Keep the Learning Going - Summer 2011 Information
Summer is here, and this is the time to explore exciting, creative ways to learn outside of the structure of the school year. This section of the Class 344 website is your hub for summer assignments and communication for the outgoing Class 344 students, as well as the incoming students who will be entering my class in the fall.
Please use these pages to learn about exciting summer reading opportunities, to share what you're reading this summer with our community, to read about your mandatory summer homework assignment, to try the math challenges, and to stay on top of the garden happenings.
Please use these pages to learn about exciting summer reading opportunities, to share what you're reading this summer with our community, to read about your mandatory summer homework assignment, to try the math challenges, and to stay on top of the garden happenings.
Some Suggestions for Summer Learning
If you're looking for some extra activities to help you get ready for third grade, you may want to check out some of the options listed below. This is all completely optional, and you shouldn't feel that you won't be ready for third grade if you skip these options. However, these suggestions are all good ways to help your brain stay pink.
1) Keyboarding - You will be typing a lot in third grade. This summer would be a wonderful time to brush up on your typing skills. Learn to type with the BBC Dance Mat Typing Program. Once you've learned all of the key positions and the correct fingerings, practice your skills with these games:
Typing Defense (Type the words on each asteroid before they can collide with Earth.)
Key Krusher (Type the incoming letters before they crush your keyboard.)
Typing Arcanoid (Type the green letters as fast as possible to score lots of points.)
2) Learn and Practice the Multiplication Facts - By mid-year in third grade, you will be expected to have all of the multiplication facts memorized from 2-12. (That means that you will know them automatically without using a strategy to figure it out.) You can get a head start on learning the "times tables" by practicing this summer. The BEST game to learn multiplication facts is Timez Attack. It is a free, downloadable game made by the company Big Brainz. (They also have a paid version of the game, although that just includes more interesting levels and graphics; mathematically, the free version gets the job done.) Ask your parents for permission, then download Timez Attack to your computer, and practice, practice, practice!
Typing Defense (Type the words on each asteroid before they can collide with Earth.)
Key Krusher (Type the incoming letters before they crush your keyboard.)
Typing Arcanoid (Type the green letters as fast as possible to score lots of points.)
2) Learn and Practice the Multiplication Facts - By mid-year in third grade, you will be expected to have all of the multiplication facts memorized from 2-12. (That means that you will know them automatically without using a strategy to figure it out.) You can get a head start on learning the "times tables" by practicing this summer. The BEST game to learn multiplication facts is Timez Attack. It is a free, downloadable game made by the company Big Brainz. (They also have a paid version of the game, although that just includes more interesting levels and graphics; mathematically, the free version gets the job done.) Ask your parents for permission, then download Timez Attack to your computer, and practice, practice, practice!