Happy Thursday!! Well, the week started out nice and warm and ending on a very chilly note!! I have been seeing lots of Farmer's Almanac predictions for winter and whether it will be good or bad. Seems everything I see says LOTS of snow. I guess time will tell. I would rather have snow than freezing temps!!
Today we were in charge of Mass. I think the 4th graders did an excellent job!!!! I normally always get them their parts on Monday, but some of them didn't get them til the day before and did a great job learning them. I was very proud of them and I let them know that!!
Math- We have been working in chapter 2 this week. This chapter is focusing on multiplication. It has started out with us understanding comparison multiplication. These students will have a good understanding of this because we have spent 2 lessons on it. I love the model or picture it shows us to draw because it shows an understanding of the problem. It helps the students to work the problem. Some of the problems require more work than the others. This is a great strategy for them to learn and understand. We are giving our students so much more opportunity to be successful by teaching them more than one strategy. One strategy may click with a student more than the standard algorithm which is the only way we learned to work a problem. I understand that a lot of the things your child is doing may be unfamiliar to you. If you don't understand the strategy we are using and your child is struggling, tell them to come visit me in morning before school. I want to help them so they are using the strategy we are working on. I was okay at math in high school because I just did what they told me and never understood why we did it or how it even made sense. So many things make more sense to me now, because I am being introduced to the nuts and bolts of math. Math is so much more than the standard algorithm.
Social Studies - We are talking about rights and responsibilities. The important part of being a citizen of the United States are the rights that the Constitution gives us, but it also includes our responsibilities as citizens. We have been talking about the basic rights our Constitution protects. Mainly freedom of speech, freedom of press, and freedom of religion. We also discussed things that we must do as citizens to help our country be successful. We talked about passports and their importance. If you have one share it with your child so they see what one looks like. We also talked a little bit about taxes. When taxes are paid and what the money is used for. Most of them had no idea that's how police/firemen were paid and that's how our roads are fixed or maintained.
Language Arts - We have been focusing on testing this week. We have been testing over Unit 1. This test is long but I chunk it up so the students are not taking it all in one day. I will be sending home the results of this test next week. We doing the last section of the test today. It is a constructed response section. The rest of the test was multiple choice. I also assigned their first book report this week. It is due on October 31st. They must read a book with more than 130 pages. I also count off for pictures. I am very strict about the students reading chapter books this year and not picture books. I don't allow Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Bones, or Big Nate books to be read as book report books. I also don't like them to read them during out DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) time. There are a lot of chapter books out there to interest the students. We will also be beginning to write Halloween stories tomorrow. It gives us most of the month to work on it and get is completed. It is a fun writing project that most of my 4th graders have a lot of fun writing! Next week we will get back into the book and begin Unit 2!
Homecoming!! This week is Homecoming week!! Tomorrow is RED and Black DAY!! Please come dressed in your best outfit to support the Panthers!! We will have a pep rally in the morning to get us all pumped up for the football game! St. Malachy will have float in the parade. Your child is welcome to ride on the float if they want. They are to meet at Prairie and Sycamore to get on the float and students are to be picked up at the Holy Spirit Church parking lot after that parade! They will get to throw candy to the crowd.
Have a safe and fun filled Homecoming!!!
God Bless,
Mrs. Sickels
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