Author name: Christa Spraggins

Kinder/1st: Week of 1/6

This week in Our Big Backyard… We’ve learned so much about our Backyards. Now it’s time to head in different directions to explore our BIGGER backyard of Texas. First, we needed to learn which direction we were going…North, South, East or West. We got out compasses and our peeps and traveled in each of the cardinal directions. We talked about how useful maps are and how most maps have a feature called a compass rose. We crafted our own. Then we thought about what’s important for all living things in our State so we looked at where the rivers flow […]

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Half day kindergarten student proudly displays an owl he sewed at a part time school.

2nd/3rd: Week of 1/6

Math – Ms. Andrea’s math group launched into a new math unit on time! We created a large clock together, then each made our own with moveable hands. These Betas remember so much from last year! This year we will focus on precision. We practiced reading clocks and drawing hands on analog clocks to the hour, half hour, quarter hour and every 5 minutes. We also learned a new game, sorting activities based on when we do them (AM/PM). Next week our discussion of time and schedules will continue, along with practice telling time down to the exact minute! Ms.

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Two second grade students work together at non-religious school in Austin.

4th/5th: Week of 1/6

General News We had a wonderful first week back from break! The Gamma class was hardworking, thoughtful, kind, and enthusiastic – as always! ELA Update This week we began by introducing our new novel study. We are reading Freewater by Amina Luqman-Dawson. This story is set pre-civil war, during the Antebellum era. It is a story of friendship and community. We started the week off by exploring the setting of the novel by taking a look at the Great Dismal Swamp. This massive, forested wetland once covered millions of acres in Southwest Virginia and Northeastern North Carolina. We read an

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Two fourth graders work on couch at micro school in Austin

Middle School: Week of 1/6

Math: The Marionettes started their unit on percents this week. They learned that a percent is always out of 100, and how to convert between fractions, decimals, and percents. The Saplings began the geometry unit. They had lessons over measuring angles, supplementary and complementary angles. Additionally the class read about Sir Cumference to discover pi, circumference, and area of circles. The Vroomshrooms graphed linear inequalities and systems of linear inequalities to finish up their unit. Next week they will begin exponential functions. ELA: After a long winter’s nap, we eased back into ELA with an activity that helped students understand

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Private middle school students dancing as part of history unit.

Middle School: Week of Feb 26

Math: Da Sprouts took a check in on Monday over expression and then moved on to the equations unit. Tuesday they learned how to solve one-step addition and subtraction equations using inverse operations and Wednesday they solved puzzles to practice setting up inverse operations. Evershrooms reviewed Monday for their check in on Tuesday. Wednesday they began learning about 3D shapes and nets. Polar Bears took their check in over pythagorean theorem Monday and began exploring transformations on Tuesday and Wednesday. Mountain Lizards worked hard to review Monday, but no one else managed to escape to room. All were prepared, however,

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Seventh grader at progressive middle school works on English assignment.