Dear Parents,
Happy Thursday!!! A week under a belt is a great feeling. Things are going well in 4th grade. On the first day of homework I did not have to give any late slips, which was a first!! Now, the 2nd day is a different story. This is how we learn how important it is to double check that all our work is completed. Things are still moving slowly as we continue to learn the of 4th grade, but soon it will be moving steadily along. Students are doing a great job paying attention and be engaged in lessons.
I will be gone tomorrow Aug. 29th. We are leaving for Chicago tonight. I am visiting the University of Chicago with my daughter Jami on Friday. Not sure this is my first choice of schools for her just because of the distance but we have family there. Molly is attending the One Direction Concert with her Aunt as a birthday gift on Saturday night. As for me, my birthday is Friday and I consider the whole trip my birthday trip. Sunday we will spend on a boat on Lake Michigan which I have never done. Exciting!!
Language Arts - We are finishing up our week on the story Because of Winn-Dixie. We have spend a lot of time this week focusing on the vocabulary words form the story, decoding words, and picking out subjects and predicates of a sentence. These are all things that they will be assessed on tomorrow. It will also assess their comprehension of the story. I also worked on an extra story with some students and we focused on story elements: setting, characters, and plot. Remember there is a spelling post test tomorrow! I have instructed the students to be sure and study for spelling and also study their vocabulary words in their notebooks.
Math - We have had two full lessons in Math this week. The first one focused on the base ten system and understanding that each place value is 10 times the previous place value. We looked at base ten blocks up to 1,000 then discussed what they would look like if we had physical example past 1,000. We also learned 3 ways to read and write numbers: standard form, word form, expanded form. Ask your student to show you. Their homework tonight focuses on this topic. We will move on to comparing numbers next.
Social Studies - We are discussing the 5 regions of the United States. These regions are: Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, and West. We begin by talking about the United States as a whole and our government system. Then we will move on and study the states by their region. All 4th graders love social studies because of the content we study and the projects they will complete.
I hope everyone has a very enjoyable and safe Labor Day weekend!! Mrs. Irelan will be here in the room tomorrow with the kids. We are meeting tonight to go over her day tomorrow. I am sure they will have a very productive day.
God Bless,
Mrs. Sickels
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Hello!!! Welcome to 4th grade!!!
I am so excited about starting a new year. I am looking forward to working with your child!! Thank you for sharing your precious gem with me! I think we have had a great first couple of days. The class has been rather quiet, which is normal in the beginning of the year. I know this will change so I will just enjoy it! So far no homework!! I have been working on assessing your kids to see where they are in Language Arts and Math so I know what direction I need to go with them. I did give them an extra recess today just to get outside and wake up. I hope this blog is helpful in keeping you posted on things we are doing in class and fun things we may do throughout the year. If you have any questions or concerns for me shoot me an email at msickels@crestonstmalachy.org or call the school 641-782-7125. I am available most mornings 7:45 - 8:10 then again 8:30-9:00. Also at the end of the day 3:15-3:45.
Language Arts - This first few days I am assessing the kids on what they retained from last year and what areas they struggle in, so I know where to begin work with them. We took half of the test today and will finish tomorrow. I also gave them a diagnostic spelling test to see how well they spell. Next week I will begin the first story of the Unit with them, which is called Because of Winn Dixie. It is a story from a book right off my book shelf written by Kate DiCamillo. They will enjoy it. You will begin to see homework next week.
Math - I am very excited about our new math series!! The math series is based on Iowa Core. This means I will be teaching the students all the standards and benchmarks that are aligned with Iowa Core. I will use the same strategies to teach the material to the students that I have been using. I love the way this book progresses through the year. We took half of a diagnostic test today, this test will tell me what they retained from last year. Keep in mind this is based on if the students had learned from this series. It will really tell me what area they really don't know and what I need to focus on. We will take a beginning of the year test next week which is based on what they are going to learn this year. This will let me know the weak areas that I may need to slow down and allow time for students to absorb new concepts.
Science and Religion - Just a reminder that your child will go to Ms Surma for Religion class and Mrs. Burg for Science. I am in charge of 3-5 Social Studies. This is the same as last year. Any questions about these two classes, please feel free to contact them.
