Areas of Focus
September Focus
Language Arts
Word Analysis 1.2 Apply basic syllabication rules
Example: happen = hap/pen
Finally=fi/nal/ly
Anytime = an/y/time
Word Analysis 1.7 Understand/Explain Antonyms & Synonyms
Example: Antonym: hot/cold, big/small, girl/boy
Synonym: lady/woman, small/tiny
Written Conventions 1.6Capitalize proper nouns, beginning of sentences/greetings, months & titles, and initials of
people
Example: Disneyland, Ms. Nguyen, Wal-mart
There is the boy. Dear Mrs. Clarke,
February, Little Red Riding Hood,
D. S. W.
Mathematics
Addition & Subtraction Strategies
(practice addition/subtraction facts up to 20 or higher)
FEBRUARY FOCUS
Language Arts
Reading Comprehension 2.4 Identify and correctly answer questions about textual elements of exposition
(Students should know to restate the why, what, if, how of NON-FICTION STORIES)
Example:
There are more than 4,000 kinds of frogs. Each frog has something special about it. The Goliath frog, for example, is the biggest frog. It grows to be about one foot! The gray tree frog can change colors. It can turn shades of gray or green. The North American wood frog freezes in the winter. Its body turns to ice. A special sugar in its blood keeps it from dying.
Why doesn't the wood frog die when it freezes?
A.because the season is wintertime
B.because the frog is the biggest
C.because the frog can change colors
D.because its blood has a special sugar
Word Analysis 1.9 Identify and explain PREFIXES(Students should be able to take apart a word with a prefix and explain its meaning)
Example:
Do not disrespect your teachers.
Knowing the meaning of the prefix dis- helps the reader understand that the worddisrespect means
A.full of respect.
B.not respect.
C.respect twice.
D.respect again.
Writing Strategies 1.4 Identify related ideas and keep a consistent focus in a short paragraph
(Students should be able to revise writing to make improvements in sequencing and provide more detials )
Example:
Tiger cubs are neat animals. They begin killing their food when they are 18 months old. They are born blind. The babies weigh only about 2 to 3 pounds. They are raised by only one parent. Zoos have tigers. A mother tiger has only 2 or 3 cubs. One cub often dies at birth. The cubs live on their mother's milk for a while. Then, their mother teaches them to hunt. Tigers leave their mother when they are about two years old.
Which of the following sentences from the passage is in the wrong place?
A."A mother tiger has only 2 or 3 cubs."
B."They begin killing their food when they are 18 months old."
C."Tiger cubs are neat animals."
D."Tigers leave their mother when they are about two years old.
Which sentence is a better choice than this sentence from the selection?
"The cubs live on their mother's milk for a while."
A.The cubs live on their mother's milk because they need it.
B.The cubs live on their mother.
C.The cubs live on their mother's milk for 6-8 weeks.
D.The cubs live on their mother's milk.
Which of the following sentences from the paragraph gets off the subject?
A."Zoos have tigers."
B."A mother tiger has only 2 or 3 cubs."
C."Then, their mother teaches them to hunt."
D."One cub often dies at birth."
Word Analysis 1.10 Identify Multiple Meaning Words (homophones, homonyms, etc)
Example:
Lane wrote her mother a note to pick her up after practice.
What does note mean in this sentence?
A.to notice
B.a short letter
C.to study
D.a musical sound
Ben played the last note of the song on his piano.
What does note mean in this sentence?
A.to notice
B.a short letter
C.a musical sound
D.to study
Word Analysis 1.9 Identify and correctly use Suffixes
Example:The movement of an animal caught my eye.
What does the word movement mean?
A.to not move
B.one who moves
C.an act of moving
D.to move again
DECEMBER/JANUARY FOCUS
Language Arts
Word Analysis 1.4 Identify and correctly use Abbreviations
(Students should know abbreviations for days, months, names, states, etc)
Example: What is another way to write Monday?
a) mon
b) Mon
c) Mon.
Word Analysis 1.8 Identify and explain compound words
(Students should be able to take apart a compound word and explain its meaning)
Example:
The word snowflake is a compound word. You can tell by the two parts of the word that a snowflake is:
a) a type of cereal
b) a flake of snow
c) a person made of snow
Writing Strategies 1.1 Identify related ideas and keep a consistent focus in a short paragraph
(Students should be able to read a paragraph and decipher what sentences belong or are missing)
Example:
Tina is five years old. She will be starting school this coming fall. To get ready for school, Tina's mother is teaching her the alphabet and how to read and count.
Which sentence should be added at the end of the paragraph?
A. Alex, Tina's older brother, already goes to school.
B. Due to her mother's help, Tina will be ahead when she starts school.
C. At school, Tina will have a chance to play on the playground everyday.
D. Tina's mother will need to pack her a lunch for school.
Answer: B.
Reading 3.4 Identify Rhyme, Rhythm, and Alliteration
Example:
The Escape
The boys ran fast
Down the way
In and out
Just to get away.
"Hurry, quickly
Weave through,"
Yelled Peter
As he flew.
The words way and away are rhyming words in this poem.
Which other words from the poem rhyme?
A. hurry and Peter
B. fast and out
C. through and flew
D. just and yelled
Written and Oral Language Conventions 1.5 Identify and correctly use Quotation Marks
Example:
Read this sentence. there may be mistakes in it.
Jeremiah asked, Can I go out and play, Mother?
A. Jeremiah asked, "Can I go out and play, Mother?
B. Jeremiah asked, Can I go out and play, Mother"?
C. Jeremiah asked, "Can I go out and play, Mother"?
D. Jeremiah asked, "Can I go out and play, Mother?"
OCTOBER FOCUS
Language Arts
Word Analysis 1.5 Identify and correctly use Regular/Irregular Plurals
Example: ticket- Tickets
Berry - Berries
beach - beaches
Word Analysis 1.7 Understand and explain Synonyms
Example: lady/woman, small/tiny, big/large
Writing Conventions 1.1 Identify and correct incomplete sentences into complete sentences
Example: Which word/phrase best completes this sentence?
The small, green frog___________________________.
Under the apple tree, __________________________.
Example: Is this a fragment or a complete sentence?
The dog under the rug.
Green leaves fall in the autumn season.
Reading Comprehension 2.5 Restate Facts and Details
Example: After reading the story, "Ant and the 3 Figs",
what is the problem, characters and solution of the story?
Reading Comprehension 2.8 Follow 2 Step Written Instructions