition & Subtraction
Reading/Spelling …………………………………
PQPA / Page 7Homework ………………………………………….
Late Assignments / Page 8Weekly Reviews …………………………………..
/ Page 9Scholarships ……………………………………….
Behavior …………………………………………….Birthdays …………………………………………… / Page 10
Page 10
Page 10
Signature Page
This needs to be signed & returned to school. / Page 11Page 1
Summatives
Here at the IC, we have tests called Summatives. These are graded tests over units students are taught. At the beginning of each quarter or unit, students will be given a pre-test of this summative to see what they already know. At the end of the unit, the summative will be given. Summatives account for 50% of the students’ quarterly grade, with the other 50% coming from assignments.
Students are allowed to “Re-do” the Math and Science summatives. Students will automatically be given a redo if they do not achieve an 80% or better on a summative. Your child’s teacher will remediate (re-teach) the concepts your child missed, then the summative will be given again. If a student scores above an 80%, but would like to redo a summative for a higher score, he/she must tell the teacher. These students will not be remediated. They must study on their own. Students are allowed to redo 2 summatives per semester in math and 2 per semester in science.
The only exception to a redo in Math and Science is if the teacher feels that the student has not worked his/her hardest or has not studied. In this case, he/she will be remediated, but will not be allowed to redo the test. This means that the original score achieved will be the score recorded. Please encourage your child to study his/her hardest and do the best he/she can on all assignments and tests.
Reading summatives will be given at the end of the stories. These will always be open book tests; therefore, students will not be allowed a redo on any Reading Summatives. Some of the questions on these summatives are requiring students to “infer” or figure out what the author’s purpose is for writing the story. The next two pages have a list of questions for you to ask your child about each story to help him/her prepare for summatives.
At the end of this guide there will be a place for you to sign indicating you have read this redo policy. Your signature also indicates that you are aware that if your child does not work his/her hardest or study, he/she will not be allowed to retake a test.
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Math
Students are expected to have multiplication tables mastered before the end of the year. Therefore, students will have a weekly log to record at home practice. Student progress will be monitored at school with one minute timed drills several times a week called Rocket Math. These drills will not be used for a grade.
Students will be taking five minute timed drills once a week. We will begin with addition & subtraction, then move on to multiplication & division. These will be used for a grade.
The following terms will be taught in class & reviewed throughout the year. These terms are used in the Weekly Reviews (explained on page 9) that will go home each week.
Commutative Property: 3 + 5 = 5 + 3 or 4 x 6 = 6 x 4
It does not matter what order the numbers are in. Both sides of
the equal sign equal the same amount.
Associative Property: (3+6)+7=3+(6+7) & (2x5) x3= 2x(5x3)
It does not matter which numbers are added/multiplied first.
Both sides of the equal sign equal the same amount.
Distributive Property: 3 x 12 = (3 x 10) + (3 x 2)
3 x 12 = 30 + 6
36 = 36
Identity Property: 4 + 0 = 4 or 300 + 0 = 300
The sum of zero & any number is the number itself.
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Standard Form: the way we usually see numbers written:
12, 58, or even 5,298
Expanded Form: shows a number as an addition problem.
To write a number in expanded form, use place value to
show each digit’s value. For example, the expanded form
of 43,624 is 40,000 + 3,000 + 600 + 20 + 4.
Word Form: two thousand seventy five
Estimation = Rounding If not specified, always round to the
highest place value.
Adding & Subtracting Left to Right:
7,436- / 1,508
6,000 / (7,000-1,000)
- / 100 / (400-500)
5,900
+ / 30 / (30-0)
5,930
- / 2 / (6-8)
5,928
7,354
+1,884
8,000 (7,000+1,000)
1,100 (300+800)
130(50+80)
8 (4+4)
9,238
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Reading
Reading well is a key to success in school as well as in life. Therefore, your assistance at home will greatly improve your child’s reading ability. We ask that students spend 30 minutes each week reading at home. It would be very beneficial for your child to read out loud for part of that time. Students will have a weekly log to record time spent reading at home.
Generally, we will spend two weeks on each reading story from the Reading Street Reading Books. Stories will be read several times at school and should be read at least one time at home. At the end of the two weeks, students will take a Summative over the story. It would greatly benefit your child to be asked questions from pages 3 & 4 of this guide after reading the story at home.
PQPA: (Part Question/Part Answer) Students will usually have worksheets to complete about the story currently being read. They are expected to use PQPA on these worksheets.
For example: Question: How many hours are there in one day?
