Dear Ryan's parents,

Ryan worked very hard once again throughout today's lesson!

His reading skills are significantly improving, which is wonderful! I am very proud of Ryan and he should be proud of himself too.

He is progressing very well with his English language learning and much of that is due to his hard work (and his mother's loving support! Thank you, Jessica!).

For today's lesson, we focused on Ryan's reading skills. We also reviewed his homework and introduced Lesson 20, Task 2 - In Class/Homework - Grammar.

We covered the following reading and literacy components:

1) 'I Survive' Hurricane Katrina:

Reading Practice: fluency, punctuation intonation, inflectional endings, articulation, enunciation, decoding, and comprehension

2) Use of his Translator for story comprehension and pronunciation of challenging vocabulary

3) Contractions

4) Apostrophes

5) Spelling Accuracy: use words from the text to improve spelling accuracy

6) Writing full, complete sentences, and using punctuation accurately

_________________________________

For HOMEWORK, can Ryan please complete the following 3 assignments:

1) Lesson 20 - Task 2 - In Class/Homework - Grammar

2) Lesson 20 - Task 1 - Homework - Your On-Level Reading - P.2-15

Read & Record - vocaroo.com - Pages: 2-15

3) Add 5 more words to his dictionary. Include the following:

1: write the word

2: write the Chinese translation

3: use the word in a sentence

4: write a synonym for the word 

Thank you.

_________________________________

As always, have a wonderful week and I look forward to seeing Ryan, next Monday.

Very best regards,

Mr. Grande

Dear Ryan's parents,

Ryan had a very good English language lesson today. He is becoming much more independent with his translator and his oral description of vocabulary words is improving as well. Wonderful!

I will continue to focus on improving Ryan's reading skills and overall comprehension, as well as his neatness of work (using a ruler, excellent spelling, using his eraser to correct poor spelling, mistakes, etc.).

For today's lesson, we covered Lesson 18 - Task 2 - In Class - R&W.  

We covered the following literacy concepts and strategies:

1) Pre-reading strategies: prediction, identification, text-to-self and text-to-world connections

2) Key / New vocabulary: translations, definitions, and synonyms

3) Reading strategies: fluency, intonation, articulation & enunciation, decoding, text features, and comprehension

4) Genre: Poetry

5) Mind Map / Idea Web: 'Nature'

6) Elements of Poetry: alliteration, repetition, free verse, and simile

7) Descriptive Detail: oral explanation for the definition of specific vocabulary

_____________________________

For HOMEWORK, can Ryan please complete the following:

Lesson 18 - Task 1 - Homework - Phonics/Spelling Practice

AND

Lesson 18 - Task 2 - Homework - R&W: (Read and Record the following pages: 319-321)

Thank you.

_______________________________

Have a wonderful week and I look forward to seeing Ryan next Monday. 

My very best regards are with the entire family, as always.

Mr. Grande

Dear Ryan and Ryan's mother,

Ryan worked very hard throughout today's English language lesson. Once again we covered many challenging activities. He took lots of notes, which he must refer to whenever he needs to remember important lesson knowledge.

Ryan needs to remember that for his upcoming homework submissions, I will be evaluating his homework using the following 4 homework completion criteria:

1) Spelling

2) Capital letters

3) Punctuation (e.g.: periods, etc.)

4) Using the words in the Question to guide his sentence Answers

For today's lesson, we reviewed Ryan's anchor chart binder. We also covered Lesson 16 - Task 2 - In Class - Grammar

We covered the following literacy concepts and strategies:

1) Key / New Vocabulary: Translations

2) Irregular Verbs - Present Tense and Past Tense

3) Letter Writing: Greeting, Closing, and Commas

4) Simple Sentence Structures

5) Listening Skills: Vowel Sounds and Instructions

6) Note-taking: Clear Organization

________________________

For HOMEWORK, can Ryan, please complete the following:

1) Lesson 15 - Oct 23 - Homework -  Weekly Test

---------------

The following EXTRA HOMEWORK is OPTIONAL

2) Lesson 16 - Task 1 - Extra Homework - Your On-Level Reading (Optional)

a) Please Read and Record (vocaroo.com):

Pages: 2-15 Only

Thank you.

