Due Tuesday, January 22, 2008

As part of the Middle Ages unit your Navigators and Explorers are studying, I showed them the PBS series video castles today (Friday). Please be sure to ask your child what he/she learned today by watching it. After viewing the film, we broke into small groups and discussed what we didn't know before and how much we now know about the importance and strategic role castles played in the lives of Medieval times. I'll save more photos and information about the beautiful castle above, Chepstow, at the end of this blog entry.

First and foremost I want to review with you your child's homework for the weekend.
Explorers are to get their Friday Folders signed. They are also to share with you their corrected Wordly Wises which we reviewed today. It is critically important to me that you take the time to read through your child's answers and the comments on them. This will help you, the parent, help your child be an even more successful student. ALL Wordly Wises are due each Friday. I have passed out Lesson 14 Wordly Wise for your child to begin this weekend. It is due on Friday the 25th.

There is NO School on Monday in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday. It is a Federal holiday, so in addition to no school, there will not be any mail, since all federal buildings will be closed, nor will the banks be open.

Your child's reading Log is due on Tuesday.

The spelling homework of looking up the spelling word definitions for their Tuesday Spelling test words is due on Tuesday. Students had ample time in class today to complete this assignment.

Spelling Test on Tuesday.

This is the castle Chepstow .

Chepstow is a Norman castle perched high above the banks of the river Wye in southeast Wales. Construction began at Chepstow in 1067, less than a year after William the Conqueror was crowned King of England. While Edward had his master castle builder in the person of James of St. George, the Conqueror, some 200 years earlier, had his equal in the person of his loyal Norman lord William FitzOsbern. FitzOsbern's fortresses were the vehicles from which the new king consolidated control of his newly conquered lands. Chepstow Castle became the key launching point for expeditions into Wales, expeditions that eventually subdued the rebellious population.

Chepstow's Great Hall (Shown left), begun in 1067, is the oldest surviving stone fortification in Britain. Because of this, the site has a special significance to British history. At other castles built during the Conqueror's reign, original Norman structures have long since disappeared, but at Chepstow it's still possible to see and touch the remains of FitzOsbern's first great building project in Wales. The Normans weren't the first to recognize the strategic position of Chepstow. The arch above the main doorway to the hall is made from brick brought from a Roman fort that once stood nearby. The hall was always the heart of the castle, and originally stood alone. Over the years, the castle was enlarged by a series of builders. Today, the castle takes the shape of a long rectangle perched high above the river Wye. Inside the hall, powerful men mapped out strategy with other Welsh "Marcher Lords," planning invasions to wrest control of Wales from groups of powerful princes still holding most of the country. Besides William FitzOsbern, earl of Hereford, Chepstow's other famous lords include William Marshal, earl of Pembroke, and Roger Bigod, earl of Norfolk. Depending on your perspective, these are some of the most important (or hated) men of Norman-Welsh history.