Miss Portfors's Blog

This blog is intended for my students and their families.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Blog is up and running AGAIN :)

Great news... I was finally able to log back into my blog so things can start getting posted!

Posted by Miss Portfors at 10:07 AM

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Online Reading Website

Storynory
Storyline Online
Little Animals Activity Centre
Speakaboos
ReadingLady
Rosetta Project
Reading is Fundamental
KOL Jr. Stories
WeGiveBooks
Children's Digital Library

Tomatosphere Websites

Tomatosphere
Nasa Quest
Mars for Kids
Mars Exploration Program
Haughton-Mars Project
Imagine Mars

Resources for Parents

ETSB Website
Today's Parent Magazine
Printable Math Worksheets and Puzzles
BBC Education
Guide to Grammar
Math Dictionary for Kids
Math Word Problems

Learning Sites and Resources

Science Sites:
Solar System/Space
Planets and Dwarf Planets
International Astronomical Union
Kids Biology
KidsAstronomy
Human Biology
Kids Geology
Dinosaurs for Kids

Math Sites:
Math Games
Polygons
Polygons
KidsNumbers
Math Warehouse
Math Magician
Math Live
Area and Perimeter
Interactive Math
MathFrog
Fractions
Fraction Games
Fraction Games 2
Visual Fractions
World Maths Day
A Plus Math
A Math Dictionary for Kids
Create a Graph
Fit Brains
Tangrams
ManthLibs
Math Manipulatives
Multiplication.com
Geometry and Measures (BBC Bitesize)
Statistics and Probability (BBC Bitesize)
MathPlayground
Mr.Nussbaum
Shape and Space
Free Rice
University of Waterloo

English Sites:
Guide to Grammar
Speakaboos
AAA Spell
The Canadian Encyclopedia
Happy Birthday Author
Free Rice
Spelling
Teaching Kids the News
DoGo News
Bitesize English
KidsSpell
Story Starter Machine
VocabAhead
MathCats
MathLibs
StarFall

ERC Sites:
World Symbols Game
Moral Stories
Religious Studies
Christian Kids
Bible Stories on Storynory
Official Kwanzaa Site
Islam (BBC Schools)
Islam for Kids
Christianity (BBC Schools)
Christianity for Kids
Buddhism (BBC Schools)
Buddhism for Kids
Judaism (BBC Schools)
Judaism for Kids
Hinduism (BBC Schools)
Hinduism for Kids
Sikhism (BBC Schools)
Sikhism for Kids

Art and Design:
BBC Bitesize
Student Art

Drama:
Drama (BBC Bitesize)

Other Sites:
Virtual Museum
McCord Museum
Sheppard Software
Study Ladder

About Me

Miss Portfors: Hi everyone! I am so pleased to introduce myself to everyone. I am Miss Lynzee Portfors and I am the grade 4/5 teacher at A.D.S. I am originally from Thunder Bay, Ontario but recently came to Quebec from Moncton, New Brunswick. I have been teaching since 2006 when I graduated from Lakehead University with my Bachelor of Education and Bachelor of Art Degrees. In 2009, I completed my Master's Degree in Education. I am very passionate about what I do and love being a teacher! I am very excited to be teaching here in Danville and I look forward to meeting everyone. This Blog is intended to provide information on what we are learning. Please feel free to comment and ask any question you have.

View my complete profile

Approach to Homework

Homework is an important part of your child’s education. It allows them the opportunity to review concepts and strategies learned in class, and helps them learn to plan their time outside the classroom. For the parent, it is an opportunity to see what the child is learning at school, to review and clarify ideas with the student, and to gage how well their child has understood.

In cycle two and cycle three, your child will have approximately fifteen minutes of homework and studying each week-night. This will include the math pages, revising math concepts (such as multiplication), working on English homework, and assignment from French class.

Given that many students have extra-curricular activities, parents should review the homework on Monday and plan how it will be completed during the week. Never is a large amount of work given and expected to return completed for the next day. Homework is assigned at the beginning of the week and is to be returned by the end of the week.

While it may seem like an obvious statement, homework is to be done at home. The same way parents supervise the completion of other chores, parents need to make sure their child completes their homework. Given that homework is not done in my presence, I rely on parents to ensure that it is completed. I do not give punishments at school for something that was or was not done when I was not present. Teachers would not be expected to give a detention to a child who did not make her bed, because that is a home responsibility. The same can be said for homework. I do not control how the student uses their time after school. That is the role of the parent.

It is my experience that parents generally value schoolwork and want to help their child succeed. Therefore, to make sure homework gets done, we use the homework folder and this blog to make sure families know what has to be done. Then if work is not completed I take the following steps:

1) the first time work is not done, I write a note to parents informing them that the work is not done. At this point most parents make sure the work gets competed and investigate why the assignment is incomplete.

2) the second time the work it not done, the student and I call home to inform parents there is a problem and to enlist their help getting the work done.

3) the third time homework is incomplete, parents need to come to school to meet with me to discuss the situation. We discuss why the work is not done and find solutions such as modifying expectations or planning schedules.

***If for some reason your child is unable to complete the work on a given night (unexpected company, family emergency, unforeseen circumstances) please write me a note stating that you know the homework is not done, and letting me know when it will be completed. In this way I know that the student has informed the parent they had work that needed to be done.

I thank you for your help with homework, and for taking the time to support your child in his or her learning.

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