Wednesday

Whew! What a day! We had several times throughout the day we went into "Severe Weather Mode". The kids did a wonderful job with this and cooperated wonderfully with the tight conditions and hot rooms! Way to go, kids!

Also, I went around and wrote things that made me Proud of the kids on a sticky note, each. They will be bringing these home to you tonight, please sign. I will be doing this again tomorrow.

The end of the day was a little crazy (to go along with today!) with our Black History Month program running almost to the end of the day, then getting our backpacks packed and heading out the door!

Science:
Today we learned about how light energy travels.  Kids watched an interactive video and we learned to take good notes.  We will do the experiments tomorrow!
No HW

Reading:
We didn't get to have all our reading due to being in weather mode.  However, students did get to practice their vocabulary. We also completed a fake K-Prep Reading assessment. These are very different from CATS. We will be doing a mock test next week which will be scored so I wanted the kids to be ready.
**SAT words group - they will now be testing every 2 weeks, so their test is on THURSDAY!

Math:
Today we reviewed more on decimals word form, standard form, and fraction form. We compared decimals as well as ordered them least to greatest.
No HW

Writing:
No writing due to Black History Month Program

Have a good night,

Tuesday

Good Afternoon!
Miss Rickard has her swap week this week, so we have Miss LeFevre swapping with us until Friday. They traded classrooms - K and 4th!

Meeting after school - only showing HW

Science:
None
Reading:
study vocab (test on Thurs)
finish Character speech bubbles
Math:
individualized HW on decimals
Writing:
work on finishing myth if needed

Have a great night and play outside!

Monday

Happy Monday!
We had a super fun morning today!

Science- The kids built insulted igloos for their ice cube shaped like an egg:) The group whose egg lasted the longest received hardwork cafe passes! The insulated ice eggs lasted about an hour longer than the control group!  No homework.

Reading- We did our vocabulary tests first and then the kids presented their myths. They did such a great job using animoto, power point, play, and puppets! Then we had a little ambrosia, "the food of the gods" in Greek mythology. It was super good, mostly marshmallows, pineapples, and oranges.
Homework- Look over vocabulary and practice words they are unfamiliar with.

Math- We are continuing the unit on decimals. We focused on writing decimals as fractions and ordering them least to greatest. We did this in centers and the kids seem to be doing really well with it!
Homework- pg 2 in wrkbk, ( only do questions 8 and 9)

Writing- The students are finishing up their myths they have been working on. They have been fun to read and I am really looking forward to the finished products! The final day to turn them in is Friday, so please encourage your child to work on it at home to insure it is top quality!
Homework- Work on re-writing or typing final draft.

Have a wonderful Monday night!

Miss Rickard

Friday

Happy Friday!

Sorry about the absence of the blog yesterday. We had some technical difficulties, but here is an overview of what we did...
    In science we discussed insulators and conductors with an experiment dealing with metal and plastic spoons and an ice cube. We also talked about how we use insulators and conductors in everyday life. The kids continued their myth projects in reading and will present them Monday! Also, the vocab test has been moved from today to Monday! In math we started a new unit on decimals and the kids caught on very quickly! Make sure page 1 in the 4B workbook is completed by Monday. In writing the students peer edited their myth they have been working on and we did a little review for the social studies test today. That sums up yesterday:)

We started off today with a social studies game to review for the regions test.
Then we went right into our math groups, which are always fun!
Before lunch the kids read an article, and picked out what is fact and what is opinion. They did great with this!
After lunch the students took the regions test and we did an activity reviewing homophones. They depicted a set of homophones. There are some really creative ones!
In writing we will have writing buddies with the second graders. They will be helping them write a piece on President's Day.

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Miss Rickard

Next Week - Read Across America Day!

Next Friday is Read Across America Day!!
I would LOVE to have you in my classroom to read your favorite or your child's favorite story book! We have times available from 9-10:30 Friday morning. Please contact me with your time of preference first!! Thanks!

Garden Springs Elementary will celebrate “Read Across America” Week February 27th - March 2nd.   The GSE Family Resource Center and GSE Library Media Specialist will be coordinating activities for the week.  We encourage all students to participate in the fun activities to celebrate “Read Across America” Week and Dr. Seuss’ birthday (March 2nd)!  Activities for the week include:

Monday- “The Foot Book Day”- Wear mismatched shoes!

Tuesday- “Read a Shirt Day”- Wear a shirt with words!

Wednesday- “Lorax Day”- Wear a green shirt on this day to remember not only  Dr. Seuss but the importance of taking care of our environment!

