Dear Parents,
      Happy Thursday!  I am "out of the office" today.  Ms. Surma and I are taking a class.  It is called Tier two.  It is over our FAST testing that we are doing in our classrooms.  We will have to attend classes 3 different times this year.  I am also going to be attending a different class on the 16th and 30th of this month.  It is a classroom teaching strategies.  I am looking forward to this one.  I know a couple people who have taken it and really liked it.  It gives you ways to keep the kids engaged in their learning.   I hate being gone from my class but I feel it will definitely be beneficial.  We as teachers are still constantly learning and gaining information to help us, help our students learn and be able to take ownership in their own learning.   It is kind of exciting!  I am looking forward to it.  I am not looking forward to the extra planning it takes to be gone though.

Language Arts - This week has been a Unit Test week!!!  There are advantages to this week and disadvantages.  The advantages are no spelling test, no homework, no daily lessons, more reading time to count reading minutes and more read aloud.  These are all great things.  The disadvantage is you have to take a very large test consisting of about 55 problems and several stories to read.  These assessments are not easy!  It also tells me how well they are retaining material.  I use these results to help me see what strategies tended to work better with the kids and how well they are reading and comprehending.  Again these assessments are quite challenging.  If the student rushes through the test and doesn't take their time they will do poorly.  Usually after the first unit test I can share the results with the students and have them ask themselves if you did poorly, did you rush?  Usually lots of them end up getting an idea that if they take their time and work slowly being sure to read everything, they will do better.  It is a larger lesson learned!  We will have another Unit test in 5 weeks!

Math - We finished our first chapter in Math this week. The students are working on taking a math test.  They started it on Wednesday and will finish it Thursday.  I am working with them on taking their time and proving their answers.  They take the test online but have a paper test to show their work or prove their answer on.  They are required to show work on any problem that needs it.  I only allowed them to complete half the test on Wednesday and the other on Thursday.  Some didn't even finish the first half, which is fine, it means they didn't rush.  Others did finish the first half which could mean they total understand all the problems.  If the test is not finished we will spend Friday finishing up.  After we wrap things up with the test we will then begin chapter 2!

Social Studies -  The students corrected their tests on Wednesday.  I will look at those corrections and give a final score.  I will then send the tests home with the students to have signed by a parent and returned.  The students will be working on map skills on and off this year.  They will start with the first map skills assignment on Thursday.  It will just brush up their knowledge of the kinds of maps that are out there and what information they give.  We will then work with all those kinds of maps throughout the year.  We will also begin working on the Northeast Region.  We will begin learning how to put together our interactive notebooks and learn our states and capitals song.  Again that can be purchased at Itunes.  It is by Macho Nacho.  I like this part, we are really getting down to business now! 

Book Reports-  I assigned the first book report on Wednesday.  The report is not due until November 16th.  The students have plenty of time to read a book and complete the report.  This is meant to be fun for the students not stressful.  I try to talk to the kids about challenging themselves and enjoying a book then using their creativity to put together something that shows what you read.  They all we be completing a cereal box book report.  You will see all the directions in their expanded file.  I gave them a whole packet on things and went over them in full.  The students were asking questions as we went along.  I have given them some rules about the books they choose to read. Mainly about book size and challenging themselves.  I shared  my book blog that I have with them.  I showed them that after I read a book I write a small article about what I thought of the book. I told them I am careful not to give away anything from the book that would ruin it.  I pulled up my blog and shared the book Before We Were Yours with them. So I said I kind of write a report about the books I read when I am done.  Some were very impressed.  I am trying to show them that I do because I want to not because I have to. Again trying to make it a positive experience.  Some are very excited about it!

Looks like we have a rainy weekend ahead of us!  Probably more than anyone wants.  My apologies to all the farming families out there who will have a halt put into their harvesting plans. I don't mind the Fall temps I could just do without the rain.  It makes it colder.  I will once again be luck enough to have all 3 kids under my roof for the weekend.  God is good!

God Bless,
Mrs. Sickels