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Ms. Danielle Dowgin |
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Important Questions with Important AnswersFrequently Asked Questions: This page contains answers to common questions from both parents and students.
If you have any concerns or are wondering why something is happening, please feel free to call or email me at any time. You can find a link to my email in the top right hand corner of my web page. I welcome all concerns, ideas, and feedback that affect your child and our classroom. You can also send a note with your child in his or her red folder and I will get back to you as soon as possible! Will my child have snack each day? We have a WORKING snack each day around 10:30 am. Please send your child to school with a healthy, easy-to-eat snack. I do not allow any drinks besides water bottles in our classroom during snack due to the chance of sticky spillage and ruined books and papers. Thank you for your understanding! Can I send in treats to celebrate my child's birthday? Yes, definitely! We have 22 students in our class. Please provide napkins, plates, and utensils (if needed). These items can be dropped off in the main office on the day of your child's birthday, and we will celebrate when all the children are present in the room. Even if you do not wish to send a treat in for your child's birthday, we will still sing Happy Birthday as a class. What are the Student Reference Book and Home Link books used for in math? The Student Reference Book (SRB) is a helpful tool to use when completing homework, studying for tests, or to review information. It also includes the rules for all the math games we will play in class and that you can play at home as well. This can be kept at home throughout the year, however, it will be collected at the end of the year so please take care of it! The Home Link book should be kept at home. When your child has homework, please rip out the assigned page and return it to school the next day. At the beginning of each unit there is a Parent Letter. This gives you an overview of what will be taught in this unit. There is also an answer key so you may check your child's homework at home before it is returned to school. What is an Interactive Notebook? The students will be using an Interactive Notebook in Science, Health and Social Studies. When you open these notebooks, they are set up the same way: On every right side page you will find information given to your child in class. This information may be definitions, notes, or worksheets that were distributed in class. On every left side page your child will complete some type of activity that will extend the information they have learned in class on any given day. This is a place where students will be able to reflect on what they have learned. What is my child's Red Folder for? Please be sure to ask your child what he or she is working on, and look in his or her red homework folder every night. This red folder is where you will find important notes that are sent home, as well as any homework that needs to be completed each night. This folder is different than your child’s Friday Folder, which will be sent home every Friday with graded work and school forms. How can I help my child become a stronger reader? 1. Make sure your child is reading for 15 minutes every night and recording his or her thoughts on the Reading Log. 2. Ask your child about the book they are reading. Conversing with your child about the book will help to increase his/her comprehension level. Students are welcome to take home their independent reading books as long as they remember to return them to school the next day. Here are a few examples of questions you can ask your child: -What's your story about? -Tell me what happens to the character(s) in the book. -Are there any tricky parts to the book that you would like to discuss? -Are there any unfamiliar vocabulary words that you are struggling with? (Look up the meanings together in a dictionary) -What is your favorite part/least favorite part? WHY? 3. It is important that children see that reading is not only an in-school and homework assignment. Pick up a book and read while your child is reading as well. This way, your child can see that reading is great for everyone! 4. Your child has been exposed to several active reading strategies. Use these active reading strategies at home. Visualize - make a movie in your head Question - Who, What, Where, When, Why, How? Clarify - Unsure about something? Reread the text, look at any illustrations, and clarify new words Predict - "What will happen next?" Connect - Make a text to self (make a connection between the book you are reading and your own life), text to text (make a connection between the book you are reading and another book), or text to world (make a connection between the book you are reading and something happening in the world). React - This makes me feel _____ because _______. How can I help my child with his or her reading comprehension skills? There is a great website that provides several free books that you can download onto your computer. Download a few books at home and practice your comprehension skills at home together! Ask your child several questions about what he or she is reading. http://www.readinga-z.com/newfiles/preview.html Conversing with your child about his or her reading and asking questions is also a great way to build his or her comprehension skills. Can my child complete the Reader's Notebook letter at home? No. Your child has an entire week in class to write their letter during our Reader's Workshop period, and this is an in-class- assignment. If your child is absent for a significant part of the week they will be given extra time to complete this assignment in class. What happens if a student forgets a Reading Log or Writer's Notebook? Please still read or write! You can record your "thinking" about books on a separate piece of paper and staple it to your Reading Log when you get to school. A parent should write me a note letting me know that their child forgot their Writer's Notebook and I will make sure your child is prepared the next night by checking their red folder. Meanwhile, the student should still write on another piece of lined paper for 5 minutes and staple it into their notebook the next day. How can I help my child memorize his or her math facts? There are several ways you can make memorizing necessary math facts fun and entertaining! Here are a few examples: 1. Using flashcards - make flashcards using notecards with the addition/subtraction problem on one side and put the answer on the back. Your child should look at the problem and verbally say the correct answer. Then, you can flip the card over and he or she can check their answer by looking on the other side of the notecard. 2. Work with a friend, parent, relative, or teacher to practice saying the facts out loud or writing them on paper. 3. Practice memorizing one fact at a time. You can say the fact at different times throughout the day. Maybe you can say the fact before sitting down for dinner, while driving to school, or right before bed! 4. Check out these great helpful websites! http://karenwalthall.teach-nology.com/favorite_links.html http://www.aplusmath.com/Games/HiddenPicture/HiddenPicture.php http://www.thegreatmartinicompany.com/ In what subjects will my child be tested? Every Friday students will be quizzed on their spelling words, along with the Repair Shop topic for the week. Tests will be given in math, social studies, and health following each unit. I will give one weeks notice beforehand, along with posting reminders to study for these tests. Students will also be tested in science- a good portion of these tests will be based on hands-on experiments and observations during class. For this reason it is important that students actively participate in classroom activities. |
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