Understanding Your Child's Elementary School Report Cards
Forms
All HCPSS School Forms such as absence forms, bullying form, etc. Can be found here: Click Here
Student Resources
Current Events, News, and Non-Fiction
- Scholastic News
- Time Magazine for Kids
- Teaching Kids News
- DOGO News for Kids
- Highlights Kids
- Tween Tribune
Children are motivated by reading on the computer, kindle, tablet, iphone, etc.! Howard County library includes free engaging interactive e-books for all grade levels. They include animated picture books, paired fiction and non-fiction, and books that include audio while children read along.
Book Suggestions
Children sometimes have difficulty finding books that are at their appropriate reading level and interest them. The sites below allow students to select their grade level, reading level, and most importantly, interests, in order to find book suggestions for books they will enjoy reading.
Book Reviews
One of the best ways to motivate children to read is by sharing book reviews with them. The sites below include reviews by other children, reviews by librarians, and even video previews to get children excited about books!
- Guys Read - Our favorite Jon Scieszka hosts this site that targets interests for all of our elementary age guys (but girls will love them, too!)
- A Book and a Hug - Barb Langridge, fabulous Howard County Librarian created a list of books for reluctant readers, new books, book reviews, etc!
- Book Wink - Book review videos and suggestions
- Kids Reads - Book reviews for kids
- Slime Kids - Book reviews for kids, by kids!
Spelling Practice
Children will enjoy practicing their spelling words and learning new words with the games on the sites below.
- Learner.org interactive spelling bee
- AAA Spelling lists
- FunBrain.com spelling challenge
- Houghton Mifflin spelling activities
Vocabulary Practice
Children will enjoy learning about word parts and discovering new vocabulary words from the sites below.
- Vocabulary.co.li activities - This site has numerous enjoyable vocabulary games for practicing synonyms, antonyms, prefixes, suffixes, origins, etc.
- Dynamo Dictionary - This site tests children's word knowledge
- Vocabulary.com - This site aims to teach children new words and will adjust the complexity of the word based on their previous answer
Writing in response to reading
- Read, write, think - Children should be writing responses to their reading in order to understand the connection between reading and writing and become better writers. Readwritethink.org offers a wide variety of online written response activities that children can complete after reading any text.
Creative Writing Prompts
Children should write daily to improve their writing skills. Children who are reluctant writers will be inspired to write with the creative story ideas from the websites below!
- Scholastic Story Starters - Funny story starters to get students to overcome writer's block and start writing
- Creative Writing Prompts - More prompts for overcoming writers block
- Story Starter, Jr. - Story starter for kids
- The Story Kitchen - Finish a story that has already been partially written, then read to compare your ending to other's endings!
- Pic Lit - Use pictures to inspire writing
Phonics
Early readers will enjoy these phonics and phonemic awareness games.
- Kiz Phonics activities by grade level
- Sadlier-Oxford phonic games
- Starfall reading activities
Grammar/Editing
Reinforce important grammar and proofreading skills including punctuation, capitalization, grammar usage, etc. with these interactive games.
Research Help
STEM Information
STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. STEM is a major focus of the Common Core standards that are helping to make our students college and career ready. STEM focuses on incorporating these four disciplines into our students' daily activities.
View specific information on Maryland's STEM initiatives
STEM-related sites
Science/Technology
- ScienceNews for Students
- United States Department of Agriculture Science for Kids
- NSA.gov's Cybersecurity for Kids
- NOAA Student Activities and Resources
- Tryscience.org activities and experiments to try at home
Math
- CoolMath for Kids online games and math activities
- FunBrain online games, books, and comics
- Professor Garfield
Engineering
Family Resources
A+ School Rewards at Giant Foods
Hammond Elementary Code: 00388. Attach this number for the rewards program. With A+ School Rewards, points accrue with each purchase that uses the Giant Card. It even works with purchases made online with Peapod by Giant. At the end of each month, these points determine your school's cash total which is automatically credited to its account and school totals updated each month. (Please note: Gift cards (excluding store brand gift cards), pharmacy, alcohol and/or cigarette purchases are excluded from accruing points.)
Harris Teeter Rewards Program - More information
Hammond Elementary Code: 8583
Tell the cashier during check out to add account # 8583 to your Harris Teeter VIC card.
Measures of Academics Progress (MAP) Assessments
Understanding each student’s academic level gives teachers the power to help them excel. MAP computerized adaptive assessments are the tools that make it possible – providing educators with the detailed information they need to build curriculum and meet their students’ needs, one child at a time.
MAP assessments provide detailed, actionable data about where each child is on their unique learning path. Because student engagement is essential to any testing experience, NWEA works with educators to create test items that interest children and help to capture detail about what they know and what they’re ready to learn. It’s information teachers can use in the classroom to help every child, every day.
MAP dynamically adapts to a student’s~responses – as they take the test.
- Answer a question correctly and the test presents a more challenging item
- Miss a question, and MAP offers a simpler item
In this way, the test narrows in on a student’s learning level, engaging them with content that allows them to succeed.
View more informaiton on MAP Assessments such as understanding your child's score, normative data, and view the parent toolkit.
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