February 8, 2010
General News~~~~~~~~
1)You couldn't order your yearbook at the beginning of the year, so now
is the time. They will only be for sale until February 18th. If you're not
sure if you already placed your order or you have any questions, please send
an email to rebecca@hallzone.net . Remember your friends at Spicewood by
reserving your copy today. Ordering instructions are at www.spicewoodpta.org.
2) RRISD's Summer Enrichment Fair is coming up! Mark your calendars
for Saturday, February 13th from 10-12 at the PAC (next to McNeil HS). This
is a great way to find summer camps for your children. There will be
numerous vendors with examples of what each has to offer your child. Bring
the kids---Mention it to your neighbor---All are welcome---See you there!!!
3) TAGT Parent Conference: Saturday, Feb. 13th in Houston. If you're
interested in attending or looking for more information, please visit the
TAGT web site: txGifted.org/parent-conference
Third Grade~~~~~~
Happy Monday! The rain has stopped (for now!) and the sun is
shining----must be an omen for a good day!
Today, we began a new S/V unit. Unit 10 has a shorter word list
than usual, but more activities. Please note: The homework assignment is
due on MONDAY, February 22! That means, the test will be on Tuesday,
February 23rd. Why the additional time, you ask??? TAG classes will be
canceled on Thursday, Feb. 18th and Friday, Feb. 19th due to a district
meeting, so we can't possible turn in the homework or take a test if the door
is locked and no one's "home"! I've told the kids to mark their personal
calendars and budget their time well. No procrastination or sloppy work!
The historical fiction novel study is off! Today, the reading
groups read the second set of assigned pages. Some may need to finish up
tonight and return the book tomorrow. The groups also discussed just how
they plan to present the summaries of what they've read. I heard some really
clever ideas: a game show format, a newscast, vegetation with a "birdseye"
view of events... On Wednesday, the groups will meet to write out scripts
of their oral presentations for Thursday. You may find both the grading
rubric for the written composition as well as the oral presentation on my
DOWNLOADS page.
Fourth Grade~~~~~~
S/V Unit 10 is coming home today! This is a very challenging list of
words! I suggest paying special attention to the definitions. How best can
you study these words so that you fully understand them when written in
context? Write your own fill-in-the-blanks questions using a lot of context
clues that convey your understanding of the words' meanings. Or, write a
fill-in-the-blank story using the clues in surrounding sentences.
This sort of preparation will help you become more successful on your
vocabulary tests.
Persuasive essays: Bodies 2 & 3 were on tap today. Before we began
writing these parts of our rough drafts, we reviewed the list of transition
words kept in the writing binders. This list is extensive. Locating the
appropriate word/situation is the trickiest part. But, we realized today
just how handy the list can be. These transition words add so much to our
writing. ****If you did not finish writing bodies 2 & 3 in class today, it
is homework---due tomorrow. We will finish the rough draft tomorrow by
adding the conclusion, revising and editing. Then,we'll share. Wednesday
has been set aside for writing the final draft.
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