My Biography

Welcome! The 2025-2026 school year will be my 13th year as a learning support teacher at Richland. I am graduate from Frostburg State University with a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education and a Master's Degree in Special Education. I am extremely honored to work at Richland Elementary School and look forward to collaborating with you and your child! Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.
 
IMPORTANT CLASSROOM INFORMATION!
 
SPELLING
Weekly spelling words/homework will be introduced on Fridays for the following week. Spelling Pre-tests will be administered on Thursdays. If a student receives a perfect score during the pre-test, he/she does not need to take the spelling test on Friday. *I take the highest score between the spelling pre-test and spelling test. All spelling homework is due on Friday.
*5th Grade's spelling tests are hand written.
*6th Grade's spelling tests are multiple choice and are taken on the chrome books with Google Classroom. 
 
MATH
We will be working out of the Everyday Math Series. Quizzes and Tests will be announced ahead of time. Each student will receive a study guide that mirrors the assessment. All review games (Kahoot/Blooket/Gimkit) will be posted on Google Classroom to help with studying. These review games contain the EXACT CONTENT on the assessments. Fridays will be utilized for review of basic skills (multi-digit addition/subtraction, counting money, telling time, multiplication/division facts, multi-digit multiplication, long division, etc.)
 
READING/ELA

Some topics that we will cover this year are:

-Literary Genres 

-Fiction

     Characters & their traits, Setting, 4 types of literary conflicts, Plot elements, Theme, Point of

     View, Summarizing, Making inferences, Compare/Contrast, Author's Purpose

-Nonfiction

      Main Idea & Details, Problem & Solution, Cause & Effect, Text Features,

      Compare/Contrast, Sequencing 

-Poetry Terms

-Figurative Language

       Simile, Metaphor, Onomatopoeia, Alliteration, Hyperbole, Oxymoron, Personification

 

Grammar: Parts of a Sentence, Nouns, Pronouns, Verbs, Adjectives, Adverbs, Prepositions

Writing: Narrative, Persuasive, Informative, Opinion, Letter Writing

 

**Reading and Grammar quizzes and tests will be announced ahead of time. Each student will

receive a study guide that mirrors the assessment. All review games (Kahoot/Blooket/Gimkit) will be

posted on Google Classroom to help with studying. These review games contain the EXACT

CONTENT on the assessments.

 

 
 

Posts

November 17-21

5th Grade

Unit 2 Whole Number Place Value & Operations
Math
Monday: 3.8 Renaming Fractions & Mixed Numbers(using pictures)
Tuesday: Biz Town Field Trip
Wednesday: 3.8 Renaming Fractions & Mixed Numbers(converting mathematically), Pennants 
Thursday: 3.8 Renaming Fractions & Mixed Numbers(converting mathematically), Scavenger Hunt
Friday: 4-digit x 1-digit Multiplication Review/Reflex Math
 
Reading
Monday: Scholastic Storyworks Magazine: Look Up! (Read Aloud-Play/Historical Fiction behind the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade), Introduce vocabulary words
Tuesday: Biz Town Field Trip
Wednesday: Scholastic Storyworks Magazine: Look Up!, Review vocab, introduce problem/solution. Assign parts/characters. Begin reading. 
Thursday: Read Scholastic Storyworks Magazine: Look Up!
Friday: Scholastic Storyworks Magazine: Look Up!, Problem & Solution Organizer
 
English
Unit 3 Nouns
Monday: 3.7 Using Possessive Nouns
Tuesday: Biz Town Field Trip
Wednesday: 3.8 Mechanics: Abbreviations
Thursday: Review spelling words, Spelling Pre-Test
Friday: Spelling Test
 
Spelling Words: Week 8, Spellings with /f/
To practice spelling at home:
Teacher Username: hpapanicolas
Password: Click on the Turtle Picture
 

6th Grade

Unit 2 Fraction Operations & Ratios
Math
Monday: 2.13 Using Ratio/Rate Tables(Basketball Activity)
Tuesday: 2.13 Using Ratio/Rate Tables
Wednesday: 2.14 Graphing Ratios
Thursday: 2.14 Graphing Ratios
Friday: 4-digit x 1-digit Multiplication Review/Reflex Math
 
 
Reading
Monday: Scholastic Storyworks Magazine: Look Up! (Read Aloud-Play/Historical Fiction behind the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade), Introduce vocabulary words
Tuesday: Review vocab, Watch video on Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Wednesday: Scholastic Storyworks Magazine: Look Up!, Review vocab, introduce problem/solution. Assign parts/characters. Begin reading. 
Thursday: Read Scholastic Storyworks Magazine: Look Up!
Friday: Scholastic Storyworks Magazine: Look Up!, Problem & Solution Organizer
 
 
English
Unit 2 Nouns
Monday: 3.4 Nouns & their jobs
Wednesday: Nouns TEST
Thursday: Review spelling words, Spelling Pre-Test
Friday: Spelling Test
 
Spelling Words: Week 9, Final |er|
To practice spelling at home:
Teacher Username: hpapanicolas
Password: Click on the Turtle Picture

November 10-14

5th Grade

Unit 2 Whole Number Place Value & Operations
Math
Monday: NO SCHOOL: Parent/Teacher Conferences
Tuesday: NO SCHOOL: Veteran's Day 
Wednesday: 3.4 Fractions on a Number Line
Thursday: 3.4 Fractions on a Number Line Day 2
Friday: Telling Time Review/Reflex Math
 
Reading
Monday: NO SCHOOL: Parent/Teacher Conferences
Tuesday: NO SCHOOL: Veteran's Day 
Wednesday: Legend of Sleepy Hollow Project(Finish)
Thursday: Introduce Author's Purpose Powerpoint/Notes
Friday: Author's Purpose Sort Activity
 
English
Unit 3 Nouns
Monday: NO SCHOOL: Parent/Teacher Conferences
Tuesday: NO SCHOOL: Veteran's Day 
Wednesday: 3.5 Singular Possessive Nouns
Thursday: 3.6 Plural Possessive Nouns
Friday: Introduce new spelling words
 
No spelling words this week!
 

6th Grade

Unit 2 Fraction Operations & Ratios
Math
Monday: NO SCHOOL: Parent/Teacher Conferences
Tuesday: NO SCHOOL: Veteran's Day 
Wednesday: 2.11 Equivalent Ratios(M & Ms)
Thursday: 2.11 Equivalent Ratios
Friday: Telling Time Review/Reflex Math
 
Reading
Monday: NO SCHOOL: Parent/Teacher Conferences
Tuesday: NO SCHOOL: Veteran's Day 
Wednesday: Legend of Sleepy Hollow Project(Finish)
Thursday: Introduce Author's Purpose Powerpoint/Notes
Friday: Author's Purpose Sort Activity
 
English
Unit 2 Nouns
Monday: NO SCHOOL: Parent/Teacher Conferences
Tuesday: NO SCHOOL: Veteran's Day 
Wednesday: 3.3 Possessive Nouns
Thursday: 3.3 Possessive Nouns
Friday: Introduce new spelling words
No spelling words this week!