My First Research Paper

This is an exciting time of year for third graders as they embark on writing their first animal research paper.  Okay, maybe for some it is a nail biting, tear-filled experience–but, it doesn’t have to be!  My First Research Paper will help you (and your students) Get Organized and Get it Done!

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Here is what is included for YOU:
** a suggested daily schedule of tasks for the next thee weeks
** week by week (and task by task–topic selection, completion of notecards, sources and graphics, development of informational and working outlines, creation of rough draft, the process of editing and drafting the final paper) instructions
** student tracking sheets (to help monitor each student’s progress)
** weekly status reports for parents (these are not included in the homeschool edition).
** mini-lessons on choosing a topic, and writing “hooks,” and documenting sources (with posters)
** and a grading sheet.

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For YOUR STUDENTS there are:
** prompted notecards
** a Research Booklet—Everything you need to keep your students’ research organized is included in this booklet.
** a “Ready to Write” rough draft guide
** revision checklist (that mirrors your grading sheet)
** and lots of FUN!

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Your students’ FIRST RESEARCH PAPER doesn’t need to be a struggle! Spend the next three weeks helping lay the foundations of some vital life skills—research, critical thinking and analysis of information—not wiping tears or writing lots of animal papers yourself. This pack will help you to get your students organized, so they can get it done!

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Sonlight’s Core D

Are your kids starting Sonlight’s Core D this year? You are going to LOVE this year of Sonlight. It is the first year that the readers and read-alones have a meaningful role in the Language Arts assignments.

This will be our fifth year using Core D. And I am excited to share with you some great supplements that will help your children accomplish their work independently.  In our home of eight children, independent seat-work is essential (to my sanity :)!

DAY 1: DICTATION DONE RIGHT for THIRD

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This year, your children will transition from copywork to dictation. I have found the three-step method of Dictation Done Right to work well for all of my children.  It helps them to get the most out of dictation–and to understand why and when they need to punctuate or capitalize a word.

Slide1Click on the Three-Step picture above to view the steps in detail.  After your children complete Dictation Done Right they will be ready to listen to you read the passage as they write it.

DAYS 2-4:  A YEAR of CREATIVE EXPRESSION for THIRD

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I know it is difficult to get your kids to write a paper each week— we have had our share of tears around here.

Writing should be FUN!

I have found that my kids needed a bit more structure to help them get their creative juices flowing.  That is what I have poured into every page of A YEAR of CREATIVE EXPRESSION for THIRD. Would you like to see the preview? You can here!  It is wonderful how, with the right tools, your children can think through their writing assignments independently!

Enjoy the last few days of summer and have fun this year in Core D–you’re going to LOVE it!

**There is no affiliation between Sonlight Curriculum and PreparilliPress.**

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Mastering Multiplication Giveaway Starts Today!!

My newest giveaway at Teacher’s Notebook has begun! Mastering Multiplication giveaway starts today!! The giveaway will run for the next 10 days and three of you who enter will win! Mastering Multiplication was designed to help your students master their multiplication facts and move them to a greater understanding of the applications of multiplication.

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Slide06Your students begin by learning each numbers’ skip count series. Skip counting is a valuable math skill and the foundation of multiplication! Using the Skip Count Assessment sheets, they will systematically apply this knowledge to:Slide07

— completing skip count patterns
— writing and solving equations for arrays
— determining missing factors
— building equivalent fractions
— and solving word problems.

 

 

 

OncSlide08e the multiplication facts for a number are grasped through skip counting, your students can delve into the Units of Measure. On the Units of Measure sheets, your students will:

— learn each number’s (2-8, 10, & 16) prefix, or terms for that number
— visual identify the number’s unit conversions
— apply their skip counting knowledge to discover conversion answers to basic (and more challenging) word problems/task cards

 

 

This pack also provides instruction on even and odd numbers, squares (a number times itself) and prime numbers.  Blank multiplication tables, task card recording sheets and tests for fluency are also included.

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Before you enter the giveaway, grab the {FREEBIE} from this pack and see how it will help you teach multiplication this year!

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Solo’s Sound Wars

You may have noticed that Kindergarten Jedi is loaded with fun and engaging math and literacy worksheets (print-n-go) for your young padawans. But, did you know that it also has a wonderful word building game that all your kids can enjoy together?Slide3

Solo’s Sound Wars will challenge your kindergarteners to sound out and build CVC and CVCC words. It will also allow your older children to demonstrate their spelling abilities and teach the younger ones something new!

My fifth, third, second and kindergarten children played Solo’s Sound Wars with some FUN and AMAZING results!

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They built plenty of CVC words; used the true blends and double consonants; and demonstrated mastery of vowel teams!

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Record This Year’s Favorites

As we enter the last month of our homeschool year, I find myself making mental notes about next year, and getting nostalgic about this one.  Another school year is coming to a close. Yes, it is good to be nearing the finish line, but I want to capture where each of my kids is right now and bottle it up.  What if I forget the joys from this year?  And the struggles that motivated us to work harder and dig a little deeper? I want to be able to look back years from now and reminisce about our homeschool journey.  So, this week I had my kids record this year’s favorites and look ahead to our summer break.  Here is a look at what we used:

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There is one for the boys and another for the girls.  All of my children enjoyed filling in their favorites. My first grader needed a bit of help spelling a few things she wanted to write, but otherwise had fun on her own filling it in and coloring it! (The recording sheets in My Favorite Things are printer-friendly,black-and-white, and can be colored by your kids).  There is also an autograph page, so you can record all your students’ signatures. Click on the picture below if you’d like to grab them to use with your kids.

Slide1Record This Year’s Favorites

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