This is a short week for students. Information will go out today regarding Conference Day, which is Monday, Feb. 18. Your child has a four day weekend coming up: Feb. 15-18. On the 15th, teachers will be in professional development all day at Baldwin.
Language Arts: We are continuing our review of reading and understanding dramas, as we did last week. Students are working on stations that cover a multitude of reading and writing activities to help them review lessons from this year. I've added a station called Making Words. It's similar to what you may have heard of for younger grades, but the skills are more advanced. If you have ever played anagrams or a similar game, it is much like that. Students manipulate letters to create words, manipulate a sound or two to make more words, slowly creating 2 letter words, 3 letter words, etc until they reach the mystery word using all of the letters. This is quite challenging for ALL of my students. I highly suggest you play a game like this at home, as it offers the perfect opportunity to talk about spelling rules as kids create words. For example, last week, we really hit the rule of doubling the consonant in a one syllable short vowel word that ends in one consonant. Without reviewing this rule, the majority of my students thought that "shoping" was a word last week.
In social studies we are into the time period of Stephen F Austin and the colonization of Texas. This is a fun unit. Students get to take part in a simulation as an empresario deciding who should and shouldn't be a part of a colony.
Please check the Upcoming Dates and Mrs. Spencer's page!