Second Grade Academics

Language Arts
The Second Grade language arts program integrates reading, writing, listening, thinking, speaking, and language skills. Students gain fluency in reading and writing and learn to participate in the wondering, problem solving, and responsiveness of literacy.

The reading program in Second grade uses phonics and offers experiences rich in language and literature. Children read silently and orally, individually, on the development of sight vocabulary. Students develop comprehension skills through predicting, interpreting, summarizing, comparing and contrasting, and making connections between what is read and what is previously known. Children enjoy all types of reading materials including easy-to-read stories, folk and fairy tales, fables, fantasies, realistic fiction, expository text, plays, poetry.

The Second grade spelling program is cumulative and sequential. It focuses on bringing spelling literacy to students' writing by placing an emphasis on the mastery of the most commonly used words. Students are held accountable for a growing list of "no excuses" spelling words. They are also taught word patterns and spelling rules, proofreading and editing skills, and are exposed to hundreds of additional words for language growth.

Students apply reading skills to their writing. They work on developing sentences and paragraphs with an concentration on capitalization, punctuation, appropriate word usage, and proper sentence structure. Self-correction is encouraged through proofreading. Over the course of the year, students create a variety of writing samples including group stories, individual writing projects, and journal writing.

Mathematics
The Second grade math program uses an exploratory, hands-on approach to help students reason mathematically, communicate mathematically, develop multiple problem solving strategies, and make mathematical connections. Computational practice is an integral part of instruction. The program builds on previous experience, offers repeated exposure to mathematical concepts, incorporates technology, and integrates math into ongoing daily routines across the curriculum with a special emphasis on Science and Social Studies. Units in Second grade focus on reading and writing four-and five-digit numbers; identifying place value; adding and subtracting two- and three-digit numbers with regrouping; defining and solving number problems; determining equivalent fractions; writing fractions as decimals; graphing; recognizing bases, faces, sides and angles of figures; estimating area; telling time to one minute intervals; measuring to the nearest half-inch and centimeter; comparing metric and standard units; determining operations and number values; using dollar-and-and cent notation; converting money; and performing money exchanges.

Science
In science, Second graders continue to develop previously introduced skills and concepts through hands-on activities and simple laboratory experiences. The students use scientific skills and processes to observe, identify, and describe physical properties, location, and movement. The program includes the following topics: the moon, soil and erosion, exploring interactions, and characteristics of organisms.

Art
In Second grade art class, each student creates an imaginary map. This project is connected to their Social Studies Unit, "You Can Be a Geographer." They will also be creative and invent a class community map. In the unit "People and Places in the United States," the students will design a stamp that represents Martin Luther King Junior's contribution to the United States. Other unit related art projects will be produced throughout the year. The elements of art are reinforced through fundamental drawing and painting projects.

Music
The emphasis in Second grade music is on listening to classical music, dancing, and moving to a variety of styles of music, and singing with the incorporation of chant, finger plays, sign language, and repetition. Rhythm activities use classroom instruments and cover various periods and expression of music.

Social Studies
In Second grade, students concentrate on three main units. Unit 1: You Can Be a Geographer, Unit 2: People and Places in the United States, and Unit 3: Economics and Me.

Physical Education
The Second grade physical education program continues to force on the improvement of fitness, coordination, listening skills, and cooperation through a sequential emphasis on the following areas:

Simple team games centering on fine and gross-motor skills. Individual and partner activities with a specific skills concentration. Movement exploration. Fitness activities are incorporated into every class.

French
This is the exploratory phase of the language study. Students will be immersed in the language through the learning of the following concepts:

Alphabet Colors Basic Greetings The Weather The Seasons Simple food Manipulation of Numbers 1-10 (Addition and Subtraction)

Homework
Second Grade students are typically assigned homework four times per week, with assignments expected to take a total of fifteen to twenty minutes to complete.

Students will learn these concepts through various performance activities.