April 6-April 10
Phonics
During our phonics lessons this week, students focused on practicing long vowel team patterns spelled “oa,” “ow,” and “oe” (e.g., snow, boat, toe). They spent additional time reading, spelling, and recognizing these patterns in words to build confidence and accuracy. Students completed their spelling test on Thursday, April 9, 2026, and it will be returned on Monday, April 13, 2026. Please take some time to review the vocabulary with your child.
Next week we will be working on long vowel teams "ie" and "igh" long vowel team patterns (e.g., tie, night). A Roll and Read sheet has been sent home to practice these spellings. Our next spelling test will be on Thursday, April 16, 2026).
- Can you think 3 words that use ie and 3 words that use igh?
- Can you use an ie word and igh word in one or two sentences?
- Can you listen to a word and decide if it should be spelled with ie or igh?
Literacy
This week students wrapped up their learning about paragraph writing. They reviewed all the key components needed to create a strong paragraph, including a clear topic sentence, supporting detail sentences, and a closing sentence. Students practiced organizing their ideas so their writing is focused, clear, and easy to follow.
They also practiced using different types of opening and closing sentences, using punctuation such as periods, question marks, and exclamation marks to help match the tone and purpose of their writing. This helped them understand how punctuation can make their writing more engaging and expressive while still maintaining proper structure.
Ask your child the following questions:- What question could you use as a topic sentence for a paragraph about going to the park?
- What is an exclamatory sentence you could use as a closing sentence for a paragraph about things you like to do in the summer?
- Can you write a paragraph about a topic of your choice?
This week we have been practicing addition using a new strategy called “making 10.” This strategy helps students solve addition problems more easily by breaking numbers apart to create a group of 10 first, since 10 is a friendly and easy number to work with.
In the video, students learn that when adding two numbers, they can take some from one number to “complete” the other number and make 10. For example, if a problem is 8 + 5, students can take 2 from the 5 to make 8 into 10. Then, they add the remaining 3, so the equation becomes 10 + 3 = 13.
This strategy helps students build stronger number sense, improve mental math skills, and understand how numbers can be broken apart and put back together in different ways. It also supports fluency with addition within 20 by encouraging students to think flexibly about numbers rather than counting one by one.
Here is a video that explains this concept: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDx7Q-KvqS4
- Can you use the making 10 strategy to solve 9 + 6?
- What number do you need to add to 7 to make 10?
- Can you explain how making 10 helps you solve an addition problem faster?
McKenzie Towne School is excited to present "Singing Through the Seasons," our Spring Concert for the Grade 2 and 3 classes on Thursday April 23rd.
The dress rehearsal is open to families to come watch. Please note, there may be pauses during this performance to fine tune some details.
Dress Rehearsal:
Grade 2: 11:00am -11:30am
Grade 3: 1:30pm - 2:00pm
Evening Performance:
Grade 2: 5:00pm - 5:30pm (doors open at 4:30)
Grade 3: 6:30pm - 7:00pm (doors open at 6:00)
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