Thursday- “Fox in Socks Day”- Wear crazy socks on this day!

Friday- “Cat in the Hat Day”- Wear your favorite hat to school!

Wednesday

Wednesday Folders - Mid-terms are inside!

Miss Rickard's Solo Week started yesterday and will continue through Monday - so she will be writing the blog! Sorry for the absence of the blog Friday through today.  With the new privacy settings with Google, I had to upgrade to Google Chrome but did not figure that out until today! :) Thanks for being patient!

Good Afternoon!

We had a fabulous start to the day! The first two days of solo week have been great! I'm looking forward to the next few days!

Science- We have been focusing on heat the past two days. Today we discussed the different types of heat transfer by doing an experiment with ice cubes. The first team to melt their ice cube won!
No Homework

Reading- The kids finished part B in the vocab packet and then continued working on their myth projects in groups. Each group of three is researching a greek myth and working on a way to present it. Some have chosen to do a puppet show, play, power point, or the new presentation program, animoto. Their work so far looks great, and I can't wait to see the finished products! We finished up reading in lit groups.
*Homework- Finish part B of Vocab if it was not completed in class.
                    Study for vocab test on Friday!


Math- The students took the fraction test.We will start decimals tomorrow.
*If the study guide was not turned in today, please remind them to bring it tomorrow!


Writing- The kids are continuing to write their myths. I have read through several and they are so creative. We are still in the drafting stage and will continue working on them the rest of the week.
No Homework

Have a wonderful Wednesday evening!

Miss Rickard

Thursday

FYI:
Mid-terms will be coming home NEXT Wed. My grades are pretty much up-to-date on I.C. so you may look there. I have a few 'blank' areas where I'm adding in grades or waiting for make-up work to come in.  **Please remember, if your child plays a reading or math game off my blog, please write that in their planner and your child will receive extra credit!

***If your child participates in Jump Rope for Heart, he/she does not need to read their 20 min. tonight for the book log. Please just write in the slot that they were at GSE! I wish we could come! Harper has been running a fever the last few days/nights to go along with her cold so I think it best to not get her out in the rain! I will greatly miss seeing the kids! This is one of my favorite GSE events!!***

Science:
Today we worked on the study guide for the 3 states of matter. This was a short unit since it should all have been a review from 3rd grade. Tuesday we will begin our new science unit.
HW: study for test using study guide

Reading:
Today students worked on more myths! We love this unit! We talked about a few more allusions and wrote them in our unit packet.  We read a story on Achilles' Heel and then a play on Pandora's Box.  We made our own Pandora's Box with things we wished would go away. The kid's responses were SO sweet. Many asked for cancer, hurt feelings, jealousy, etc. to go away! :)  Students also worked on questions from their Lit. groups as well as had time to practice their vocab. words. 
HW: practice for vocab. test tomorrow

Math:
Today we learned how to multiply a fraction and a whole number. Kids did great! We also reviewed a lot of the fractions concepts we've learned so far.  The test for fractions will be next Wednesday.
No HW

Writing:
The kids had Health class today with Mrs. Embry.
No HW

Please place a smiley face next to your signature on the planner if you read this! Thanks!

Wednesday

FYI:
In your child's Wed. folder (my Homeroom) please check to see if your child received a Praise Note for being good for Miss Rickard during her day of teaching today!

Good afternoon, I had a great day with the kids today!

Science- We are continuing our unit on the states of matter. Today we discussed how matter changes states. We did a demonstration with frozen orange juice and watched it turn from solid to liquid by adding heat/ warm water to it. We then put it into the freezer to see how liquids change to solids and were going to taste the frozen treat this afternoon, but it's still a liquid, so tomorrow we will try it!
No homework


Reading- Our reading was shortened today because of conservation. The kids learned about different insects and really enjoyed it! We did get some reading in, as we read the myth The Odyssey and talked about allusions of myths today. We also listened to Tim Tebow read Green Eggs and Ham! Scholastic was offering a special day to watch him read and we discussed why he would be a great role model to choose to read a book!
No homework


Math- We worked on equivalent fractions in math today. The kids are learning to pull out fractions from word problems and compare them.
HW- A word problem is coming home with an example attached. Please sign the sheet and make sure your child shows their work!


Writing- The kids are continuing to write their myths they started on Monday. Today we focused on what makes a hero.
No homework

Have a wonderful evening!

Miss Rickard

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Heart Day!

