October 13, 2022
- Melissa Sickels
- Oct 13, 2022
- 3 min read
Dear Parents,
Happy Thursday and Happy Fall! I think it is actually here. The students have really been working hard this week. They have settled into the school routine for sure. We are still working on organization and homework. This is also improving! I am very proud of how far all of them have come already. Soon we will be like a well-oiled machine. Please watch the weather. This is a time when it is cold in the morning and warm in the afternoon. They need to come prepared with sweatshirts or jackets. Our room is usually chilly. Remember October is the last month to wear shorts and sandals. Enjoy them while we can but I don't want kids cold. If they are freezing it will effect their learning.
Language Arts
This week we read a kind of cool story. It is called "Invasion From Mars". It is a piece of a radio show from the book The War of the Worlds. It was Orson Welles putting on a radio play on October 30, 1938, and when people got on the radio and hadn't heard the introduction, they thought it was truly happening. We read the story, I had the kids listen to the original radio play that I found on YouTube, which they were super excited about. That is what makes this story fun. KSIB talks about this on the radio every year on October 30th. It was a huge deal, because Americans thought we were being attacked by aliens from Mars. In grammar we talked about action verbs, helping verbs, and linking verbs. The vocabulary strategy focused on the suffixes -y and -ous. Since today was our last day for the week, we took a spelling post test and our end of the week test today.
Math
This week we worked mainly on Subtraction. We will finish up the topic next week on Monday and Tuesday, then on Wednesday we will begin the practice test or "dress" rehearsal. I hope to have them testing before conferences so we leave for a long weekend and don't have math to worry about. I am also looking into something to use to work on basic facts. If students have trouble with their basic facts they will struggle with math and math work may take them longer. If you are ever wondering how to help your child in math, math facts wold b great. All facts! Addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. You will find FAST Math scores in tonight's folder.
Social Studies
This week we talked about Niagara Falls being important to the Northeast, the mountain ranges in the northeast and what the shoreline is like in the northeast. We learned about hydropower plants on the Niagara River. We discussed what a Cross-section diagram was looking at a power plant. They learned the best way to read ad use a cross-section diagram and I shared many ways in which we would use it. The students took a practice map test on Wednesday, they didn't do too bad on it. I gave them another blank map to practice again. They will take a "real" map test next Wednesday that I will put in my grade book. Next Chapter we will add capitals to it! It is important that they learn the locations of states a region at a time because at the end of the year we will take one over the whole 50 states.
No School Friday, October 14th
There is no school tomorrow due to teachers having Professional Development for the teachers.
FAST Testing
In today's folder you will find 2 pieces of paper that hold math scores and Reading scores from our testing. We have already met and discussed who is doing interventions for Reading. Today we met to discuss the Math results. You might find a paper in your child's folder to sign to allow us to do interventions with your child. Math interventions are done with Mrs. Coke.
Conferences
We are only about 3 weeks away from Conferences. Here is the Sign up Genius link to our Conference schedule. There are many times and days available for conferences. Please find a time that workds for you.
I hope all of you enjoy the long weekend. At least your kids will. I have to work until 2:00 then I am heading to St. Louis with my cousins for the weekend. My cousins family has apple trees and their family has a tradition of making apple butter. I have always wanted to go because they do things very old-fashioned. They use a big kettle over an open fire and old tools. I plan to take lots of pictures. The weather is to be about 5 degrees warmed down there than here. I may be tired on Monday! I am really looking forward to this weekend!
God Bless,
Mrs. Sickels
Comments