Thursday, April 30, 2020

Dear Parents,
     Happy Thursday!  Another week down.  I think 3 more to go!  We are halfway.  We have done this for 3 weeks and we have 3 left.  We can do it.  Your kids have been rock stars.!! I really do appreciate all the hard work that they do.  Taking the time to do their work and then going out to enjoy the weather is what I want for them. I hope you are all getting some family time in also.  We have ate around the table, all of us, more in the last 6 weeks then in the last 6 years.  Again, I sometimes think this is God's way of telling us to slow down, remember what is important.

Language Arts -  We are ending the book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  I am working on what we will do next. I need to have them do a writing activity.  I am just trying to decide what that needs to look like.  Maybe something will come to me in my sleep.  I hope they are enjoying the book.  Some students have answered some of the questions using the movie.  We need to keep the answers based on the book.    This is proof the book is different from the movie and we need to remember the book came first.  I was always telling the students I try to read the books first before I see a movie because the book is always better.

Math -  We are continuing to work through measurement.  This first video which you have watched in small doses has been on Measurement benchmarks.  They are using those benchmarks when I ask them the questions, how would you measure this.  You are to use his examples and think what is best way to measure this.  On a few I was lenient and allowed for a couple answers. All of these lessons going over Customary Units and Metric Units are a part of a standard that I have to report on.  I felt a step at a time was the best approach, plus I don't want to overwhelm the kids.  Next week will start a different part of Measurement.

Social Studies -  The lessons I gave the kids this week will finish up the Midwest Region.  Next week they will do lesson covering the Southwest Region.  The first one is very interesting focusing on canyons, and the people of the Southwest.  Mainly explorers and the Grand Canyon.  Very interesting.  Hopefully kids will get to see the Grand Canyon some day, if they have not already.  The 2nd lesson will be over the varying climates in those 4 southwestern states.

I hope this all finds everyone safe and well.   I hope everyone can get out over the weekend and enjoy some outdoor fun.  I am meeting with my cousin on her farm tomorrow to have a picnic lunch for an hour!  I hope to enjoy the outdoors for a while and visit with my family I miss see.  But will do that while social distancing.  

Have a great weekend! Once again, please know how much I miss your kids!   A TON!!

God Bless,
Mrs. Sickels

Thursday, April 23, 2020

Dear Parents,
     Happy Thursday!   I am very happy to see Thursday.  Things begin to slow down a bit.  I have had a better week this week.  I have not spent as much time at my computer as I did last week.  BUT I am still making mistakes!  I have to drill into my head that when I want to assign a reading I have to send it as a PDF and not a google doc.  The google doc requires you to ask permission to get on it.  A PDF bypasses all that.  I am sorry. I sent all my Social Studies readings that way this morning.  Finally a 3rd grade parent texted me and asked if I would grant permission so his son could work.  The light bulb that appeared above my head with an angry face would have been funny.  I took me less than 10 minutes to take all of them down and put them back up the correct way. Hopefully I don't make that mistake again, but I am not making any guarantees.  

Language Arts -  The kids are still reading their Charlie and Chocolate Factory book.  I don't want to overwhelm them so a chapter a day is just fine.  Some may be reading ahead cause they want to read more.  The downfall to that is they have not done the vocabulary for all the chapters.  I am still trying to pull their assignments from their packets.  We only have about 6 chapters to go.  Then I will have them work on a writing project.  I hope to get another book in on Epic.  We will see how that goes.

Math - We finished up with Geography.  The kids learned 13 new things in Geometry.  They did a great job.  The standard that they covered was Standard 1 of Geometry: Draw points, lines, segments, rays and angles.  We are now moving into a new standard.  This is a standard in measurement. It is number 1:  Know relative sizes of Units within a measurement system.  They learned a few customer units of measure today and tomorrow they will learn customary units in liquids.  This is where any cooking or baking comes in. If you have the things in the home they are talking about maybe show your child. Also I would pause the screen with the chart of items.  Then go to the assignment and use the chart to help answer the questions.  You do this by having more than one tab open.  If you don't know how let me know and I can help you.  You will also talk about weight soon.  It is important for them to have an understanding of what these things look like.

Social Studies -  In Social Studies I am giving them the lessons in the book. I am typing in the lessons then adding pictures that are similar to what the book had.  Sometimes I add in some extra ones.  Assignments are based off of the worksheets they would have completed.  I am giving them a couple lessons a week.  This will continue until the end. I have it mapped out until the end of the school year.  I am covering the same things I would have if we were in the classroom.  

Remember on google form assignments I do not allow the computer to check your written answers.  It will show up as wrong when you turn it in. There will be a big red X.  I will check that one myself and give the appropriate points.  So when I return the assignment please focus no the points and not each question and that big red X

We have been given a last day of school. Right now it looks to be May 22nd. It is subject to change.  That will be the last day we will give work.  They will need to be sure all homework is complete and turned in that following week so that we can do report cards.  

This has been an interesting year so far.  I will be honest I don't miss the discipline part of being in a classroom but I miss the kids interacting with one another and asking questions.  Their questions is what guides all of our instruction. We would have read a story at the end of the year about a "teacher" being a computer.  It was fun for us to read and discuss what we would miss about a classroom.  Well, we are living it! That story is no longer futuristic.  

