Wisdom Begins in Wonder
Ms. Wykes - 5th Grade - Morrish Elementary School
A Little About Ms. Wykes
Hi! My name is Ms. Wykes, and I am SO excited to start my first year at Morrish Elementary School. Most importantly, I am THRILLED to be your teacher! It’s going to be a fun year full of lots of learning and new adventures. I can’t wait to see what the year has in store for us. I want to know ALL about you, but first I’m going to tell you a few things about me.
I was born and raised in Clare, Michigan, which is right in the middle of the Lower Peninsula. I am the middle child of three girls. I have a younger sister named Jamie and an older sister named Pam. They are my BEST friends! After I graduated from high school, I moved to the south to attend the University of North Carolina. I majored in Psychology and Sociology. I went on to get my teaching certificate from the University of Michigan-Flint. When I finished my schooling, I was SO excited to begin teaching! After teaching for a few years, I went back to school and received a Master’s Degree in the Art of Teaching with a Major in Mathematics.
I am currently in my 13th year of teaching at Swartz Creek Community Schools. Throughout the past 12 years, I have taught art, technology, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, and 5th grade. I have taught several different split classrooms as well.
In my personal life I stay very busy with my 3 children: Erica, Logan, and Emma. Erica has recently graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a major in Dance Studio Management. Logan is beginning his junior year at Kettering University majoring in computer engineering. Emma is beginning her senior year in high school and has dreams and aspirations of becoming a professional dancer/performer. I have three fur babies…Bella and Cooper. Bella is a Maltipoo, and Cooper is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. I also have a muted calico cat named Callie. I love to play and snuggle with my pets! I also love to walk/run, travel, read, scrapbook, and spend time with my extended family and friends.
I'm so excited to start the school year with all of my new students and their families!
Below is a sneak peak of the topics we will be exploring this year in the classroom.
Math
Unit 1: Addition/Subtraction with Fractions
Unit 2: Addition/Subtraction with Decimals
Unit 3: Multiplication/Division with Fractions
Unit 4: Multiplication with Whole Numbers and Decimals
Unit 5: Division with Whole Numbers and Decimals
Unit 6: Operations and Word Problems
Unit 7: Algebra, Patterns, and Coordinate Graphs
Unit 8: Measurement and Geometry
Reading
Unit 2: Using Reading Strategies to Understand Text
Unit 3: Identifying the Theme of a Fiction Text
Unit 4: Identifying the Main Idea and Supporting Details of a Non-Fiction Text
Unit 5: Identifying the Point of View of the Text
Unit 6: Compare/Contrast Characters, Themes, Texts from Same Author, Texts About the Same Topic, etc...
Unit 7: Describe the Text Structure of Non-Fiction Text
*Even though these are listed as unit topics, they are not necessarily taught in succession. These "big ideas" are woven together and taught continuously and often simultaneously through the art of reading and discussion.
Writing
Unit 2: Opinion and Persuasive Writing
Unit 3: Personal Narrative Writing
Unit 4: Informational Writing
Unit 5: Research
Social Studies
Unit 1: Our Government
Unit 2: Three Worlds Meet
Unit 3: Colonization and Settlement
Unit 4: Life in Colonial America
Unit 5: Road to Revolution
Unit 6: The American Revolution
Unit 7: A New Nation
Science
Unit 1: Forces and Motion
Unit 2: Dynamics of the Solar System
Unit 3: Survival of Organisms
Unit 4: Animal Systems