Answer using PQPA: There are 24 hours in one day.
Answer without using PQPA: 24
Spelling
Students will be responsible for correctly spelling the 14 Word Wall words for the month. The words will be sent home on your child’s class newsletter. We will work with these words in the classroom, however, students will also benefit from practicing these words at home. The first spelling test will be at the end of September. Spelling test grades will be incorporated into the Reading grade.
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Homework
Planners: Students are expected to copy assignment for the day from the board into their planners. Please check it daily with your child & discuss whether he/she has homework. Please sign/initial the planner daily after checking it. The planner can also be used for communication between you and your child’s teacher.
Homework that students will have every week is the Weekly Review, the Reading/Multiplication Log, studying for an upcoming summative, and studying for the spelling test. However, throughout the day students will be assigned independent work, which will be due the next day. Students will write these assignments in their planners. They will have time during the day to work on these assignments. Any work not completed by the end of the school day will need to be completed at home. It will be your child’s responsibility to make sure incomplete work and books needed go home. Please check your child’s planner daily.
If your child has schoolwork to finish at home on a daily basis, ask your child what he/she is doing during the time given to work on it. If you don’t receive a satisfactory answer, contact your child’s teacher.
Late Assignments: Students are expected to have their completed work at school the day it’s due. Assignments are usually due the day after it’s assigned with the exception of Weekly Reviews (see page 9). If your child doesn’t have the completed assignment, it is considered a Late Assignment. Even if a student tells his/her teacher that the assignment is finished but at home, it is still a late assignment. The only exception is when a student has been absent from school.
If a student has a late assignment, he/she must go to Study Hall instead of recess on that day & 20% will be deducted from the grade of that assignment. During Study Hall the student will work on the assignment that was late. If at the end of Study Hall the assignment hasn’t been completed, the student will attend Study Hall every day until the assignment has been completed.
For every 5 late assignments, students will have to attend After School Detention (seeWIC Student Handbook for more info).
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Weekly Reviews
Each Monday your child will be assigned a Weekly Review and it will be due on the following Monday. He/she should keep this in his/her binder, as he/she may have time to work on it during the school day. Weekly Reviews review math/language arts problems that have been taught at school.
The problems on the Weekly Reviews are the type of problems the students will see on the MAP test in April.
Please encourage your child to work on a few problems each day/evening and I will do the same during the school day. We are trying to teach them responsibility, time management, and the prioritizing of assignments. We will stress to them to NOT wait until the day before it is due to do all the problems, as it may be overwhelming to them and will be a lot to do at one time.
Please check over your child’s Weekly Review before he/she turns it in. If you notice any mistakes, please have your child do that problem again. Please write your initials on the first page of the Weekly Review after you have checked it.
If a student does not have the completed Weekly Review on the Monday it’s due, it will be a late assignment.
Your signature is requested on the last page of this booklet stating that you understand what our policy is regarding the Weekly Reviews. Please feel free to contact your child’s teacher if you have any questions.
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Scholarships
The Intermediate Center is a SWPBS (School Wide Positive Behavior Support) school. Students are expected to be Safe, Respectful, & Responsible. Students who display these attributes are occasionally rewarded with a “Scholarship.” The students then have a chance to win a small prize. Scholarships are similar to the hoots used at the elementary. The whole class can be awarded a class scholarship when everyone displays these attributes in the hall &/or in special classes. Classes then earn rewards once they reach a certain amount of Scholarships.
Behavior
See Matrix in the WIC Student Handbook and your teacher’s handbook.
Birthdays
Students are welcome to bring in a treat to share with the class for his/her birthday. All food sent in must have a nutrition label.
Birthday Invitations: Students may pass out birthday invitations at school only if all students in the class are invited. The only exception is if it’s an all-girl or all-boy party, in which case, all of the girls or all of the boys in the class would have to be invited in order the invitations to be passed out at school.
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Parent signature below indicates:
I have read and understand the summative redo policy.
I have read and understand the importance of the Reading/ Multiplication log.
I have read about the Weekly Reviews. I understand the importance of these and will check my child’s work before it’s turned in.
Throughout the year, occasionally students are rewarded with a movie. Most of the movies shown are rated G. Occasionally, students request movies that are rated PG, such as Underdog. In order to show these PG rated movies, we must have your permission.
Please check one:
___ My child has my permission to watch PG movies at school.
___ My child does not have permission to watch PG movies at school.
______
Child’s name
______
Parent Signature Date
Return this page to your child’s teacher.
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