I hope all of you are still enjoying family time.  I am finding it harder to work during the day because the sun is shining. I want to be outside with my kids enjoying the sun.  I have gone out for a  while then just work in the evening. It is a fair trade to me.  I hope if you are still working that you are staying safe at work.  I pray this ends soon.  As I am sure all of you do also.

God Bless,
Mrs. Sickels

Thursday, April 16, 2020

Dear Parents,
     Happy Thursday!!  It has been so long since I have written a blog!  What a crazy week!!  I hope everyone is getting familiar with their Google Classrooms.  I know there really is a lot to navigate through.  I have never learned so much new stuff in two weeks. I feel like a college student all over again.  I hope colleges are teaching this, but my daughter that is going to be a teacher says yes/no.  She is to student teach in the fall and she does not want to do it with Online Learning.  She wants to learn classroom management and observe discipline with other teachers.  I am wondering what kind of an experience she will end up with.

Language Arts -  We are working through the book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  I am not too concerned about the students completing the packets I gave them,unless you as parents want them to.  The assignments we will focus on are the ones I create for them to turn in.  So far I have been able to keep up and send the corrected work back to them with comments.  I think that is why I am working long days. I want to get it back to them quickly.  I may need to relax on that a little bit.  When we are done with this book I have asked the kids about a second book to read. I am only missing 2 responses from that.   Will and Logan didn't respond.  You will need to look in their emails for an email about "Which Book to Read on Epic".  I sent 2-3 weeks ago.  I need to get some writing lessons in.  I will be working those and maybe recording myself.  The main things left this year is are writing.  I will have them writing something after we finish the book we are reading now.

Math - We have moved into geometry for Math.  I have found a teacher who has recorded lessons for all the 4th grade Math standards.  I will be using his videos for math.  I am trying to break them up so they are not so overwhelming.  I just want the kids to learn a little something everyday then prove that to me in their assignments.  Division was to be our next topic.  In talking with Algebra teacher, Mr. Dunphy and collaborating with Ms. Surma we made the decision that division needs to be taught in the classroom.  Ms. Surma does a lot with division so she is going to be teaching all of division next year.  I am covering geometry and hopefully covering enough to help her out.  I also hope to get into fractions so that helps her out.  

Social studies -  Well, this first week they are actually reading from their textbooks exactly where we left off. I have them finishing up the Southeast and moving right into the Midwest.  I hope to continue in the book...but it may change.  I was taking pictures of the book and found a way for the computer to convert it to a document.  At the end of the Midwest chapter it decided to quit allowing me to do that. I am not sure why. but I typed in the last 2-3 pages. Actually that wasn't that big of a deal. My typing skills came back and might have taken just as much time as the conversion process.   I think yesterday was so busy because I added 3 more subjects to the day to create.   We will keep chugging away.  Be sure to have your kids sing the states and capitals song and practice their regions.

Here are questions I have had to answer or fires to put out with homework.

*On Google classroom you will find a lot of things on "stream" and some things in "Classwork". Those are tabs at the top of the Google Classroom page under the purple picture.

* It is VERY important the student follow the work in order on their checklist under the subject.  They can choose to do Math first just do those things in the order I wrote them.  Some are trying to do the homework assignment without reading anything or watching any videos first.  This can not happen.

*  Create a schedule. Your children thrive on a scheduled day.  Make sure they know when they are to do their work.  When they can play. When they need to sleep! ( my body has forgotten about a sleep pattern)

* The students may need to play with new websites or programs on their computers.  They are eager to learn a new video game, so why not a new educational tool.  Kami is the one they will need to play with and learn to use the drawing tool, or can they use another program in Kami that helps them.

*  We are all learning, we are all in this together. 

* I am going to make mistakes!  Maybe lots of them.

* Things are not going to be smooth in the beginning.

* Things may be hard.

* Your kids are not going to want to do their work.

*  I do not give the students anything they can't handle.  You as a parent should not have to sit by them and be sure they are doing things. I am trying to make it easier for you.  

* Please enjoy this extra time as a family.  You get to teach the fun things.  Help them learn to bake or cook their favorite meal.  Teach them to write old-fashioned letters to send to their classmates they are missing.  Teach them proper way to dust or vacuum. Organize their rooms.  Purge things to donate to the Rerun when it opens back up.

* Please know just how much I truly miss your kids.  I miss them all day!  My favorite time of the week is the two days I have 30 minutes with them.

We have to find the positive in all this.  The world is changing as we know it.  We have to move with it.  Maybe God was speaking to us that we needed to slow down and come back together and really find what is important again.

I have enjoyed having all my kids at home with me.  The conversations the laughter.  The serious discussions.  No more selfishness.  We have family members to think about.  Really seeing how our actions can effect others has been an eye-opener.  Maybe we take it too seriously, maybe not seriously enough.  It is super hard not to hug my mom when we take her groceries but we know it's best we don't.  We do it for her.

Keep Safe and as always God Bless,
Mrs. Sickels