In our everyday speech we use contractions.  Contractions are a kind of “short cut” in the way we use words to communicate.  Think about it for a bit.  If you were going to tell a friend that you aren’t going to lunch, are you likely to say, “I am not going to lunch” or “I’m not going to lunch”?  Because we use these words so often in our speech, it’s important that we teach students how to use the words in writing.  Teaching contractions can be fun and there are tons of great activities to use to support this concept. When introducing the idea of contractions, it’s helpful to begin by defining the word “contract”.  “Contract” means to get smaller or