Kempsville Library/VBPLS Online Search Catalog
Now the world really is at your fingertips! Use this link to find books/materials on anything your child is learning about in school. Easily place things on hold from home w/o ever going to the library.
All Third Grade Spelling Words!
Is it impossible for your child to keep his/her hands on this week's spelling words? Does the family dog have an insatiable appetite for all things homework related?? This site is for you. All our weekly words for every story with just one click.
Poquoson City Public Schools VA SOL study site
This website is truly awesome. Like the Jefferson Labs site, it offers games, practice quizzes, review items and more for each subject area- Science, Social Studies, Math, and of course, Language Arts. We will use this site primarily in the Computer Lab for review in school. Feel free to reinforce this site at home!
FactMonster.com
This super kid-friendly website "contains several reference works under one umbrella, including the Columbia Encyclopedia, Random House Dictionary, an atlas and an almanac. It also features quizzes, flashcards, a homework center and Flash-based games. In 2001, it won a Webby Award for best kids site." Very cool!
Third Grade Dictionary Scavenger Hunt!
Being able to use a dictionary is not just a skill that may appear on the SOL, but it is also a vital life skill. This site makes it fun and interesting! This is a great activity for your child to try with you the first time or two. It can also be played "offline," on a rainy day or when the power goes out... with a real dictionary of course. ;)
Professor Smarts/Toon University ~ Alphabetizing through the 3rd Letter
Our students need to become more fluent in the area of alphabetizing more than two letters at a time. This game, for 1-3 players, is aimed to do just that.
Third Grade Skills Support
I will use this page frequently in the computer lab this year. If you notice that your child is weak in a certain area, such as prefixes/suffixes, spelling, or homonyms, etc., this is a fabulous resource with links to fun and challenging games for your child.
List of Popular Homophones
This is a good list to review a few times with Mom and Dad prior to the SOLs. Remember, homophones are words that sound the same but have different spellings/meanings. Know their spellings and meanings! Click "go back to activity" to play the homophone concentration game.
Homophone Battleship!
Homophones are words that sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings.
Adjectives Battleship!
Adjectives are words that modify nouns (people/places/things). They can answer the questions, how many, which one, or what kind. They can also be colors, shapes, sizes, textures... and don't forget your articles- a, an, and the!
Adverbs Battleship!!
When you "hit" the enemy's ship, you must identify the adverb in the sentence that pops up. If you are correct, you hit their ship. If you miss, it turns yellow and does not count. You must try again to get the hit. Pretty fun!
SOL Practice Games/Websites... added to often!
Word Builder Game
~easy to learn game that speaks the word your child needs to spell by dragging each letter to the correct box.
Proofreading Makes Perfect
~this site is a lot like our DOLs that we use on a daily basis in class. I like this site because it starts out by practically telling the student what needs to be fixed, but then it gets harder, with vague clues. Sometimes it will ask you to find four mistakes, other times it will say two capitalization mistakes or one punctuation mistake, etc.
Grammar Gold
~this is a great site! It covers simple and compound sentences, irregular verbs, the use of apostrophes (possessive nouns), and easily confused words (homophones/homographs). The directions can also be read aloud to your child on this site.
Word Works
~Excellent practice game for "creating new words" based on adding prefixes and suffixes. I like this site because it uses several different afixes, reads aloud to the child, and guides the child in putting their word into a sentence that makes sense. 1 or 2 player game!
Salem ES Suggested List
~provides practice tests, jeopardy style games, and topical links as well. Includes all areas of 3rd grade study covered on the SOL- Reading, Science, Math, Social Studies.
For Moms and Dads and Guardians too!
Help! How do I read aloud with my child?
Perhaps you have been reading to your child but you have run out of ideas to make it fun. Maybe you haven't been reading to/with them as often as you'd like and you are interested in how to find more time. Or, maybe you've never experienced the joy of reading with your child and you want to get started.
I believe children become better readers through example. They need to be read to by someone and/or read to someone at least once a day. In the classroom children will be read to by me every day for 20 minutes. I treasure this time of day and the children truly look forward to it. How much more would they love to spend special one-on-one time with you each day in the same way? This website is an excellent guide for helping not just our children become better readers through example, but all of us. I hope you find it as enjoyable and interesting as I do!
Read Aloud Virginia!
One website dedicated to encouraging parents to read aloud on a regular basis to your children.
You Wanted to Help: The Nine Commandments of Literacy, by Mrs. Foley
This free e-book offers advice to you, dear Parents, on how to effectively enhance your child's communication skills. According to research, it is you who has more influence over your child's reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills than I do. This e-book is an incredible resource I urge you to read! It may take you more than one sitting, but with her many years of experience and humor, Mrs. Foley offers you a gold mine of tools in this vital area of your child's development. :o)
Scott Foresman Curriculum
This is the official link to the curriculum we use in class. To begin, click on the story your child is working on in class; this is also mentioned on my This Week page. Click on the Worksheet icon to view/print it, and then the Workshop icon for the online practice area. Click on the Teacher Notes icon for directions and descriptions of the activities.
At the top of the window there is a small green oval with the word Families. Click on that button and then "Family Times Online" to view the electronic newsletter for that selection story. On this page, which is printable should you ever lose the hardcopy, you will see games and activities that correspond with the lessons in the Scott Foresman Reading program.
Other topics covered in the Family Times will be a short summary of the story your child will be tested on, the current reading and grammar skills for that story, truly enjoyable, quick activities for you and your child to extend the story at home, as well as an explanation/example of tested vocabulary. On the hardcopy that is sent home, a list of spelling words that your child will be tested on will also be available.