We had a fabulous party! Thanks so much to the parents who were able to come and who were able to send in items!! :)

Science:
Today we did more experiments on matter.  Kids focused on 2 big questions about liquid and solids resulting in gas.  Ask your children about the experiments!
No HW

Reading:
We continued with our mythology unit - so fun! We focused on allusions today with The Midas Touch and comparing it to A Bad Case of Stripes.  Kids did an excellent job! Next, we worked on our NEW vocab.  Because of no school Monday, we will be taking the test on FRIDAY. I will call over Mrs. Maldonado's students at some point during the day to get their tests finished. Lastly, students read in their Lit. Groups.
No HW

Math:
Today we worked more with comparing equivalent fractions.  We also began multiplying fractions and simplifying fractions.  I'm looking at next Wed. for the fractions test.
No HW

Writing:
PARTY TIME! :) 

There is no HW tonight other than reading 20 minutes. Enjoy your family tonight and maybe read one of your favorite children's stories with your child for their reading log!

Monday

FYI:
Book Fair all week!
No PAC today!
Tomorrow is our party! Hope you can come by. We will begin at 1:30.  Please have your child bring in 24 valentine's if you'd like to participate. :)  I can still collect money for the V-day boxes if you haven't paid.

Short Posts - only showing HW

Science:
None

Reading:
We did not have due to a performance.
Math:
Individualized HW on comparing fractions, please sign

Writing:
None

FRIDAY

Good Afternoon!

FYI:
Science Fair - make sure to check the FCPS weather page about inclement weather.

We had a wonderful and productive day!
We started the day off with our Weather test.  Next, we had math groups.  We worked on division, multiplication, factors, fractions, and money.  Kids did great!
Next, we had Mrs. Moses in here for guidance. She spoke to the kids on verbal, physical, and sexual abuse. The kids were very mature and understanding of this lesson. They received 2 PAWS from her!
After Lunch Bunch, we worked on Resources in the US regions, had a writing/craft with our Writing Buddies, and then finished the day off working on their Valentine Boxes.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Thursday

FYI:|
*Please send in money for the Valentine's boxes!
*craft stuff can be sent in tomorrow to make the boxes!

Science:
Kids have their TEST tomorrow! Please help them study!

Reading:
We had a fun Jump Rope assembly from ACE to get the kids ready for Jump Rope For Heart. So cool! We only had a few minutes left of reading class once that was over, so we only had time to complete our vocab. tests!
No HW

Math:
We worked more on equivalent fractions and comparing fractions.  Students did a nice job. We practiced this on our desks with Expos. So fun!
HW: 2 problems with an example on the sheet

Writing:
We wrote a whole-class thank you letter to the kids at ACE for their fun jump rope show! Then we worked on 'boring' dialogue tags and made posters to make boring words more exciting!

Have a good night,

Wednesday

*Today was Miss Rickard's first Solo Day! She will be writing the blog below.  Please check your child's planner to see if there is a note from me regarding respect issues we had today towards Miss Rickard.
Thank you.


FYI:
Wed. Folder
Book Logs coming home

Science:
Today in science we finshed filling out the weather study guide. The test is Friday, so be sure to continue studying tonight! We reviewed by playing Jeopardy as a class.
Homework: Study the weather study guide for test on Friday.

Reading: We started reading with a group presentation of the play " The Gods and Goddesses Bake-Off." They did a great job! They also worked in their vocab packet. We continued our Mythology Unit by creating a "Gods and Heros" brochure, focusing on Zeus, Hercules, and Perseus.
Homework: Complete the remaining vocab and study for test tomorrow!
                   Finish brocure if it wasn't completed in class.

Math: In math we are continuing fractions. Today we looked at equivalent fractions by comparing the fraction circles.
No Homework.

Writing: We discussed why we use "dialogue tags" in stories. The kids did an activity with a partner using air quatiations and a desrciptive story in which they inserted dialogue tags.
No Homework.

Have a wonderful night!