_______________________________

All the very best to the family and have a wonderful week.

Very best regards,

Mr. Grande

Dear Ryan's parents,

It is always a joy for me to teach Ryan. He does work very hard during class and he is becoming much more independent with the learning skills he needs to succeed with his English language learning. His reading skills are significantly improving as are the high amount of vocabulary he now knows. Fantastic!Keep up the good work, Ryan!

For today's lesson, we reviewed Ryan's homework in detail and refered to his anchor charts for support. We also covered Lesson 13 - Task 1 - In Class+Homework - Your Turn.  

We covered the following literacy concepts and strategies:

1) Key / New vocabulary: translations, definitions, and synonyms

2) Reading strategies: fluency, decoding, pronunciation, and comprehension

3) Genre: Drama = Folktale

4) Root Words: suffixes and prefixes

5) r-Controlled Vowels: '-eer', '-ere', '-ear'

6) Abbreviations: Monday = Mon.

7) Theme = lesson in the story

_____________________________

For HOMEWORK, can Ryan please complete ONLY the following pages:

Lesson 13 - Task 1 - In Class+Homework - Your Turn

Pages: 181-185

Pages: 188-189

Thank you.

_______________________________

For OPTIONAL EXTRA HOMEWORK, Ryan can READ AND RECORD the following story and SUBMIT it to me for evaluation:

Lesson 13 - Task 2 - Homework -  Read &Record - Literature - p.370-377 ONLY

Thank you once again.

_______________________________

Have a wonderful week and I look forward to seeing Ryan next Monday. 

My very best regards are with the entire family, as always, and Happy Thanksgiving!

Mr. Grande

Dear Ryan's parents,

It is always very nice to see Ryan. Today, we worked very hard on important concepts in English language literacy.

For today's lesson, we covered Lesson 12 - Task 1 - In Class - Your On-Level Reading.  

We covered the following literacy concepts and strategies:

1) Pre-reading strategies: prediction, identification, text-to-self and text-to-world connections

2) Key / New vocabulary: translations, definitions, and synonyms

3) Reading strategies: pace, fluency, decoding, text features, and comprehension

4) Reading Genre: Realistic Fiction

5) Text Features: table of contents (title, author, chapters, pages, subtitles, and sometimes, illustrator). special print, pictures (illustrations)

6) Critical Thinking Skills (5Ws & H)

_____________________________

For HOMEWORK, can Ryan please independently complete the following:

Lesson 12 - Task 2 - Homework - Grammar

Thank you.

_______________________________

Have a wonderful week and I look forward to seeing Ryan next Monday.  

My very best regards are with the entire family, as always, and Happy Thanksgiving!

Mr. Grande

Dear Ryan's parents,

It is always very nice to see Ryan and also, his mother.

Ryan worked very hard today and my hope is that he can successfully use all that he learned today for future tests with me as well as tests at school. I believe in you, Ryan. You can do it!

For today's lesson, we reviewed, in detail, his answers for Lesson 11 - Sep 25 - In Class - Weekly Test.  

We covered the following test-taking strategies:

1) Multiple-choice tests:

a) Context Clues

b) Key Vocabulary - in questions, answers, and text

c) Reread the text

d) Figurative Language - similes

e) Understand ALL vocabulary for each question and for ALL answer choices - use the TRANSLATOR, ALWAYS.

_____________________________

For HOMEWORK, can Ryan please independently complete the following:

Lesson 3 - Sep 25 - Homework - Weekly Test - G2U4W1

Thank you.

_______________________________

Have a wonderful week and I look forward to seeing Ryan next Monday. 

My very best regards are with the entire family, as always.

Mr. Grande

Dear Ryan's parents,

It is always nice to see Ryan. I am very glad to hear that Ryan is happy with school and that he has good friends and lots of support. Wonderful!

For today's lesson, we spent a lot of time reviewing all the homework that Ryan submitted. We also reviewed his anchor chart binder.

It is very important that Ryan takes his time with his homework and not do more than I assign him to do. Ryan's school work and homework is not about quantity (how much he can do) but the quality (excellence!) with his work.  