Again I am looking forward to a great year full of fun and LOTS of learning. Have a great weekend!
God Bless,
Mrs. Sickels
I am so excited about starting a new year. I am looking forward to working with your child!! Thank you for sharing your precious gem with me! I think we have had a great first couple of days. The class has been rather quiet, which is normal in the beginning of the year. I know this will change so I will just enjoy it! So far no homework!! I have been working on assessing your kids to see where they are in Language Arts and Math so I know what direction I need to go with them. I did give them an extra recess today just to get outside and wake up. I hope this blog is helpful in keeping you posted on things we are doing in class and fun things we may do throughout the year. If you have any questions or concerns for me shoot me an email at msickels@crestonstmalachy.org or call the school 641-782-7125. I am available most mornings 7:45 - 8:10 then again 8:30-9:00. Also at the end of the day 3:15-3:45.
Language Arts - This first few days I am assessing the kids on what they retained from last year and what areas they struggle in, so I know where to begin work with them. We took half of the test today and will finish tomorrow. I also gave them a diagnostic spelling test to see how well they spell. Next week I will begin the first story of the Unit with them, which is called Because of Winn Dixie. It is a story from a book right off my book shelf written by Kate DiCamillo. They will enjoy it. You will begin to see homework next week.
Math - I am very excited about our new math series!! The math series is based on Iowa Core. This means I will be teaching the students all the standards and benchmarks that are aligned with Iowa Core. I will use the same strategies to teach the material to the students that I have been using. I love the way this book progresses through the year. We took half of a diagnostic test today, this test will tell me what they retained from last year. Keep in mind this is based on if the students had learned from this series. It will really tell me what area they really don't know and what I need to focus on. We will take a beginning of the year test next week which is based on what they are going to learn this year. This will let me know the weak areas that I may need to slow down and allow time for students to absorb new concepts.
Science and Religion - Just a reminder that your child will go to Ms Surma for Religion class and Mrs. Burg for Science. I am in charge of 3-5 Social Studies. This is the same as last year. Any questions about these two classes, please feel free to contact them.
Again I am looking forward to a great year full of fun and LOTS of learning. Have a great weekend!
God Bless,
Mrs. Sickels
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Dear Parents,
Happy Last Thursday of the 2013-2014 school year!!! WOW!! I really can't believe we are at this point all ready! Time has flown but maybe because I had the first 5 weeks of school off! I have really enjoyed this time I have spent with your kids. I thank you for sharing them with me. Here are just few things that we will be doing in these last days of school.
Language Arts - We are finishing up out last unit test today. The students took the first part of it on Tuesday and today they are finishing up the Revising and Editing section which is based on grammar skills. This is the final test for this subject. I was very pleased with out last Friday assessment the students took. All score were 85% or above!! Half the students missed only 1! It was exciting. So far I have checked the first half of the Unit test and I am impressed with how they have done. It looks better than previous tests. We have been working on finishing up Author Reports this week. Today will be peer editing and then they will publish and share with other students on Friday. I am looking forward to learning about other authors.
Math - We have focused on division problems all week. I went over division with money amounts and we discussed divisibility rules. Today they will complete a diagnostic checkpoint which will show me how they are doing on division problems. I will use this as an assessment because we will not be taking a test over the last chapter. On Friday we will take the end-of-the-year test. We took this test at the beginning of the year also, and so I can compare the scores. It is just a great way to see where kids are still struggling to pass on to the 5th grade teacher.
Social Studies - You should have seen their last test last night and signed. We are reading in the book about the West. We will take another practice test for states and capitals on Friday. Tuesday is their big states and capitals test. They have to be able to label a map with the correct state and its capital. Great projects this round!! Thank you for all the hard work.
