This week in LA and SS...
LA: Whether we want to face it or not, we have a writing benchmark test coming up on Tuesday, November 15th. We don't talk "test" in class, but this week, just so we can put to rest any fear or anxiety of what to expect, we will be doing some test taking strategies specifically for writing so that the kids are comfortable and confident on Tuesday. The scores will be used to assess where we go from here with instruction, remediation, or enrichment for students. On Tuesday, the students will get to see what it feels like to have a Writing STAAR test, as it is a released test from some prior year.
In addition, we are working on subject/verb agreement, irregular verbs, and helping verbs while we finish up our reading stations from last week. Students are finishing rough drafts of their biographies they wrote, as I am reviewing their rough draft of our Harris Burdick stories and our short creative writing assignment from the day after Halloween. Lots going on in writing.
In SS, students have presented posters and projects depicting the Native Americans in Texas. We will use this information as a springboard for learning about explorers that came through Texas to understand what it must have been like for both the Native Americans and the explorers upon meeting each other. Students will come to realize how traumatic it was for some natives to be forced off their own land, while other natives worked with the explorers, learning from each other and trading goods. Students will be working in class on an explorer writing project, following the path and motivations for one assigned explorer.
That's it. I hope you all have a wonderful week.