We covered the following literacy concepts and strategies:

1) Key / New vocabulary: translations, definitions, and synonyms

2) Spelling Accuracy: focus was on the letter 'r'

3) Genre: Realistic Fiction

4) Sentence Starters

5) Phonics: r-Controlled vowels

6) Helping Verbs / Main Verbs

7) 'Spelling Words'

8) Capital Letters and Punctuation

9) Reading Instructions Carefully

_____________________________

For HOMEWORK, can Ryan please independently complete the following:

Lesson 11 - Sep 18 - Homework - Weekly Test - G2U4W3

Thank you.

_______________________________

Have a wonderful week and I look forward to seeing Ryan next Monday. 

My very best regards are with the entire family, as always.

Mr. Grande

Dear Ryan's parents,

It was so nice to see Ryan after his move back to Canada and after my holiday away. He had a great lesson today and he worked very hard. Really well done today, Ryan!

For today's lesson, we reviewed his weekly test homework and reviewed his anchor charts. We also covered Lesson 9 - Task 2 - In Class - Your Turn - Literacy.  

We covered the following literacy concepts and strategies:

1) Key / New vocabulary: translations, definitions, and synonyms (words and word phrases)

3) Reading strategies: pronunciation, context clues, fluency, and comprehension

4) Test-taking strategies: question and answer comprehension using the translator and rereading the story for key details and key words/phrases

_____________________________

For HOMEWORK, can Ryan please READ, RECORD, and SUBMIT the following story using VOCAROO.COM:

Lesson 9 - Task 1 - Homework - Literature Book:

Pages: 336-363 ONLY

Thank you.

_______________________________

Have a wonderful first week of school and I look forward to hearing all about it from Ryan next Monday.  

My very best regards are with the entire family, as always.

Mr. Grande

Dear Ryan's parents,

It was so nice to see your whole family together, enjoying a special moment together in a restaurant. According to Ryan's discription, the Hot Pot dinner sounded delicious! Thank you very much to Jessica for helping correct the audio issues with Ryan's device.

For today's lesson, we reviewed Ryan's homework as well as his anchor charts. We also covered Lesson 6 - Task 2 - In Class - R&W.  

We covered the following literacy concepts and strategies:

1) Key / New vocabulary: translations, definitions, and synonyms

2) Reading strategies: pace, fluency, pronunciation (articulation and enunciation), decoding, context clues, text features, and comprehension

3) Genre: Expository Text (Informational Text)

4) Paragraph Indents

5) Page Margin

_____________________________

For HOMEWORK, can Ryan please complete the following:

Lesson 6 - Task 1 - Homework - Spelling Practice

Thank you.

_______________________________

Have a wonderful week and I look forward to seeing Ryan next Wednesday. 

My very best regards are with the entire family, as always.

Mr. Grande

Dear Ryan's parents,

It was so nice to see Ryan today as well as his parents, Jessica and Kevin. I am sorry that I cannot communicate with you in Chinese. Thank you so much for speaking with me in English. You have such a lovely family and Ryan is a real joy to teach. He is such a strong, intelligent student.

For today's lesson, we reviewed Ryan's Phonics/Spelling homework and did so in great detail. Today's lesson was focused on teaching Ryan strategies on how to improve his Phonics/Spelling skills and also to show him what specifically I am evaluating and my learning expectations for him. He worked hard and did very well overall.

We covered the following literacy concepts and strategies:

1) Key / New vocabulary: translations, definitions, and synonyms

2) Correct Letter Structures

3) Reading strategies for written instruction comprehension

4) Silent Letters: kn, gn, wr. mb, sc

5) Spelling words ON the line, not above or below the line

6) Focus on neatness with his work: use an eraser, ruler, pencil, etc.

_____________________________

For HOMEWORK, can Ryan please independently complete the following:

Lesson 3 - Jul 22 - Homework - Weekly Test

Thank you.

_______________________________

Have a wonderful weekend and I look forward to seeing Ryan next Saturday. 

My very best regards are with the entire family.