Tuesday, May 27th!! The last day!! Here are my plans for the last day of school. We will begin the day with the social studies map test. When they are finished they will clean out their desks. When the majority are done with that I will start movie "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". Usually I read this book with the kids as a unit and we do activities. This year with the new reading series it didn't work due to time. I still would like to show the movie. The movie I show is the 1960's version. We talk a little about special effects and such. We may not get to see all of it but will see majority. The 5th grade may come join us. We will eat lunch at noon. We plan to eat lunch with our class either outside or in classroom. Please remember to send a sack lunch with your child. You can even send a drink. NO milk will be provided that day. We will enjoy lunch, and talk with our friends from other classrooms then we will prepare for field day. Field day will begin at 12:45. We will play games and enjoy the outdoors until 2:15. We will then come back to rooms and prepare for the end of the day prayer. This will be held in the gym. We share in prayer and say good-bye to the 8th grade and those people who will be leaving us. Kids will be dismissed then at normal time.
It has been great working with all of you this year. It has been one wild ride for us all. I will have a closeness to this class different from all my others just due to the make-up of our year. I think 4th grade will be a memory for all the students too. I will always remember the hard times we went through together and how strong these students are!! I hope all of you have a great summer!!! See you next year.
God Bless,
Mrs. Sickels
Happy Last Thursday of the 2013-2014 school year!!! WOW!! I really can't believe we are at this point all ready! Time has flown but maybe because I had the first 5 weeks of school off! I have really enjoyed this time I have spent with your kids. I thank you for sharing them with me. Here are just few things that we will be doing in these last days of school.
Language Arts - We are finishing up out last unit test today. The students took the first part of it on Tuesday and today they are finishing up the Revising and Editing section which is based on grammar skills. This is the final test for this subject. I was very pleased with out last Friday assessment the students took. All score were 85% or above!! Half the students missed only 1! It was exciting. So far I have checked the first half of the Unit test and I am impressed with how they have done. It looks better than previous tests. We have been working on finishing up Author Reports this week. Today will be peer editing and then they will publish and share with other students on Friday. I am looking forward to learning about other authors.
Math - We have focused on division problems all week. I went over division with money amounts and we discussed divisibility rules. Today they will complete a diagnostic checkpoint which will show me how they are doing on division problems. I will use this as an assessment because we will not be taking a test over the last chapter. On Friday we will take the end-of-the-year test. We took this test at the beginning of the year also, and so I can compare the scores. It is just a great way to see where kids are still struggling to pass on to the 5th grade teacher.
Social Studies - You should have seen their last test last night and signed. We are reading in the book about the West. We will take another practice test for states and capitals on Friday. Tuesday is their big states and capitals test. They have to be able to label a map with the correct state and its capital. Great projects this round!! Thank you for all the hard work.
Tuesday, May 27th!! The last day!! Here are my plans for the last day of school. We will begin the day with the social studies map test. When they are finished they will clean out their desks. When the majority are done with that I will start movie "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". Usually I read this book with the kids as a unit and we do activities. This year with the new reading series it didn't work due to time. I still would like to show the movie. The movie I show is the 1960's version. We talk a little about special effects and such. We may not get to see all of it but will see majority. The 5th grade may come join us. We will eat lunch at noon. We plan to eat lunch with our class either outside or in classroom. Please remember to send a sack lunch with your child. You can even send a drink. NO milk will be provided that day. We will enjoy lunch, and talk with our friends from other classrooms then we will prepare for field day. Field day will begin at 12:45. We will play games and enjoy the outdoors until 2:15. We will then come back to rooms and prepare for the end of the day prayer. This will be held in the gym. We share in prayer and say good-bye to the 8th grade and those people who will be leaving us. Kids will be dismissed then at normal time.
It has been great working with all of you this year. It has been one wild ride for us all. I will have a closeness to this class different from all my others just due to the make-up of our year. I think 4th grade will be a memory for all the students too. I will always remember the hard times we went through together and how strong these students are!! I hope all of you have a great summer!!! See you next year.
God Bless,
Mrs. Sickels
Monday, May 19, 2014
Dear Parents!!
I am so sorry!!! I didn't put out a blog last Thursday because we went on the field trip and I totally forgot!! Here are just a few things to know about this week.
Language Arts - We are taking the Friday assessment today since we missed last Thursday. Tomorrow we will begin the Unit 6 test. We will take it off and on for the rest of the week. I also plan to work on the Author report we started.
