Home-School Connection

Dear Family Member:

This week our class will be
focusing on the ways in which
animals survive. Some animals
live in hot places; others live in
cold places. Wherever they live,
animals need to adapt to their
environment.

Here are some activities that you

can do with your child to help reinforce the skills we’ll be practicing.

Word Workout (see page 29)

• Words to Know: prefixes You will make up a sentence using one
of the words on the list and have your child tell you what the word
means. Then you will reverse roles.
• Spelling/Phonics: short o and long o As you say each list word,
have your child spell it and then say a rhyming word. Then your
child will write a short two-line poem using one of the rhyming word
pairs. This week’s phonic sounds are short o as in hot and long o as
in bone.

Comprehension: character, setting, plot (see page 30) Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

You and your child will look at pictures and make up a story about the
pictures. Your child will write one or two short sentences explaining the
plot, or what happens in the story.

26 Unit 2 • Week 1
 Word Workout
Words to Know
I’ll choose a word from the list and make up a sentence using that word.
Then you tell me the meaning of the word. Next, you choose a word and
make up a sentence with it, and I’ll tell you the meaning of the word.
We’ll take turns and do this for each word on the list.

eager sense silence shadows

freedom fresh adapt climate

Spelling Words
Let’s practice spelling your words. I will say a word on the list and you
spell it. Then you say a word that rhymes with the word you’ve just
spelled. After we’ve rhymed all the words, you can write a short two-line
poem with one of the pairs of rhyming words.

box fox dog lock pot

cone home nose poke rope

Review: side line

Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Unit 2 • Week 1 29
 Comprehension: Character, Setting, Plot

Make Up a Story
Let’s look at the pictures and make up a story. Who’s in picture 1? A
character can be a person or an animal. Give each character a name
and write the name next to the picture.

Where does the story take place? Write the setting on the lines next to
picture 2.

The plot is what happens in the story. Look at all the pictures and make
up a story about what’s happening. Write a sentence or two about the
story on the lines next to picture 3.

1.

2.

3. Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

30 Unit 2 • Week 1