Mr. Grande

Dear Ryan's parents,

It was so very nice to see Ryan once again. He had a very strong English language lesson. We focused on Ryan's Reading fluency and comprehension as well as building his Vocabulary knowledge. He worked very hard. Great work today, Ryan!

For today's lesson, we read Lesson 1 - Task 1 - In Class - Literature book.  

We covered the following literacy concepts and strategies:

1) Pre-reading strategies: identification, text-to-self and text-to-world connections

2) Key / New vocabulary: translation, definition, and synonym

3) Reading strategies: fluency, text feature, and comprehension

4) Genre: Expository Text

_____________________________

For HOMEWORK, can Ryan please complete the following:

1) Finish reading: Lesson 1 - Task 1 - In Class - Literature book:

Pages 316-317

Pages 320-321

**Important: for ALL words that Ryan reads and does not understand, he is to write these words into his notebook and include each word's Chinese translation

2) Learn Animal and Plant names: 

Ryan is to review pages 304-317, from the above Lesson, and write the names of animals and plants from the book's illustrations, into his notebook, with their Chinese translations

3) Complete: Lesson 1 - Task 2 - Homework - Your Turn Practice:

Pages 151-154

Page 155 (Ex.A Only)

Pages 158-159

Thank you.

_______________________________

Have a wonderful weekend and I look forward to seeing Ryan next Saturday. 

My very best regards are with the entire family, as always.

Mr. Grande

Dear Marquis and Marquis' parents,

For today's lesson, Marquis worked so very hard (with Marquis' mother's wonderful assistance) to understand the American Electoral system. It is a very challenging system in the political realm of Democracy and it is unique to America. The Canadian Electoral system, for example, is simpler and much more straightforward. Very well done today, Marquis!

For today's lesson (Mon.Feb.21st), Lesson 1, Task 1 (Literature book - 'Grace for President'), we covered the following literacy concepts:

1) Literary Comprehension (the American Electoral system)

2) Articulation and Enunciation of challenging vocabulary

3) Key Vocabulary

4) Personal Dictionary review

5) Idioms

_____________________________

For HOMEWORK, can Marquis please complete the following pages from Lesson 2, Task 2 (ReadWrite - ' A Difficult Decision'):

1) Review the story, 'A Difficult Decision'

2) For the following pages, Marquis is to complete the 'Your Turn' window at the bottom of each page - please write Marquis' answers into his class notebook and send the images of these completed notebook page(s) to me via email attachment. Thank you very much.

3) p.338 - Summarize

4) p.339 - Point of View

5) p.340 - Realistic Fiction

6) p.341 - Suffixes

If you have any questions regarding Marquis' homework, please don't hesitate to contact me or Ms. Ling. Thank you.

___________________________

My very best regards are with you all.

Mr. Grande

Dear parents,

It has been a real joy to teach your children for this Fall Semester. I hope to see your children next week in out Spring Semester.

Have a wonderful Lunar New Year / Spring Festival celebration!

I wish you all good health and happiness in this New Year.

All the very best to you all.

Mr. Grande.

Dear parents,

For today's class, we covered Lesson 2, Task 1 (Spelling Practice) and the following activities and concepts:

1) Spelling Test

2) Diphthongs: 'ou' and 'ow'

3) Proofreading strategies

For HOMEWORK, can your children please independently complete the following test: 

Lesson 3, Jan.25, Weekly Test

Independently complete and submit.

Thank you.

Have a wonderful weekend to the whole family.

Best regards,

Mr. Grande.

Today we started the spelling words, and worked on the story vocabulary, and read the story about the boy who wasn't sure whether or not to return a found game system.  

Next week we will continue to work on the spelling words, reread the story, and do the comprehension work on the story. 

Dear Marquis' parents, 

Marquis worked very hard today, for his first Canadian English lesson! I am very proud of him. It was a challenging lesson because we covered many new things and many VIPKid curriculum that Marquis' was challenged to remember but will remember soon. It will get easier for him, after each lesson.