Math- We will be finishing up division. I am focusing on them being able to do division problems comfortably this week. On Friday we will take the end-of-the-year test.
Social Studies- They have a test over chapter 11 today. We will begin reading chapter 12. There will be no homework with this chapter just reading. We will just enjoy our information on the West Region. They do need to practice the maps and location of states because they will be tested over that next Tuesday. Next Tuesday will be their final test in Social Studies over the map. They will label the states and list it's capital.
Social Studies Projects are due this week. Please be sure your child's is done on time. Thanks for all the hard work that has been put into projects. The kids have enjoyed doing them and sharing with classmates.
I will have a better blog on Thursday!! It will be the last one!!!! Enjoy this last full week of school!!!!
God Bless,
Mrs. Sickels
I am so sorry!!! I didn't put out a blog last Thursday because we went on the field trip and I totally forgot!! Here are just a few things to know about this week.
Language Arts - We are taking the Friday assessment today since we missed last Thursday. Tomorrow we will begin the Unit 6 test. We will take it off and on for the rest of the week. I also plan to work on the Author report we started.
Math- We will be finishing up division. I am focusing on them being able to do division problems comfortably this week. On Friday we will take the end-of-the-year test.
Social Studies- They have a test over chapter 11 today. We will begin reading chapter 12. There will be no homework with this chapter just reading. We will just enjoy our information on the West Region. They do need to practice the maps and location of states because they will be tested over that next Tuesday. Next Tuesday will be their final test in Social Studies over the map. They will label the states and list it's capital.
Social Studies Projects are due this week. Please be sure your child's is done on time. Thanks for all the hard work that has been put into projects. The kids have enjoyed doing them and sharing with classmates.
I will have a better blog on Thursday!! It will be the last one!!!! Enjoy this last full week of school!!!!
God Bless,
Mrs. Sickels
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Dear Parents,
Happy Thursday!! What a rainy yucky week!!! I want some sun and warmth! Please check the folder for a letter about the 4th grade annual field trip. We will be heading to Boone, Iowa, to ride the Boone Scenic Valley Railroad. It is a fun trip. It is great to learn about the history of trains in Iowa and their importance. We also travel over the "High Bridge" which in the highest single track bridge. It is not the Kate Shelley Bridge. That is a different one that is linked to this train line but we don't go over that one. I am in need of a couple of drivers for this trip. Please email or text me if you are interested and I will send the proper forms home for you to fill out. This is a first come first serve basis. Please fill out permission form and return.
Math - This week we have been covering a little bit of geometry that I saved until we learned about double-digit multiplication. We have learned perimeter, area, and volume all this week. I have given examples and demonstrated its meaning with manipulatives. We also paid close attention on how to label each one. This is where "square units", and "cubic units" come into play. We will begin our division chapter starting tomorrow. Please work on those division flash cards!!!
Language Arts - This week our story is called Museums Worlds of Wonder. It is an informational piece telling us about 5 different museums in the United States and what they have to offer. It is an interesting story because we learned some pretty cool facts about different places we might like to visit. Spelling words focused on three syllable words and the grammar was on possessive pronouns. We discussed advertisements and what their purpose is. The students are working on an advertisement on a museum they have been to or an imaginary museum of their own making. We also read a photo essay on recycling.
Social Studies - We picked our last state and project this week. I will send due dates home with the students today or tomorrow. They will be due from the 16th through the 23rd. We are learning about the Southwest rather quickly. The lessons with these states are not very long. We have talked about the varied climate the region has. We also focused on the Grand Canyon and what it had to offer. They seemed to enjoy the video I showed of the Grand Canyon. My favorite part is the park ranger that guides you to the bottom while your are riding a burro. He has a great sense of humor. It is something I would like to try.
I am amazed that we are all ready in the last month of school. I know this is a very busy time for all of us. Please keep in mind this last month is just as important as any other month in their 4th grade year. Please continue to encourage the importance of getting homework completed neatly and on time!! As always, thank you for sharing your child with me. Have a great weekend!!
