April 13-April 17
Phonics
In phonics this week, students focused on practicing long vowel team patterns spelled “igh" and "ie" (e.g., light, high, tie, pie). It an be tricky figuring out which words use which spelling rule, but students did a great job figuring out which spelling pattern to use! Students completed their spelling test on Thursday, April 17, 2026, and it will be returned on Monday, April 20, 2026. Reviewing the vocabulary will encourage students to use them in their work.
Next week we will be reviewing vowel teams that have been practiced over the last few weeks (e.g., ea, ee, ay, igh, ow). A new Roll and Read sheet was sent home on Thursday, April 16, 2026 to enforce these vowel teams.
- What is the difference between the "ow" in the words wow and row?
- Which spelling patterns do you find tricky to read?
- Why is it important to take the time to sound out letters, instead of rushing?
Literacy
This week students wrote a paragraph about a lunch they would make for themself. They used great adjectives to describe their meal! They have developed a good understanding that topic sentences and closing sentences don't necessarily have to be statements with a period at the end, but could also be questions or exclamatory sentences as well.
- Why is it important to have a clear topic sentence?
- What are some things that can make a paragraph more interesting (e.g, adjectives, adverbs)
- What is the point of a closing sentence?
We have been learning a strategy known as “get to 10 and subtract the rest.” Instead of subtracting a number all at once, students break it into two easier steps. First, they subtract just enough to reach 10, because 10 is an easy number to work with. Then, they subtract whatever amount is left. For example, in 14 − 6, you would take away 4 to get from 14 down to 10, and then subtract the remaining 2 to get 8. This method helps children build confidence with numbers and makes subtraction easier to understand.
Here is a video that explains this concept: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04U-KXF7-RI
We also learned about decomposing a hundred using hundreds, tens, and unit blocks. This means breaking numbers apart to understand how they are built. For example, 100 can be shown as 1 hundred block, or as 10 tens blocks, or as 100 single units. Using these blocks helps children see that numbers are made up of different parts, which makes it easier to understand place value and work with bigger numbers when adding or subtracting.
50 + 50 = 100
- In 14 − 6, what do you subtract first to get down to 10? After you reach 10, how much more do you still need to subtract? What is the final answer?
- 80 + ______ = 100. Can you fill in the blank?
- 20 + 50 + ______ = 100. What is the missing number?
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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