For today's Grade 2, Unit 5 lesson, we covered the following literary curriculum:

1) Anchor Chart Binder

2) Anchor Charts:

- Proofreading Marks

- Reading Genres

- Abbreviations

- Idioms

- Parts of Speech

2) Lesson 1, Task 1 (Literature book):

- Reading Strategies

_________________________________

For HOMEWORK, can Marquis please complete:

Lesson 1, Task 2 (Your Turn Practice)

- page 201-204

- page 205 - Part A - Q1-3

- page 208-209

- Complete and Submit

_________________________________

Thank you Marquis' father and mother for all your strong preparation for today's first class for Marquis! First classes are always the hardest and this class, with all that we covered, went very well.

I am so very happy to be teaching Marquis once again. He is such an intelligent, amazing boy and such a wonderful student.

Have a wonderful week to you all and I look forward to our next lesson together.

Very best regards,

Mr. Grande.

Dear Ryan's parents,

For today's lesson, Ryan worked very hard and he followed my instructions with a high degree of accuracy and engagement. Ryan's listening skills are significantly improving as is his vocabulary knowledge. He is beginning to orally express himself with growing English language knowledge, vocabulary, and sentence structures. Keep up your good, hard work, Ryan.

I would highly recommend that Ryan reads English language stories at home ('I Survived') and at school (using the school library to borrow books to read in class). This will significantly increase and improve his reading skills, exponentially. This will also, very importantly, help Ryan best prepare for the higher level reading he'll encounter in high school. Thank you.

For today's lesson, we focused on Ryan's test-taking skills, with Lesson 19 - Nov 13 - Homework - Weekly Test (G2U4W5).

We covered the following test-taking skills:

1) Reread the text for story comprehension

2) Use his Translator for story comprehension (understand ALL the vocabulary)

3) Use his Translator for test question comprehension (understand ALL the vocabulary)

4) Spelling Accuracy: use words from the text to improve spelling accuracy

5) Writing full, complete sentences, and using punctuation accurately

_________________________________

For HOMEWORK, can Ryan please complete the weekly test:

Lesson 19 - Nov 13 - Homework - Weekly Test (G2U4W5)

***(Ryan must take his time with this weekly test and do his very best because I will be assessing his test with higher expectations)*** Thank you.

ALSO

Add 5 more words to his dictionary. Include the following:

1: write the word

2: write the Chinese translation

3: use the word in a sentence

4: write a synonym for the word 

Thank you.

_________________________________

Have a wonderful week and I look forward to seeing Ryan, next Monday.

Very best regards,

Mr. Grande

Dear Ryan and Ryan's parents,

Once again, Ryan worked very hard throughout today's English language lesson. Also, we covered many challenging curriculum activities and his comprehension skills are becoming much more effective, which is great.

Ryan needs to remember to take his time with his homework and to use his translator with much more consistency, for best results.

I would also recommend that Ryan reads more English language books/magazines at home. He says he likes Science-fiction. We discussed for him to go to the library at school and ask the librarian to help him choose Science-fiction books that he is able to read at his English language level. Thank you.

For today's lesson, we reviewed Ryan's many homework submissions and his anchor chart binder. We also covered Lesson 17 - Task 1 - In Class - Literature Book

We covered the following literacy concepts and strategies:

1) Key / New Vocabulary: translations, definitions, and synonyms

2) Genre: Poetry

3) Letter Writing: greeting, closing, and commas

4) Instruction Comprehension strategies

5) Decoding: vocabulary reading strategies

6) Figurative Language: similes

7) r-Controlled Vowels

8) Syllables

9) Rhyme

________________________

For HOMEWORK, can Ryan, please complete the following:

1) Lesson 17 - Task 2 - Homework -  Your Turn

Pages: 191-195

Page: 199 

--------

2) Lesson 17 - Task 1 - Homework - Literature

a) Please Read and Record (vocaroo.com):

Pages: 383-384 / 386-387 

Thank you.

_______________________________

Have a wonderful week to the whole family. I look forward to seeing Ryan next Monday.

Happy Halloween!

Mr. Grande

James did a great job today and I am sure he will do well with the grade 2 program.

This week for homework he will do the spelling preview.

Great job and Happy New Year!

Thanks,

Ms. Katie