God Bless,
Mrs. Sickels
Happy Thursday!! What a rainy yucky week!!! I want some sun and warmth! Please check the folder for a letter about the 4th grade annual field trip. We will be heading to Boone, Iowa, to ride the Boone Scenic Valley Railroad. It is a fun trip. It is great to learn about the history of trains in Iowa and their importance. We also travel over the "High Bridge" which in the highest single track bridge. It is not the Kate Shelley Bridge. That is a different one that is linked to this train line but we don't go over that one. I am in need of a couple of drivers for this trip. Please email or text me if you are interested and I will send the proper forms home for you to fill out. This is a first come first serve basis. Please fill out permission form and return.
Math - This week we have been covering a little bit of geometry that I saved until we learned about double-digit multiplication. We have learned perimeter, area, and volume all this week. I have given examples and demonstrated its meaning with manipulatives. We also paid close attention on how to label each one. This is where "square units", and "cubic units" come into play. We will begin our division chapter starting tomorrow. Please work on those division flash cards!!!
Language Arts - This week our story is called Museums Worlds of Wonder. It is an informational piece telling us about 5 different museums in the United States and what they have to offer. It is an interesting story because we learned some pretty cool facts about different places we might like to visit. Spelling words focused on three syllable words and the grammar was on possessive pronouns. We discussed advertisements and what their purpose is. The students are working on an advertisement on a museum they have been to or an imaginary museum of their own making. We also read a photo essay on recycling.
Social Studies - We picked our last state and project this week. I will send due dates home with the students today or tomorrow. They will be due from the 16th through the 23rd. We are learning about the Southwest rather quickly. The lessons with these states are not very long. We have talked about the varied climate the region has. We also focused on the Grand Canyon and what it had to offer. They seemed to enjoy the video I showed of the Grand Canyon. My favorite part is the park ranger that guides you to the bottom while your are riding a burro. He has a great sense of humor. It is something I would like to try.
I am amazed that we are all ready in the last month of school. I know this is a very busy time for all of us. Please keep in mind this last month is just as important as any other month in their 4th grade year. Please continue to encourage the importance of getting homework completed neatly and on time!! As always, thank you for sharing your child with me. Have a great weekend!!
God Bless,
Mrs. Sickels
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Dear Parents,
Well, what a wet and yucky day!!! We did not get to do our lap-a-thon today due to rain. We are planning on doing it tomorrow. It looks like the weather can cooperate for us I am headed to Carroll to a track meet tonight. I was hoping for it to be cancelled. Such is the season!!!
Lap-a-thon - This will take place Friday, April 25th. We will run with 3rd and 5th grade from 9-10 in the morning. I recommend you send two pair of shoes if you have them. It will be damp from today's rain and will trample down into mud quickly. Extra socks would be a good idea too. Looks like tomorrow is to be a very nice day.
Language Arts - This week we read a story called Amphibians Alert! This story is about amphibians and how they need protected from becoming extinct. We are again reading a non fiction story with informational text. Our spelling words this week dealt with final syllables ending in -le, -al, -el. This was a difficult spelling list. In grammar we have been discussing comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs. We also are covering negatives words. Both of these topics are review topics. We read poetry about amphibians and fables that deal with frogs. We discussed lessons or morals to those fables. It has been a good week because some of it is review. Last week's Friday assessment was very good. The students went up in scores. Let's hope we maintain that this week.
Math- We finished up chapter 6 and took a test this week. They did a fairly nice job on the test. I really feel all of them have mastered this topic with only a few basic fact errors. I was very pleased with the test. We will now spend a couple days learning perimeter, area, and volume before we move on to division. I saved those topics from geometry because I think they all go together and we needed to know how to multiply to do area and volume. Hopefully it will be an easy couple of days before we hit is hard again with division,
Social Studies - We have begun the Southwest Region. We read lesson one on the Grand Canyon. We are now watching a video on the Grand Canyon. We will pick our next state next week for projects. I know students are anxious to get it and get started. They get excited about the projects. This lesson focused on the founder and exploration of the Grand Canyon and how it was formed. The movie focuses on wildlife and a little on the Native Americans there.