Miss Rickard

Tuesday

Good Afternoon!
I received a pretty good report from the sub yesterday! The morning was not as good as the afternoon, but today has been wonderful! :)  I'm happy to report Harper is growing on track and everything went well with her appointment! :)

FYI:
Mrs. Maldonado's MATH class - test has been moved to Thursday
Book Fair begins next week!
Miss Rickard's first "solo" day is tomorrow. PLEASE encourage your children to show her the same respect they show to me! This is a hard day for a student teacher! :)
GSE Chow Night is Thursday at Fazoli's

Science:
Students learned the difference between weather and climate.  Students finished filling out their study guide.
HW: continue to study the packet for the test on Friday, complete study guide if needed

Reading:
Today in reading we continued our mythology unit. The kids are so in to this and we are having a great time! This is our first year to ever teach this, as it is in the new standards, and it has been so much fun creating this unit! Today we discussed the hierarchy of the gods and goddesses.  Students read a play to explain more of this and they performed! They were great! Students also worked on their vocab. packets.
HW: using the play, list who the characters are, fill out the family tree in the mythology packet

Math:
WoW! Great class today! We worked on improper fractions and mixed numbers and changing each to one another. This is a hard concept and all of the kids did a great job paying attention and working hard! They earned a 5 minute smart board game on Fractions from my websites to the right of this blog!
HW: using the practice page from class, complete your fractions page (students have different problems based on how well they understood the concept), please sign

Writing:
We went over the student sensory writing from yesterday. They were very interesting! We worked more on sensory writing and how it can help us in our writing and in our reading.  Since students had Library, they were able to have 15 minutes of DEAR time with their new books.
No HW

Have a good night,

Friday

FYI:
*I will not be here Monday. I have a doctor's appointment and shots for Harper. Miss Rickard will be teaching along with Mrs. Yeary as our sub. Please help remind your child to do his/her best on Monday morning! :)
We had a great day today!
Miss Rickard finished her transitions mini-lessons this morning with a great paragraph transformation.

Next, we had Math groups. Students rotated groups while working on problem solving, multiplication, division, graphing, and money.

Ms. Estes from Bluegrass Pride came today to do a fun water cycle lesson with us. The kids were able to interact as little water bubbles and learned lots about the cycle.

Students also had a mini-lesson on Amazing Grace and Marilyn Hoffman to kick start our month of Famous African Americans. Students also worked on their Landforms webquest for SS.

Students had time for DEAR/AR as well as some writing for a Valentine's Day craft.

Have a great weekend,

Thursday

Check out our new door! Ask your child how many 'leaves' they've been able to fill out!

Helpful, Sharing, Attitude, Manners flowers

FYI:
*Please turn in Jump Rope for Heart and Book Fair papers if you are able to participate!
*Don't forget! If your child ever plays any of the games off my blog {look under Fun Learning Games tab to the right}, you can write that they played in their planner for extra credit!! :)
*We are looking for balloons for a vocab. game and washcloths if you have any extra at home!

For Morning Work we did an activity on the Groundhog!! He saw his shadow...hmm..I hope that doesn't mean the bad winter is to come! :)

Science:
In science students worked on forecasting and predicting weather with Miss Rickard. 
HW: study weather vocab. in science journal

Reading:
Today in reading students practiced their vocab words in partners.  They used the white boards to write sentences while spelling their words correctly. Their test will be next Thursday.  Students also completed their Unit test today. I have not had a chance to look at those yet.  Students tested on compare/contrast and 1st/3rd person. Lastly, students got into their lit. groups and read together while working on context clues.
No HW

Math:
We went over more mixed number and began improper fractions.  Students took a short assessment on mixed numbers so that I know which kids to pull tomorrow during review Friday. We did several interactive activities and demonstrations to make sure kids understood the 'why' behind these concepts!
No HW

Writing:
We had Health today during part of our writing time.  The last 15 minutes of writing we worked more on transition words and had DEAR time.
No HW

Have a good night,

Wednesday

FYI:
Wed. folders
**I'm SO sorry. I have been overwhelmed this week so far and did not get the book logs finished with lexile scores. I know, such a bad example for the kids. :( This week the kids are getting a 'free' week, but I will have the book logs ready to give by the end of the week!

Science:
Students worked on forecasting weather today with Miss Rickard. PLEASE speak with your child on the importance of showing Miss Rickard the same respect they show me. :)
HW: complete forecasting activity (directions are stapled to the page)

Reading:
Today we worked on our vocab words with a fun movement game.  We also worked and reviewed comparing and contrasting theme using modern and traditional Aesop's fables.  Students will have a test tomorrow over this unit. (no study guide)  Lastly, we worked on unfamiliar words in our Lit. Books as well as discussing the characters in our books.
HW: complete 2B in vocab packet, complete reading response journal

Math:
We worked more on mixed numbers. The kids are doing SO great with this! We completed an activity using manipulatives where students needed to show different mixed numbers. Then we took an exit slip. I was happy to see everyone understands this concept.
No HW

Writing:
Mini-lesson on transitions. Students worked on short stories focusing on the transition words.
No HW

Have a good night,