Welcome to 2nd Grade with Mrs. Macdonald!
I am a Florida native and received my BA in Psychology with a minor in Spanish from the University of South Florida. After graduation, I pursued my Masters of Education through the University of Notre Dame’s ACE Service through Teaching Program and have been an educator for the last fourteen years. Additionally, I earned my English as a New Language endorsement through the University of Notre Dame in 2012. I taught at a Catholic school in Kansas City, Kansas, and I then moved to Chicago in 2010 where I spent eight years teaching second grade at a Catholic school in Pilsen. I am excited to be back for my fifth year of teaching in this beautiful school community.
In my free time, I enjoy running, reading, singing, traveling, and spending quality time with my family and friends. I could not imagine teaching anywhere else but a Catholic school, where I can share my faith with my students and watch them grow in their own relationships with God. I am especially looking forward to preparing my students for the sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Communion.
Week at a Glance
November 8-12, 2021
Math: We will start Chapter 4 in our My Math books next week. We will explore different subtraction strategies to solve one- and two-digit subtraction problems. We will discuss the meaning of the word “difference” (answer to a subtraction problem), and we will work to regroup tens as ones as needed.
Science: None - See Social Studies
Language Arts: We will finish up our informational paragraphs during Writing time. Then we will switch gears and learn about writing poetry. We will work on describing objects with adjectives, and we will also learn how to write similes (comparisons using “like” or “as”).
Reading: After we wrap up Unit 4 (r-controlled vowels) with our phonics lessons, we will transition to the /aw/ sound, which can be spelled with a variety of options (aw, au, al, and all). We will continue our Superkids story in our decodable readers, and we will transition back to our Super Magazines, where we will read a variety of short informational articles.
Social Studies: We will continue our chapter on economics. We will discuss the cost and benefit of making different decisions. We will also explore how farmers use the land to produce food. Additionally, we will explain the concepts of “producers” and “consumers.”
Religion: We will discuss the ten commandments in the upcoming week. We will go more into depth with these as we get closer to First Reconciliation later in the year, but we will discuss how these laws help us follow Jesus. The first three focus on our relationship with God, and the last seven focus on our relationship with others. On a different note, we will celebrate Veterans Day with a prayer service on Thursday, and we will discuss vocations and how God calls each one of us to different ways of life.
Tests and Quizzes:
Additional Reminders:
Words with r-controlled vowels (-ear, or, ar)
Week at a Glance
Week of November 1-5, 2021
Math: We will wrap up our chapter on 2-digit addition strategies next week with a lesson on problem solving by making a model. When we visualize the word problems, it helps us decide what the problem is asking and how we should go about solving it. We will also spend some days reviewing adding two-digit numbers (with and without regrouping). The students will take a test on Thursday.
Science: No Science - see Social Studies
Language Arts: We will add -er and -est suffixes to work on comparative endings. In general, we add -er to compare two things, and we add -est when comparing three or more things. During Writing time, we will ask and answer research questions. We will also work to take accurate notes, and we will review the structure of an informational paragraph, complete with a main idea sentence and supporting details.
Reading: We will work in small groups (book clubs) and as a whole class (workbook and reader) to work on fluency and comprehension activities with various texts. Our phonics skills will center on words that have the /er/ sound with ear (e.g., earth), or (e.g., worst), and ar (e.g., dollar) spelling patterns.
Social Studies: We will start a chapter all about economics. Our big question for our new chapter is “How do people get what they need?” We will explore where items we need and want come from. We will also be able to identify items as needs or wants. We also will be able to discuss decisions we would make with the cost and benefits of our decisions.
Religion: We will start our week by attending Mass virtually as we celebrate the feast of All Saints Day. Then we will transition to learning about the Ten Commandments. We will go more into depth with these as we get closer to First Reconciliation later in the year, but we will discuss how these laws help us follow Jesus. The first three focus on our relationship with God, and the last seven focus on our relationship with others.
Tests and Quizzes:
Additional Reminders:
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