God Bless,
Mrs. Sickels
Well, what a wet and yucky day!!! We did not get to do our lap-a-thon today due to rain. We are planning on doing it tomorrow. It looks like the weather can cooperate for us I am headed to Carroll to a track meet tonight. I was hoping for it to be cancelled. Such is the season!!!
Lap-a-thon - This will take place Friday, April 25th. We will run with 3rd and 5th grade from 9-10 in the morning. I recommend you send two pair of shoes if you have them. It will be damp from today's rain and will trample down into mud quickly. Extra socks would be a good idea too. Looks like tomorrow is to be a very nice day.
Language Arts - This week we read a story called Amphibians Alert! This story is about amphibians and how they need protected from becoming extinct. We are again reading a non fiction story with informational text. Our spelling words this week dealt with final syllables ending in -le, -al, -el. This was a difficult spelling list. In grammar we have been discussing comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs. We also are covering negatives words. Both of these topics are review topics. We read poetry about amphibians and fables that deal with frogs. We discussed lessons or morals to those fables. It has been a good week because some of it is review. Last week's Friday assessment was very good. The students went up in scores. Let's hope we maintain that this week.
Math- We finished up chapter 6 and took a test this week. They did a fairly nice job on the test. I really feel all of them have mastered this topic with only a few basic fact errors. I was very pleased with the test. We will now spend a couple days learning perimeter, area, and volume before we move on to division. I saved those topics from geometry because I think they all go together and we needed to know how to multiply to do area and volume. Hopefully it will be an easy couple of days before we hit is hard again with division,
Social Studies - We have begun the Southwest Region. We read lesson one on the Grand Canyon. We are now watching a video on the Grand Canyon. We will pick our next state next week for projects. I know students are anxious to get it and get started. They get excited about the projects. This lesson focused on the founder and exploration of the Grand Canyon and how it was formed. The movie focuses on wildlife and a little on the Native Americans there.
God Bless,
Mrs. Sickels
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Dear Parents,
Happy Thursday!!! I really wish this weather would make up its mind!! I hate have nice warm days then back to the cold. I know the kids wish it would also. It is hard to know how to dress each day. Plus, the forecast changes every 4-5 hours. Yesterday was great except for the wind. I am ready for 70's and no wind. I want nice sunny days. AMEN!!
Good Friday Spring Clean-up- Tomorrow is our annual Clean-up day. Now that your child is in 4th grade they need to bring in a rake. We will be raking out the fence line around the property. Mainly on the north side by alley. We do this with the 5th grade. We will spend an hour or so outside doing clean up. It is a way to get rid of the dirt and let spring shine through. The trash and dirt accumulated over winter needs to be taken away. We usually go outside mid-morning after it warms up a bit. Please, send work gloves with students also. They will be picking up trash, using a rake, lots of dirty outdoor work. Gloves will help protect hands from blisters, and germs. Thank you in advance for the rakes and hard work.
Language Arts - We have started Unit 6 this week. I am finding that most of it is review. The only topic that has moved up and maybe gotten harder is spelling. This unit is not even in our large textbook. It is a separate book with just the stories in it. I am trying to learn to teach without all the things we had in the book before. I am still covering vocabulary, grammar, spelling, and reading the story 5 times. We will still have Friday assessments. This story was called The Girl Who Loved Spiders. It is a story about a boy who moves to different place and has a fear of spiders. In his new house his new neighbor had a love for spiders. He learns a few things about spiders from her and it helps his fear. The story also contains facts hidden in the story. That is what makes it interesting. You think you are just reading a story yet there a interesting facts embedded into it. Some students have found this story more interesting than others. (haha)
Math - We are working on reviewing for a Chapter test. Today they are working on a review. I hope to check that review tomorrow and test on Monday. If our clean-up takes up more time than we will check the review on Monday and take a test on Tuesday. I plan on teaching them a couple more geometry lessons after this test. They will focus on perimeter, area, and volume. Now that we know how to multiply we can do area and volume. I save perimeter just because I think to teach them all three together is better and give them a better understanding. We will not test over these topics. I just want you to know we are covering them. The next chapter will focus on division. I really think this class will not have a problem catching on to this topic since they caught on to multiplication so quickly.
