Dear Parents,
     It has been a nice 3 days. (Half days for me).  We have accomplished a lot.  Students are adjusting to 4th grade quite nicely.  When the homework really kicks in, things might fall apart a little but we expect that.  Once they learn the routine, and have a better feel of what is expected of them it will get better!

Math - We took a diagnostic test this week.  This test tells me what the students know coming into 4th grade.  It shows me areas of concern as whole class, it shows me areas that might not require as much attention.  It also shows me individually how students are doing and what we need to focus on for them.  
     We start the year covering place value.  We will learn to write numbers in standard form (1,582), written form ( one thousand, five hundred eighty-two), and expanded form ( 1,000 + 500 + 80 + 2).  We will work with numbers up to the hundred millions place.  We will work on ordering and comparing numbers.  We will also work on properly counting money and properly counting back change.

Language Arts - We have a brand new series this year!!  We are very excited about the new series and what it has to offer.  I will miss a lot of my stories in my old text because there were some really good ones, but I intend on sharing some of those anyways.  This year will be a learning year for me as well, to find my way around the teachers guide and pick the best way to present the lessons to the students.  There is a lesson plan in the book but doesn't give us any idea how much time to spend in each area, so we will be doing that ourselves.  I feel this series will truly benefit student learning, and in looking it over it also some great stories in it.  Our first story is Because of Winn Dixie.  This is a story the kids are familiar with so will be a good one to start with.

Social Studies -  This year we focus on the United States.  In the first 3 chapters we discuss the United States as a whole nation.  We will focus some on Government.  After that the book divides the states into 5 major regions, and we will study a region at a time.  We learn about Native Americans, natural resources, and other interesting facts from each region.  We will also begin to work on Social Studies projects.  I will explain more of this around conference time because that is when we normally begin the separate regions.  I know projects don't sound fun to the parents but this class usually ends up being the favorite of the year.

Science is taught by Mrs. Burg and Religion by Ms. Surma, I recommend you use the links on this page to their blog to keep up with what is going on with your child in those classrooms.

This concludes the first week!!  I am off to surgery tomorrow!  I am sure all will go as planned and I will be back before we know it!!  Again, I hope you all feel blesses that Mrs. Gammell has taken over because she will give 100% to teaching your little ones and making sure they are learning in a safe environment.

God Bless,
Melissa Sickels