McIlvain’s “McNews & McNotes”

This week we are testing each morning. Please try to have your child go to bed early and eat a good breakfast each day. We plan on completing the following tests this week:

Monday: Reading Street Baseline test
Tuesday: Math Common Assessment
Wednesday: Reading Common Assessment
Thursday: Part of G-Made (math assessment)
Friday: Depends on how the students are doing whether we do more or wait until the following week.

Our Fun Friday activity (for those earning it with 0/1 refocus forms) will be outdoor games and popsicles. Students may bring in outdoor toys. Because we are testing this week, we will not have spelling words or homework. Please continue to have your child read, or read to your child, a few minutes each evening.

Go CATS!!! Number 8!!

This week we are looking at the traditions of Easter and Spring. Our spelling words are generated from our reading of Anna and the Painted Eggs as well as general Easter related words.

Spelling: Easter, fair, hatched, village, market, brightly, eggs, lily, basket, bonnet, symbols, outfit, Challenge Words: celebration, Ukrainian, pysanky, kistka

Reading Story: Anna and the Painted Eggs
Reading Strategy: Prior Knowlege
Reading Comprehension Skill: Sequencing

Math: measuring, addition, graphing

Reading: One Dark Night
Comprehension Skill: Sequencing

Spelling: Prefixes: un-, dis-, pre-, un-
unsafe, preheat, rerun, disappear, unlock, retie, rewind, unpack, unplug, regroup, preschool, disagree CHALLENGE WORDS: prehistoric, unfortunate, reunion

Our reading unit study is pertaining to responsibility. This week our focus is being responsible with animals. Why should we take care of animals?

Happy Spring!!
This week we are working on the comprehension skill of main idea. We have discussed how you can often find the main idea in the beginning sentence of a paragraph.
Story this week: Fire Fighter!
Comprehension Skill: Main Idea
Text Structure

Spelling Concept – suffixes -ly, -ful, -or, -er
Words: cheerful, visitor, slowly, weekly, teacher, helper, hardly, graceful, yearly, quickly, fighter, sailor Challenge Words: gardener, competitor, extremely

Math: Using and collecting data to develop a graph, measurement
We will be taking our 5th common assessment in math.

Happy Monday! As we move toward St. Patrick’s Day we are looking into the history of St. Patrick and his holiday as we read, write and learn math skills.

Reading Selections: St. Patrick’s Day by Gail Gibbons
Jamie O’Rourke and the Big Potato by Tomie DePaola
Legends of Saint Patrick (mini booklet)

Skills: I can ask questions to show that I know details from the story.
I can answer questions to show that I know details from the story.

Spelling: dance, Ireland, lucky, music, rainbow, shamrock, jig, magic, orange, saint, St. Patrick’s Day, harp, leprechaun, seventeenth, wish
Challenge Words: four-leaf-clover, gold coins, pot of gold

Math: Potato math (graphing, measuring, geometric shapes)

Happy Tuesday!
Reading Story: Helen Keller And The Big Storm
Reading Skill: Fact and Opinion

Spelling: Vowel Patterns for /u/
too, new, fruit, blue, true, cool, suit, spoon, clue, juice, drew, flew
Challenge Words: cruise, nephew, shampoo

Math: Math Fact mastery of both addition (10) and subtraction (20)
Regrouping up to one hundreds place

Happy Tuesday! We are beginning our week on Tuesday due to President’s Day Holiday on Monday!

Looking at this Week:

Reading: Frogs
Genre: Expository Nonfiction
Vocabulary Strategy: Word Structure
Comprehension Skill: Compare and Contrast
Comprehension Strategy: Graphic Organizer

Spelling: Diphthongs ou, ow /ou/
around, about, gown, sound, flower, howl, ground, pound, crown,
south, mouse, downtown
Challenge Words: mountain, boundary, drowsy

Math: Addition with regrouping (up to 3 digit number)
Subtraction with regrouping (up to 3 digit number)

Here’s to a great week!!!!!

We are reading The Life Cycle of a Pumpkin this week. Our spelling words focus on the oo and u sound. The words include:

put, cook, stood, full, wood, July, shook, push, pull, brook, hook, hood
Challenge words: pudding, cushion, footprint

In math we are still working on mastering addition with regrouping and subtraction with regrouping. The students are getting these skills but need continued practice.

Our Valentine’s Party is tomorrow, Tuesday February 14, at 2:00. We will exchange Valentine cards and have an ice cream sundae party. The students get to create their own!! You are welcome to join us.

Welcome Back!!  I hope everyone enjoyed Fall Break!!  The students shared some excellent accounts of the adventures they had while on Fall Break.  Several had trips, birthday parties to attend, sleepovers, etc.  Now we are refreshed and ready to get back to work!!

Please keep in mind some upcoming events:  Picture Day – Friday, Oct. 21; Parent-Teacher conferences – Thursday, Oct. 20 (4-6 p.m.); Teacher Work Day (no school for students) – Monday, Oct. 24; Fall Harvest Day for 2nd grade – Friday, Oct. 28; Halloween Party – Monday, Oct. 31

Homework for tonight:  Reading – Reader's choice and decodable reader, Spelling – 2 times each, Math – 1 sheet

Spelling words for the week:  r-controlled vowel concept; ir, ur, er:  her, person, nurse, dirt, turn, birth, serve, curb, curl, skirt, purse, turtle challenge words:  hamburger, surface, perfect

Have a great evening!!

Thank you for your help with Camp Read A Lot!!!  The students had a great time!  We appreciate the donations of supplies and time.  Thanks again!  

The first 9 weeks is coming to an end.  Report cards will go out soon after Fall Break.

Homework for tonight:

1.  Read:  Tara and Tiree (fluency)

2.  Spelling:  2 sheets

3.  Math:  1 sheet

Have a great evening!!:-)