Social Studies - We finished up the Midwest this week. Projects are all shared, and the test is today. We will move onto the Southwest next. This only involves 4 states. I combine these 4 with the West when we pick our last projects. Which we will do very soon. These will be due mid May. The students are used to the social studies book, how it is set up, how I teach it and what homework is expected of them, so I tend to move more quickly through the Southwest than normal. I need to be sure we get to the West Region. It contains more states and more information. It's my favorite region to study.
Sedar Meal - I just want to share that today is the Sedar Meal. It is one of the best activities we hold her at St. Malachy. I love that we all are in the gym at once sharing a meal. This is the only time in a year it happens. Yes, I know there are a couple days all the kids are in there with their angels sharing a meal, but it is normally a meal you have provided. I like this one because it is family style and we are all eating the same thing. What a great way to celebrate all that Jesus did for us!!
I hope all of you have a very Happy Easter!!
God Bless,
Mrs. Sickels
Happy Thursday!!! I really wish this weather would make up its mind!! I hate have nice warm days then back to the cold. I know the kids wish it would also. It is hard to know how to dress each day. Plus, the forecast changes every 4-5 hours. Yesterday was great except for the wind. I am ready for 70's and no wind. I want nice sunny days. AMEN!!
Good Friday Spring Clean-up- Tomorrow is our annual Clean-up day. Now that your child is in 4th grade they need to bring in a rake. We will be raking out the fence line around the property. Mainly on the north side by alley. We do this with the 5th grade. We will spend an hour or so outside doing clean up. It is a way to get rid of the dirt and let spring shine through. The trash and dirt accumulated over winter needs to be taken away. We usually go outside mid-morning after it warms up a bit. Please, send work gloves with students also. They will be picking up trash, using a rake, lots of dirty outdoor work. Gloves will help protect hands from blisters, and germs. Thank you in advance for the rakes and hard work.
Language Arts - We have started Unit 6 this week. I am finding that most of it is review. The only topic that has moved up and maybe gotten harder is spelling. This unit is not even in our large textbook. It is a separate book with just the stories in it. I am trying to learn to teach without all the things we had in the book before. I am still covering vocabulary, grammar, spelling, and reading the story 5 times. We will still have Friday assessments. This story was called The Girl Who Loved Spiders. It is a story about a boy who moves to different place and has a fear of spiders. In his new house his new neighbor had a love for spiders. He learns a few things about spiders from her and it helps his fear. The story also contains facts hidden in the story. That is what makes it interesting. You think you are just reading a story yet there a interesting facts embedded into it. Some students have found this story more interesting than others. (haha)
Math - We are working on reviewing for a Chapter test. Today they are working on a review. I hope to check that review tomorrow and test on Monday. If our clean-up takes up more time than we will check the review on Monday and take a test on Tuesday. I plan on teaching them a couple more geometry lessons after this test. They will focus on perimeter, area, and volume. Now that we know how to multiply we can do area and volume. I save perimeter just because I think to teach them all three together is better and give them a better understanding. We will not test over these topics. I just want you to know we are covering them. The next chapter will focus on division. I really think this class will not have a problem catching on to this topic since they caught on to multiplication so quickly.
Social Studies - We finished up the Midwest this week. Projects are all shared, and the test is today. We will move onto the Southwest next. This only involves 4 states. I combine these 4 with the West when we pick our last projects. Which we will do very soon. These will be due mid May. The students are used to the social studies book, how it is set up, how I teach it and what homework is expected of them, so I tend to move more quickly through the Southwest than normal. I need to be sure we get to the West Region. It contains more states and more information. It's my favorite region to study.
Sedar Meal - I just want to share that today is the Sedar Meal. It is one of the best activities we hold her at St. Malachy. I love that we all are in the gym at once sharing a meal. This is the only time in a year it happens. Yes, I know there are a couple days all the kids are in there with their angels sharing a meal, but it is normally a meal you have provided. I like this one because it is family style and we are all eating the same thing. What a great way to celebrate all that Jesus did for us!!
I hope all of you have a very Happy Easter!!
God Bless,
Mrs. Sickels
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