Dear Parents,
Happy St. Patrick’s Day early! We had lots of fun dressed in all shades of green on Wednesday, then today we celebrated by having a second breakfast of Lucky Charms. They were magically delicious!
In language arts we finished a Latin lesson and tested today. We learned about conjunctions and how they join compound and complex sentences this week and listened to the old “Schoolhouse Rock” song to reinforce it.
In literature we started reading through a variety of Civil War novels in small groups. The kids read according to their agreed-upon schedule in order to finish the book by spring break. They discuss and then respond to a variety of literature tasks. Next week, we will review some important literary elements with them and have them respond to those each day.
In social studies we have been studying some precedent-setting Supreme Court cases. Kids worked in pairs to study a Supreme Court case and then presented it to the class. They presented what was at issue, the background of the case, the decision handed down, the amendment or article of the Constitution that the case refers to, and why it matters to us today. The kids wrote a short essay telling which case interested them the most and why. Most have been graded and are in FACTS, although a few will turn theirs in on Monday.
The Legacy Project is in full steam. The kids have already completed several components of the project and are saving them to insert into their Legacy Project albums. Their albums can be a scrapbook style (with glued in corners that hold each item – lots of work), a photo album type, or a binder (most prefer this type). If they choose a binder, they will need sheet protectors to insert their writing and artifacts into. Please remember that they need to have at least 50 pages total (many will have more). This means a minimum of 25 sheet protectors, since each side of a page counts as one page. The biography is due Thursday, March 28th for peer review/editing in class, and March 29th printed out and turned in to me for grading over spring break. If your child has not made much progress, you might want to light a fire under him/her this weekend to get a goodly amount done.
Have a great weekend!
Chris