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
Week of October 29 - November 2, 2018
Math: We are finishing up Chapter 3 on multiplication strategies of drawing a picture and writing number sentences. Our test is Tuesday, 10/30. Then we will start Chapter 4, which continues with more multiplication facts and strategies.
Science: Please visit Ms. Papagianis’s page for Science information
Language Arts:
Reading: We will cycle back to identifying Author’s Purpose of a text (entertain, persuade, inform). We will also continue to build fluency and read with expression. We will continue working on picking out books that are “just right”. Please help your child remember to bring in his/her book report on or before Friday, November 2nd.
Social Studies: We will compare renewable and nonrenewable resources, and we will also plan ways to help save the environment by reducing our waste, reusing items, and recycling.
Religion: We will take a break from our fruits of the Holy Spirit (we will come back to this) to learn about All Saints’ Day. This is an important holy day of obligation for our catholic church.
Tests and Quizzes:
Other reminders:
Accessing the Chapter 3 Online Practice Test
*Note for parents: This assignment is optional (not required). It will be available through next week (10/31). I will discuss it in class on Wednesday with the third graders.
The Chapter 3 Test is on Tuesday, October 30th. While this assignment is not required, I highly recommend it, as the test will cover very similar questions. We will also complete a chapter review in class later this week. Thank you for any extra help you can do at home!
*Students should:
*I should then be able to see your test and view the results*
*Please email me with any questions or send in a note.*
*Other Think Central resources:
Week at a Glance
Week of October 22 - October 26, 2018
Math: We will continue our work with basic multiplication. We are using skip counting, repeated addition, and drawing models as we learn our facts. In word problems, we are looking for clue words such as “equal groups” and “find the product” in order to help us solve.
Science: Please visit Ms. Papagianis’s page for Science information
Language Arts: Spelling words this week are compound words (combinations of two or more words to form a new word). We will break these words apart to practice spelling each part. We will also use the different parts to figure out the meanings of the words. In Grammar, we will continue our daily spiral review in our Simple Solutions books. We will also form irregular plural nouns. (Examples of these include: goose → geese, mouse → mice, child → children.) During Writing, we will work on forming good endings for our personal narratives. We will look at mentor texts for examples and practice with our own stories.
Reading: Our story this week is a fantasy entitled Prudy’s Problem and How She Solved It. The skill we will focus on is drawing conclusions (sometimes called “making inferences”) using clues from the text. In reading groups we will use additional resources to practice this skill as well. We will also continue to look for “just right books” when we select books from the classroom and school libraries.
Social Studies: This week we are studying Ecosystems. We will learn how animals and plants interact with each other in their environment for survival. We will discuss terms such as habitat, vegetation, food chain/web, and survival.
Religion: We will discuss the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Make sure to ask your child about the song we learn next week. The Holy Spirit is with us, and we can call upon the Holy Spirit for help. We recognize the Holy Spirit as part of the Trinity.
Tests and Quizzes:
*We will continue our timed quizzes in Math (x5 next week), with the best grade for the week going in PowerSchool as a homework grade.
*Spelling test Friday
*Reading test Friday
Additional Reminders:
*Please send in field trip forms and $15 for our trip to the Grove on Monday, October 29th. (Students do not have to be in uniform that day. They should dress for the weather, as we will be outside.)
*Art in a Box session 1 will be Monday afternoon. Please ask your child about what s/he learned.
Every week we will be taking a timed multiplication quiz. They will have 3 minutes and 30 seconds to answer 48 multiplication facts. Each week we will focus on one set. For example, the week of October 15-19 we will only be doing the TWOS. I will take the best score out of the five days. I have sent home an example of what the quizzes will look like. Please make copies so that your child can practice throughout the week.
In third grade, I will show the students ways to solve multiplication problems and why we need to multiply, but it is extremely important that they memorize their facts as well.
Ask your child about the multiplication gumball machine they colored in today.