Week of Sept. 19th

No school - Friday Sept. 23

Zoo/Science Center - Monday Oct. 3

Religion:  This week's Character Formation lessons emphasize self-sacrifice. We continue the story of Abraham with God's direction to sacrifice the son Abraham and Sarah waited so long to have. Abraham had learned to trust God completely and was willing to give up one of his most important possessions, his son, the key to fulfilling God's covenant promise.  In Abraham's mind, God was faithful before, He would somehow prove faithful again. How willing are we to follow God all the way in every part of our lives? Thankfully, His Son, Jesus, did that for us to be able to save us.

We study the 5th Commandment this week. God did not want harm to come to Isaac. Murder is prevalent in our city. We are also guilty when we cause hurt or harm to others either physically and emotionally. We will look at the examples of Cain and Abel as well, as the Good Samaritan.

Math:  We start the 2nd unit with an investigation of pictographs and bar graphs. We will proceed to place value, reading and writing numbers through 999, and adding two digit numbers.

Spelling: This week's list concentrates on the long "o" sound. With the short week, contracts are due on Thursday. New spelling lists will be assigned that day to be completed over the weekend.

Grammar: We will combine short sentences with the use of a comma and a conjunction. Though we finished subjects and predicates, we will revisit them. Many students were rock solid on these, while others still need some work.

Social Studies: Let the project begin! Students will be paired up to plan a map or model to depict the difference between rural and urban environments. In class, they will research books and the internet to cite their information. Presentations will most likely occur next week.

Science: We finished the six days of drawings and observations of our seeds in our mini sprouters. One student described them as looking like a jungle. We had that much growth in a short time with only water, no light, and no soil. We also compared the weight and other properties of dry and soaked lima bean seeds. We have one more activity to disperse seeds as naturally as possible to simulate how seeds get moved away from the parent plants. We should be ready for an Investigation Check, written assessment, by next week. 

Reading: We will read "The Perfect Pet". Once again, we will identify the problem and follow a sequence of events that lead to a solution. Other skills include reading a diagram and a dictionary entry. We will also have a review of the vocabulary words covered in this unit.

Week of Sept. 12th

This week's highlight is our field trip on Tuesday, Sept. 13th, to Fresh Pasture Farm and the City LIbrary. All parents are welcome. We leave ate 9:00 A,M. and return around 2:30 P.M. Please bring a lunch. 

Religion:  This week's character lesson revisits integrity, God's power to be true to HIm and yourself.  Abraham and Sarah had trouble understanding God's plan. After waiting 25 years in their old age for God to grant them a child, they took matters into their own hands. God still remained faithful to HIs promise, but the consequences of their actions did not go away. Use this discussion starter at home of how do you stay true to God when you do not understand His plan?

Memory: The 4th commandment and its meaning can be tied to the discussion of not understanding God's plan as we approach the next election and the actions of those in charge. We are reminded that these people are placed in their positions by God. We are to respect authority in all forms.

Math:  We are fast approaching our first math test. After two more lessons on missing addends and adding three addends, we will take a practice test on Thursday. Friday is test day.

Reading: We will read two nonfiction pieces about arctic climates. We continue to work on main ideas and details for understanding and the writing process. Homographs will also be reviewed. If time allows, we will try our hand at writing some poetry.

Spelling: From now on the Monday sight word tests will be 10 words.  

Grammar:  After successfully conquering subjects, we go headlong into predicates. We will also identify and correct run on sentences this week.

Social Studies: Tuesday's field trip will be a springboard for the rural/ urban project. The students will take notes on the trip. They continue to learn about organization and paragraph production with Mr. Fishburn.

Science: Our seeds are spouting and changing daily! This week we will continue to note changes in our notebooks. We will also use a balance scale to determine how much water our seeds have soaked up compared to dry seeds. Though you haven't seen any grades, notebook evaluations will happen very soon. More formal evaluations will happen at the conclusion of our seed investigation. 

Friday Sept. 23 - No School for Professional Development for teachers

Blessings on your week!

Week of Sept. 5th

Seesaw: A big thank you to those parents who attended curriculum night. Seesaw was introduced to parents. Several parents who received their QR codes have already commented on their student's first journal entry. Those who did not attend should look for their codes and instructions to come home with their kids. Included are tips for posting comments to your child's account. Seesaw parents posts are only visible to your student, and their teacher. Class viewing of everyone's is only permissible if the teacher allows. Please feel free to ask questions about this new program which will be a part of documenting your child's progress.

Religion: This week's character word, deligence, is taught from the story of Noah. We know about Noah's ability to stick to God's plan. We will look at God's ability to stick to His promises and all the work He does. He expects us to also to remain focused on our work and His expectations. How timely is this as we study the 3rd Commandment as our memory assignment and this week's Bible study?

Math:  The answer sheet adjustment is coming along nicely. This week word problems answers MUST include a label for full credit.We began work on telling time with analog and digital clocks as well as reading thermometers. We will proceed with more clock work and begin reviewing addition, subtraction, and fact families. 

Reading/Grammar/Writing: We will read a nonfiction article, "Whose Habitat Is It?" Skills include main idea/details, using a dictionary, long vowels, and rhyming. Grammar moves into identifying subjects and sentence fragments. With our recently acquired knowledge of the four kinds of sentences, we are going to write a message on a "postcard" about a summer event incorporating each of the four kinds of sentence. The other side of the card will be an original watercolor painting of the place described. Mrs. Glackin will be the recipient of these larger than usual "pieces of mail." We will send these out on Seesaw so you can see them too.

Spelling: Our first attempts at creating our own spelling lists were successful. Some were not only successful, but ambitious. Others could benefit from a little more challenge. Thanks, parents. Your efforts are very much appreciated. The kids are have commented about how much fun they are having with their spelling assignments.This week we attempt long vowel sounds in this short week. 

Social Studies: Mr. Fishburn continues teaching expectations for the rural/urban project. This week we learned about citing sources and main idea/detail sentences. Our field trip is Tuesday, September 13th. We will go Fresh Pastures Farm in Millstadt, IL, in the morning and to Central Library downtown for a mapping program in the afternoon. The students are expected to complete notes as a part of their project grade.

Science: Mr. Fishburn and I hope to coordinate class time as we share one large sprouter. Groups will be maintaining mini sprouters. We will record our observations as we note daily changes in bean seeds. Grades thus far will be based on participation and notebook completion. Each unit is designed to last 1/3 of the school year. 

Yesterday was a big day for the Glackin family. Little Tessa was baptized at Webster Gardens. We celebrate the gift of new life that is hers through water and the Word.Her identity, like some many of us, child of God, comes with joy and much responsibility to live the life God intends for us.